The Greek that is translated as “cross” or similar in English when metaphorically or actually referring to what needed to be carried to the place of crucifixion is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as Querbalken des Kreuzes or “crossbar of the cross.” Berger/Nord (p. 432) explain: “The cross consisted of a vertical pole that was tightly anchored in the ground, on which a crossbar had to be fastened. The crossbar had to be carried to the place of execution by the delinquents themselves.”
The Greek that is translated as “cross” in English is often referred to a visualization of the cross’ shape. In Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, for instance, it is translated as 十字架 (Chinese: shízìjià; Japanese: jūjika) — “10-character-frame” because the character for “10” has the shape of a cross) or in Ancient Greek manuscripts with the staurogram (⳨) a ligature of the Greek letters tau (Τ) and rho (Ρ) that was used to abbreviate stauros (σταυρός), the Greek word for cross, and may visually have represented Jesus on the cross.
Elsewhere it refers to the function, e.g. a newly coined term, like one made up of two Sanskrit words meaning “killing-pole” (Marathi NT revision of 1964), “wood to-stretch-out-with” (Toraja-Sa’dan), or “nailing pole” (Zarma). A combination of the two seems to be used in Balinese, which employs a word for the crossbeams in a house, derived from a verb that can refer both to a beam that stretches from side to side under a roof, and to a person stretched out for torture (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel). Similarly, in Lamba it is translated “with umutaliko — ‘a pole with a cross-piece, on which maize was normally tied’ from the verb ‘talika’ which, strangely enough, is used of ‘holding down a man with arms and legs stretched out, someone gripping each limb.'” (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. ).
“In Mongolian, the term that is used is togonoltchi mott, which is found in the top of a tent. The people on the steppes live in round felt-yurts and the round opening on the top of the tent serves as a window. The crosswood in that opening is called togonoltchi mott. ‘Crucified’ is translated ‘nailed on the crosswood.’ This term is very simple, but deep and interesting too. Light comes to men through the Cross. What a privilege to be able to proclaim such a message.” (Source: A. W. Marthinson in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 74ff. )
In Mairasi it is translated as iwo nasin ae: “chest measurement wood.” “This term refers to the process of making a coffin when a person dies. The man making the coffin takes a piece of bamboo and measures the body from head to heel. He then breaks the stick off at the appropriate point. For the width he measures the shoulders and then ties the two sticks together in the shape of a cross. As he works, he continually measures to make sure the coffin is the correct size. At the gravesite, the coffin is lowered. Then the gravecloth, palm leaves, and finally the chest measurement stick are laid on top of the coffin before the dirt is piled on. This term is full of meaning, because it is in the shape of a cross, and each person will have one. The meaning is vividly associated with death.” (Source: Enggavoter, 2004)
In Lisu it is translated as ꓡꓯꓼ ꓐꓳ ꓔꓶꓸ DU — lä bo tɯ du: “a place to stretch the arms across” (source: Arrington 2020, p. 215), in Noongar as boorn-yambo: “crossed tree” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), in Yagaria as malipu yava or “cross-wood,” Alekano as “cross-wise tree,” in Kuman (PNG) as endi pirake or “vertical and horizontal beam” (source for this and two above: Renck 1990, p. 81), and in Tibetan as rgyangs shing (རྒྱངས་ཤིང་།), lit. “stretch + wood” (“translators have adopted the name of this traditional Tibetan instrument of torture to denote the object on which Jesus died”) (source: gSungrab website ).
The English translation of Ruden (2021) uses “stake.” She explains (p. xlv): “The cross was the perpendicular joining of two execution stakes, and the English word euphemistically emphasized the geometry: a cross could also be an abstract cross drawn on paper. The Greeks used their word for ‘stake,’ and this carries the imagery of what was done with it, as our ‘stake’ carries images of burning and impaling. ‘Hang on the stakes’ for ‘crucify’ is my habitual usage.”
This is a contemporary tempera/gouache on leather painting by an unknown Ethiopian artist. Source: Sacred Art Pilgrim website .
“Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann (born 1950) was a member of the Daly River Mission church in Australia’s Northern Territory. When it was being redecorated in 1974 she was invited to paint a series of Stations of the Cross. It is unusual for an Aboriginal woman to paint since this is usually the task of the men, but she accepted the challenge and produced a remarkable series of paintings which, like other Aboriginal art, uses symbols to go beyond external shapes to inner meanings and emotions. The Stations of the Cross were painted in acrylic paint on burnie board.
“Ungunmerr-Baumann explains the symbolism of the Stations of the Cross: ‘The third stop shows Jesus falling for the first time (below). In Jesus’ weakened state the weight of the cross forces him to fall. The patterns on his body show the physical stress he is under. The circles on his head indicate the pain and sorrow locked up inside him. The patterns on the cross show the increasing weight on his shoulders. In the Fifth Station, Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross (opposite). When Simon takes hold of the cross, his body merges with that of Jesus. The pattern on Jesus’ head is open: he is giving grace to Simon to strengthen him. When Simon took hold of the cross, something happened inside him: the sun rose inside his head, his mind burst with a new belief, he became a new man. The resurrection had already begun.’ She prays: ‘Jesus you take your heavy cross, It gives you pain. Help all who suffer. Forgive us for the pain we give you and others.'” (Source for this and the image: The Bible Through Asian Eyes by Masao Takenaka and Ron O’Grady 1991)
David Clark (in The Bible Translator 2013, p. 54ff. ) explains the complicated odyssey of the name “Cyrene” into Mal: “[Mal formed a word] based on the Thai form Sairin (ไซรีน), which in turn is based on the English pronunciation of the form ‘Cyrene’ rather than on the Greek spelling or pronunciation. Mal makes further adaptations as required by its own phonology, and the name becomes Saylin. The Mal form is thus at three removes from the Greek, being mediated through Latin, English, and Thai.”
