Scarborough Fair
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Romans used crucifiction mainly against rebellious slaves and revolutionaries. It was a warning to others not to go against Roman power. It as also a punishment reserved for non-citizens. Roman citizens could not be crucified. Paul could not be crucified because he was a Roman citizen.
A revolutionary could also be guilty of theft or murder. Barabbas was a revolutionary but Luke also calls him a murderer in Acts 3:14.
"But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you”
Just because Luke called the men beside Jesus thrives and robbers doesn’t mean they were being crucified for that offense. He likely was contrasting them to Jesus who was sinless. Because of the Roman laws about crucifixion, we can assume that the men beside Jesus were not Roman citizens. We can also assume they did something to threaten Roman power.
One sect of Jews, the zealots, were revolutionaries. They wanted to fight the Romans to get them out of their homeland. Some zealots grew impatient with Jews who were afraid to fight so they would hide knives in their robes and walk up close to another Jew in a crowd and murder him. We don’t know if this is what Barabbas did, but we do know he was a revolutionary and a murderer. We also know that Pilate chose him because he knew the other Jews did not like him. He hoped they would choose Jesus to be released.
Think the men crucified were both revolutionaries and thieves but they were crucified for being revolutionaries.
Kazoo M
Neither.
Remember, Rome would not have wasted its energy crucifying petty thieves, only those who are actively engaged in insurrection.
The two individuals crucified with Christ would be considered “seditionists”, those who foment resistance against the established order, and who would not shirk from preying on the common population in self-support.
Variations in the Bible note the terms "Thieves and/or Revolutionaries" of which have a similar overtone and easier to address.
Annsan_In_Him
The only evidence is that of eye-witnesses to the crucifixion of Jesus and those others. It has been written down by a doctor, Luke, who got his evidence from those present. Read the gospel of Luke chapter 23 vss 3243. In verse 18 we learn that Pilate offered the crowd a choice between a revolutionary called Barabbas, and Jesus. It seems to have been a custom Pilate had. There would, otherwise, have been 4 men crucified that day, but the crowd chose Barabbas.
The other two were described by Luke as 'criminals'. But the apostle Mark calls them "two robbers" (Mark 15:27).
One answerer here said, "The fact that you did not figure that out means we have no choice but to characterize your question as been kind of stupid. (No offense.)" and now we see your question has been moved into Dining Out>Mexico>Chihuahua, which is both utterly stupid and very offensive.
The First Dragon
Yes, all of those. It was a common punishment at the time. There are plenty of historical documents referring to crucifixions.
?
We suggest you contact the officials of the Roman government, and request documentation. They would likely have court files on each criminal. Find out if they have something equivalent to the "Freedom of Information" law that we have in the USA.
You will not obtain that documentation on Y/A because we do not have it. You probably should have been able to figure that out on your own. The fact that you did not figure that out means we have no choice but to characterize your question as been kind of stupid. (No offense.)
--- (A Yahoo! User)