A two-part question, the first of which revolves around the Christian religion and th

[سواها قلبي]

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

8-
The Crucifixion:

A- The Cross Bearer:

Mark says:
“20 And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. 21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. 22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.”

*** Matthew and Luke agree with Mark that the one carrying the cross was Simon of Cyrene, but John states something else; he says:

“16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. 17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,”

Nineham says:
It was customary for those condemned to crucifixion to carry their own crosses. John asserts that this was indeed what happened in Jesus' case. However, according to the accounts of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, an unknown person named Simon of Cyrene was forced by the Romans to carry the cross instead of Jesus.

Regarding the location of Golgotha, the tradition that it lies within the Church of the Holy Pitr cannot be traced back further than the fourth century, and it remains a subject of debate. Other locations have been suggested in our time, but definitively determining one of them is still far from certain. (Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, p. 422)

That is, the talk about the Holy Sepulchre, in which Christians say Christ was buried, and which was one of the apparent reasons for the Crusades, which their instigators claimed were launched to liberate that Holy Sepulchre from the hands of the infidels, and which lasted for more than 280 years, in which tens of thousands of Christians and Muslims were killed, and many cities were destroyed and the blood of many innocent people was shed - all of this was based on nothing.

B. The drink of the crucified:

Mark says:
“23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.”

Matthew says:
“34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.”

C. The Cause of the Crucified One:

Mark says:
“26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Matthew says:
“37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

John says:
" 19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Nineham says: Opinions have differed greatly regarding the accuracy of what was written about his illness. Some scholars believe that the precise wording was known through eyewitness accounts, while others believe that it is unlikely the Romans used such a dry formula, and that what Saint Mark specifically mentions about his illness is simply to show that Jesus was executed as the Messiah. (Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, p. 424)

*** The difference between the Gospels in the title of the reason for the crucifixion - which is no more than a few simple words written on a tablet read by the spectators - is a measure of the degree of accuracy of what the Gospels narrate. As long as there is a difference - even in form as in this case - the degree of accuracy can never reach perfection in any way.

By analogy, we can assess the accuracy of the titles of Christ mentioned in the Gospels, especially when a Gospel attributes to one of its believers the following statement:

This man was righteous, while another Gospel says at the same time: This man was the Son of God. Or when one Gospel, through the words of a disciple of Christ, says: "Teacher," and another says: "Master," while a third says: "Lord."
The truth here always remains a point of contention.


There's more to come... Your brother, Al-Athram