The Execution
Introduction
The Romans perfected crucifixion as a punishment designed to maximize pain and suffering. It wasn’t about killing somebody — it was about killing somebody in a really horrible way. Someone who was crucified suffered the maximum amount of pain.
Crucifixion was also the most disgraceful form of execution. It was usually reserved for slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries, and vile criminals. The only time a Roman citizen was ever crucified was for desertion from the army.
Jesus’ Crucifixion was a horribly painful and disgraceful and humiliating form of capital punishment used in the ancient world. This method of execution involved binding the victim’s hands and feet and nailing them to a cross.
The word crucifixion comes from the Latin “crucifixio,” or “crucifixus,” meaning “fixed to a cross.”
Crucifixion was not only one of the most disgraceful forms of death, but it was also one of the most dreaded methods of execution in the ancient world.
Accounts of crucifixions are recorded among early civilizations, most likely originating with the Persians and then spreading to the Assyrians, Scythians, Carthaginians, Germans, Celts and Britons. This type of capital punishment was primarily reserved for traitors, captive armies, slaves and the worst of criminals. Crucifixion became common under the rule of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.).
Detailed descriptions of crucifixions are few, perhaps because secular historians could not bear to describe the gruesome events of this horrible practice. However, archaeological finds from first century Palestine have shed a great deal of light on this early form of death penalty.
Preparation For The Crucifixion
Flogging, or scourging, was done before every crucifixion. The scourging was intended to bring a victim to a state just short of death. Also, it hurt. A lot.
The whip had iron balls tied a few inches from the end of each leather thong on the whip. Sometimes, sharp sheep bones would be tied near the ends. The iron balls would cause deep bruising, while the leather thongs would cut into the skin. The sheep bones would hasten the process of cutting into the skin. After a few lashes, the skin would be cut through, and the muscles would begin to be cut. Blood loss was considerable, and the pain would probably have put the victim in a state of shock.
After the flogging, the victim would carry his own cross bar (called a patibulum) from the flogging area inside the city to the crucifixion area outside of the city walls. The crucifixion area was always outside the city, because the process was horrible and disturbing to Roman citizens.
The upright part of the cross (the stipe) was permanently mounted in the crucifixion area. The upright part was usually a tree trunk. Since they sometimes crucified up to 300 subjects at a time, the crucifixion area was usually near a stand of trees. The part that the victim carried was the crossbar, weighing in at 75 to 125 pounds. The cross bar would be balanced on the victims shoulders, and their arms would be tied to the crossbar. In this position, if the victim tripped or fell, they could not use their arms to break their fall, and they would likely fall face first into the ground.
The victim was escorted by a Roman guard (probably a centurion and several soldiers), who were responsible for guarding the victim until his death. One of the soldiers would display a sign with the crime written on it.
Once the crucifixion area was reached, the victim would be offered a drink of wine mixed with myrrh to act as a mild pain killer. The drink was a charitable service performed by an association of women in Jerusalem.
The victim would then be nailed to the cross bar. The nails would usually be driven through the wrists, not through the palms, as these would not support the body weight.
Once crucified, a victim would live for a period ranging from a few hours to a few days. How long he lived depended mostly on how severe the scourging was. Sometimes it could last a few weeks if family and friends gave them water to drink.
If no one claimed the body, it would be left on the cross to be eaten by predatory animals. The family could, however, claim the body for burial. In this case, a Roman soldier would pierce the chest with a sword or spear to make sure the victim was dead.
What actually killed the victim?
The initial scourging would weaken the victim, cause massive blood loss, and probably induce shock. By the time the victim had carried the crossbar to the crucifixion area, he would be exhausted.
Once upon the cross, the victim would have his body weight suspended by their arms. In this position, it is difficult to completely exhale. The victim could take shallow breaths for a while, but eventually would be forced to push himself up to take a full breath.
At this point three things happen:
The victim’s weight is now fully supported by his feet. The nails through the feet would be likely to hit two major nerves running through the area. The result would be excruciating pain in the legs.
The nails in the wrists would be likely to pierce the main nerve running through the arm. As the victim pushed up to breath, the wrists would rotate against the nail, irritating the nerves and causing intense pain in the arms. Some authorities also believe that the crucifixion position would dislocate the shoulder or elbow. Any movement would aggravate the pain from these injuries.
The wounds on the victims back from the scourging would push up against the rough part of the centerpiece. This would tend to re-open the wounds, leading to more pain and blood loss.
This combination of pain would quickly force the victim to lower himself back down. Eventually, the victim would no longer be able to raise himself up and would suffocate. The shock from blood loss due to the scourging would hasten this process.
Specifics of Jesus’ Crucifixion
Jesus crucifixion mostly followed the standard procedure, although there were some differences. These differences help account for the fact that he died after a relatively short period of time on the cross.
Luke 22:44
And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
There is a condition called hematohidrosis or hematidrosis which occurs in people under extreme physical or emotional stress. The blood vessels in their sweat glands rupture and leak blood into their sweat. The effect is one of sweating blood. Several authorities believe that this is a plausible explanation for what happened to Jesus.
Although the loss of blood would not be significant, it shows that he was under extreme stress, which would have weakened him physically.
Before the scourging and crucifixion, Jesus was beaten by his guards, which would weaken him. In addition, he would have had no sleep that night, and walked back and forth from trial to trial.
Typically, a prisoner carried his own cross to the crucifixion site. The fact that Simon was pressed into carrying Jesus cross suggests that Jesus was too weak to carry his own cross.
It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus body.
Mark 15:42-44
Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died.
Since the Jewish Sabbath would begin at Sunset, it was important that the bodies not be left up, as Jewish law required that they be buried by the Sabbath.
Breaking the legs of a crucified person would cause suffocation within minutes, because they would not be able to raise themselves up to breath. They did not break Jesus’ legs.
John 19:33-34
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.
Again, this was typical crucifixion practice — to stab the victim to make sure he was dead before releasing him to relatives.
The water that John describes as flowing is probably serous pleural and pericardial fluid — fluid that would build up from shock and blood loss. This fluid would tend to accumulate in the chest cavity and lungs.
Crucifixion Was As Much About Humiliation As Death
The humiliation was as much for the family as the subject being crucified.
The subject was stripped naked. The executioners competed to see who could come up with the most unique method of mounting someone on the cross and inflicting the most pain.
The crucifixion was carried out in public where everyone could see and usually on a hill near a roadway where it would draw the most attention.