DID YOU KNOW?
The answer
In Mark 15:21, Matthew 27:32, and Luke 23:26, soldiers compel Simon of Cyrene to carry it. In John 19:17, Jesus goes out "carrying the cross by himself."
Why it’s interesting
The three Synoptics agree on Simon; John, who stresses Jesus' command over his own death throughout, has him bear it alone. Same walk to Golgotha, two portraits of who carried the weight.
Scholarly consensus
You can know the Bible.
Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.