What is crucifixion? A medical doctor provides
a physical description:
The cross is placed on the
ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown
backwards 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 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 flex and movement.
The cross is then
lifted into place. The left foot is pressed backward
against the right foot, and with both feet extended,
toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each,
leaving the knees 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 - the nails in the wrists are putting
pressure on the ediannerves.
As he pushes himself
upward to avoid this trenching torment, he places the
full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he
feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through
the nerves between the bones of his feet.
As the arms
fatigue, cramps sweep through his muscles, knotting
them with deep relentless, and throbbing pain.
With these
cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to
breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not
exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get
even one small 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 life-giving oxygen.
Hours of
limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-renting
cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing
pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he
moves up and down against rough timber.
Then another
agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest
as the pericardium slowly fills with serium and
begins to compress the heart.
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. He can feel the chill of death
creeping through his tissues.
Finally, he allows his body to die.
All this the
Bible records with the simple words, "and they
crucified Him" (Mark15:24). What wondrous love is
this?
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be
afraid. (Isaiah 12:2)
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