The Bible’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus contains a puzzling detail: he died on the cross before the two criminals crucified beside him.
Now, a medical study examining historical records and decades of scientific research has suggested that detail may be explained by the physiological effects of crucifixion.
According to the Gospel of John, Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two men executed alongside Jesus to hasten their deaths. But when they came to Jesus, they did not break his legs because they saw he was already dead.
This detail has long intrigued historians and doctors because crucifixion victims often survived for many hours, and sometimes days.
The peer-reviewed study analyzed several possible medical causes of Jesus’ death during the execution described in the New Testament. Among the leading explanations identified were suffocation, a blood clot in the lungs and severe blood loss.
The researchers concluded that Jesus’ death was likely the result of multiple factors leading to circulatory failure of the heart and lungs.
A medical study examining the possible cause of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross has shed new light on a puzzling detail recorded in the Bible for nearly 2,000 years.
‘There has been much speculation about the true cause of death of Jesus Christ, and this topic has been the subject of discussion by scholars all over the world,’ the authors wrote in the study.
According to the Gospel of John, Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two men executed alongside Jesus to hasten their deaths. But when they came to Jesus, they did not break his legs because they saw he was already dead
The researchers conducted a narrative review examining medical and historical literature to better understand what happened during the crucifixion described in the Gospels.
‘The aim of this text is to analyze some of the theories described by different authors about the possible causes of Jesus Christ’s death during his crucifixion, without any kind of religious bias,’ the study published in the International Journal of Health Science states.
Crucifixion was one of the most brutal forms of execution used in the ancient Roman world.
Victims were typically scourged beforehand and forced to carry a heavy wooden beam to the execution site before being nailed or tied to the cross.
According to the study, the process was designed to inflict prolonged suffering and often resulted in death over many hours or even days.
One widely accepted explanation for death by crucifixion is asphyxiation.
The researchers explained that Jesus’ position on the cross made breathing extremely difficult.
‘His position on the cross, possibly with his arms raised for a long period of time, would have led to restricted movement of his ribs,’ the study noted.
This detail has long intrigued historians and doctors because crucifixion victims often survived for many hours, and sometimes days. Pictured is a nail once used in a crucifixion of an unknown person
This restriction could lead to hypoxemia, dangerously low oxygen levels in the blood.
As the muscles responsible for breathing became exhausted, he would have eventually suffocated.
However, researchers led by the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil said other medical explanations could also explain why Jesus died earlier than most crucifixion victims.
One possibility is a sudden pulmonary embolism, a blockage in the lungs caused by a blood clot.
The study suggests that dehydration, trauma, and immobilization during crucifixion could have triggered such a fatal event.
‘Jesus Christ, during the crucifixion ritual, may have been exposed to the three components of the triad described by Rudolf Ludwig Karl Virchow… as the pathophysiological basis for an episode of pulmonary embolism,’ the researchers wrote.
Another possible explanation is severe hypovolemic shock, a life-threatening condition caused by massive blood loss and dehydration.
The study notes that Jesus likely endured prolonged scourging before being nailed to the cross. This brutal whipping could have caused severe trauma and bleeding.
At the same time, the Gospel accounts describe Jesus expressing thirst while on the cross, which may indicate dehydration.
‘It is estimated that he was deprived of food or drink for a period of twelve hours between his last meal, the last supper, and his crucifixion,’ the researchers wrote.
Combined with blood loss, dehydration could have pushed the body into fatal circulatory collapse.
Other medical conditions may also have played a role.
The researchers pointed to trauma-induced coagulopathy, a severe clotting disorder that can occur after major injury, as another potential factor.
Ultimately, the authors said it is likely that multiple factors contributed to Jesus’ death.
‘The fact is that, based on current knowledge, it is assumed that death was certainly multifactorial and the result of circulatory and cardiopulmonary collapse,’ the researchers concluded.
While the precise cause of death may never be known with certainty, the study suggests the Gospel descriptions of the crucifixion align with known medical effects of the ancient execution method.
And according to the authors, the mystery surrounding Jesus’ death is likely to continue drawing interest from historians, theologians, and medical experts alike.
‘The debate on the subject will continue to arouse interest and research on the part of various scholars around the world,’ the team wrote.
