Cross facts (John 18-19)

How long were the nails used to kill Jesus? Nails for crucifixions averaged about 6 inches (15 cm). How many nails were used? Three or four. Some authorities say there was one nail for both feet, but recent archaeology shows that some crucifixions used one nail for each foot, driven through the heel. What shape of cross was it? There were two common kinds of cross used in those days, a Latin cross is the one more familiar to us. It was shaped like a lowercase t. Another kind of cross was the Tau. It was shaped like a capital T. Where were the nails driven? Artists have depicted Jesus as having nails in what we call the palms of his hands. The wrist was also considered to be part of the hands and archaeology shows nails in the wrists.