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Evidence ID: HIS-EV65
Evidence: Jesus' Injuries Certainly Led to His Death
Summary: The consensus among forensic pathologists is that Jesus suffered a violent and certain death. Jesus suffered multiple critical injuries during his trial and crucifixion. Most notable were severe hemorrhaging, hypovolemic shock, asphyxia and ultimately cardiac arrest. To assume that Jesus could walk away from the scourging and crucifixion would be contrary to the findings of modern forensic pathology.
Description: Many theories abound regarding the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Perhaps the most popular is the swoon theory from the eighteenth century [REF-SWO01]. According to this theory, Jesus lost consciousness (swooned) while on the cross due to extreme exhaustion and then was resuscitated after a 3-day rest in the tomb.
To suggest that Jesus could survive the brutal injuries he incurred during the scourging and crucifixion is contrary to the findings of modern forensic pathology. According to physicians who assessed Jesus' physical condition during his final hours, Jesus would have certainly died from the multiple injuries inflicted on him.
Based on the latest findings in the field of forensic pathology [REF-FTZ01], [REF-EGH01], [REF-SOT05], [REF-SOT04], Jesus suffered the following injuries:
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced a rare condition called hematidrosis that may occur in cases of extreme anxiety caused by fear. This condition manifests as sweat that contains blood pigments (Luke 22:44). During his many hours of agony while praying in the garden, Jesus experienced extreme dehydration due to perfuse sweating (diaphoresis) and perhaps vomiting. This left Jesus exhausted before his trial and execution.
From the Gospel of accounts, we learn that Jesus was physically assaulted during his trial. He was struck in the face by temple guards' fists. According to Luke 22:63, the temple soldiers beat Jesus. Depending on the severity of the blows, this could have resulted in severe head trauma including a fractured jaw, swollen eyes and vertebrae damage to the neck.
The long thorns from the Crown of Thorns placed around Jesus' head would have irritated the trigeminal nerve which services the front half of the head, and the occipital nerve which services the back half of the head. This irritation caused a condition known as trigeminal neuralgia resulting in severe facial pain. This pain may be triggered by touch, swallowing, talking or wind. According to Matthew 27:27-31, the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck Jesus in the head with a staff. This would have caused excruciating pain throughout Jesus' face, ears and head. The thorns would have also punctured blood vessels on his scalp causing bleeding.
The Roman flagrum was used to scourge Jesus during his trial to appease the crowd of accusers. This suggests that Jesus was scourged more severely to demonstrate to the crowd that he has adequately paid for his crimes.
Roman executioners would have delivered 39+ blows to the back and sides of Jesus' torso and legs. Their goal was to administer enough fatal blows to cause the most damage to the victim's body, yet not enough blows to kill them. Roman scourging was perfected over the centuries to inflict excruciating pain while torturing their victims to near-death.
The thongs of the flagrum were equipped with metal balls (plumbatae). Together, the leather thongs and the metal balls would have severely bruised Jesus and lacerated his flesh. The injuries sustained during the scourging were extensive including:
The force exerted by the Roman flagrum on Jesus’ body was quite significant, depending on the flagrum’s length, the weight of the metal balls at the end of each thong, and the speed at which it is swung. As the flagrum is swung using an overhead motion, the momentum and kinetic energy are concentrated in the segment of the whip between the metal balls and the moving bend of the thongs, further increasing the force of impact. As the thongs of the flagrum completely uncoil, the metel balls reach maximum velocity and impact as illustrate below.
For more information on the Roman flagrum, please visit [HIS-EV53].
Roman crucifixion was a form of torture and capital punishment that was designed to produce a slow death with maximum pain and suffering. Crucifixion was usually proceeded by Roman flogging (scourging). During the crucifixion process, the victim's wrists are nailed to a cross beam (patibulum) and feet are nailed to a vertical beam (stipe). The victim is left to "hang" on the cross with most of his weight being born by his wrists. The legs were bent to prevent the victim from straightening his back to aid in breathing. Consequently, the victim dies of either heart failure due to the heavy loss of blood and/or asphyxiation due to a lack of oxygen. The injuries sustained during crucifixion were extensive. They include:
According to forensic pathologists Edwards, Gabel, and Hosmer [REF-EGH01], Jesus was clearly dead before the Roman soldier pierced his side with the sword.
Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear, thrust between his right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death. Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.
The consensus among forensic pathologists is that Jesus suffered a violent and certain death. There is no way he could have walked away the tomb after a 3-day rest. Many of his injuries were fatal.
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