The crucifixion of Christ from a medical point of view. Icon of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Why was Jesus Christ crucified? This question may arise in a person who either refers to this event only as a historical fact, or takes the very first steps towards faith in the Savior. In the first case, the most correct decision is to try not to satisfy your idle interest, but to wait until a sincere desire appears in your mind and heart to understand this. In the second case, you need to start looking for an answer to this question, of course, from reading the Bible.

In the process of reading, various personal considerations in this regard will inevitably arise. This is where the division begins. Some believe that each person has the right to his own reading of the Holy Scriptures and remain in their opinion, even if it is fundamentally different from the opinion of other people. This is the Protestant position. Orthodoxy, which is still the main Christian denomination in Russia, is based on the reading of the Bible by the Holy Fathers. This also applies to the question: why was Jesus crucified? Therefore, the next sure step in trying to understand this topic is to turn to the works of the Holy Fathers.

Don't search the internet for answers.

Why does the Orthodox Church recommend this particular approach? The fact is that any person who tries to live a spiritual life necessarily reflects on the meaning of the events connected with the earthly life of Christ, on the meaning of His sermons, and if a person moves in the right direction, then the meaning, the hidden subtext of Scripture, is gradually revealed to him. But attempts to unite the knowledge and understanding accumulated by all spiritual people and those who try to be them into one gave the usual result: how many people - so many opinions. For each, even the most insignificant issue, so many understandings and assessments were found that, as an inevitability, there was a need to analyze and summarize all this information. The result was the following picture: several people necessarily covered the same topic absolutely, almost verbatim, in the same way. Having traced the pattern, it was easy to notice that opinions exactly coincided with a certain kind of people. Usually these were saints, theologians who chose monasticism or simply led a particularly strict life, were more attentive than other people to their thoughts and actions. The purity of thoughts and feelings made them open to communion with the Holy Spirit. That is, they all received information from the same source.

The discrepancies arose from the fact that yet no man is perfect. No one can escape the influence of evil, which will surely seduce, try to mislead a person. Therefore, in Orthodoxy it is customary to consider the opinion confirmed by the majority of the Holy Fathers to be the truth. Single assessments that do not coincide with the vision of the majority can be safely attributed to personal conjectures and delusions.

For everything related to religion, it is better to ask the priest

For a person who has just begun to be interested in such issues, the best solution would be to seek help from a priest. He will be able to advise literature that is suitable for a beginner. You can apply for such help to the nearest temple or spiritual and educational center. In such institutions, priests have the opportunity to devote sufficient time and attention to the issue. It is more correct to look for an answer to the question "Why was Jesus Christ crucified?" in exactly this way. There is simply no unequivocal answer to it, and independent attempts to seek clarification from the Fathers are dangerous, since they wrote mainly for monks.

Christ was not crucified

Any Gospel event has two meanings: explicit and hidden (spiritual). If you look from the point of view of the Savior and Christians, then the answer could be this: Christ was not crucified, He voluntarily allowed himself to be crucified for the sins of all mankind - past, present and future. The obvious reason is simple: Christ called into question all the usual views of the Jews on piety, undermined the authority of their priesthood.

The Jews, before the coming of the Messiah, consisted in excellent knowledge and exact execution of all laws and regulations. The sermons of the Savior made many people think about the falsity of this view of the relationship with the Creator. In addition, the Jews expected the King promised in the prophecies of the Old Testament. He was to free them from Roman slavery and stand at the head of a new earthly kingdom. The high priests were probably afraid of an open armed uprising of the people against their power and the power of the Roman emperor. Therefore, it was decided that "it is better for us that one man should die for the people than that the whole nation should perish" (see chapter 11, verses 47-53). This is why they crucified Jesus Christ.

Good Friday

On what day was Jesus Christ crucified? All four gospels unanimously state that Jesus was arrested on the night from Thursday to Friday of the week before Easter. He spent the whole night in interrogation. The priests betrayed Jesus into the hands of the governor of the Roman emperor, the procurator Pontius Pilate. Wanting to avoid responsibility, he sent the captive to King Herod. But he, not finding anything dangerous for himself in the person of Christ, wanted to see some kind of miracle from a prophet known to the people. Because Jesus refused to entertain Herod and his guests, He was brought back to Pilate. On the same day, that is, on Friday, Christ was brutally beaten and, having put on His shoulders the instrument of execution - the Cross, they took him outside the city and crucified him.

Good Friday, which happens in the week leading up to Easter, is a day of especially deep sorrow for Christians. In order not to forget on what day Jesus Christ was crucified, the Orthodox keep fast every Friday throughout the year. As a sign of compassion for the Savior, they limit themselves in food, try to carefully monitor their mood, not swear, and avoid entertainment.

