The Crucifixion (Part 2)

I have just finished the second set of pictures which concludes the story of the crucifixion. Click here for more details!
In picture 7, (sample shown), we see the chief priests who went to complain to Pilate about the inscription that had been written above the cross of Jesus. He replied "What I have written, I have written!"

You will notice the phylactery or tefillin (shel yad), around the left arm of one of the chief priests, notice the way that the strap is wound around the middle finger to form the hebrew letter yod. Further knots are tied to represent other hebrew letters, (shin & dalet), which together form the hebrew word Shaddai (Almighty) one of the divine names of God.

A good friend of mine who was formally a member of the ultra orthodox group 'chabad' was telling me recently that a truly kosher tefillin can cost in excess of $2,000! There is more fascinating information about phylacteries, and how to wear them here.

I must confess that I have placed the head tefillin, (shel rosh), in the wrong place as the box which contains the scrolls should be worn above the hairline! This information may be helpful to other Bible artists.

In picture 8 we see the soldiers casting lots for the seamless garment of Jesus. There were different ways that lots were cast in Bible times, but most scholars agree that the Romans during this period would probably have used dice very similar to those that we use today. For reference, I found photos of ancient roman dice, (from this period), that were carved from soft stone.

It's worth bearing in mind that the garment that the soldiers were casting lots for would have been dirty, sweaty, and soaked in the blood of Jesus, as it was put back onto Him just after the scourging. Despite this, the garment was still valuable in the eyes of these roman soldiers. Some suggest that the fact that Jesus owned this seamless garment shows that He was very wealthy! I don't believe that the seamless garment speaks of the wealth of the Lord Jesus, but rather His office as High priest. The seamless garment, (woven throughout), was exactly the same type worn by the high priest in the Old testament, made in exactly the same way! The Lord Jesus is the great 'High Priest' after the order of Melchisadec, (Heb 5:6). He will not lay down this office like those of the Aaronic priesthood had to, by way of death, because "He ever liveth, to make intercession for us" (Heb 7:25).

The Lord Jesus can be seen talking to Mary & John from the cross in picture 9. I'm always amazed when I read the words in John 19:26. "When Jesus therefore saw...." Here is Jesus, beaten to near death, and nailed to a cross! Surely now, his ministry of caring was over! Yet we find Him looking down on a crowd, and in that crowd He sees a need! "When Jesus therefore saw His mother..." He then graciously answered that need, "behold your son!" Amazing love!

This is also the point where the Lord says "I thirst", and takes of the soured wine vinegar offered by the soldiers. This was a cheap wine that soldiers and labourers liked to drink. This should not be confused with the wine mingled with gall offered to Jesus before the crucifixion, (Matthew & Mark), which He refused. The wine & gall acted as a pain-killing narcotic, and was offered to those who were about to be crucified to take the edge off the excruciating pain.

In the back-ground of picture 9 you can also see two soldiers fastening a sponge to a branch of hyssop and pouring on the wine from a small flask.

In picture 10 we see the centurion stopping a soldier from breaking the legs of Jesus. As we read in part 1, the breaking of the legs of a crucified victim was a way of speeding up death. There was no need to break the legs of Jesus, as He was already dead.
The Lord Jesus is a type of the Passover lamb. In Exodus 12:46 we read that the pascal lamb was to have none of its bones broken. It is also interesting to note that at the exact time of the crucifixion, (noon, on the day of preparation), thousands of passover lambs were being slaughtered in the temple at Jerusalem.

In picture 11 we see Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who were both respected members of the Sanhedrin asking permission from Pontius Pilate to take down the body of Jesus from the cross. So strong was their love for Jesus that they willingly became ceremonially unclean by their contact with a dead body, (see Numbers 5:1-3, Leviticus 21:1,11). Consequently, they would have been unable to celebrate the Passover Sedar with family and friends the following day.

In picture 12 we see the limp body of Jesus being placed in the tomb.
The first persons to see this picture asked the question "Wouldn't rigor mortis have set in by now?" I had thought about this when I was drawing this scene. The process of rigor mortis begins 2-4 hours after death. The first signs are visible in the jaw and neck of the victim. It then progresses in a head to foot direction, the whole process taking 8-12 hours to complete.
Let's say that it took an hour for Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea to ask permission from pilate to take down the body of Jesus from the cross following His death. Then, let's say it took a further hour to take down the body of Jesus and lay it in the nearby tomb. That would mean that the early signs of rigor mortis would only just be showing. So the answer to the question is "No, the body of Jesus would still be limp at this point!"

It was a few hours before sundown when the body of Jesus was buried. You can see that the sun is low in the sky from the angle of the suns rays that are shining into the tomb entrance.

It would be wrong when writing a post about the crucifixion, not to include the Gospel message, so please take the time to read it here!

There are six pictures in this set, which brings our total Bible picture count to 691.

The Crucifixion (part 1)

My apologies for the delay since my last blog entry, but things have been hectic!
One of my daughters is getting married soon, and there's been lots to organize!