The name that is transliterated as “Alexander” in English means “defending men,” “one who turns away evil.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that combines the name of his father, Simon of Cyrene (see here) and the meaning of the name “Alexander” as “defender of men”. (Source: Missão Kophós )
The name that is transliterated as “Simon of Cyrene” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that combines the letter “S” with “support” (because he helped Christ carry the cross). (Source: Missão Kophós )
The Roman soldiers seized Jesus and took him to the soldiers’ quarters. They also called other soldiers; they came and gathered around Jesus. They took a red cloak and put it on him. They took thorny branches and made a crown out of them. They put this crown on Jesus’ head. The crown had thorns, they cut his head, and blood flowed. And the soldiers mocked Jesus, mocked him and shouted:
— We greet you, King of the Jews!
For fun, they knelt before him and bowed low to the ground. Then they took a stick and began to hit him on the head. They spat and mocked him in every way. Then they took the red cloak back from him and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him to the place of crucifixion. They ordered Jesus to carry the cross.
On the way, they met a man named Simon. He was from the city of Cyrene. He had two sons: one named Alexander, the other Rufus. This man named Simon was walking after working in the fields. Some soldiers were passing by. They grabbed Simon and forced him to carry the cross. Simon took the cross of Jesus and carried it. The soldiers took Jesus to a mountain called Golgotha. It means “skull”. Because it looks like a skull. When they got there, the soldiers took bitter wine, poured it into a cup, and offered Jesus to drink. Jesus refused. The soldiers divided his clothes among themselves and nailed Jesus to the cross. They nailed his hands and feet. They took a board, wrote on it “King of the Jews” and nailed this board to the cross, above his head. So they crucified Jesus on the cross. This was at nine o’clock in the morning. That same day, two more people were crucified. They were hung on crosses, one on the right of Jesus, the other on the left. Different people walked past, scolded him, and shouted:
— Hey! You said that in three days you would destroy the temple and then build it again! Save yourself! Come down from the cross, and we will see.
And the chief priests and scribes also mocked him and said to each other:
— He saved other people, but he cannot save himself! He said that he was Christ, the king of Israel. Well, try, come down from the cross, we’ll see how you come down from the cross, then we’ll believe.
Also, the criminals who were crucified on the right and left also scolded Jesus.
Original Russian back-translation (click or tap here):
Римские воины схватили Иисуса, повели в помещение для солдат. Также они позвали других воинов; те пришли, собрались вокруг Иисуса. Они взяли красный плащ и надели на него. Взяли колючие ветки и сделали из них венок. Они надели этот венок на голову Иисуса. У венка были колючие шипы, они ранили голову, шла кровь. А солдаты издевались над Иисусом, глумились и кричали:
— Приветствуем тебя царь иудейский!
Они для потехи вставали перед ним на колени и низко кланялись до самой земли. Потом они взяли палку и начали бить его по голове. Плевались и всячески издевались. Потом сняли с него обратно этот красный плащ и надели на него его собственную одежду. Потом повели его к месту распятия. Они приказали Иисусу нести крест.
По дороге им встретился один человек, которого звали Симон. Он был из города Кирена. У него были два сына: одного звали Александр, другого — Руф. Вот этот человек по имени Симон, шел после полевых работ. Мимо проходили воины. Они схватили Симона и заставили его нести крест. Симон взял крест Иисуса и понес его. Воины привели Иисуса к горе, которая называется Голгофа. Это означает «череп». Потому что она похожа на череп. Когда они пришли к тому месту, воины взяли горькое вино, налили в чашу, и предложили Иисус выпить. Иисус отказался. Воины поделили между собой его одежду и прибили Иисуса ко кресту. Прибили гвоздями руки и ноги. Они взяли дощечку, написали на ней «Царь иудейский» и прибили эту дощечку ко кресту, над его головой. Так они распяли Иисуса на кресте. Это было в девять часов утра. В тот же день, распяли еще двоих человек. Их повесили на крестах, одного справа от Иисуса, другого слева.
Разные люди ходили мимо, ругали его, и кричали:
— Эй! Ты говорил, что за три дня разрушишь храм и потом построишь заново! Спаси себя самого! Сойди с креста, а мы посмотрим.
А первосвященники и книжники тоже издевались над ним и говорили друг другу:
— Других людей спасал, а себя спасти не может! Он говорил, что он Христос, царь Израиля. Ну, попробуй, сойди с креста, мы посмотрим, как ты сойдёшь креста, тогда мы поверим.
Также преступники, которые были распяты справа и слева, тоже ругали Иисуса.
The name that is transliterated as “Rufus” in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that combines “son” (of Simon of Cyrene) and “red” (the meaning of the name). (Source: Missão Kophós )
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