Pilgrimage to Jerusalem: After centuries of persecution, followers of Christ found themselves legally permitted to worship under the Roman Emperor Constantine. In 335 CE, Constantine erected the Church of the Holy Scepter at the site where Jesus’ tomb was believed to have been. Shortly after, processions of pilgrims began visiting Jerusalem. Christians yearned to visit the places in Scripture where Jesus and his disciples lived, breathed, moved, performed miracles, suffered, died, and experienced the resurrection.

Bishops of Jerusalem began leading pilgrims on a contemplative journey from the Garden of Gethsemane to Pilot’s hall and, finally, to the tomb (the Church of the Holy Scepter). Each stop incorporated prayer, hymns, and the reading of Scripture. Over time, additional stops were added. Some locations were determined only through speculation as the city had been burned by the Roman army in 70 CE. Eventually, a consistent route was developed through Jerusalem’s Old City and gained acceptance as the route of Jesus’ final steps to the cross. The Via Dolorosa, Latin for the “Sorrowful Way,” remains unchanged to this day.

Franciscan Creativity: When Muslim conquest of Palestine made travel to Jerusalem particularly dangerous for Christians in the 7th century, some communities developed news ways to experience the pilgrimage. A practice in contemplation and prayer on a smaller scale within the context of local churches and local communities After 1342, Devotions to the Way of the Cross began in earnest when the Franciscan friars were given custody of the holy sites in the Holy Land. The modern term “stations” was first seen in the narrative of a 15th century English pilgrim, William Wey, in his descriptions his two visits to the Holy Land.

Roman Catholic Expansion: In 1686, Pope Innocent XI permitted the Franciscans to erect stations of the Via Dolorosa in their churches and the granting of indulgences to pilgrims who visited Holy sites was extended to those who visited the Franciscans’ Stations of the Cross. The privilege to erect stations was eventually extended to all faithful communities by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. While the number of stations initially varied drastically between churches, Pope Clement XII set the number at 14. Many churches still claim the Resurrection as the 15th station. Pope Benedict XIV urged the enrichments of sanctuaries with the stations in 1742 and, thus, the modern practice was born. It is often observed during Holy Week, particularly on Good Friday, as faithful disciples wish to follow more intently the final footsteps of Jesus.

Modern Adaptation: On Good Friday, 1991, Pope John Paul II recognized that many of the traditional stations were not described in the accounts of the Gospels, and therefore he introduced the Scriptural Way of the Cross which is celebrated annually at the Coliseum in Rome. More Scripturally accurate, this format was approved for meditation and public celebration in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Protestant and UMC Adoption: Protestant churches, especially those with Anglican roots, such as the Episcopal and Methodist Churches, began incorporating the Stations of the Cross into their Lenten Practices. The United Methodist Stations of the Cross used today closely replicates the Scriptural Way of the Cross introduced by Pope John Paul II. The exception is Station X which originally read “Jesus is Crucified” but which was altered by The United Methodist Church to read “On the cross, Jesus prays for forgiveness.” This change emphasizes the importance of Christ’s forgiveness in Wesleyan Theology. While Protestant adherence to the authority of Scripture above Tradition is evident in their choice of stations, it is worth noting that many of the original stations reflected what the early Christians believed to be reliable accounts from the living people - personal witnesses of Christ’s final days - such as his disciples, followers, and others present in Jerusalem during that time.