MARTIN HENGEL

Crucifixion

In the ancient world and the folly of the message of the cross

FORTRESS PRESS

philadelphia

Translated by John Bowden from the German “Mors turpissima crucis: Die Kreuzigung in der antiken Welt und die ‘Torheit’ des ‘Wortes vom Kreuz”, published in Rechtfertigung. Festschrift für Ernst Käsemann zum 70. Geburtstag, ed. J. Friedrich, W. Pöhlmann and P. Stuhlmacher, by J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), Tübingen, and Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, Göttingen, 1976, with substantial later additions by the author.

Translation © 1977 by SCM Press Ltd., London and Fortress Press, Philadelphia

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

First American Edition by Fortress Press 1977

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Hengel, Martin.

Crucifixion in the ancient world and the folly of the message of the cross.

Translation of Mors turpissima crucis.

Bibliography: p.

Includes indexes.

1. Crucifixion—History. 2. Jesus Christ—Crucifixion.

I. Title.

HV8569.H4613 1977 364.6’6 77-78629

ISBN 0-8006-1268-X

In Memory of

Elisabeth Käsemann

born 11 May 1947

died in the Argentine

24 May 1977

CONTENTS

Abbreviations

Introduction: Mors turpissima crucis

1. The ‘folly’ of the crucified Son of God

2. Prometheus and Dionysus: the ‘crucified’ and the ‘crucifying’ God

3. Docetism as a way of removing the ‘folly’ of the cross

4. Crucifixion as a ‘barbaric’ form of execution of the utmost cruelty

5. Crucifixion as the supreme Roman penalty

6. Crucifixion and Roman citizens

7. Crucifixion as a penalty for rebellious foreigners, violent criminals and robbers

8. The ‘slaves’ punishment’

9. The crucified national martyr and metaphorical and philosophical terminology

10. Crucifixion in the Greek-speaking world

11. Crucifixion among the Jews

12. Summary

Bibliography

Index of ancient authors

Index of modern scholars

ABBREVIATIONS

AAMz Abhandlungen der Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mainz

AGJU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und Urchristentums, Leiden

ANEP The Ancient Near East in Pictures, ed. J. B. Pritchard, Princeton 1954

BGU Ägyptische Urkunden aus den königlichen Museen zu Berlin: Griechische Urkunden I–VIII, 1895–1933

BJ Josephus, De Bello Judaico

BZNW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft, Berlin

CAH The Cambridge Ancient History

CC Corpus Christianorum, Turnholt

CIL Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, Berlin

DJDJ Discoveries in the Judaean Desert of Jordan, Oxford 1955ff.

ET English translation

EvTh Evangelische Theologie, Munich

FGH Die Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker, ed. F. Jacoby, Berlin 1923ff., reprinted Leiden 1957ff.

GCS Die Griechischen Christlichen Schriftsteller der ersten 3 Jahrhunderte, Berlin

HTR The Harvard Theological Review, Cambridge, Mass.

IEJ Israel Exploration Journal, Jerusalem...