|
The Horror of the Images
on the Man Wrapped in
the Shroud of Turin
In the images on the Shroud of Turin there are clear signs of scourging and beating and there are also the unmistakable wounds of crucifixion.
Pathologists who have studied the image say that the man of the shroud was savagely whipped, crucified, died and was wrapped in the Shroud after rigor mortis had set in.
The whip used exactly fits with a Roman flagrum, which was a whip of short leather thongs tipped with pieces of lead, bronze or bone which tore into flesh and muscle. See opposite.
There are dozens upon dozens of dumbbell shaped welts and tears, the type of wound that the flagellum would have caused.
There is blood from the whipping visible inside the images of the wounds.
From the way the marks fall on the man's back, buttocks, and legs, the man was whipped by two men, one taller than the other, who stood on either side of him.
 |
Scourge Marks Caused by Whips
on the Body Wrapped in
TheShroud of Turin |
At some time the man may have been forced to wear a crown of thorns which seems to be the logical explanation for the many tiny puncture wounds around the top of his head.
The shroud also shows that the man had a severely bruised left kneecap, a dislocated nasal cartilage and a large swelling near the right eye socket and cheekbone.
There are numerous wounds on the body and blood flows from many of these wounds. Most notable is a piercing wound on one visible wrist, though there are blood flows on both arms that suggest similar wounds to both wrists.
There are similar wounds on the feet and the man's side has been pierced by a sharp weapon.
The image and the bloodstains contrast with all the pictures from the medieval and earlier periods, as it shows he was crucified with large spikes driven through his wrists rather that through the palms of his hands.
Forensic pathology experts realized that nails driven through a man's palms would not support his weight even if his feet were nailed or supported. The nails would tear out.
It is now known that the Romans did crucify victims by driving nails through the wrist area of the forearm since the 1968 archaeological discovery of a crucifixion victim, named Johanan ben Ha-galgol, found near Jerusalem at Givat ha-Mivtar. (See next column...
|
Excavation of Victim of Crucifixion
at Givat ha-Mivtar
in Jerusalem
In 1968 building contractors working in Jerusalem discovered a Jewish tomb dated to the first century after the death of Christ.
It bore the Hebrew inscription 'Jehohanan the son of HGQWL'.
They found the remains of a crucified man in his twenties, and his right heel bone was pierced by an iron nail 11.5 cms. in length.
The nail penetrated the surface of the bone but the tip of the nail had become bent.
The bending of the tip of the nail upon itself suggests that after the nail penetrated the tree or the upright it struck something in the wood making it difficult to remove from the heel when the victim was taken from the cross.
Remains of olive wood found between the head of the nail and the heel bone suggest that prior to penetrating the heel bone the nail was driven through a wooden plaque so as to increase the head of the nail thus making it difficult for the victim to free his legs from the upright.
The nail was 11.5cm making it impossible to affix two feet with one nail.
|
