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Without wishing to cause offense, it has always struck me as strange that crucifixion (a deeply unpleasant ancient method of execution that might have otherwise passed into obscurity) is central to the world's largest religion and has given us what is probably the world's most recognizable symbol.

What if it had been otherwise? How else might Jesus have been executed by either the Romans, the Sanhedrin or Herod Antipas? For example I've read that Roman law prescribed the proper punishment for attempting to cast a spell or curse as being beaten to death, might the authorities have interpreted Jesus' actions as falling within this category and executed him accordingly?

What would be the wider consequences of a different method of execution having been used? The death and resurrection of Jesus is absolutely fundamental to Christianity, but how might Christianity and iconography be different if a different method of execution had been used?
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