IBIS IN CRUCEM

Crucifixion in the time of Jesus was not an official Jewish method of execution. Even though used by the Jews during war, it was a Roman practice while they were the rulers. According to Cicero, it was used specifically as the extreme penalty for rebellion against Rome even though at times it was used for other crimes as well. Because of poor translations, the rebels were called 'bandits' (their crime was not theft or robbery) and no distinction was made between violent and non-violent revolutionaries. Jesus was convicted correctly within Roman law for the crime of insurrection.

After the conquest of Pompey, only Rome was allowed to appoint kings or rulers in Israel/Judea. The uncertain period of rule by the ethnarch Archelaus (4 BCE - 6 CE) was followed by direct Roman control of Judea through governors (legates and procurators) - at the time of Jesus it was Pontius Pilate. Jesus was heralded as the new king as in Matthew 21: 5 (Behold, your king is coming to you) and 21: 9 (Hosanna to the son of David) etc. There can be no doubt about Jesus being perceived and accepted by a large part of the population of Jerusalem as an earthly king - this being a misunderstanding or not is irrelevant.

The Jewish religious rulers accused Jesus of numerous things among themselves but in front of Pilate, they stuck to the three charges constituting revolution. The most serious being, Jesus' claim, that he himself is the king and Jesus admitted to this - the governor asked him, saying, "Are you the king of the Jews?" So Jesus said to him, "It is as you say." (Matthew 27: 11). He did not however admit to the charges of perverting the nation or tax evasion. Pontius Pilate had to believe an earthly king is meant and this must have been Jesus' intention as he could easily have explained about the heavenly kingdom.

Note: The Sanhedrin asked Jesus if he was the messiah - a title which in Judaism meant an earthly ruler.

In summary; Jesus admitted to being the king of the Jews and was crucified for the crime of revolution - no other. The conviction was based on confession. The Jewish religious leaders got what they wanted without having to act against Jesus themselves as they could have done. Considering all the factors, it is no wonder the conviction of Jesus remains a controversial subject. The crucifixion is equally controversial.

Various cultures had for centuries carried out crucifixions, each in its own manner but the Romans devised a particularly cruel form of crucifixion. The condemned was made to walk through the streets carrying the beam of the cross with a sign (the titulus) explaining the offense around the neck. The cross was laid on the ground and the condemned on top with the crossbeam pushed under the neck. The arms were tied to the crossbeam in a manner so the weight of the body would be carried by the strongest parts of the arms. To prevent the person from pulling their arms out of the bonds, their hands or wrists were nailed to the beam. The feet were nailed through the heel bone to the cross (a piece of wood prevented the feet from slipping off the nail) with the knees sharply bent and the legs twisted and folded to one side to make the cross as short, and therefore as manageable as possible. (The long crosses depicted in art would have fallen over.) The cross was then hauled upright with ropes.

If a person were hung from a cross by the arms only, death would result in five hours from suffocation. As the victim will be unconscious for most of the time, it provided poor sport for the Romans so they innovated. They provided the cross with a footrest where the victim could 'stand' and a little seat to sit on when his legs got tired. They also made sure their victims were not dehydrating by offering drinks from a sponge. The victim had the choice; hang by the arms and feel slow suffocation, or stand or sit and breathe a bit longer. As the instinct to breathe is the most basic of all, the condemned will constantly try to ease the pressure on the lungs by sitting or standing and then trying to ease into a slightly more comfortable position only to find it becomes unbearable in minutes. It was this writhing in pain which made this method of punishment so particularly cruel and so appealing to the Romans. By ensuring rehydration, the crucified could be kept alive for days.

Note: In a modern crucifixion in Saudi Arabia, a 14 year old survived for three days. The belief was and is, if somebody survived three days on the cross, he is proved to be without guilt/sin. The arms of victims swell up tremendously so surviving would almost certainly mean losing limbs.

When the Romans had, had enough 'sport', they broke the bones in the legs so the crucified could no longer lift up to open the lungs - the Jews asked Pilate to have their legs broken. Unconsciousness and death would then follow quickly.  In the case of Jesus, he was already dead so his legs were not broken, and did not die from asphyxiation. 

Jesus bled from the scouring he endured, and because of the metal-ball weights at the end of the thongs, he also had internal bleeding. His pulse rate went up and his blood pressure down - this combined with his kidneys shutting down caused the collapse while he carried the 'cross' to Golgotha. On the cross, his condition worsened and fluid gathered in the 'spaces' around the heart and lungs. His heart was racing and going into failure.

The collection of fluids around the lungs made breathing impossible at an earlier stage of the crucifixion than would otherwise have been the case. When, according to John 19: 34 one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear there was an immediate gush of blood and water. If Jesus had not been dead, this would have helped save his life, as it would have eased his breathing.  

Jesus became very thirsty and asked for a drink. Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to his mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished!" And bowing his head, he gave up his spirit (John 19: 29 - 30). If Jesus had not died this would have been excellent first aid. The vinegar in water was the perfect way to rehydrate, reactivate the kidneys and restore potassium levels to normalize the heartbeat. Obviously the Romans knew this and used vinegar to prolong the life of the victim.

If Jesus had not been dead, he would have survived and it would still have been said: in him there was no sin (1 John 3: 5) and the incredible series of life saving events would have been a miracle. If he had not died, it would still have been said he has been raised from the dead  (1 Corinthians 15: 12) and he would have been no less a messiah.