The whip cut across his back again and again, yet he did not cry out. After his trial, they stripped him of his clothes and tied him to a post for the flogging. The whip consisted of several heavy leather thongs with 2 small balls of lead attached to the ends, and the Roman centurians were expert at wielding it. At first it only bit into his skin, but as the beating went on, it cut deeper into tissue, causing arterial bleeding from the blood vessels beneath muscle.
According to Jewish law, they could only administer 40 lashes. But this was Rome, and they had no such limitations. The centurian only stopped when it appeared the man was close to death. The flesh on his back, shoulders and legs had been ripped open, leaving the skin hanging in bloody shreds.
Wanting to utterly humiliate this man, they found a purple robe and threw it on him, and placed a crown on his head. After all, he did proclaim himself to be king. The crown consisted of small flexible branches covered with thorns 5-6 inches long. They placed this "crown" on his head and pressed it into his skull. A reed was given to him as a scepter. Laughing hysterically, the guards mocked him, spat on him, slapped him in the face, and even pulled at his beard. Then they took the reed and struck him in the head, driving the thorns of his crown, further into his skull.
Alone, in pain, and weakened from loss of blood, a wooden beam weighing 75-100 lbs was tied across the man's shoulders. Staggering beneath the weight, he led a processional 650 yards up the hill. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin on his back.
Once he arrived at the place, they stripped him of his clothing, leaving him only in a loincloth.
They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, a mild pain reliever. He refused to drink. The beam, which had been given to an onlooker to carry, was placed on the ground. The man was quickly thrown backward, and a heavy, square wrought iron nail was driven through his wrist and deep into the wood. The process was quickly repeated on the other side, careful not to pull the arms too tight.
The man was then lifted,, and placed on a vertical beam in the ground, the stipes. The man's left foot was pressed backward against the right foot, toes down. A nail was driven through the arch of each foot. The crucifixion was complete.
According to Jewish law, they could only administer 40 lashes. But this was Rome, and they had no such limitations. The centurian only stopped when it appeared the man was close to death. The flesh on his back, shoulders and legs had been ripped open, leaving the skin hanging in bloody shreds.
Wanting to utterly humiliate this man, they found a purple robe and threw it on him, and placed a crown on his head. After all, he did proclaim himself to be king. The crown consisted of small flexible branches covered with thorns 5-6 inches long. They placed this "crown" on his head and pressed it into his skull. A reed was given to him as a scepter. Laughing hysterically, the guards mocked him, spat on him, slapped him in the face, and even pulled at his beard. Then they took the reed and struck him in the head, driving the thorns of his crown, further into his skull.
Alone, in pain, and weakened from loss of blood, a wooden beam weighing 75-100 lbs was tied across the man's shoulders. Staggering beneath the weight, he led a processional 650 yards up the hill. The rough wood of the beam gouged into the lacerated skin on his back.
Once he arrived at the place, they stripped him of his clothing, leaving him only in a loincloth.
They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, a mild pain reliever. He refused to drink. The beam, which had been given to an onlooker to carry, was placed on the ground. The man was quickly thrown backward, and a heavy, square wrought iron nail was driven through his wrist and deep into the wood. The process was quickly repeated on the other side, careful not to pull the arms too tight.
The man was then lifted,, and placed on a vertical beam in the ground, the stipes. The man's left foot was pressed backward against the right foot, toes down. A nail was driven through the arch of each foot. The crucifixion was complete.
"And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two." Luke 23:44-45
Pain shot through his fingers and up his arms as the man's body began to sag. He tried to put his weight on the nails in his feet to push himself up. Again, searing pain as the nails tore through nerves in his feet. The man's arms were growing tired. His muscles began to cramp. He could draw in a breath, but he could not exhale. He began having severe chest pains, as the sac surrounding the heart began to fill with fluid.
The usual method of ending a crucifixion was to break the legs. If the victim could push himself upward, he could avoid suffocation. In this case, however, breaking his legs was not necessary. The man was already gone.
Just to be certain, a legionaire drove his lance into the man's side, and through his heart. Blood and water gushed out. This man did not die the usual death of suffocation. He died of heart failure - a broken heart.
The usual method of ending a crucifixion was to break the legs. If the victim could push himself upward, he could avoid suffocation. In this case, however, breaking his legs was not necessary. The man was already gone.
Just to be certain, a legionaire drove his lance into the man's side, and through his heart. Blood and water gushed out. This man did not die the usual death of suffocation. He died of heart failure - a broken heart.
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