
                     THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS

.     In this article,  I shall discuss some of the physical aspects of the 
passion,  or suffering,  of Jesus Christ.  We shall follow Him from 
Gethsemane,  through His trial,  His scourging,  His path along the Via 
Dolorosa,  to His last dying hours on the cross. 
.     I suddenly relized that I had taken the crucifixion more or less for 
granted all these years - that I had grown callous to its horror by a too easy 
familiarity with the grim details - and a too distant friendship with Him.  It 
finally occured to me that as a physician,  I did not even know the actual 
immediate cause of death.  The Gospel writers do not help us very much on this 
point,  because crucifixion and scourging were so common during their lifetime 
that they undoubtedly considered a detailed description totally superfluous - 
so we have the concise words of the Evangelist: "Pilate,  having scourged 
Jesus,  delivered Him to them to be crucified - and they crucified Him". 
.     What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those 
hours of torture? 
.     This led me first to a study of the practice of crucifixion itself;  
that is,  the torture and execution of a person by fixation to a cross. 
.     The upright portion of the cross (or stipes) could have the crossarm (or 
patibulum) attached two or three feet below it's top (this is what we commonly 
think of today as the classic form of the cross,  the one which we have later 
named the Latin cross).  However,  the common form used in our Lord's day was 
the Tau cross,  shaped like the Greek letter Tau or like our "T".  In this 
cross the patibulum was placed in a notch at the top of the stipes.  There is 
fairly overwhelming archeological evidence that it was on this type of cross 
that Jesus was crucified.  
.     The upright post,  or stipes,  was generally fixed in the ground at the 
site of execution and the condemned man was forced to carry the patibulum,  
apparently weighing about 110 pounds,  from the prison to the place of 
execution.  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 trough the palms will strip out between the fingers 
when they support the weight of a human body.  The misconception may have come 
about through a misunderstanding of Jesus' words to Thomas,  "observe my 
hands".  Anatomists,  both modern and ancient,  have always considered the 
wrists as part of the hand. 
.     A titulus,  or small sign,  stating the victim's crime was usually 
carried at the front of the procession and later nailed to the cross above the 
head.  This sign with it's staff nailed to the top of the cross would have 
given it somewhat the characteristic form of the Latin cross. 
.     The physical passion of Christ began in Gethsemane.  Of the many aspects 
of this initial suffering,  I shall only discuss the one of physiological 
interest,  the bloody sweat.  It is interesting that the physician of the 
group,  St. Luke,  is the only one to mention this.  He says,  "And being in 
agony,  He prayed the longer.  And his sweat became as drops of blood,  
trickling down upon the ground". 
.     Though very rare,  the phenomenon of Hematidrosis,  or bloody sweat,  is 
well documented.  Under great emotional stress,  tiny capillaries in the sweat 
glands can break,  thus mixing blood with sweat.  This process alone could 
have produced marked weakness and possible shock. 
.     We shall move rapidly through the betrayal and arrest.  I must stress 
again that important portions of the Passion story are missing from this 
account.  This may be frustrating to you,  but in order to adhere to our 
purpose of discussion only of the purely physical aspect of the Passion,  this 
is necessary.  After the arrest in the middle of the night,  Jesus was brought 
before the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas,  the High Priest;  it is here that the 
first physical trauma was inflicted.  A soldier struck Jesus accross the face 
for remaining silent when questioned by Caiaphas.  The palace guards then 
blindfolded Him and mockingly taunted Him to identify each of them as they 
passed by,  spat on Him,  and struck Him in the face. 
.     In the morning,  Jesus,  battered and bruised,  dehydrated,  and 
exhausted from a sleepless night,  is taken across Jerusalem to the Praetorium 
of the Fortess Antonia,  the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea,  
Pontius Pilate.  You are,  of course,  familiar with Pilate's acton in 
attempting to pass responsibility to Herod Antipas,  the Tetrarch of Judea.  
Jesus apparently sufferd no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and 
was returned to Pilate.  It was then,  in response to the cries of the mob,  
that Pilate ordered Bar-Abbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and 
crucifixion.  Most Roman writers from this period do not associate the two.  
Many scholars believe that Pilate originally ordered Jesus scourged as his 
full punishment and that the death sentence by crucifixion came only in 
response to the taunt by the mob that the Procurator was not properly 
defending Caesar against this pretender who claimed to be the "KING OF THE 
JEWS". 
.     Preparations for the scourging are carried out.  The prisoner is 
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 this way,  they were sure 
of remaining within the law in case of a miscount).  The Roman legionnaire 
steps forward with the flagrum 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 accross Jesus' shoulders,  back,  and legs.  At first the heavy thongs 
cut through the skin only.  Then as blows continue,  they cut deeper into the 
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 centurian in charge 
that the prisoner is near death,  the beating is finally stopped. 
.     The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone 
pavement,  wet with His own blood.  The Roman soldiers see a great joke in 
this provincial Jew claiming to be a king.  They throw a robe across His 
shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter.  They still need a 
crown to make their travesty complete.  A small bundle of flexible branches 
covered with long thorns (commonly used for firewood) are plaited into a shape 
of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp.  Again there is 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 it's 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 begin to bleed again. 
