Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2022
As Christians around the world commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday, researchers are uncovering archaeological evidence of this form of ancient execution—and a LaGrange College professor has often been quoted as an expert source.
Religion Professor Dr. John Cook, who specializes in the subject of crucifixion, said he was interviewed this year by multiple journalists about 1,900-year-old crucified remains found in 2017 by Albion Archaeology in the village of Fenstanton in Cambridgeshire, England. The findings were published by the company last year, and Dr. Cook was quoted in stories in The Guardian and other publications around the world.
“They found this heelbone with a nail in it in Cambridgeshire with the skeleton,” he said. “It’s from sometime around the third, fourth century.”
Dr. Cook said this find is the second piece of skeletal evidence of Roman crucifixion. “Before that the only relic of a crucified person with a nail through the heelbone was found in Jerusalem in the 60s,” he said. “They have found skeletons with just holes in the heels, but that could have been made by roots.”
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In 2019, National Geographic brought Dr. Cook to Italy for a Smithsonian Channel documentary series titled “Crucifixion Mystery.” He said the documentary featured findings based on new analysis of possible crucified remains of a poor man found outside of Venice, Italy, in 2007. The skeleton was 2,000 years old.
Dr. Cook said Romans often carried out sentences of crucifixion to slaves, criminals and other non-Roman citizens.
“From the Roman perspective, Christ would have been what they call a “peregrinus”, non-citizen, and they could be crucified,” he said. “That’s what makes the resurrection so important for Christianity because if Jesus hadn’t been resurrected, he would have just been another crucified victim of the first century.”
He said researchers do not often find the nails that were used on the crucified victims.
“The thing about nails is that they weren’t cheap, so I think that’s why they haven’t found a lot of bones with nails in them because the Romans just took them out and reused them because they could be used in magic,” he said. “The nail that had been used to crucify a person had magical properties according to ancient myths.”
Dr. Cook said the archaeological finds of Roman crucifixion being discovered can help people have a better understanding of Christ’s suffering. “The knowledge about Roman crucifixion helps you understand that desolation,” he said.
Outside of his crucifixion research, Dr. Cook has also written publications on resurrection. He said he hopes to start writing his second book this year.
This summer, Dr. Cook will be speaking at a virtual lunch-and-learn event for LaGrange College on Wednesday, June 15, at noon. He will discuss the writings of Christian Author and Theologian C.S. Lewis. For more information, email alumni@kongtiao11.com.
Campus Notes
President Susanna Baxter’s inauguration week kicks off with a student-led prayer service on Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m. on Caswell Plaza. In the event of rain, the service will be moved to the Dickson Assembly Room in Turner Hall.
The activities leading up to the investiture ceremony include a conversation with First Gentleman Mark Huffman on Brené Brown’s book “Dare to Lead” on Tuesday, April 19, at 5:30 p.m. in the Beason Recital Hall at West Side, and a community prayer service on Wednesday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. The festivities will conclude with a time of service on Saturday, April 23, at 11 a.m. at Calumet Park, including service projects, lunch and a presentation by the Wilkinson Family Servant Scholars. Guests can RSVP and find details on the inauguration inauguration website.
LC Senior Erielle Robinson will read Walt Whitman’s poem “I Hear America Singing” at President Baxter’s inauguration ceremony on Friday, April 22, at 2 p.m. in Callaway Auditorium. The college’s English Department held a poetry contest to determine which student would be selected to speak at the ceremony. Students had to record themselves reading from one of the following poems: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes, “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman, the first section of “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman, “Ulysses” by Alfred Tennyson, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, “Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Give All to Love” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and “A Hymn to the Evening Sky” by Phillis Wheatley.
The college will host the Diverse Power Grand Prix, sponsored by Greenpower USA, on Saturday, April 16. The event will bring in teams from throughout the Southeast.
