Verses 22-23
"Golgotha" is a loose transliteration of the Aramaic word for "skull." Evidently the place resembled a skull or had some association with a skull or skulls. An ancient tradition that Jerome referred to identified the place as the one where Adam’s skull lay. If you visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, you can see this traditional site of Adam’s grave under what the authorities claim is the site of the crucifixion.
"According to an old tradition, respected women of Jerusalem provided a narcotic drink to those condemned to death in order to decrease their sensitivity to the excruciation pain (TB [Babylonian Talmud] Sanhedrin 43a)." [Note: Lane, p. 564.]
"They" (Mark 15:23) could refer to the soldiers, but it seems unlikely that they would have done anything to ease Jesus’ pain.
Be the first to react on this!
