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.
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.
____________________________
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.