.     In deference to Jewish custom,  the Romans return His garments.  The 
heavy patibulum of the cross is tied across His shoulders,  and the procession 
of the condemned Christ,  two thieves,  and the execution detail of Roman 
soldiers headed by a centurion,  begins it's slow journey.  In spite of His 
efforts to walk erect,  the weight of the heavy wooden beam,  together with 
the shock produced by copious blood loss,  is too much.  He stumbles and 
falls.  The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacrated skin and muscles 
of the shoulders.  The centurian,  anxious to get on with the crucifixion,  
selects a stalwart North African onlooker - Simon of Cyrene,  to carry the 
cross.  Jesus follows,  still bleeding and sweating the cold,  clammy sweat of 
shock.  The 650 yard journey to Golgotha is finally completed.  The prisoner 
is again stripped of His clothes - except for a loin cloth which is allowed 
the Jews.  
.     The crucifixion begins.  Jesus is offered wine mixed with Myrrh,  a mild 
analgesic mixture.  He refuses to drink.  Simon is ordered to place the 
patibulum on the ground and Jesus is quickly thrown backward with His 
shoulders against the wood.  The legionnaire feels for the depression at the 
front of the wrist.  He drives a heavy,  square,  wrought-iron nail through 
the wrist and deep into the wood.  Quickly he moves to the other side and 
repeats the action,  being careful not to pull the arms too tightly,  but to 
allow some flexion and movement.  The patibulum is then lifted in place at the 
top of the stipes and the titulus reading "Jesus of Nazareth,  King of the 
Jews" is nailed in place. 
.     The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot,  and with both 
feet extended and toes down,  a nail is driven through the arch of each,  
leaving the knees moderately flexed.  The victim is now crucified.  As He 
slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists,  excruciating - 
fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain as 
the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves.  As He 
pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment,  He places His full 
weight on the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of 
the feet. 
.     At this point,  another phenomenon occurs.  As the arms fatigue,  great 
waves of cramps sweep over the muscles,  knotting them in deep,  relentless,  
throbbing pain.  With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward.  
Hanging by His arms,  the pectoral muscles are parlyzed and the intercostal 
muscles are unable to act.  Air can be drawn into the lungs,  but cannot be 
exhaled.  Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath.  
Finally,  carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and 
the cramps partially subside.  Spasmodically,  He is able to push Himself 
upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen.  It was undoubtedly 
during these periods that He utterd the seven short sentences which are 
recorded: 
.     The first,  looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for His 
seamless garment,  "Father,  forgive them for they know not what they do." 
.     The second,  to the persistent thief,  "Today thou shalt be with me in 
Paradise." 
.     The third,  looking down at the terrified,  grief stricken,  adelescent 
John (the beloved Apostle),  he said,  "Behold thy mother",  and looking to 
Mary,  His mother,  "Woman,  behold thy son." 
.     The fourth cry is from the beginning of the 22nd Psalm,  "My God,  my 
God,  why hast thou forsaken me?" 
.     Hours of this limitless pain,  cycles of twisting,  joint-rending 
cramps,  intermittent partial asphixiation,  searing pain as the tissue is 
torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber.  
Then another agony begins.  A deep crushing pain deep in the chest as the 
pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. 
.     Let us remember again the 22nd Psalm,  verse 14:  "I am poured out like 
water,  and all my bones are out of joint;  my heart is like wax;  it is 
melted in the midst of my bowels." 
.     It is now almost over - the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical 
level,  the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy,  thick,  sluggish 
blood into the tissues,  the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to 
gasp in small gulps of air.  The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood 
of stimuli to the brain. 
.     Jesus gasps His fifth cry,  "I thirst." 
.     Let us remember another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm:  "My 
strength is dried up like a potsherd;  and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;  and 
thou hast brought me into the dust of death." 
.     A sponge soaked in Posca,  the cheap,  sour wine which is the staple 
drink of the Roman legionnaires,  is lifted to His lips.  He apparently does 
not take any of the liquid.  The body of Jesus is now in extremis,  and He can 
feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues.  This realization brings 
out His sixth words,  possibly little more than a tortured whisper:  "It is 
finished." 
.     His mission of atonement has been completed.  Finally He can allow His 
body to die. 
.     With one last surge of strength,  He once again presses His torn feet 
against the nail,  straightens His legs,  takes a deeper breath,  and utters 
His seventh and last cry:  "Father,  into thy hands I commit my spirit." 
.     The rest you know.  In order that the Sabbath not be profaned,  the Jews 
asked that the condemned men be dispatched and removed from the crosses.  The 
common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurefracture,  the breaking of 
the legs.  This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward;  the tension 
could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest,  and rapid suffocation 
then occurred.  The legs of the two thieves were broken,  but when they came 
to Jesus,  they saw that this was unnecessary. 
.     Apparently to make doubly sure of death,  the legionnaire drove his 
lance through the fifth interspace between the ribs,  upward through the 
pericardium and into the heart.  The 34th verse of the 19th chapter of the 
Gospel according to St. John:  "And immediately there came out blood and 
water."  Thus there was an escape of watery fluid from the sac surrounding the 
heart and blood from the interior of heart.  We therefore,  have rather 
conclusive postmortem evidence that our Lord died,  not the usual crucifixion 
death by suffocation,  but of heart failure due to shock and a constriction of 
the heart by fluid in the pericardium. 
.     Thus we have seen a glimpse of the epitomy of evil which man can exibit 
toward man - and toward God.  This is not a pretty sight and is apt to leave 
us despondent and depressed.  How grateful we can be that we have a sequel,  a 
glimpse of the infinite mercy of God toward man - the miracle of the atonement 
and the expectation of Easter morning! 

