doxy. Consistently with this idea, the priests
demanded, through the people, the crucifixion of Jesus. This
punishment was not Jewish in its origin; if the condemnation of Jesus
had been purely Mosaic, he would have been stoned.[1] Crucifixion was
a Roman punishment, reserved for slaves, and for cases in which it was
wished to add to death the aggravation of ignominy. In applying it to
Jesus, they treated him as they treated highway robbers, brigands,
bandits, or those enemies of inferior rank to whom the Romans did not
grant the honor of death by the sword.[2] It was the chimerical "King
of the Jews," not the heterodox dogmatist, who was punished. Following
out the same idea, the execution was left to the Romans. We know that
amongst the Romans, the soldiers, their profession being to kill,
performed the office of executioners. Jesus was therefore delivered to
a cohort of auxiliary troops, and all the most hateful features of
executions introduced by the cruel habits of the new conquerors, were
exhibited toward him. It was about noon.[3] They re-clothed him with
the garments which they had removed for the farce enacted at the
tribunal, and as the cohort had already in reserve two thieves who
were to be executed, the three prisoners were taken together, and the
procession set out for the place of execution.

[Footnote 1: Jos., _Ant._, XX. ix. 1. The Talmud, which represents the
condemnation of Jesus as entirely religious, declares, in fact, that
he was stoned; or, at least, that after having been hanged, he was
stoned, as often happened (Mishnah, _Sanhedrim_, vi. 4.) Talmud of
Jerusalem, _Sanhedrim_, xiv. 16. Talm. of Bab., same treatise, 43 _a_,
67 _a_.]

[Footnote 2: Jos., _Ant._, XVII. x. 10, XX. vi. 2; _B.J._, V. xi. 1;
Apuleius, _Metam._, iii. 9; Suetonius, _Galba_, 9; Lampridius, _Alex.
Sev._, 23.]

[Footnote 3: John xix. 14. According to Mark xv. 25, it could scarcely
have been eight o'clock in the morning, since that evangelist relates
that Jesus was crucified at nine o'clock.]

The scene of the execution was at a place called Golgotha, situated
outside Jerusalem, but near the walls of the city.[1] The name
_Golgotha_ signifies a _skull_; it corresponds with the French word
_Chaumont_, and probably designated a bare hill or rising ground,
having the form of a bald skull. The situation of this hill is not
precisely known. It was certainly on the north or northwest of the
city, in the high, irregular plain wh