What I have attempted to do is to say, what would it take for a religion of the Electric Chair to emerge today? Seriously. Imagine if the most revered figure in the world was roasted alive in one of these contraptions. Let's say Gandhi or Mother Theresa for arguments sake. Take your pick.
Can anyone imagine that ANYONE would end up worshiping THE MEANS OF EXECUTION?
Of course not.
So why does it now seem so natural - natural to the point that no one bothers to even question its genesis - to have the ancient equivalent of the Electric Chair i.e. the Cross as the focus of Christian worship?
There is absolutely nothing messianic about a Cross or an Electric Chair. Jesus could not have been imagined to 'prove' that he was the messiah or God by being executed as a criminal on or in one of these things.
In other words, its worship had to have been imposed from without on the Jewish people. It is far too implausible to imagine that the followers of a martyr - even the Son of God - just started worshiping the means of his execution.
As such I tentatively propose that the original genesis of this strange worship was established by Mark himself after he wrote the gospel which is the story of Jesus on the Cross essentially.
Again, I suspect that the 'lesson' or the 'instruction' that the symbolism of a crucified man had in contemporary first century Palestine was identical to what we demonstrated from the first hymn of the Samaritan Mark. Indeed I go one step further. I think that both figures are reminiscences of one and the same historical 'Mark' in two different communities - viz. Marcus Julius Agrippa, the last king of Israel.
I don't want to get into the arguments as to why I think these Marks were one and the same person. I want to establish that their teaching about the Cross - that it was a blessing and a curse for humanity was shared by the Marks of both communities. Here again is Boid's translation of the first Samaritan hymn of Mark 'the unsheather of the Cross' on the subject of crucifixion (with notes):
Punishments don’t disconcert the sinner, nor do wounds frighten him. He doesn’t take any notice. The rebel sees himself delivered up to punishments, and finds himself crucified. He turns to his possessions (?), and knows that there is no enjoyment from it.
Death can be compared to a Priest making someone drink the Bitter Water of Testing.
Boid's note - I have translated according to the traditional Samaritan etymology and understanding, which is not far from the traditional Jewish understanding. Disregard the mangling by most modern translations. This is water that is drunk to establish innocence. It has a tiny little bit of the dirt of the ground round the Sanctuary in it, as well as something to make it bitter, from memory I think wormwood. A guilty person is afflicted by it. (It was a wonderful device for clearing people of slander). The innocent person unjustly accused is given better bodily and mental and spiritual health by it. (This is one of the hints of resurrection in the Torah, and Marqe seems to have it in mind along with the other meanings). The false accuser who has sworn a false oath or committed perjury or conspiracy is struck by afflictions or even in some cases death. The passage in the Torah is in Numbers. I will look up the reference later. There is a lot of traditional theory not stated in the words of the Torah but agreed on by Samaritans and Jews
The innocent person unjustly accused is given better bodily and mental and spiritual health by it. The false accuser who has sworn a false oath or committed perjury or conspiracy is struck by afflictions or even in some cases death. Woe on whoever is found to have committed sin. Woe on all sinners, since they will be in great distress. The punishments they suffer are the result of all their offences.
The soul (or individual) stands dumbfounded. Those living are in great affliction, because the Good has turned his face away from them. If the Merciful does not save, and remember those that love him, all the sinners will bewail themselves, because they are in great distress.
The signs tell us that in this generation of ours there is not a single person not in partnership with sinners. The mothers and children, all of whom took part and rebelled (maradu), they too are punished with (or suffer) suffocation (tashnîqayya).
The fact is that by our sins we are the ones that are the murderers, murderers of the silent and those that can speak Innocent animals or children that have never sinned, or young adults of good descent, suffer for sins they never committed.
It is the Fanuta (era of disfavor) that has brought all this suffering about. The fruit of the womb is stopped, and the fruit of the earth destroyed. Every place is becoming accursed for us. The mouth of punishment is open before, ready to swallow up the baby with the old man.
Merciful and Good, treat us justly and well as is your nature. We can’t withstand this judgment. A leaf on a tree startles a sinner, so how can we withstand judgment that startles the world? Treat us justly and well, so that we aren’t …… [verb is shin-nun-qof] by punishments
I will argue to the end of time that this is the original Palestinian understanding of the Cross common to Christians, Jews and Samaritans in the first century period.
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