Calvary

Where was Jesus Christ crucified? Turning again to the Gospel, one can be convinced that all four "biographers" of the Savior unanimously point to one place - Golgotha, or This is a hill outside the city walls of Jerusalem.

Another difficult question: who crucified Christ? Would it be correct to answer this way: the centurion Longinus and his colleagues are Roman soldiers. They drove nails into the hands and feet of Christ, Longinus pierced the already cooling Body of the Lord with a spear. But he gave the order So he crucified the Savior? But Pilate tried in every possible way to persuade the Jewish people to let Jesus go, since he had already been punished, having been beaten, and there was “no guilt” in Him worthy of a terrible execution.

The procurator gave the order under pain of losing not only his place, but, perhaps, life itself. After all, the accusers argued that Christ threatened the power of the Roman emperor. It turns out that the Jewish people crucified their Savior? But the Jews were deceived by the high priests and their false witnesses. So after all, who crucified Christ? The answer would be honest: all these people together executed an innocent person.

Hell, where is your victory?!

It would seem that the high priests won. Christ accepted a shameful execution, regiments of angels did not descend from Heaven to take Him down from the cross, the disciples fled. Only his mother, best friend and a few devoted women stayed with Him to the end. But this was not the end. The imaginary victory of evil was destroyed by the resurrection of Jesus.

At least see

Trying to erase any memory of Christ, the pagans covered Golgotha ​​and the Holy Sepulcher with earth. But at the beginning of the 4th century, Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena arrived in Jerusalem to find the Cross of the Lord. For a long time she unsuccessfully tried to find out where Jesus Christ was crucified. She was helped by an old Jew named Judas, who informed her that the temple of Venus was now located on the site of Golgotha.

After excavations, three similar crosses were discovered. To find out on which of them Christ was crucified, the crosses were alternately attached to the body of the deceased person. From the touch of the Life-Giving Cross, this man came to life. A huge number of Christians wished to bow to the shrine, so they had to raise the Cross up (erect) so that people could at least see it from afar. This event took place in 326. In memory of him, Orthodox Christians celebrate on September 27 a holiday called the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.

Elena Bittner: The falsifiers of history were so self-confident that they did not even imagine how their short-sightedness could play a cruel joke on them. In this case, the tales of the generally accepted location of Jerusalem are refuted by an ancient manuscript on genealogy ...

Crusader period (1099-1291)

From 1099 to 1187 the crusaders founded here Kingdom of Jerusalem. However, already in 1187 Salah ad-Din took Jerusalem, and in 1291 the last fortress of the crusaders, Acre, fell.

Jerusalem kingdom was a Christian kingdom that arose in the Levant in 1099 after the completion of the First Crusade. It was destroyed in 1291 with the fall of Acre.

Founding and early history

The kingdom was created after the capture of Jerusalem by the crusaders in 1099. Gottfried of Bouillon, one of the leaders of the First Crusade, was elected as the first king. He refused to accept this title, not wanting to wear a royal crown where the Savior wore a thorny one; instead, he assumed the title of Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri ("Defender of the Holy Sepulcher"). Godfried died the following year, his brother and heir, Baldwin I, was not so pious and immediately took the title " King of Jerusalem».

Baldwin successfully expanded the kingdom, capturing the port cities of Acre, Sidon and Beirut, as well as asserting his suzerainty over the crusader states in the North - the county of Edessa (founded by him), the principality of Antioch and the county of Tripoli. Under him, the number of inhabitants increased - Latins who came with the Rearguard Crusade, and a Latin patriarch also appeared. The Italian city-states (Venice, Pisa and Genoa) began to play an important role in the kingdom. Their fleet participated in the capture of ports, where they received their quarters for trade.

Baldwin died in 1118 and left no heirs, his cousin Baldwin de Burk, Count of Edessa, became his successor. Baldwin II was also a capable ruler, and although he was captured by the Seljuks several times during his reign, the borders of the state expanded, and in 1124 Tire was taken.

(This is the official version of the story from this source: http://air-tours.ru/index/0-156

All this is very amusing and brings to mind another mention of the indicated titles of "Kings of Jerusalem", although there is another King of Jerusalem - Constantine the Great.)

“For example, in a unique genealogy manuscript in four volumes ( Fig.7 and Fig.8), which includes all the information about all the imperial, royal and aristocratic families of Europe (and not only) from ancient times to the end of the 17th century AD. inclusive. This is the only and most complete manuscript on genealogy, which not only details all the ruling dynasties of Europe, Asia and North Africa, but also provides information on countries, their capitals, etc. ( Fig.9).

