Image of Jesus' crucifixion may be wrong

[EMTL]

Image of Jesus' crucifixion may be wrong, says study

Wed Mar 29, 7:01 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060330/sc_afp/sciencereligion_060329234231
PARIS (AFP) - The image of the crucifixion, one of the most powerful emblems of Christianity, may be quite erroneous, according to a study which says there is no evidence to prove Jesus was crucified in this manner.

Around the world, in churches, on the walls of Christian homes, on crucifixes worn as pendants, in innumerable books, paintings and movies, Jesus Christ is seen nailed to the cross by his hands and feet, with his head upwards and arms outstretched.

But a paper published by Britain's prestigious Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) says this image has never been substantiated in fact.

Christ could have been crucified in any one of many ways, all of which would have affected the causes of his death, it says.

"The evidence available demonstrates that people were crucified in different postures and affixed to crosses using a variety of means," said one of the authors, Piers Mitchell of Imperial College London.

"Victims were not necessarily positioned head up and nailed through the feet from front to back, as is the imagery in Christian churches."

The authors do not express any doubt on the act of Jesus' crucifixion itself.

But they note that the few eyewitness descriptions available today of crucifixions in the 1st century AD show the Romans had a broad and cruel imagination.

Their crucifixion methods probably evolved over time and depended on the social status of the victim and on the crime he allegedly committed, says the paper in April's issue of the RSM journal.

The cross could be erected "in any one of a range of orientations", with the victim sometimes head-up, sometimes head-down or in different postures.

Sometimes he was nailed to the cross by his genitals, sometimes the hands and feet were attached to the side of the cross and not the front, or affixed with cords rather than nails.

"If crucified head-up, the victim's weight may also have been supported on a small seat. This was believed to prolong the time it took a man to die," says the study, co-authored by Matthew Masien, also of Imperial College London's medicine faculty.

Crucifixion was widely practised by the Romans to punish criminals and rebels, but if the empire ever circulated instructions for the soldiers who carried out the gruesome task, none has survived today.

Nor is there any detailed account of the method of Jesus' crucifixion in the four Gospels of the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) which are believed to be near contemporary accounts of the life of Christ.

And only one piece of archaeological evidence has ever been found about a crucifixion, mainly because crucified people were not formally buried but left on a rubbish dump to be eaten by wild dogs and hyenas, say Masien and Mitchell.

This case entails a young Jewish man, whose inscription on an ossuary, found near Giv'at ha-Mivtar in Israel , suggests his name was probably Yehonanan ben Hagkol.

The clue to his demise comes from an 11.5-centimetre (4.8-inch) iron nail that had been hammered through one of his heels, attaching it to the side of the cross. But there are no signs of any nail holes in the bones of the wrist or the forearm.

Over the past 150 years, there have been at least 10 books and studies to try to understand the physical causes of Jesus' death, and one US attempt, in 2005, even featured a "humane re-enactment" in which volunteers were attached to a cross in safe and temporary way, using gloves and belts.

These explorations have yielded a wide range of hypotheses, from heart failure and pulmonary embolism to asphyxia and shock induced by falling blood pressure.

Excruciating pain endured over the six hours between crucifixion and death, loss of blood, dehydration and the weight of the body on the lungs are cited as contributing factors.

But, the study says, these efforts have all been prejudiced by the automatic assumption, derived from religious images, that Jesus was crucified head-up.

Given the uncertainty as to exactly how he was crucified, the answer may only ever come if some new archaeological evidence or piece of writing emerges from the shadows of the past, it says.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060330/sc_afp/sciencereligion_060329234231

Did Jesus (peace be upon him) die according to the Bible?

The Sign of Jonah
"Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you. "He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12: 39 - 40



Jonah was ALIVE for three days in the belly of the fish.

"...Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights". Jonah 1:15-17

"From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God..." Jonah2:1

"And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land" Jonah 2:10

"Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh." Jonah 3:1-3.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples
" While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Luke 24: 36-43

The Qur'an confirmed that Jesus was not killed

"That they (the Jews) rejected faith: that they uttered against Mary a grave false charge. That they said (in boast) "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary the Apostle of Allah "; but they killed him not nor crucified him but so it was made to appear to them and those who differ therein are full of doubts with no (certain) knowledge but only conjecture to follow for of a surety they killed him not. Nay Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power Wise." Q 4:156-158

Praise be to Allah (SWT) Who has guided us to Islam.

[mallamt]

The manner of crucifixion of Christ has long been a case for study by historians and their are many veiws on it, however scholars and other scientists have generally agreed that the most likely method used to crucify Christ is as is being represented from that time to today that is on a cross with the head up.  Now contrary to EMTL's assertions the bible does provide an indication of this.  A qoute from EMTL's article says

Nor is there any detailed account of the method of Jesus' crucifixion in the four Gospels of the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) which are believed to be near contemporary accounts of the life of Christ

Matthew 27:37 says "And they put overHis head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."  According to the bible in Matthew 27:35, this event happened affter the crucifixion of Jesus. Note that it says in Mat 27:37 over and not under or the side or in any other direction.  The only way I know you can get anything over a head is if the head is under it and if the head is still intact with the body the suggestion then MUST be that the body is upright.  This is also seen in the accounts of Mark (Mrk 15), Luke (Lk 23) and John (Jn 19). Furthermore John 19:30 says "So when Jesus had recieved the sour wine, He said, "it is finished" And bowing His head He gave up His spirit.  Now I am not sure and have never heard of a head being bowed in any direction other than downwards, and if this is to be done then the body needs to be in an upright position.

EMTL wrote

The Sign of Jonah
"Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you. "He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12: 39 - 40



Jonah was ALIVE for three days in the belly of the fish.

"?Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights". Jonah 1:15-17

"From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God?" Jonah2:1

"And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land" Jonah 2:10

"Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh." Jonah 3:1-3.

What is the sign of Jonah?  not the events but the sign of Jonah? When Jonah was thrown into the sea (Jonah 1:15) who amongst them knew Jonahs fate? who knew or expected Jonah to be alive? Why did they give sacrifices and make vows what were they afraid of? (v16)  Did or would anyone have expect to see Jonah again after being thrown into the sea?  Now answer these and you will see the parallel with what Jesus was saying in Mat 12:39-40.

EMTL wrote

Jesus Appears to the Disciples
" While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Luke 24: 36-43

Firstly the qoute from the bible should be Luke 24:36-44.  Continuing with v46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it is necessary for the Christ to suffer and risefrom the dead the third day.  Now I ask you is there a difference between rising from the dead and being a ghost? definately YES!!! Christ is not dead and not a ghost or figment of some imagination! He is risen and is alive! and that is what we are seeing here.

EMTL wrote

The Qur'an confirmed that Jesus was not killed

"That they (the Jews) rejected faith: that they uttered against Mary a grave false charge. That they said (in boast) "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary the Apostle of Allah "; but they killed him not nor crucified him but so it was made to appear to them and those who differ therein are full of doubts with no (certain) knowledge but only conjecture to follow for of a surety they killed him not. Nay Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power Wise." Q 4:156-158

I can not say much about this obviously islam and the quran have a veiw different from that of christians and the bible so the only thing that can be said by a muslim is why he believes the quran is right on this matter while the christian can only say why he believes the bible is right on this matter.  

I hope my contribution has enlightened you even if it is a little bit with the cristian faith