Let’s start from the beginning, keeping in mind the observation from Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon regarding the Koine Greek preposition ‘εις’: when used with “names of cities, villages, countries, [it is to be translated as] ‘to,’ ‘toward’;” “of motion (not into a place itself, but) into the vicinity of a place, [it is to be translated as] ‘to,’ ‘near,’ ‘towards’.”

Now let’s look at the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John describing Yeshua’s journey from Jerusalem to Golgotha [the translations are mine]:

Matthew 27:32-33 > Ερχομενοι δε ευρον ανθρωπον Κυρηναιον ονοματι Σιμωνα; τουτον ηγγαρευσαν ινα αρη τον σταυρον αυτον. Και ελθοντες εις τοπον λεγομενον Γολγοθα, ο εστιν Κρανιου Τοπος λεγομενος… || And those going found a man, a Cyrenian by the name of Simon; they compelled him to lift and carry (literally, that he should carry) [H]is cross. 33 And when they came to [the] place called Golgotha, that is, the place called “of the Skull”…

Mark 15:21-25 > Και αγγαρευουσιν παραγοντα τινα Σιμωνα Κυρηναιον ερχομενον απ‘ αγρου…ινα αρη τον σταυρον αυτου. 22 Και φερουσιν αυτον επι τον Γολγοθαν τοπον … 23 Και εδιδουν αυτω οινον, ος δε ουκ ελαβεν. 24 Και σταυρουσιν αυτον … 25 ην δε ωρα τριτη και εσταυρωσαν αυτον. || And they compel a passer-by, a certain Simon a Cyrenian, coming from the countryside … to lift and carry (that he should carry) [H]is cross. 22 And they lead [H]im up onto the place Golgotha … 23 And they were giving [H]im wine, but [H]e didn’t take it. 24 And they crucify [H]im … 25 Indeed it was the third hour and they crucified [H]im. || With Mark it’s just the facts and the immediacy of the action that catches our attention as he mixes present, imperfect and aorist tenses.

Luke 23:26 Και ως απηγαγον αυτον, επιλαβομενοι Σιμωνα τινα Κυρηναιον ερχομενον απ‘ αγρου επεθηκαν αυτω τον σταυρον φερειν οπισθεν του Ιησου. || As they led [H]im away, those who took hold of a certain Cyrenian, Simon, coming from the countryside, put the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.

John 19:16-17 Παρελαβον ουν τον Ιησουν. Και Βασταζων αυτω τον σταυρον εξηλθεν εις τον λεγομενον Κρανιου Τοπον, ο λεγεται Εβραιστι Γολγοθα… || Now they took Jesus. And lifting up [onto] himself and carrying the cross, he left/set out for the name Place of the Skull, it is called in Hebrew Golgotha…”

The Holy Spirit directed each of the writers to describe from a somewhat different perspective what had transpired. By combining the four narratives, we get a clear picture of the entire procession from Jerusalem to Golgotha. Unfortunately, the English translations do not take the ‘progressive’ nature of the four accounts into consideration and are basically cookie-cutter, rote renditions of the Greek, where nuances do matter. Nor taken into consideration is the very distinct possibility that the writers, with the exception of Luke, may not have written their accounts in Greek, rather in Hebrew or its near-relative, Aramaic, the verbal system of which is more fluid, depending on context for the correct tense in which to visualize a given action. Not only is the context of the immediate text important, but even more important is the cotext – the greater portion of scripture under examination, nor are similar passages written by (a) different author(s), as is the case here, to be ignored.

Hopefully, a comparison of the translation of John 19:16-17 in other languages will serve as an apt illustration of the point under discussion:

Here is how theologian and Bible translator, Martin Luther, renders John’s account: “And he carried/was carrying his cross and going/went out to the place, which is called Place of the Skull.” (Und er trug sein Kreuz und ging hinaus zur Stätte, die da heißt Schädelstätte…)

The Russian also uses a simple past (шёл) which, just as the German, can be treated as a progressive past (was going) or as a simple past (went). My argument is that based on a compilation of the four accounts, the progressive past represents the most accurate rendition of the ‘Via Dolorosa’ scene.

The Turkish shows the most exact translation: The soldiers took and led Jesus. Jesus, carrying the cross himself, set out/çıktı for the place called ‘Skull’ – in Hebrew, Golgotha.”

The modern Greek requires the insertion of another verb to show the intended destination: “So, the soldiers took Jesus and set out (ξεκινησαν). And he went out (βγηκε) from the city, carrying the cross on his shoulders, [*to go/να παει*] as far as (μεχρι) the so-called ‘Place of the Skull’ – in Hebrew called Golgotha.”

When all the narratives have been put together, the scene becomes clear: Jesus set off carrying the cross Himself (probably just the cross piece (patibulum); had it been attached to the vertical beam (stipes), it would have been too heavy for any man to handle. We also must remember that Yeshua has just been lashed to within an inch of His life; the rough timber of the cross piece rubbing against the torn flesh of His shoulders as well as His weakened state would have taken its toll); at some point along the way, Simon was recruited to take over to complete the journey.