Historically, the act of crucifixion didnt simply consist of nailing someone on a cross, but included binding or impaling a living victim or sometimes a dead person to a cross, stake or tree (as in the Quran) whether for executing the body or for exposing the corpse.
The New Testament doesnt mention a cross. The Koine Greek, an interpretation and translation of Jesus and his disciples language, the words rendered "cross" in some english editions is either xylon or stauros. This refers to an upright stake or pole. The word however was later applied to other shapes to which individuals would be nailed, including a T an X or a +, in addition to the original upright beam. There is no indication as to which method was allegedly used for Jesus. What is sure however is that the cross, as a religion symbol is pagan and precedes Christianity by centuries. Many nations to whom Christianity spread already used it. Particularily the Romans and Greeks, but also the Egyptians and the Celts. The adoption of the cross shaped stauros for Jesus could have been a case of religious syncretism by those Christian converts, as one finds in many other cases including former pagan festivities later assimilated into Christianity.
It isnt even known how Jesus - or any other victim of this brutal Roman execution method - was affixed to the stauros. The earliest artistic depictions of Jesus’ death were made centuries after the fact, long after the Roman Empire had turned Christian and outlawed this punishment. Also, there are very few archaeological remains of crucifixion as a practice in general. In fact the only known solid piece of physical evidence is a 1st century C.E. heel-bone pierced by a nail, found in 1968 in a Jewish tomb in Jerusalem. The piercing doesnt even follow the image of crucifixion made famous in Christian iconography.
In the 2nd century, Christians had to defend themselves againt their pagan detractors who accused them of being cross worshippers. They recognized this familiar polytheistic symbol which was widely present in their culture, criticized Christians for integrating it in their religion while claiming to worship the true God. Countering the pagan mockers, whose writings only survive in Christian apologetics quotes and paraphrases, Marcus Minucius Felix defends himself
"Crosses, moreover, we neither worship nor wish for. You, indeed, who consecrate gods of wood, adore wooden crosses perhaps as parts of your gods. For your very standards, as well as your banners; and flags of your camp, what else are they but crosses gilded and adorned? Your victorious trophies not only imitate the appearance of a simple cross, but also that of a man affixed to it".
Even the "chi rho" one of Christianity's earliest symbols that preceded that of the Latin cross, pre-existed Christianity by centuries. There is a reason why the apocalyptic ahadith depict Jesus destroying this pagan symbol to which he was associated
"By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! Ibn Mariam shall soon descend among you, judging justly. He shall break the cross.."
And the prophet similarily never allowed anything resembling this symbol into his house.
The whole hadith states he will break the cross and kill the pig. Although some translations render "khinzir" in plural, the Arabic is singular. Obviously Jesus will not go around breaking every cross and killing every pig (although he did have a grudge against pigs. We read of some bizarre, unjust and violent incidents attributed to him such as causing the death by drowning of a herd of swine, in fact stealing them from their rightful owners, then allowing demons to purposely enter their bodies Matt8:32,Mk5:13,Lk8:33).
Breaking the cross will be Jesus' symbolic dissociation from Christianity's pagan heritage and corruption. Killing the pig is a major blow to Paul's distortion of Jesus' message to strictly abide by Jewish law.
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