Physiological Process Behind Jesus' Crucifixion Revealed by Medical Experts

Crucifixion and scourging were two common tortures in the past, which might be the case as to why Gospel writers considered not writing a detailed description of them.

Crucifixion might be the most painful torture humankind ever invented, and it was where the term excruciating came from. It was first used by Persians in 300 B.C., and perfected by the Romans in 100 B.C. So, what did Jesus Christ have to endure during those hours of torture?

Before Jesus' Crucifixion

It is important to note that Jesus Christ would have been in excellent health before He was crucified, Associate Professor Cahleen Shrier, Ph.D., from the Azusa Pacific University wrote in her article. Jesus' stamina and strength were more likely very well-developed. Nonetheless, it is also clear that He suffered from this torture.

But before He was crucified, Pilate first ordered Him to be flogged following Roman law. The whip used consisted of strips of leather with metal balls in the middle, which caused deep bruising. More so, it had sheep bone attached at the ends of each strip.

So when the bone made contact with the skin, it dug into Jesus' muscles and tore out chunks of flesh and exposed the bone beneath. It left long ribbons on His back. By this time, He had lost a lot of blood, which caused His blood pressure to fall and put him into shock.

Typically, the human body would remedy such an imbalance by triggering thirst. If only He was able to drink water, then His blood volume would have increased.

Furthermore, a crown of thorns was placed on Jesus' head coupled with a robe on his back. At least the robe helped with the blood clot to prevent more blood loss. However, the thorns from the crown were pushing into his skin and He started to bleed so much. The thorns also damaged the nerves, which further intensified the pain in His face and neck.

As Jesus passed by the crowd, soldiers also belittled him by spitting and ripping off the robes and the bleeding started again. At that point, Jesus' physical condition became critical. He was undoubtedly in shock due to severe blood loss without replacement. Due to that, he could no longer carry the cross and Simon of Cyrene instead carried it for him as described in Matthew 27:32.

Physiological Explanation of Death by Crucifixion

As Dr. C. Truman Davis wrote in CBN about Jesus' crucifixion, the Jesus' knees were flexed about 45 degrees and was forced to bear His weight with His thigh. Anatomically speaking, this part of the body is not ideal to carry such weight for a long period; even for a few minutes, it could cause severe cramps.

His feet and wrists were nailed, which made Jesus' burden harder. In just a few minutes on the Cross, Jesus' shoulder was dislocated, as well as His elbows and wrists.

After that, the weight of His body on His upper limbs led to traction forces on the pectoralis major muscles of His chest wall, causing His rib cage to be pulled upwards and outwards. That means Jesus had to physically force His body as He breathed. His lungs were in a resting position but at maximum inspiration, proving crucifixion a medical catastrophe.

He was extremely fatigued and was having severe cramps due to his legs' angle at 45 degrees. Six hours on the Cross, Jesus was becoming less and less able to bear His weight, and extreme dislocation of wrists, elbows, and shoulders also ensued. Every time He breathed, it caused excruciating pain in His wrist, feet, and dislocated elbows and shoulders.

Jesus was covered in blood and sweat while on the Cross. Physiologically, He was undergoing a series of catastrophic and terminal events. His blood oxygen slowly fell, and He developed low blood oxygen (Hypoxia) as his blood carbon dioxide level increased (hypercapnia). Both conditions made His heart beat faster and faster, and he developed tachycardia.

He was very dehydrated with high blood pressure and suffering from other conditions. He was in desperate need of blood and plasma transfusion to save His life. At the late stage of his suffering, He probably developed Hemopericardium, before a cardiac rupture that likely caused His death. At three o'clock, Jesus said, "Tetelastai," or in English, "It is finished."

Check out more news and information on Medicine and Health in Science Times.