Stauros originally denoted a simple upright stake or pale, but by the first century it designated the cross as Rome's instrument of execution for slaves, rebels, and the condemned. Its 27 NT occurrences divide between the literal wooden cross on which Jesus died and the metaphorical-theological weight it carries for the early church. In the Passion narratives, Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry Jesus' stauros (Matt 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26), the mocking crowd dares Jesus to come down from it (Matt 27:40, 42; Mark 15:30, 32), and John records that Pilate's inscription hung upon it (John 19:17, 19, 25, 31). Jesus had already transformed the cross into a symbol of radical discipleship: 'whoever does not take up his cross and follow me' (Matt 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27). Paul makes the cross the center of his theology — the 'word of the cross' is foolishness to the perishing but the power of God (1 Cor 1:17-18), and through it God has reconciled all things (Eph 2:16; Col 1:20; 2:14). Spanish 'cruz,' French 'croix,' and German 'Kreuz' all derive from the Latin crux.