Friday Facts - The Cross and The Crucifixion

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As we enter into this weekend of recognition of the gift given to us thru the crucifixion of Jesus, I wanted to continue in sharing information related to this event.

I decided to take a look at the cross and the death of Jesus. The cross on which Jesus was crucified and the suffering He endured as He died for you and for me.


Let's first look at the type of cross on which Jesus was crucified....
There were three types of crosses that were most commonly used by the Roman army in the first century A.D. Each type carried an inscription stating the victim's capital offense and a seat-like projection. This projection towards the bottom of the cross not designed for the victim's comfort, but instead to prolong their agony. Nails and ropes held the victim's legs and arms in place.

The first type of cross was called a “high tau” cross due to its shape which was similar to the capital Greek letter tau (“T”). The second type was known as a “low tau” cross, as it was shaped like the lower case tau (“t”). In both cases the central post was set permanently in the ground while the cross bar was carried to the site by the victim. The third type of cross was an actual tree that was still in the ground (dead or alive) with its limbs serving as the cross bar. Most likely, Jesus was crucified on a “low tau” type cross.

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Let's now take a moment to look at how Jesus died.....

The death of Jesus endured involved severe stress. He was tortured by the beating brought on by the Roman soldiers.

At the time of crucifixion He was hung completely naked in front of the crowd. The pain and damage caused by crucifixion so intense that the victim would continually long for death, but could linger for days with no relief.

According to Dr. Frederick Zugibe, piercing of the nerve in the hands with a nail can cause pain so incredible that no pain medication could assist, “severe, excruciating, burning pain, like lightning bolts traversing the arm into the spinal cord.” Rupturing the foot's nerve with a nail would have a similar effect.


May we never forget, may we always be thankful, and may we never fail to share and to love..... to love as Christ first showed His love to us.



10 Thoughts Shared:

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Beautiful post today. It's a good reminder that we never forget what Christ sacrificed for us.

Darlene said...

Great post Melanie! So many times we put in the back of our mind what all our Savior did for us. How HE suffered for my sins. It brings tears to my eyes and I am amazed at HIS love for me!
Thanks for reminding me of this.
Today is Friday...but Sunday is coming!
Happy Easter!

bp said...

Thanks for sharing these facts. It made me hurt just to read that description about the pain caused by the nails.

Have a blessed weekend.
Bethany

Kristi said...

My heart is aching today too. Oh, the magnitude of His love for us! Thank you for sharing this today. Easter blessings to you and your family!

LauraLee Shaw said...

I'm so thankful for His sacrifice, and it pains me to think of His suffering. I am so unworthy. Thankful for Friday AND for Sunday.

Tricia said...

Thank you Melanie...

Just reading and pondering on what Christ suffered for me makes me what to be more thankful and always mindful of the sacrifice He made so selflessly for me... may we never get over what He did for us, but always be in awe and forever grateful...

Blessings!

Eyeglasses & Endzones said...

I am forever grateful and undeserving of what he has done for us. I am soo thankful that despite all my faults he still loves me!

Thanks for this post and Happy Easter!

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

A hard read, but a necessary one. This stirs emotions in me like the ones I felt while watching "The Passion." May we never forget and may we always find our knees accordingly.

Blessed Easter walk to you~elaine

Anonymous said...

May you have a Blessed Easter weekend!
~Mrs.Cuddles

Meredith said...

Thankful for Friday but exceedingly glad that there is a Sunday!! Thank you1