Descriptions in antiquity of the execution cross, whether by Christians or non-Christians, present the instrument ordinarily used in putting people to death by crucifixion as composed of two wooden pi
Justus Lipsius on this page distinguishes two types of crux simplex
Justus Lipsius: Crux simplex ad infixionem
Justus Lipsius: Crux decussata, a form of cross for which there is no evidence of its use by ancient Romans: the earliest account of its supposed use for Andrew the Apostle is of the twelfth century.
Noah in prayer posture, a fresco in the catacombs of Rome
Irenaeus
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Irenaeus was a Greek bishop in the second century, noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the development
Descriptions in antiquity of the execution cross
…another, to the crosses, by way of jest, when their multitude was so great, that room was wanting for the crosses, and crosses wanting for the bodies". Irenaeus (early 2nd century – AD 202) remarks that "the very form of the cross, too, has five extremities, two in length, two in breadth, and one in the middle…
Stained-glass portrait by Lucien Bégule, 1901
Fresco of Saint Irenaeus from Christ the Savior Russian Orthodox Church, Wayne, West Virginia
Cambridge University library manuscript 4113 / Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 405. Irenaeus. c. 200 AD.
Saint Augustine by Philippe de Champaigne