A Reminder

"We are in danger of being lulled by ... constant refrain into insensibility to what Paul was actually saying - and, equally importantly, was heard to be saying in the world of his day.  Crucifixes regularly appear as jewellery in today's post-Christian Western world, and the wearers are often blissfully unaware that their pretty ornament depicts the ancient equivalent, all in one, of the hangman's noose, the electric chair, the thumbscrews, and the rack.  Or, to be more precise, something which combined all four but went far beyond them; crucifixion was such an utterly horrible thing that the very mention of the word was usually avoided in polite Roman society. Every time Paul spoke of it - especially when he spoke in the same breath  of salvation, love, grace and freedom - he and his hearers must have been conscious of the slap in the face thereby administered to their normal expectations and sensibilities.  Somehow, we need to remind ourselves of this every time Paul mentions Jesus' death, especially the mode of that death."

What Saint Paul Really Said - N.T. Wright