Why was Jesus crucified? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

The Romans used crucifixion only for slaves and for crimes against the Roman state - sedition, rebellion and the like.

All four Gospels say that the formal Roman charge against Jesus was claiming to be the King of the Jews and that this was the charge written on the titulus on his cross.

We can't really get historical certainty about much of anything to do with Jesus, but if he was crucified, it could only have been (under Roman law and practice) because he was perceived as some kind of insurgent.

It is more than likely related to the Temple incident. Jerusalem, during Passover, was packed with pilgrims from outlying towns, and the Romans were always paranoid about riots because they were greatly outnumbered during this week. Anyone who even looked like they might be rabble rousing or starting trouble would be quickly removed and executed. The Romans nipped things in the bud, especially with would-be Messiahs. Josephus tells of more than one of them who were shut down quickly. For instance, one of them said he would part the Jordan River and started out there followed by a crowd. The Romans didn't even wait for him to try. They just chased him down, killed him and scattered his followers before he even got to the river.

The Temple, in particular, was a potential powder keg and riots and ensuing massacres by the Romans had happened there before (there was a notable one under Archelaeus), So somebody flipping over tables and saying the Temple would be destroyed would be exactly the kind of guy the Romans would want to cull immediately. If it was also known (or even rumored) that he was claiming to be the Messiah (i.e. the King of the Jews) then that would have been more than sufficient to get a guy nailed to a stick on hill.

John Crossan says Jesus was probably executed as a public menace for the assault on the Temple. Bart Ehrman further speculates that Judas had told the authorities that Jesus was secretly telling his inner circle that he was the Messiah (and that this was the real betrayal).

There is one scholar (Paula Fredriksen) who thinks there was no Temple assault at all, just a rumor or claim that Jesus was threatening an assault on the Temple.

In any case, the most probable reason for the crucifixion was for stirring up shit at the Temple during Passover, and that further had either claimed, or was accused of claiming to be the King of the Jews.