THE MEANING OF EASTER - Pt 3

There are two basic parts within the concept of Easter. They are the crucifixion, and the resurrection. Sometimes the ascension will be considered a third part, but for the most part, it is usually included within the resurrection portion of the two.

Crucifixion was an ancient and very horrific method of execution used in Ancient Roman and in neighboring Mediterranean cultures. The Roman Empire used this method until about 337 A.D. It was an extremely slow death, producing an extreme amount of pain, for a prolonged period of time. Although the methods of crucifixion varied with location and time, the main objective remained the same. To provide a humiliating, slow and painful death using whatever means necessary to achieve that goal.

The Greek and Latin words for crucifixion describe many different forms of similar executions, from impaling on a stake to nailing to a tree, to an upright pole or to a combination of an upright and a crossbeam. It was also customary that if a crossbeam was used, the condemned man or woman was forced to carry it on their shoulders to the place of execution. The whole cross would weigh approximately over 300 pounds, but the crossbeam would weigh only 75-125 pounds. In spite of this, it would have still been very painful to carry the crossbeam because the condemned person’s back would have been torn open by the many lacerations produced by severe whipping and beatings.

There are historically detailed accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus contained in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. According to the Gospels, Jesus died before late afternoon, before the Jewish Passover celebration. There was an execution site just outside the city gates of Jerusalem called Golgotha, also known as Calvary. Jesus was crucified using a crossbeam style cross, from the fact that the Gospels give details of having to carry “his cross”. The main beam was waiting at the site of execution awaiting the arrival of the condemned with the top cross beam. The particular cross used for Jesus probably resembled a T shape, which was a combination of an upright beam (in Latin: stipes) and a crossbeam (in Latin: patibulum).

It was a total of about six hours of torture and pain before Jesus finally died from a fatal stab wound “piercing his side” near the upper chest area closest to the heart. At this point, death was instantaneous. Jesus had already suffered many hours of beatings and torture by strong and powerful, highly trained Roman soldiers well versed in the art of inflicting pain without bringing about immediate death. Physically speaking, he would have been weak from dehydration and from being beaten beyond description, and suffered shock from the huge spikes that were driven through his wrists and feet. His torture began approximately around nine in the morning to about three in the afternoon. Since there were no precise instruments to tell time with, the day began with the rising of the sun, which would make it around six in the morning in our modern day, and the end of the day would be at sundown, which would have been somewhere around six in the evening. The day was generally broken down in quarters of the day. Sunrise would be the first hour; nine in the morning would be the third hour; high noon would be the sixth; three in the afternoon would then be the ninth hour and sundown would be the twelfth. These would be approximate times because there were no watches or clocks to mark the exact time.

With this said, several things happened from the noon hour until three in the afternoon. First, the Gospels tell us that there was darkness from the sixth hour (12 noon), until the ninth (3 PM). It is possible that this rare event might have been brought upon by a solar eclipse. Mark 15:33-37, tells us that the darkness lasted for three hours and that at the ninth hour (3 PM – approx.), Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Shortly after this, Jesus uttered a loud cry, and died. Matthew 27:50-52, also gives us similar details. Immediately upon Jesus giving his last cry and breath, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split”. This seems to describe some kind of earthquake at the time of his death. It also says that “tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” Luke 23:44-46 describes very similar details. John’s Gospel is the only one that does not go into much detail about the final hour of Jesus’ death, but rather gives other details surrounding the moments leading up to his death.

Through the centuries, many have tried to discount the historical evidence of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. No matter how hard they may try, it still stands as an event that was true and real; that Jesus the Christ was crucified and truly did die, no fake death here; and in three days resurrected from the dead! There is no way possible that any one could have survived such a torturous and painful death, and to top it off, be pierced by a spear from a Roman soldier and survive! Christ’s death was a real event and it involved the death of his physical body.

3/20/2008

James

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