DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION (I): SLOW SUFFOCATION
Shallowness of breathing causes small areas of lung collapse. Decreased oxygen and increased carbon dioxide causes acidic conditions in the tissues. Fluid builds up in the lungs. Makes situation in step 2 worse. Heart is stressed and eventually fails.
DePasquale
and Burch gives a possible summary of the slow process of suffering and
resulting death during a crucifixion as follows:
"...it
appears likely that the mechanism of death in crucifixion is
suffocation. The chain of events which ultimately leads to suffocation
are as follows:
With
the weight of the body being supported by the sedulum, the arms are
pulled upward. This causes the intercostal and pectoral muscles to be
stretched. Furthermore, movement of these muscles is opposed by the
weight of the body.
With
the muscles of respiration thus stretched, the respiratory bellows
become relatively fixed. As DYSPNEA (difficult respiration) develops and
pain in the wrists and arms increases, the victim is forced to raise
the body off the sedulum, thereby transferring the weight of the body to
the feet.
Respiration
become easier, but with the weight of the body being exerted on the
feet, pain mounts in the feet and legs. When the pain becomes
unbearable, the victim again slumps down on the sedulum with the weight
of the body pulling on the wrists and again stretching the intercostal
muscles.
Thus,
the victim alternates between lifting his body off the sedulum in order
to breathe and slumps down on the sedulum to relieve pain in the feet.
Eventually, he becomes exhausted or lapses into unconsciousness so that
he can no longer lift his body off the sedulum.
In this position, with the respiratory muscles essentially paralyzed, the victim suffocates and dies."
So,
due to the shallow breathing, the victim's lungs begin to collapse in
small areas causing HYPOXIA (shortage of oxygen) and HYPERCARBIA
(abnormal high level of carbon dioxide).
A
respiratory acidosis, with lack of compensation by the kidneys due to
the loss of blood from the numerous beatings, results in an increased
strain on the heart, which beats faster to compensate.
Fluid builds up in the lungs. Under the stress of hypoxia and acidosis the heart eventually fails.
There are several different theories on the actual cause of death.
One
theory states that there was a filling of the pericardium with fluid,
which puts a fatal strain on the ability of the heart to pump blood.
Another theory states that Jesus died of cardiac rupture."
The
actual cause of Jesus' death, however, "may have been multifactorial
and related primarily to hypovolemic shock, exhaustion ASPHYXIA (total
deprivation of oxygen) and perhaps acute heart failure."
A fatal cardiac ARRHYTHMIA (abnormal heart-beating) may have caused the final terminal event.
A LAST DRINK OF WINE VINEGAR
John 19:29-30 "A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips" When he had received the drink, Jesus said, `It is finished'. "With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
Having
suffered severe blood losses from His numerous beatings and thus in a
dehydrated state, Jesus, in one of His final statements, said "I
thirst."
He was offered 2 drinks on the cross. The first, which
He refused, was a drugged wine (mixed with myrrh). The second vinegar.
For the beginning and concluding part of this update, read HERE