Where Did Jesus Die? — Page xix
Introduction The subject I am going to discuss in this book is one of great importance as it is closely associated with the beliefs of three great religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Jews believe that by nailing Jesus to the Cross and put- ting him to what was universally accepted by them as an ‘accursed’ death, they proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that he was a false prophet. The Christians agree with the Jews in so far that Jesus indeed did die an ‘accursed’ death, but assert that this was in order to save mankind. St. Paul says in Galatians 3. 13: ‘Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is writ- ten, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. ’ The reference is to Deuteronomy 21. 23: ‘He that is hanged is accursed of God. ’ They also hold that the death of Jesus on the cross, followed by his resurrection, is an essential basis of Christianity. St. Paul says in his first Epistle to the Corinthians (15:14): ‘And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain. ’ Contrary to this prevalent belief, God declared in the