The curious begins, one has only to open the page of the manuscript on the section dedicated to Jerusalem. The first thing that catches your eye is the emblems of the ruling houses of Jerusalem ( Fig.10). There were very few of these coats of arms, but it is curious that among these coats of arms there was not a single coat of arms belonging to the royal houses of Judea, where, according to modern ideas, the city of Jerusalem was located! But the most interesting is found literally on the next page of the manuscript ( Fig.11)! became the first king of Jerusalem... became the first king of Jerusalem, became the first king of Jerusalem... became in AD 320 CONSTANTINE THE GREAT!!! Emperor Constantine I the Great (306-337 AD), who is known in the modern version of "history" as the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire!!!

According to the modern version of history, Emperor Constantine I the Great made Christianity the state religion in the Byzantine (Romaic) Empire. In 325 AD Emperor Constantine in the city of Byzantium convened I Ecumenical Council, at which the holy fathers composed the first seven members of the Creed. In 330 AD he moved his capital to the city of Byzantium, and since then this city, which later received his name, has also become the capital of the Empire ...

So, Constantine I in 320 AD. becomes king of Jerusalem, and only in 323 AD. after defeating his co-ruler Maxentius became Emperor of Romea! And since that time he has two titles - the King of Jerusalem and the Emperor of Romea (Byzantium)! And only in 330 AD. already Emperor Constantine I transferred the capital of his Empire to the city of Byzantium, which from that moment began to be called Constantinople - the city of Constantine! And only since that time, the city of Byzantium-Constantinople became both the secular capital and Jerusalem - the spiritual capital! That is why Constantinople is also Jerusalem! It should be noted that not every emperor of Romea (Byzantium) also became the king of Jerusalem! In order to make sure that no one has confused anything in this matter, it is enough to look in the same manuscript who, even there, is mentioned as the King of Jerusalem !!! And ... we are surprised to find that Duke Gottfried of Bouillon was also the king of Jerusalem, who became king in 1099 AD, when the crusaders captured Jerusalem (see. Fig.11)! Only in the modern "interpretation" is he "for some reason" called the first king of Jerusalem!!! But the first king of Jerusalem, as follows from the manuscript, was in 320 AD. Constantine I the Great!!! And "his" Jerusalem was on the site of the city of Byzantium-Constantinople!!! Maybe again a “mistake” crept into the manuscript of the 17th century!? It turns out that it doesn't!!! The same manuscript states that he was King of Jerusalem from 1210 to 1221 CE. John de Brienne (JeandeBrienne, and modern "history" speaks about the same !!! And in this place the manuscript coincides with the accepted official version ( Fig.12)! But the same manuscript directly mentions John de Brienne as the Emperor of Constantinople!!! But modern history is "modestly" silent about this fact!!! Although modern history mentions the capture of Constantinople, but only in April 1204 AD. during the next crusade!

But in all this, the following is strange: according to the official version, Jerusalem fell on October 2, 1187 AD. after a short siege when Sultan Saladin laid siege to it with his army! This happened shortly after the death of another king of Jerusalem, Baudouin IV. (baudoinIV). But after another crusade, as a result of which the crusaders captured Constantinople in 1204 AD, as mentioned above, John de Brienne becomes king of Jerusalem again. In the manuscript, all the kings of Jerusalem are “for some reason” very closely connected with Constantinople, including Baudouin IV, although they did not always become emperors of Constantinople themselves, such as Constantine I the Great, or Duke Gottfried of Bouillon, or John de Brienne .. .

http://www.levashov.info/About-2/about-5.html

Here is another interesting detail taken from the Temple of Jerusalem marked Constantinople:

Below is another interesting artifact: Image of the Temple of Jerusalem in ..... Constantinople.

All this can be found on your own by typing in the search engine the words Tempio_di_Gerusalemme

And here is an ancient map of Constantinople. The name GALATA is clearly visible on the map. Why is this name so remarkable for us?

Here is what Yaroslav Kesler writes in his research:

"Traditionally, it is believed that the crucifixion of Christ took place on the hill of Golgotha ​​in the same Jerusalem, which still exists in the same place. The canonical Gospels tell us about this in all languages ​​of the world. However, the Gospels themselves contain direct indications of a completely different place of these dramatic events.

In particular, scene clearly stated in English version of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Galatians (Gal. 3, 1). It reads: "O Foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?”, i.e. in Russian literally “O Foolish Galatians, who bewitched you so that you would not obey the truth, in whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly paraded, crucified among you?” And in Greek "Γαλαται... κατ οφταλμουζ Ιησουζ Χριστοζ προεγραφη εσταυρωμενοζ..." means literally: "... Galatians... - before your very eyes Jesus Christ was prosecuted for his beliefs by being crucified". In other words, exactly galatians were eyewitnesses of the last sufferings of Christ, and his crucifixion took place among the Galatians, before their eyes.

