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cords with chunks of bone and
pieces of chain affixed to the tips.
The tough-looking, heavy-set Ro–
roan strode boldly across the court–
yard, passing directly in front of
Christ. He hesitated a moment.
Bending over, he looked into his
pain-wracked face.
It
was swollen
and bruised.
Again he hesitated - but only for
a moment - and then carefully
paced off a number of steps and
turned.
Back over bis shoulder whistled
the scourge. Tlien with a sudden,
powerful movement of bis arm and
a snap of bis wrist, the lictor began
tbe punishment.
Steel, leather and bone ripped
into Christ's body. Lacerated ftesh
bled profusely. Lasb after lash con–
tinued to fall, ripping and tearing,
until "bis appearance was so
marred, beyond human semblance"
(lsaiah 52:14, RSV).
Never had a man voluntarily
taken so much - given so much!
Those who looked into the eyes of
Jesus Christ saw a burning desire
and a determined look that said, "1
give this life totally and completely
for all of mankind."
The scourging finished, they cut
him loose. A limp body fell to the
ground. Then his arm moved, and
he pushed up on an elbow. Then his
knee bent. Lifting himself, he stag–
gered, then stood upright.
They helped him with bis cloth–
ing. A soldier adjusted his crown of
thorns. They laughed as a short,
squat soldier · kneeled, raised his
arms and said, "Hail, king of the
Jews, your royal majesty."
What a pathetic sight. He didn't
look like a king. He didn't even look
like a man anymore! They jeered all
the more as he wobbled. "Look at
him. You call that a king, a ,Prophet!
Why he is nothing but a dog!"
A swarthy Roman soldier lifted a
heavy wooden beam and roughly
placed it on Christ's right shoulder.
The weight was unexpected, and he
fell . He lay for a moment on the
dirty street.
The soldier kicked him and
20
shouted, "Get up, king. Are you
tired?" Christ struggled, but it was
no use. His strength was ñearly
gone. Tbe soldier looked and beck–
oned to Simon of Cyrene, "Come
here you peasant, Get this on your
shoulder and follow me." Slowly,
they trudged the last weary steps to
Golgotha, the "place of a skull"
(Matthew 27:32-33).
The Crucífi xion
The crucifixion by which Christ
was to die was devised and per–
fected by the Phoenicians, who
passed on their knowledge to the
Romans.
It
took centuries to develop this
"special crucifixion." They had tried
death by boiling, spearing, impale–
ment, drowning, burning, stran–
gulation, and yes, even stoning.
They were all too quick!
What they wanted was a punish–
ment that was excruciatingly painful
and slow, preferably one that would
last for severa! days. Death by cruci–
fixion was the answer.
Simon dropped the stake to the
ground beside the hole dug for its
support. Four soldiers took bold of
Christ and placed him on the stake.
They turned and walked
bac~to
the
band of people and soldiers who
were standing in a circle to view the
crucifixion. An old man offered
them a cloth to wipe the blood from
their hands.
Then a specially trained soldier
carne on the scene. He held a large
hammer and square-cut nails. He
kneeled beside Christ and reached
for bis hands. He felt the bones and
the flesh, took a nail from his mouth
and placed it in the palm. He raised
the hammer and with a single blow
drove the nail halfway through the
bleeding flesh. Blood spurted in his
face. Pausing, he wiped his face un–
ti! he could see again. He continued.
Metal rang against metal until the
nailhead was driven in, barely vis–
ible above the flesh.
Now the feet. Tria! and error had
shown that the legs must not be too
far extended. Otherwise the subject
died too soon. By nailing the legs in
a slightly bent position, the crucified
person was able to lean on the nails
and prolong his agony.
In perfecting the crucifixion, the
Romans encountered a problem.
When they erected the cross, the
weight of the body often caused the
fiesh to tear, allowing the body to
fall to the ground. When this hap–
pened, they had to lift the subject
into position for renailing, a rather
messy affair. Experience proved it
difficult to get the nails to hold in
tbe torn ftesh. Then someone hit on
a bright idea: Why not add a peg for
the crucified to catch his weight on
as a partial relief from the nailing?
The weight on the peg would keep
the nails from tearing out of the
ftesh, and it would help keep the
criminal alive a little longer.
The soldier with the hammer po–
sitioned Christ's right foot, insuring
the right bend in tbe leg. Nails had
to be just the right length and size.
Spikes opened too large a hole. Se–
lecting a nail, he pushed it into the
ftesh , and hammered until both feet
were securely nailed.
Up stepped a squad of soldiers.
They raised the cross into an up–
right position. The weight of
Christ's body caught on the peg and
held firm. They moved the cross
over the hole and eased it down. As
it touched bottom, the nails tore at
Christ's flesh, widening his wounds.
His breath carne hard. It was
nearly impossible to breathe in this
new position. It was difficult to ex–
pe! the air. Experimenting, Christ
found that when he pushed up on
his feet against the nails, he could
expel the air from his lungs.
Agonized suffering followed. The
sllgh test movement ca used ex–
cr.uciating pains to stab through bis
body. Inflammation from the
scourging, the beating and the nails
increased. Death was desirable.
Would it never come?
The open wounds and the smell
of blood began to attract insects.
They swarmed around his face and
body. His thirst increased.
The spectators talked, laughed
and stared as he hung naked in the
PLAIN TAUTH May 1974