Congratulations to these graduating seniors who rang the Chapel Bell this semester to celebrate their accomplishments; Chloe McGuffin (Nursing), offered a position in the RN Residency Program at WellStar West Georgia, and Olivia Hanners (Political Science), accepted to graduate school at Marymount University for Forensic and Legal Psychology. Participants are invited to take photos and post them to social media with the hashtag #LCSoundofSuccess.
LC Sports Management will host LaGrange College Night at Atlanta United on Saturday at 6 p.m. Students from the Sports Management program and club will oversee ticket sales and marketing at the event.
LaGrange College Archivist Felecia Moore will lead a discussion of her book "Time for a Haircut: A Walk Through the Historic Hamilton Road Neighborhood in LaGrange” on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pretty Good Books. She will take readers on a journey through the historic Hamilton Road community. The book features research, oral history, and work from local artists. Attendees can reserve seats here.
Cultural Enrichment Events
Check LC Connect for Virtual CE events and instructions.
Students can earn cultural enrichment credits at the Inauguration Week events Monday, April 18-Thursday, April 22. See details at the Inauguration website.
Sunday, April 17
Young Alumni Lecture: Larry Thompson Jr. ’85
(Virtual)
Thursday, April 21
Lecture: A Military Career: Know Your Options While in College
11:30 a.m., Dickson Assembly Room
Thursday, April 21
Lecture: Reconnected: Envision the Possibilities
11:30 a.m., Corn Auditorium
Video of the Week
Director of Development Mark Davis takes us "Inside LaGrange" with a fun, three-part quiz designed to challenge fans of the college.
Sports
Baseball
Joe Ruth set a school record with three home runs and tied another school record of eight RBIs as the second-ranked Panthers (25-3) beat Oglethorpe 20-9 on Tuesday night. Dalton Brooks was the USA South Pitcher of the Week and Jacob Brown was the conference’s Rookie Pitcher of the Week.
Softball
The Panthers (8-23, 3-7 USA South) lost 6-5 and 11-0 at Huntingdon on Wednesday. Kaitlyn Redman hit a home run in the first game and Maggie White went 2-for-2 in the second game.
Men’s Tennis
The Panthers (4-4, 3-1 USA South) lost 8-1 at Piedmont on Wednesday. Daniel Assumpcao and Josh Tullier won at #2 doubles.
Women’s Tennis
The Panthers (0-7, 0-5 USA South) lost 9-0 at Piedmont on Wednesday.
Lacrosse
Ryan Comeau was named the USA South Rookie of the Week after scoring four goals and having three assists in the Panthers’ 21-6 win against Brevard last Saturday.
Calendar
(Please note that schedules may change due to circumstances beyond our control. Please check www.lagrangepanthers.com to confirm.)
Friday, April 15- Saturday, April 16- Beach Volleyball at AVCA Small College Beach Championships, Tavares, Fla.
Friday, April 15- Men’s and Women’s Tennis at Covenant, 1 p.m., Lookout Mountain, Ga.
Friday, April 15- Baseball vs. Piedmont, 2/5 p.m., Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium
Saturday, April 16- Men’s Lacrosse vs. Pfeiffer, 1 p.m., Panther Field
Saturday, April 16- Softball at Wesleyan, 1/3 p.m., Macon, Ga.
Monday, April 18-Wednesday, April 20- Golf at USA South Championship Tournament, Spartanburg, S.C.
Tuesday, April 19- Baseball vs. Rhodes, 2 p.m., Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium
Tuesday, April 19- Men’s and Women’s Tennis vs. Huntingdon, 2 p.m., Greer Tennis Courts
Tuesday, April 19- Softball vs. Piedmont, 3/5 p.m., LC Softball Complex
Wednesday, April 20- Men’s Lacrosse at Piedmont, 7 p.m., Demorest, Ga.
In the Headlines
Joe Ruth’s career game carries LaGrange College baseball past Oglethorpe 20-9-LaGrange Daily News, April 13
LaGrange College celebrates Division III week by giving back to the community-LaGrange Daily News, April 9
Category: Academics, College
Keywords: Religion, Dr. John Cook, crucifixion