Recall that galatians lived not only in Galatia- the Asia Minor region south of Tsargrad-Constantinople, i.e., present-day Istanbul, but also on the Dardanelles (Galipolis, present-day Gelibolu), and in the northwestern Black Sea region: in the region of the city of Galati, rum. Galati in Romania, not Palestine at all (cf. also Galatasaray = Golden Palace in Istanbul).

The natural center of the region of residence of the Galatians was on the Bosphorus, no matter how it was called: Tsar-Grad, Constantinople or Istanbul. Tsar-Grad and his bald mountain Beikos, described, in particular, by both N. Gogol and M. Bulgakov in his novel "The Master and Margarita" - this is place great tragedy, on the contrary Gul Gata- i.e., in Swedish, "Golden Gate", a place that turned into "Golgotha" for Jesus Christ. (In the same place, by the way, there is also a colossal tomb, in which, as it is believed, the Old Testament Joshua, which in Western European versions of the New Testament is called simply Jesus, i.e. Jesus.) So, according to the considered phrase from the Gospel, they crucified Christ Galatians-Jews in Constantinople, and not at all in present-day Jerusalem. (You can read more about this in the books of G. Nosovsky and A. Fomenko, for example: “Reconstruction of the World History”. M., FID “Business Express”, 1999) "(Where Christ was crucified and when the Apostle Paul lived)

For many centuries, Constantinople was the greatest capital at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa. I managed to find another ancient image (German engraving of the 16th century), in which Jerusalem is also called a crossroads:

The position of Constantinople is quite consistent with the image, but the location of the present Jerusalem in Israel does not fit in with Europe, whatever one may say.

And here is another wonderful image of the place of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Isn't it true that with its harbors and landscapes it resembles Constantinople (ISusTAM BUL) more than a land-based and vegetatively scarce Israeli city ...

A good addition to this material will be a conference on the topic "Let's deal with ... Easter", which fully reveals all the secrets of the causes and place of the murder of Jesus Christ in Constantinople download archive.
"The well-known old Russian text" The Journey of Hegumen Daniel" contains a description of the Gospel Jerusalem. In a modern Russian translation, a fragment of this text reads as follows: "The Crucifixion of the Lord is on the east side ON THE STONE. It was high, ABOVE COPY. THAT STONE WAS ROUND, LIKE A SMALL SLIDE. AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT STONE, AT THE VERY TOP, A WELL IS CARVED AROUND AN ELBOW DEEP, AND THE WIDTH IS LESS THAN A SPAN IN THE CIRCLE (in the perimeter). THE CROSS OF THE LORD WAS PLACED HERE. In the ground under that stone lies the head of the primordial
Adam... And that stone parted over Adam's head... AND THERE IS THIS CLEVICE ON THIS STONE UNTIL THE PRESENT DAY... THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE LORD AND THAT HOLY STONE ARE SURROUNDED BY A WALL... THERE ARE TWO DOORS (IN THE WALL)." Daniel's description of the place of the crucifixion of Christ perfectly corresponds to what we see today on Mount Beykos on the outskirts of Istanbul.

Namely, - a round stone like a small hill with a hole at the very top, in the center. Crack in this stone. The very name of the monument is "the tomb of Jesus". The wall around this shrine. Even the number of doors in the wall matches - two. In addition, next to the first stone, a high pole is stuck into the ground and tied to it. At the top of the pole today is a golden or gilded disk with an Arabic inscription. This pole may well symbolize the SPEAR mentioned by Daniel. Which, as is known from the Gospels, was struck in the side by Jesus on the cross. Thus, the first stone most likely marks the PLACE of the CRUCIFICATION OF CHRIST. It was here that the cross stood on which Jesus was crucified."

Way of the Cross of Jesus Christ to Golgotha

After Jesus Christ was condemned to be crucified, He was handed over to the soldiers. The soldiers, having taken him, again beat him with insults and mockery. When they mocked Him, they took off the purple robe from Him and put on His own garments. Those condemned to be crucified were supposed to carry their cross, so the soldiers laid His cross on the shoulders of the Savior and led him to the place appointed for the crucifixion. The place was a hill called Golgotha, or place of execution, i.e. sublime. Golgotha ​​was located west of Jerusalem, not far from the city gates, called Judgment.

A great multitude of people followed Jesus Christ. The road was mountainous. Exhausted by beatings and scourgings, exhausted by mental suffering, Jesus Christ could barely walk, falling several times under the weight of the cross. When they reached the city gates, where the road went uphill, Jesus Christ was completely exhausted. At this time, the soldiers saw a man close by who looked at Christ with compassion. This was Simon of Cyrene, returning after work from the field. The soldiers seized him and forced him to carry the cross of Christ.

Carrying the Cross by the Savior

Among the people who followed Christ there were many women who wept and sobbed for Him.

