Papers by Benjamin J . Rusch
Global Journal of Classical Theology , Mar 1, 2023
Scholarship has routinely overlooked the identification of the sponge-stick used to offer drink t... more Scholarship has routinely overlooked the identification of the sponge-stick used to offer drink to the crucified Jesus. This study proposes that the object in question was the xylospongium or tersorium, common in Roman toilet use. This hypothesis satisfies exegetical queries such as (i) why the drink was a mockery and not an act of mercy; (ii) why a reaching tool was used together with crosses that typically were short; (iii) why the gospels bother to specify the stick and the sponge. Objections to this identification are not insurmountable.
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Papers by Benjamin J . Rusch