The AD33 crucifixion detail in Judea

[Matthew Amt]

A crucifixion victim is not necessarily "high up"--it's easiest to have the crossbeam at shoulder level and simply stand the guy against it to start nailing. ("Hold still, this is going to hurt!") In that case you can hold a cup or patera up to his lips very easily.

I really think the sponge is assumed to be a toilet sponge--what other uses would it have, especially on a hillside outside the city? It didn't grow out there, so someone took it out there for a reason. It wasn't just for drinking wine out of--they would have taken a CUP for that. There were even stock characters in ancient comedy plays named "Sponge", and the implication of the toilet sponge seems clear. I believe sponges did have various uses back then (even helmet lining, if I'm remembering correctly?), but while today people hear "sponge" and think of a flat blue or pink rectangle under the kitchen sink, in Roman times it's really looking like people heard "sponge" and thought "butt wipe".

Occam's Razor, or in this case Occam's Sponge: The simplest and most likely expanation for each bit of evidence adds up to a toilet sponge being used to give Jesus a drink.

Matthew