Jesus Christ, turning to them, said: “Daughters of Jerusalem! Do not weep for Me, but weep for yourself and for your children. Because the days will soon come when they will say: happy are those wives who have no children. Then people will say to the mountains fall on us, and on the hills: cover us."

So the Lord foretold those terrible calamities that were to break out over Jerusalem and the Jewish people soon after His earthly life.

NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matt., ch. 27, 27-32; from Mark, ch. 15, 16-21; from Luke, ch. 23, 26-32; from John, ch. 19, 16-17.

The execution of crucifixion on the cross was the most shameful, the most painful and the most cruel. In those days, only the most notorious villains were executed with such a death: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. The suffering of a crucified man is indescribable. In addition to unbearable pain in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified one experienced terrible thirst and mortal spiritual anguish. Death was so slow that many were tormented on the cross for several days. Even the executioners - usually cruel people - could not coolly look at the suffering of the crucified. They prepared a drink with which they tried either to quench their unbearable thirst, or, with the admixture of various substances, to temporarily dull their consciousness and alleviate their torment. According to Jewish law, a person hung from a tree was considered cursed. The leaders of the Jews wanted to disgrace Jesus Christ forever by condemning Him to such a death.

When they brought Jesus Christ to Golgotha, the soldiers served Him to drink sour wine mixed with bitter substances in order to alleviate suffering. But the Lord, having tasted it, did not want to drink it. He did not want to use any remedy to relieve suffering. He voluntarily accepted these sufferings upon Himself for the sins of people; That's why I wanted to endure them.

When everything was ready, the soldiers crucified Jesus Christ. It was about noon, in Hebrew, at the 6th hour of the day. When they were crucifying Him, He prayed for His tormentors, saying: "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing."

Two villains (thieves) were crucified next to Jesus Christ, one on the right and the other on the left side of Him. Thus, the prediction of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled, who said: "And he was counted among the evildoers" (Isaiah 53:12).

By order of Pilate, an inscription was nailed to the cross over the head of Jesus Christ, signifying His guilt. On it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman: Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews", and many read it. The enemies of Christ did not like such an inscription. Therefore, the high priests came to Pilate and said: "Do not write: King of the Jews, but write that He said: I am the King of the Jews."

But Pilate answered: "What I have written, I have written."

Meanwhile, the soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ took His clothes and began to divide among themselves. They tore the outer garment into four pieces, one piece for each warrior. The chiton (underwear) was not sewn, but all woven from top to bottom. Then they said to each other: "We will not tear it apart, but we will cast lots for it, whoever gets it." And casting lots, the soldiers sitting guarded the place of execution. So, here, too, the ancient prophecy of King David came true: “They divided My garments among themselves, and they cast lots for My garments” (Psalm 21:19).

Enemies did not stop insulting Jesus Christ on the cross. As they passed, they slandered and, nodding their heads, said: "Hey! Destroying the temple and building up in three days! Save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

Also, the chief priests, scribes, elders and Pharisees, mockingly, said: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. now let God deliver him, if he pleases him; for he said, I am the Son of God.

Following their example, the pagan warriors, who sat at the crosses and guarded the crucified, mockingly said: "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself."

Even one of the crucified robbers, who was to the left of the Savior, slandered Him and said: "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us."

The other robber, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: “Or are you not afraid of God when you yourself are condemned to the same thing (that is, to the same torment and death)? But we are justly condemned, because we received what is worthy of our deeds and He did nothing wrong." Having said this, he turned to Jesus Christ with a prayer: " remember me(remember me) Lord, when you come into your kingdom !"

The merciful Savior accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner, who showed such wondrous faith in Him, and answered the prudent thief: " I tell you truly, today you will be with me in paradise ".

At the cross of the Savior stood His Mother, the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene and several other women who revered Him. It is impossible to describe the sorrow of the Mother of God, who saw the unbearable torment of Her Son!

Jesus Christ, seeing His Mother and John standing here, whom He especially loved, says to His Mother: " Geno! behold, thy son"Then he says to John:" here, your mother"From that time on, John took the Mother of God to his house and took care of Her until the end of Her life.

Meanwhile, during the suffering of the Savior on Calvary, a great sign occurred. From the hour the Savior was crucified, that is, from the sixth hour (and according to our account from the twelfth hour of the day), the sun darkened and darkness fell over all the earth, and lasted until the ninth hour (according to our account until the third hour of the day) , i.e. until the death of the Savior.

This extraordinary, universal darkness was noted by pagan historian writers: the Roman astronomer Phlegont, Phallus and Junius Africanus. The famous philosopher from Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite, was at that time in Egypt, in the city of Heliopolis; observing the sudden darkness, he said: "Either the Creator suffers, or the world is destroyed." Subsequently, Dionysius the Areopagite converted to Christianity and was the first Bishop of Athens.

