He
was crucified During
crucifixion the victim’s arms were transfixed through the wrists, and the feet
were usually put one on top of the other and then also transfixed. When raised
the victim could not expel air from the lungs, and so had to raise himself to
exhale. Raising himself was extremely painful since it stimulated the great
bands of nerves in the arms and legs that had been transfixed. Death resulted
from asphyxiation following exhaustion. To expedite crucifixion, the victim’s
legs were often broken so that he could not push up to breathe. William Edwards and Floyd Hosmer write in a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that: “Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to His side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust between His right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death. Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.” “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” Journal of the American Medical Association 255:11, March 21, 1986
John 19: 17-22, 28-34: So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to
the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they
crucified him, and with him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the
middle. Pilate
had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH,
THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where
Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic,
Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not
write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the
Jews.” Pilate
answered, “What I have written, I have written.” …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. Now
it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath.
Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the
Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.
The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been
crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus
and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one
of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of
blood and water. (NIV) |
