Why Christ was Crucified
Adrian Goldsworthy’s Pax Romana has an interesting description of the sequence of events that led to Christ’s crucification. As per Roman law, Christians could be executed if they refused to recant. While provincial governors enforced this law, they did not actively seek out and hunt Christians. Hunting them down cost money and effort, and to what end? They didn’t pose a threat to the empire, so why bother? Thus, prosecution of Christians was rare, and even then initiated only if influential locals called for it. One time, Paul (later apostle) was accused of being a troublemaker. His crime? He had “cured” a slave girl who possessed by an evil spirit. The slave’s owner was furious because in her possessed state, she used to tell fortunes for money (that went to the slave owner, of course). A large crowd gathered, forcing the magistrate to act: “Without a hearing, Paul (was) stripped, beaten and imprisoned.” Roman citizens were entitled to (slightly) better treatment – the