About the ninth hour, Jesus Christ loudly exclaimed: Or or! lama savakhfani!" that is, "My God, My God! Why did you leave me?" These were the opening words from the 21st Psalm of King David, in which David clearly predicted the suffering on the Savior's cross. With these words, the Lord reminded people for the last time that He is the true Christ, the Savior of the world.

Some of those standing on Golgotha, hearing these words spoken by the Lord, said: "Behold, He is calling Elijah." And others said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to save Him."

The Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that everything had already happened, said: "I thirst."

Then one of the soldiers ran, took a sponge, soaked it with vinegar, put it on a cane and brought it to the withered lips of the Savior.

Having tasted the vinegar, the Savior said: It's done", that is, the promise of God was fulfilled, the salvation of the human race was completed.

And behold, the veil in the temple, which covered the holy of holies, was torn in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook, and the stones split; and the 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 went into Jerusalem and appeared to many.

Centurion confesses Jesus Christ as the Son of God

The centurion, (the head of the soldiers) and the soldiers with him, who guarded the crucified Savior, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened before them, were frightened and said: " Truly this man was the Son of God". And the people, who were at the crucifixion and saw everything, began to disperse in fear, striking themselves in the chest.

Friday evening came. Easter was to be eaten that evening. The Jews did not want to leave the bodies of those crucified on the crosses until Saturday, because Easter Saturday was considered a great day. Therefore, they asked Pilate for permission to kill the legs of the crucified, so that they would die sooner and could be removed from the crosses. Pilate allowed. The soldiers came and broke the shins of the robbers. When they approached Jesus Christ, they saw that He had already died, and therefore they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, so that there would be no doubt about His death, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed from the wound .

Rib perforation

NOTE: See in the Gospel: from Matt., ch. 27, 33-56; from Mark, ch. 15, 22-41; from Luke, ch. 23, 33-49; from John, ch. 19, 18-37.

The Holy Cross of Christ is the Holy Altar on which the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

When we read the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the Gospel or just look at the picture with the crucifixion, we actually have very little idea what this execution was and what happened to the person hanging on the cross. This article sheds light on the agony of the crucifixion.

So, the crucifixion was invented by the Persians in 300 BC, and perfected by the Romans in 100 BC.

• This is the most painful death ever invented by man, the term "torment" here is more relevant than ever.
• This punishment was, first of all, for the most vicious male criminals.
• Jesus was stripped naked, His clothes were divided among the Roman soldiers.
  

  “They divide my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothes.”
  (Psalm 21 verse 19, Bible).

• The crucifixion guaranteed Jesus a terrible, slow, painful death.
• Jesus' knees were bent at an angle of about 45 degrees. He was forced to carry his own weight with the thigh muscles, which is not an anatomically correct position that can be maintained for more than a few minutes without cramping the thigh and calf muscles.
• The entire weight of Jesus pressed down on His feet with the nails driven through them. Because the muscles in Jesus' legs would tire quickly, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, arms, and shoulders.
• Within minutes of being laid on the Cross, Jesus' shoulders were dislocated. Minutes later, the Savior's elbows and wrists were also dislocated.
• The result of these dislocations is that His arms had to be 9 inches (23cm) longer than usual.
• In addition, Psalm 21 verse 15 fulfilled the prophecy: “I am poured out like water; all my bones crumbled." This prophetic psalm very accurately conveys the feelings of Jesus Christ on the cross.
• After Jesus' wrists, elbows and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body through His arms caused pressure on the chest muscles.
• This caused His chest to stretch up and out in the most unnatural way. His chest was constantly in a state of maximum inspiration.
• To exhale, Jesus had to lean on his nailed legs and lift his own body, allowing his chest to move down and in to expel the air from his lungs.
• His lungs were at rest with a constant maximum breath. Crucifixion is a medical disaster.
• The problem was that Jesus could not lean freely on his feet, because the muscles of his legs, bent at a 45-degree angle, were stiff and extremely painful, constantly in spasms and in an anatomically incredibly wrong position.

