Crucifixion

Until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948, the general hypothesis among historians was that the Ancient Roman custom of crucifixion developed out of a primitive custom of arbori suspendere—hanging on an arbor infelix ("inauspicious tree") dedicated to the gods of the nether world. Notorious mass crucifixions followed the Third Servile War in 73–71 BCE (the slave rebellion led by Spartacus), and other Roman civil wars in the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE. Crassus ordered the crucifixion of 6,000 of Spartacus' followers who had been hunted down and captured after the slave defeat in battle.[see] Josephus says that in the siege that led to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, the Roman soldiers crucified Jewish captives before the walls of Jerusalem and out of anger and hatred amused themselves by nailing them in different positions.[see]

However, Crucifixion is much older and oddly, biblical...

This illustrated in both Joshua 8 and 10, men were hung on trees until sundown just as Deuteronomy 21:22-23 instructed:

Joshua 8:29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree (06068) until eventide (06153): and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree (06068), and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.

Joshua 10:24-26 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees (06068) until the evening (06153).  And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees (06068), and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.

2 Samuel 21:9

And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest

This exception to "stoning" is confirmed in Deuteronomy

These biblical details provide good reason to suspect that Christ’s death was carried out in accordance with Jewish law. As we have seen this law would have required Jesus to be hung from a tree vs. stoned.  We have also seen that crucifixion and the Greek terms for “cross” and “crucify”can and do at times simply refer to the idea of being affixed to a tree and that the Romans sometimes used trees in their crucifixions. 

Oddly, this fact became a problem for the Spaniards conquistadors

because the Aztecs corrected the Spanish priests, "The Messiah was hung on a Tree"

so... the Spanish priests, destroyed all "Messiah hung on a Tree" records...

However, the Spaniards missed some...

Why is this so important?

Because, the Book of Mormon claims that a small group of pre-Babalonian-destruction-of-Jerusalem Israelite refugees came to the Americas in 600 B.C., and their record says that they were living the law of Moses…

2 Nephi 5:10

And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses.

2 Nephi 11:4

Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.

2 Nephi 24:24

And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled... And, inasmuch as it shall be expedient, ye must keep the performances and ordinances of God until the law shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses.

see also - Jacob 4:5, 7:7 Jarom 1:5, 1:11, Mosiah 2:3, 3:14-15, 12:28-32, 13:27-28, 16:14, 24:5, Alma 25:15-16, 30:3, 31:9, 34:13, Helaman 13:1, 15:5, 3 Nephi 1:24, 9:17, 15:2 & 25:4...

4 Nephi 1:12

And they did not walk any more after the performances and ordinances of the law of Moses; but they did walk after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God,

...and they crucified a man according to the Law of Moses...

“And what kind of death did the person experience? It was the only one sanctioned in the Mosaic Law and also in the Temple Scroll for ultra- criminals... The Syriactranslation of Deuteronomy 21:22 states that the blasphemer is to be “hanged on a tree AND is put to death”

– Ernest L. Martin, The Secrets of Golgatha, p. 193-194

Notes:

SRC - http://www.biblestudying.net/crucifixion4.pdf -Redemption 304: Crucifixion Study – Part Four biblestudying.net  

FYI - James E Talmage, in his book “Jesus The Christ” agrees with this argument.

https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/learn-about-the-scrolls/scrolls-content?locale=en_US 

http://www.theology.edu/journal/volume3/crucify.htm 

Notable people who were crucified:

• Saint Peter: Christian apostle, who according to tradition was crucified upside-down at his own request (hence the Cross of Saint Peter),[165] because he did not feel worthy enough to die the same way as Jesus.

• Saint Andrew: Christian apostle and Saint Peter's brother, who is traditionally said to have been crucified on an X-shaped cross (hence the Saint Andrew's Cross).

• Simeon of Jerusalem: second Bishop of Jerusalem, crucified in either 106 or 107 CE.[166]

• Mani: the founder of Manicheanism, he was depicted by followers as having died by crucifixion in 274 CE.[167]

• Eulalia of Barcelona was venerated as a saint. According to her hagiography, she was stripped naked, tortured, and ultimately crucified on an X-shaped cross.[168]

• Wilgefortis was venerated as a saint and represented as a crucified woman, however her legend comes from a misinterpretation of a full-clothed crucifix known as the Volto Santo of Lucca.

• The 26 Martyrs of Japan: Japanese martyrs who were crucified and impaled with spears.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_genocide 

https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q524-1 

https://theunexpectedcosmology.com/jesus-did-not-die-on-a-cross-he-was-hung-from-a-tree-the-reason-why-is-important

https://rsc.byu.edu/sites/default/files/pub_content/pdf/The_Dead_Sea_Scro%E2%80%8Blls_A_Roundtable_Discussion_Celebrating_the_Sixtieth_Anniversary_of_Their_Discovery_Part_2.pdf 

2 Samuel 17:23

"...when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died"

Mathew 27:6

Then Judas, who had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood => "I am a traitor"

And they said unto him, What is that to us?  => See thou to it; thy sins be upon thee.

And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went, and hanged himself on a tree. And straightway he fell down, and his bowels gushed out, and he died.

And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, It is not lawful for to put them in the treasury because it is the price of blood.