Christian ideas refracted thru AtD: 1) Forgiveness (spoilers galore)

[David Morris]

At the historic time of the Bible story of the crucifixion, "crosses"
were not used for death sentences by the Romans.  Tree posts w/o cross
bar were used, a large stake with a knot ch for the feet (nailed)
allowed for the victim to support his own weight until he weakened and
was eventually suffocated by the rope holding his torso to the pole
took over, hands nailed together above the head.

The cross is for Pynchon mandala in GR.  Mandalas are universal tools
for contemplation.

On 12/23/06, Keith <keithsz at mac.com> wrote:
> The cross became a symbol for christianism because the symbol of the cross and the motif of sacrifice have been core images in humanoid mythology since paleolithic times. (Why that is so is a long and debatable discussion. The timeless universality of it all raises interesting questions.) Doubtful that there was an historic "Christ" who was nailed to anything. Sometimes it's better to let sleeping gods lie, and they usually do.
>
> On Dec 23, 2006, at 10:26 AM, kelber at mindspring.com wrote:
>
> The cross became a symbol of christianity because Christ (along with lots of others, unsung) was nailed to one.  Why?  Because a cross is humanoid in shape.  Easier to nail someone to than, say, a crescent.
>
>