• 1 Unlike all Hollywood films about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active. The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches (30 cm) in order to breathe.
• The process of breathing caused excruciating pain, mixed with the absolute horror of suffocation.
• As the crucifixion lasted 6 hours, Jesus was less and less able to bear his weight on his feet, as his thighs and other leg muscles became more and more weak. The displacement of His wrists, elbows and shoulders increased, and the further elevation of His chest made His breathing more and more difficult. A few minutes after the crucifixion, Jesus began to suffer from severe shortness of breath.
• His moving up and down on the Cross to breathe brought excruciating pain to His wrists, His feet, and dislocated elbows and shoulders.
• The movements became less frequent as Jesus became more and more haggard, but the horror of imminent death by suffocation made Him continue to make an effort to breathe.
• The muscles in Jesus' legs developed an excruciating spasm from the pressure of trying to lift his own body to exhale.
• The pain from the two crushed median nerves in His wrists literally exploded with every movement.
• Jesus was covered in blood and sweat.
• The blood was the result of the scourging that nearly killed Him, and the sweat was the result of His attempts to exhale. In addition, He was completely naked, and the leaders of the Jews, the crowds and thieves on both sides of the cross mocked, cursed and laughed at Him. Also, Jesus' own mother observed it. Imagine His emotional humiliation.
• Physically, Jesus' body went through a series of tortures leading to death.
• Because Jesus could not maintain adequate ventilation, He was in a state of hypoventilation.
• The level of oxygen in Jesus' blood began to drop, He developed hypoxia. In addition, due to limited breathing movements, the level of carbon dioxide in the blood (CO2) began to rise, this condition is called hypercritical.
• The rise in CO2 made His heart beat faster to increase oxygen supply and remove CO2.
• The breathing center in Jesus' brain was sending urgent messages to His lungs to breathe faster. He began to breathe heavily, wheezing convulsively.
• Jesus' physiological reflexes required him to breathe deeper, and he involuntarily moved up and down the Cross much faster, despite the excruciating pain. The agonizing movements spontaneously began several times a minute, to the delight of the crowd, who mocked Him with the Roman soldiers and the Sanhedrin.
  

  “I am a worm (a red smeared spot), and not a man, a reproach among people and contempt among the people. All who see me swear at me, speak with their lips, nodding their heads: “He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him, let him save him, if he pleases him.”
  (Psalm 21 verses 7-9)

• However, because of Jesus' nailing to the Cross and His increasing exhaustion, He can no longer provide oxygen to His body.
• Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and Hypercapnia (abundance of CO2) made His heart beat faster and faster, now He has Tachycardia.
• Jesus' heart was beating faster and faster, his pulse rate was probably around 220 bpm.
• Jesus had not drunk anything for 15 hours since 6 pm the previous evening. Recall that He survived the scourging that nearly killed Him.
• He bled all over his body from scourging, the crown of thorns, nails in his wrists and feet, and multiple lacerations from beatings and falls.
  

  “... But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the punishment of our peace was upon Him… He was tortured, but suffered voluntarily and did not open His mouth; He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.”
  (Bible, Isaiah 53 verses 5.7)

  

• Jesus was already very dehydrated, His blood pressure had dropped to a minimum.
• His blood pressure was probably around 80/50.
• He was in first degree shock, with hypovolemia (low blood levels), tachycardia (excessively fast pulse), tachypnea (excessively fast breathing), and hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).
• Around noon, Jesus' heart probably began to "slip".
• Jesus' lungs probably began to fill with pulmonary edema.
• This only exacerbated his breathing, which was already very complicated.
• Jesus is experiencing heart and respiratory failure.
• Jesus said, "I'm thirsty," because His body was crying out for liquid.
  

  “My strength has dried up like a shard; my tongue clung to my throat, and you reduced me to the dust of death.”
  (Psalms 21:16)

• Jesus badly needed an intravenous infusion of blood and plasma to save His life.
• Jesus could not breathe properly and was slowly suffocating.
• At this stage, Jesus probably developed a circulatory disorder (Haemopericardium).
• Plasma and blood collected in the space around His heart, called the pericardium. “My heart has become like wax; it has melted in the midst of my insides.” (Psalms 21:15)
• This fluid around His heart caused cardiac tamponade (which prevented Jesus' heart from beating properly).
• Due to the increasing physiological needs of the heart and the development of Haemopericardium, Jesus probably ended up having a ruptured heart. His heart literally burst. Most likely, this was the cause of His death.
• To slow down the process of death, the soldiers erected a small wooden ledge on the Cross that would allow Jesus to "privilegely" bear his weight on the cross.
• The result of this was that people could die on the cross for up to nine days.
• When the Romans wanted to hasten death, they simply broke the victim's legs, causing the victim to suffocate in a matter of minutes.
• At three o'clock in the afternoon Jesus said, "It is done." At that moment He gave up His Spirit and died.
• When the soldiers came to Jesus to break His legs, He was already dead. Not a single part of His body was broken in fulfillment of the prophecies.
• Jesus died within six hours of the most painful and horrific torture ever devised.
• He died so that ordinary people like you and me could be part of the kingdom of heaven.

