A Cross Or A Stake?

Q

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus died on a vertical stake instead of a cross, because the original Greek word for the execution device translates in English to a stake. Do you know what the original Greek word is for the execution device that Jesus died on, and what it really translates to in English?

A

The Greek word for the cross on which Jesus was crucified can also mean an upright stake, such as those used as fence posts. But in 28 appearances in the New Testament, it is always translated cross which by definition is a vertical post to which a horizontal component has been attached.