Easter Story - THE PLACE OF THE SKULL

Some historians believe that this location, in Jerusalem, is "Golgatha" (meaning "place of the skull").  The rocky escarpment is situated northwest of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (traditionally believed to be the place of execution).  Image online, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

When Jesus and the crowd arrived at the place of crucifixion, the soldiers stripped him of His clothes and fastened Him to the cross. Instead of tying Him with ropes, the Roman soldiers drove spikes through His hands and feet.

Next, they placed the sign Pilate had fashioned, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," at the top of the cross. It was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. (Artistic works often depict the sign as "I.N.R.I" which, in Latin [where "I" and "V" are respectively "J" and "U"], stands for Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Iudaeorum.)

Today historians dispute the exact location of the place where Jesus was crucified. One possible location is a hill where rock formations look like a skull near a garden tomb. The other is a site located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (which was built over the spot believed to be Golgatha).

While Jesus was hanging on the cross, He spoke little. When He asked for something to drink, the soldiers put vinegar on a sponge and hoisted it up to him on a stalk of hyssop. Looking down from the cross, He told his disciple John to take care of His mother. And He forgave everyone who had harmed him. When He knew He was about to die, He said:

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

The next day was a special Sabbath. The body of Jesus had to be removed from the cross and buried before the following day. Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for permission to take the body for burial. Nicodemus helped Joseph with that task. They used a tomb near the place where Jesus was crucified.