Crucifixion
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Matt. 23:34; 27:31 and elsewhere). From ancient times crucifixion was among the cruelest and most shameful forms of execution; the source reports that it still existed among peoples of India and China in its own day. The Romans regarded it as a disgraceful death reserved chiefly for traitors and great criminals (Luke 23:2). A widespread tradition held that the Cross of Christ was made from three kinds of wood—cypress, pine, and cedar—and the source connects this tradition with church hymns and prayers and with Isaiah 60:13.