I know quite a bit about the Bible, having been a consumed Christian in my childhood, but there is always an opportunity to learn something new. This new piece of knowledge came from my friend Lola, a former Egyptian archaeologist, who has been learning about Ancient Rome recently.
As you may remember, the Bible talks mentions that when Jesus was dying on the cross, he was given a sponge with vinegar when he said he was thirsty.
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30)
At first sight, this seems like an incredibly cruel move, giving vinegar instead of water to a dying man. But it's even worse than you can imagine. What Lola has discovered was that in the ancient world people used sponges wet with vinegar to wipe their butts. So that the insult given to Jesus was a much greater one than previously imagined.
Anyway, I thought this was an interesting tidbit that is *never* discussed (at least to my knowledge).