 Jesus was crucified. That is, tortured and executed by being fixed to a cross.
Apparently, the first known practice of crucifixion was by the Persians. Alexander and his generals brought it back to the Mediterranean world - Egypt and Carthage. The Romans apparently learned the practice from the Carthaginians and (as with almost everything the Romans did) rapidly developed a very high degree of efficiency and skill in carry it out.
Beatings
After His arrest in the middle of the night, Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin and Caiphas, the High Priest. Here a solider stuck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiphas. The palace guards then blindfolded Him, spat on his and struck Him.
 Scourging
Jesus was stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. It is doubtful whether the Romans made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in this matter of scourging. The Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more than forty lashes. The Pharisees, always making sure that the law was strictly kept, insisted that only thirty-nine lashes be given. (In case of a miscount, they were sure of remaining within the law.) The Roman legionnaire would step forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus shoulders, back and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they are cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped. The half-fainting Jesus was then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood.
 Non-Christian Sources about the Crucifixion of Jesus
1) Roman Historian Tacitus also made mention of the crucifixion, writing in AD 112. ".. people called 'Christians', hated for their abominable crimes. Their name comes from Christ, who, during the reign of Tiberius, had been executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate." Tacitus, Annals 15.44
Lucian of Samosata, a Roman satirist (c. 175 AD), said;"[Christ is] .. the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced this new cult into the world. .. Furthermore, their first lawgiver persuaded them that they were all brothers one of another after they have transgressed once for all by denying the Greek gods and by worshipping that crucified sophist himself and living under his laws."
2) Babylonian Sanhedrin, Jewish records 43a. Yeb. IV 3; 49a:, "On the eve of Passover they hanged (i.e. crucified on a tree) Yeshu [of Nazareth] and the herald went before him for forty days saying [Yeshu of Nazareth] is going forth to be stoned in that he hath practiced sorcery and beguiled and led astray Israel. Let everyone knowing aught in his defence come and plead for him. But they found naught in his defence and hanged him on the eve of Passover."
 3) Flavious Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18:63-64, said; "About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared."
That Jesus lived and died is not in question. There is no serious contemporary historian who would doubt that Jesus was crucified in about 30 - 33AD.
 Crown of Thorns
A small bundle of flexible branches covered with long thorns (commonly used for firewood) were plaited into the shape of a crown and this was pressed into Jesus' scalp. Again there would have been copious bleeding (the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body.) After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back. This had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, and its removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, causes excruciating pain ...almost as though He were again being whipped - and the wounds again begin to bleed. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments.
Pierced Hands and Feet
Jesus` wrists and feet were pierced with nails. The issance painters pictures of Jesus having nails through the palms of his hands are likely to be inaccurate. Roman historical accounts and experimental work have shown that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists and not through the palms. Nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when they support the weight of a human body. |
A Historical Aside
For a long time scholars and archaeologists found no evidence that nails were ever used in crucifixions. Ultimately they reached the conclusion that the gospel accounts were false and misleading. However, in June 1968 Archeologist V Tzaferis discovered 4 cave tombs at the site of Giv'at ha-mivtar just north of Jerusalem near Mt Scopus. In one of the tombs were found two sets of bones. It was clear they had died by crucifixion and their legs were broken. In both cases the heal bones was run through with a 7 inch spike. |
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What sort of Cross was Jesus Crucified on?
The word used for cross in the New Testament is Stauros, which can be Police, Stake or Cross. This raises the issue of what sort of object was Jesus crucified on? Perhaps it was not the traditional `t` shaped cross?
The Romans used several different style of crosses. One was like an X, one like a lower case 't' and one was like a capital 'T' - as far as I know they very rarely used just a pole by itself.
However, it is worth noting that the gospels mention the fact that Jesus had a sign nailed above His head. This would, of necessity, eliminate the X or T shaped cross. This would seem to leave the choice as being between a traditional 't' shaped cross and a stake in the ground.
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 Death by Suffocation
Crucifixion was designed as a method of torture, only eventually leading to death. With the victim hanging from the beam, it was raised and attached to a vertical post or stake. Hanging from their hands, the victims could no longer breathe. But to prolong the event, their feet were fixed to the cross. This latter point is critical in that it allows them to press down on their feet and thus relieve the pressure on their chest. Despite the agony, a man suspended with his feet fixed (especially a healthy and fit man) could survive for up to one or two days. In fact some victims might take as much as a week to die -- from exhaustion, thirst, or blood poisoning from the nails.
 Frederick Farrar described the intended, torturous effect: "For indeed a death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of horrible and ghastly--dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds--all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of the point which would give to the suffer the relief of unconsciousness." One doctor has called it "a symphony of pain" produced by every movement, with every breath; even a slight breeze on his skin could bring screaming pain at this point.
As an act of mercy, the agony could be foreshortened by breaking the victim's legs or knees. This `coup de grace` then caused a very rapid death, from asphyxiation of the pressure on his chest.
So how did Jesus Die?It appears that Jesus died quicker than many people who suffered crucifixion. Why was this?
 There could be a number of reasons. Firstly, Jesus suffered a full scourging before undergoing crucifixion. Many people died as a result of the scourging alone, but Jesus was then beaten and forced to carry His cross for over 650 meters. This would, no doubt, have resulted in increased blood loss. Secondly, He had no sleep, no food and no drink. He would have been dangerously dehydrated - hence His cry "I thirst". He could no longer physically carry the cross. It is possible that He also lacked the strength necessary to continue to pull Himself up on the cross in order to breathe. Thirdly, Jesus' wrists and feet were also pierced through with nails. It is likely that these also punctured arteries causing further blood loss.
However, John's gospel reveals a detail that the other gospels miss. This detail may provide a very revealing clue as to the real cause of Jesus death.
"Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water." John 19v34
John observed blood seeping out, quite separate from a watery serum. This is thought to be good evidence of a burst pericardium. The pericardium is the fluid filled sac that surrounds the heart and the proximal ends of the aorta, vena cava and the pulmonary artery. Its function is to keep the heart contained in the chest cavity, prevent the heart from over expanding and to limit heart motion. The presence of water, quite separate from the blood, is good evidence that the pericardium had burst.
To my mind, it would seem that
Jesus died, quite literally, of a broken heart.
But can you be sure that Jesus was really dead?
 Many people felt that Mel Gibson's film about Jesus' final hours, `The Passion of the Christ`, was unrealistically and excessively violent. It has been described as grotesquely enjoying the violence at the expense of the meaning behind the crucifixion.
From what I have learned about crucifiction in general, and the crucifixion of Christ in particular, I have to say that the Passion of the Christ seems to be a realistic `no holds barred` portrayal of what really occurred. Admittedly Mel Gibson has used a little artistic licence and has used his imagination to fill in the gaps. Nevertheless, from what I have learnt, the overall portrayal of the violence does not seem to go to far. I'll leave it up to you if you want to watch it or not - but you have been warned!
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