“For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)

The ability to read and write was once a far greater privilege than it is today. Therefore, in order to spread and explain some religious ideas, images were used. Therefore, often the icon of the crucifix was called - the depicted Gospel or the Gospel for the illiterate. Indeed, in this image, believers could see some basic details and symbols of faith. The composition has always been saturated and gave people the opportunity to reflect on Christianity, and Christians to be more imbued and inspired by faith.

The plot and meaning of the icon of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ

The background of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ icon is often dark. Some may associate this detail with a symbolic display of the gloom of this event, however, in reality, genuine events are captured here. Indeed, according to the testimonies, when Christ was crucified, the daylight really faded - such was the sign, and it is this fact that is reflected in the image.

Also, the background can be diametrically opposite, solemn - golden. Although the crucifixion is a sad fact (even people present in addition to Christ in the image are most often depicted with gestures of grief and mourning faces), it is this redemptive feat that gives hope to all mankind. Therefore, this event is also ultimately joyful, especially for believers.

The canonical icon of the crucifixion of Christ, as a rule, includes many additional figures in addition to the main one. Especially characteristic is the use of additional characters and details for works created before the iconoclasm period. Depicted:

• Mother of God - most often on the right side of the Savior;
• John the Theologian - one of the 12 apostles and 4 evangelists, on the other side of the cross;
• two thieves crucified side by side on each side, Rakh, who believed right on the crucifixion, became the first person saved by Christ and ascended to paradise;
• three Roman soldiers - are located in front from below, as if under a cross.

The figures of robbers and warriors are often depicted smaller than others in size. This emphasizes the hierarchy of the characters present, it is determined which of them has the greatest significance.

Also, the difference in size to some extent sets the peculiar dynamics of the story. After all, since ancient times, the icon, including the crucifixion of the Lord, was not just an image of some event, but also a symbol of faith, a summary of the main details of the doctrine. So the icon could become a kind of alternative to the Gospel, and therefore it is said about the narration through the image.

On the upper part of the icon "The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ" there are two rocks on the sides. They may be somewhat similar to the rocks that are visible on many icons of the Baptism of the Lord, where they symbolically indicate spiritual movement, ascent, but here the rocks perform a different function. We are talking about a sign in the period of the death of Christ - an earthquake, which manifested itself precisely when the Savior was crucified.

Let's pay attention to the upper part, where the angels are located with outstretched arms. They express grief, but also the presence of heavenly forces emphasizes the significance of this event and transfers the crucifixion of Christ from a simple earthly matter to a phenomenon of a higher order.

Continuing the theme of the significance of the event of the crucifixion, one should note the icon, where only the cross and the main details remained. On simpler images, there are no minor characters; as a rule, only John the Evangelist and the Virgin Mary remain there. The background color is gold, which emphasizes the solemnity of the event.

After all, we are not talking about some kind of crucified person, but about the will of the Lord, which eventually came true in the act of crucifixion. Thus, the truth, which the Almighty approved, is embodied on earth.

Hence the solemnity of the event, and the solemnity of the icon of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which also leads to the subsequent joy - the Resurrection of Christ, behind which opens the opportunity to gain the Kingdom of Heaven for every believer.

What helps the icon "Crucifixion of Christ"

This icon is most often addressed with prayers by people who feel their own sins. If you have realized your own guilt in something and want to repent, then prayer in front of this image can not only help, but also guide you on the right path, strengthen you in faith.

Prayer to the Lord Jesus crucified

Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Savior of the world, behold, unworthy and sinner more than all, humbly bowing the knees of my heart before the glory of Your majesty, I sing of Your cross and sufferings, and thanksgiving to You, the King of all and God, I bring, as if you were deigned to do all the work and all sorts of troubles, misfortunes and torments, like a man, to bear, but to all of us in all sorrows, needs and embitterment, the compassionate Helper and Savior will be. Vem, almighty Lord, as if all this was not necessary for You, but for the sake of human salvation, redeem us all from the fierce work of the enemy, You endured the Cross and suffering. What will I recompense to Thee, philanthropist, about all, I have suffered for me for the sake of a sinner; we do not know, for the soul and the body, and all that is good is from You, and all mine is Yours, and I am Yours. I hope for Your innumerable, compassionate Lord, hoping for mercy, I sing Your inexpressible long-suffering, I magnify inscrutable exhaustion, I glorify Your immeasurable mercy, I bow to Your most pure Passion and, lovingly kissing Your wounds, I cry out: have mercy on me a sinner, and create, but it will not be barren in me Your Holy Cross, but partaking of Your sufferings here with faith, I will be able to see the glory of Your Kingdom in heaven! Amen.

Prayer to the Lord's Cross

Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thy heritage, granting victory to the Orthodox Christians of the opposition, and Thy keeping Thy Cross living.

Troparion to the Lord Jesus Christ crucified

Voice 1 Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, granting victory to the opposition and Thy keeping Thy Cross living.