OCTOBER 17 "THE CRUCIFIXION"
Crucifixion: Jesus Faced a Horrible Death
Crucifixion sometimes began with a scourging or
flogging of the victim’s back. The Romans used a whip called a flagrum, which
consisted of small pieces of bone and metal attached to a number of leather
strands. The number of blows given to Jesus is not recorded; however, the
number of blows in Jewish law was 39 (one less than the 40 called for in the
Torah, to prevent a counting error). During the scourging, the skin was ripped
from the back, exposing a bloody mass of tissue and bone. Extreme blood loss
occurred, often causing death, or at least unconsciousness. In addition to the
flogging, Jesus faced severe beating and torment by the Roman soldiers,
including the plucking of His beard and the piercing of His scalp with a crown
of thorns.
After the flogging, the victim was often forced
to carry his own crossbar, or patibulum, to the execution site. The patibulum
could easily weigh 100 pounds. In the case of Jesus, the record shows that He
may have carried His patibulum the distance of over two football fields. In a
weak and tormented state, it’s no wonder the record establishes that Jesus
needed a great deal of assistance. Once the victim arrived at the execution
site, the patibulum was put on the ground and the victim was forced to lie upon
it. Spikes about 7 inches long and 3/8 of an inch in diameter were driven into
the wrists. The spikes would hit the area of the median nerve, causing shocks
of pain up the arms to the shoulders and neck.
Already standing at the crucifixion site would
be the 7-foot-tall post, called a stipes. In the center of the stipes was a
crude seat to “support” for the victim. The patibulum was then lifted on to the
stipes, and the victim’s body was awkwardly turned on the seat so that the feet
could be nailed to the stipes. At this point, there was tremendous strain put
on the wrists, arms and shoulders, resulting in a dislocation of the shoulder
and elbow joints. The position of the nailed body held the victim’s rib cage in
a fixed position, which made it extremely difficult to exhale, and impossible
to take a full breath.
Having suffered from the scourging, the
beatings and the walk with the patibulum, Jesus was described as extremely weak
and dehydrated. He was probably losing significant amounts of blood. As time
passed, the loss of blood and lack of oxygen would cause severe cramps,
spasmodic contractions and probably unconsciousness.
Ultimately, the mechanism of death in
crucifixion was suffocation
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