The latest set of pictures to be added to the 'Bible picture website' is part one of the 'Crucifixion'.
There are six pictures that cover the story from the scourging to the crucifixion itself. Part two is almost finished.
For some reason it's really been a battle to get this set done! I've never quite felt as much spiritual opposition as I have while working on this particular set.

Below are a few notes on the pictures themselves.
In picture 1 we see the scourging. The condemned prisoner would have been bound to a post and whipped 39 times, sometimes more, using a roman flagrum or flagellum which was a short leather whip which divided into several throngs at the end. Each throng was weighted with lead balls and sharpened pieces of sheep bone or metal. This was designed to rip through the flesh and cause severe blood loss. Many victims died from the scourging alone.

In picture 3 we see the Lord Jesus stood before Pilate wearing the purple robe and crown of thorns.
When you read the account in John, the divine authority of Jesus over the whole situation is very clear.
Pilate, rather than being in charge, was utterly powerless before Christ! The Lord Jesus, although badly beaten, was in total control!
For this reason I've drawn the Lord Jesus silhouetted in an archway. The backlit figure dressed in a robe and crown of thorns looks powerful! I added a slight glow over His eyes also, but one of my daughters said that it made Him look too scary!, so I removed it. I was trying to capture the awesome power and nobility of Christ that willingly lay dormant in the now badly beaten Jesus.

Picture 4 shows Pilate now seated outside the judgement hall in the area called 'Gabbatha' which can be translated 'the pavement' or 'mosaic'. According to William Hole, "access was obtained by a flight of steps. In the centre of this pavement was a slightly-raised platform, upon which was placed the curule chair of the procurator, with seats to the right and left for the assessors; other officers occupying benches on the lower level."
(The Life of Jesus of Nazareth)
I recreated a mosaic floor from an actual roman mosaic for this picture, unfortunately, it can't be seen for the crowds-!!

In picture 5 we see the Lord Jesus carrying the patibulum, or crossbar of the cross, which was up to six feet in length and weighed up to 125 pounds! (the entire cross being too heavy to carry). A tablet listing the crimes of the person was hung around the neck for all to read, and then later nailed to the cross. The crime of Jesus being the 'King of the Jews'. Some Bible artists show the Lord Jesus at this point just wearing the loincloth. I almost did the same thing until I read all the gospel accounts. Only Matthew and Mark mention that they put His own clothes back on Him just prior to this event.
I chose not to use any of the available references for the 'Via Dolorosa' as the original route to the cross, apart from being unknown, is also likely to be under several feet of rubble!

The Cross
The final picture in this set shows the crucifixion. One of the problems of researching anything on the internet is that you can read many conflicting expert accounts. The crucifixion is no exception!
Many Bible artists have chosen to depict the mode of crucifixion in several different ways depending on the particular article they happen to have read. For instance back in the 1930's, Dr Pierre Barbet, (one of the most widely quoted scientists in crucifixion research), performed many experiments which consisted of him actually crucifying dead corpses in order to see which method of crucifixion was most likely.

He concluded that the area known as 'Destot's space' which is the space between the bones of the wrist, would have been the most likely location of the nails to effectively support a crucified body. This led many Bible artists to move the location of the nails on their pictures from the palms to the wrists. However, more recent research shows, (in great detail), that Barbet's work was flawed in certain areas. Many experts in 'crucifixion science' have now gone back to favoring a particular area of the palms as the most likely location for the nails. There are very many scholarly articles written by forensic scientists and surgeons on this subject that are well worth reading.

There is also evidence that the method of crucifixion varied in different parts of the Roman empire, (e.g. There were 5 different variations of the roman cross), but in order to ascertain the particular method used in the gospels, it's important to pay attention to what the scriptures say.
For instance, there is evidence that some crucified victims had their knees bent up to waist level, their hips turned side-wards, and the nail entering the side of the heal and exiting the side of the other heal, effectively pinning the feet side by side. This has led to some Bible illustrators choosing to depict this mode of crucifixion for the Lord Jesus.

There are two problems with this. One, we know from scripture that the roman soldiers wanted to brake the legs of the crucified victims in order to speed up their death. We also know that the reason the roman soldiers broke the victims legs, (below the knee), was to stop them from lifting themselves up, which a crucified person needed to do in order to breath! If the legs were already bent up to the waist, there would be no reason to brake the legs!
Secondly, when you view the skeletal remains of a victim crucified in this way, the iron nail clearly shatters the bones of the heal, yet scripture makes it clear that no bones of the Lord Jesus were broken.

These are the reasons that I have chosen to portray the crucifixion in what would probably be considered the traditional method. Your comments are always welcome!

In closing, I've just heard that these pictures have been used for the first time last week in a childrens holiday club.
The club was well attended by over 100 children every day.
When it came to the crucifixion, a small boy burst into tears and gave his heart to the Lord! Please pray for him.

This picture set brings the total Bible picture count to 685!