The Way of the Cross: Flagellation, Mocking, & Crowning of Throns

sometimes known as Christ at the Column or the Scourging at the Pillar

"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth" -  Isaiah 53:7

"I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter..." - Jeremiah 11:19

The Via Dolorosa: The Way of the Cross — The journey from Pilate's court to Golgotha: carrying the crossbeam, Simon of Cyrene, the Daughters of Jerusalem.

The 14 Stations

1. Jesus condemned to death;
2. Jesus is made to bear his cross
3. Jesus falls for the first time
4. Jesus meets his mother 
5. Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross
6. Veronica wipes Jesus' face
7. Jesus falls for the second time;
8. The women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus;
9. Jesus falls for the third time;
10. Jesus is stripped of his garments;
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross;
12. Jesus dies on the cross;
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross; and
14. Jesus is placed in the sepulchre.

Flagellation of Christ

Flagellation at the hands of the Romans is mentioned in three of the four canonical Gospels: John 19 (John 19:1), Mark 15 (Mark 15:15), and Matthew 27 (Matthew 27:26), and was the usual prelude to crucifixion under Roman law.[5] None of the three accounts is more detailed than John's "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged" (NIV). Luke's comparable account in Luke 22 (, Luke 22:63–65) is of the High Priest of Israel's guards beating and mocking Jesus.

In the Passion of Christ, the episode precedes the Mocking of Christ and the Crowning with Thorns, which according to the Gospels happened at the same time or immediately afterwards. Unlike the flogging, these were not part of the normal Roman judicial process.

Ecce Homo

Ecce homo - "behold the man" are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of the Gospel of John, when he presents a scourged Jesus, bound and crowned with thorns, to a hostile crowd shortly before his crucifixion (John 19:5).

The original New Testament Greek: "ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄνθρωπος", romanized: "idoù ho ánthropos", is rendered by most English Bible translations, e.g. the Douay-Rheims Bible and the King James Version, as "behold the man”

Via Crucis

The Via Dolorosa (Latin for 'Sorrowful Way', often translated as 'Way of Suffering

Via Crucis (Latin for 'Way of Cross'

a processional route in the Old City of Jerusalem. It represents the path that Jesus took, forced by the Roman soldiers, on the way to his crucifixion. The winding route from the former Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—a distance of about 600 metres (2,000 ft)[1]—is a celebrated place of Christian pilgrimage. The current route has been established since the 18th century, replacing various earlier versions.

Carrying the Cross

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” - Matthew 16:24

the Procession to Calvary, Road to Calvary and Way to Calvary,

Calvary or Golgotha being the site of the crucifixion outside Jerusalem.

The actual route taken is defined by tradition as the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem

Mocking of Christ

Jesus had predicted that he would be mocked (Matthew 20:19, Mark 10:34, and Luke 18:32). The mocking of Christ took place in three stages: immediately following his trial, immediately following his condemnation by Pontius Pilate, and when he was being crucified.

After his condemnation by Pontius Pilate, Jesus was flogged and mocked by Roman soldiers. They clothed him with a "purple" (Mark 15:17) or "scarlet" (Matthew 27:28) robe symbolizing a royal gown since purple was a royal color, put a crown of thorns on his head symbolizing a royal crown, and put a staff in his hand symbolizing a scepter. They knelt before him and said, "Hail, king of the Jews!" (Matthew 27:29). This was done as a mockery of Jesus's kingship. After this, they spat on him, and struck him on the head with the staff repeatedly.

Jesus was also mocked while he was on the cross. According to Mark 15:29–30, this was done by those who passed by and hurled insults at him and told him to come down from the cross. Mark 15:31–32 points out that "the chief priests and the teachers of the law" also mocked him among themselves, saying: "He saved others, but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Finally, those crucified with Jesus also heaped insults at him (Mark 15:32). Luke 23:36–37 mentions mocking by Roman soldiers: "The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!'"

In Matthew 27:42 people, priest and the elders mock Jesus, and shout at him while he is hanging on the cross: "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."

Luke 23:39, one criminal on his left who hung there together with Jesus on the cross, hurled insults at Jesus: "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

Luke 23:39–43 Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." 40 The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? 41 And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 He replied to him, "Amen I say to you today you will be with me in Paradise."

the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore will I divide him a portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the mighty; because he bared his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors”

The Crown of Thorns

Many theologians interpret the crown of thorns placed on Jesus during his crucifixion as symbolically linked to the curse pronounced in the Book of Genesis. In Genesis 3:17–18, thorns are introduced as part of the punishment for humanity's disobedience:

"Cursed is the ground because of you... thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you."

It is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew (Matthew 27:29),[1] Mark (Mark 15:17)[2] and John (John 19:2, 19:5)

Arma Christi

Arma Christi, or the Instruments of the Passion, are the objects associated with the Passion of Jesus Christ in Christian symbolism and art.