Customer Reviews

The Crucifixion of Jesus, Completely Revised and Expanded: A Forensic Inquiry

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you read and were deeply moved by Dr. Pierre Barbet's book on the crucifixion you absoulutley will want to read Dr. Zugibe's masterful work. He very gently but firmly shows some of the mistakes Barbet made but doesn't hesitate to give him credit for the things he was right about.

Zugibe is a curious man and he investigated and discects every possible theory about Christ's death on the cross. The book is not for the faint of heart, as the earlier reivewer notes but it is an amazing scientific and yet mystical look into the horrifying suffering that a crucified man would have suffered. The chapters on the scourging and the crowing with thorns are particularly moving. I actually cried and there were times when I had to put the book down becuase it is incredibly touching. I expected the book to be cold and dry but Zugibe is a pretty good writer. He's produced a masterwork. There is not a finer book on the physical aspects of the crucifixion in print.

First the bad news: Frederick Zugibe's book on the crucifixion of Christ is much like the Shroud of Turin. It is a chaotic jumble of stains, burns and patches. And from the point of view of organization, it is a bloody mess. The book meanders, argues in circles, mixes brilliant insight with wacky speculation and repeats itself to an embarrassing degree.

But the good news is that, like the Shroud, viewed from the proper distance, it is a clear lens into an often murky and confused topic.

The product of over 5 decades of thought and work about the forensics of crucifixion, "The Crucifixion of Jesus" clarifies the often muddy thinking of previous Shroud authors. Zugibe -- Chief Medical Examiner of Rockland, New York for over 30 years -- outdoes many previous authors by performing experiments to test various theories of how Jesus died. He pretty much scotches the asphyxiation theories -- by which the crucified had to lift himself up to breathe. By suspending volunteers from crosses, he determined that a person crucified in the standard way (with arms nailed out to the sides) would have little trouble breathing. Zugibe also demolishes the "nailed through the wrists" hypothesis that has been accepted as gospel truth, Based on a single experiment by Dr. Pierre Barbet using an amputated (and possibly gangrenous) forearm, this hypothesis has been repeated so often that it is hardly even questioned anymore.

Zugibe applies devastating logic to address other crucifixion mysteries, such as the "broken heart" hypothesis and the swoon theories. His analysis of theories surrounding the Shroud of Turin is also pretty impressive. It's hard to walk away from the book without being more convinced than ever of the Shroud's authenticity. Zugibe also uses this expanded edition to take a few swipes at Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" for its glaring historical inaccuracies, mostly for the brutal scourging that would have killed Jesus at the pillar.

As mentioned earlier, the book suffers from horrific organization. Before even introducing the reader to the Shroud, Zugibe uses it to "prove" facts about 1st century Roman crucifixion methods. Before discussing the Shroud, it would have been better to build up a case for what we know about crucifixion from accepted historical, archeological, artistic and/or experimental evidence. This would allow history to authenticate the Shroud rather than the other way around. Finally, though Zugibe excoriates writers who write outside their field of expertise, he often does just that. Early on, for instance, he places the writing Luke's gospel to 61 CE - twenty-four years earlier than the scholarly estimate of 85 CE. And he is selective about his use of the New Testament, cherry-picking Luke (in which Christ sweats blood) and John (the flow of blood and water from Christ's pierced side) to piece together a composite passion narrative.

Zugibe also lets his speculation run rampant. He proposes that after nailing Jesus's hands, his Roman executioners walked him backward up a set of steps in order to get the crosspiece onto the upright. While this is an interesting hypothesis, and fits in with ancient descriptions of crucifixion as "ascending the cross," the stairway is utterly without historical attestation. Also, his reconstruction of the way the Romans immobilized Jesus for crucifixion (by lying atop him as his hands were being nailed) is not impossible, but is Zugibe's own invention.

Zugibe also falls prey to the "Mel Gibson" syndrome -- the impulse to portray Christ's passion as the most horrible death experienced by a human being. From the bloody trauma of the Agony to the beating at the home of the high priest, to the scourging, nailing and crowning with thorns, Christ's passion is milked for every insult to every nerve-ending in the human body.

For all its faults and excesses, there is no other book that brings together so much information about the history of crucifixion, on its likely effects on the human body, and on how the Shroud of Turin reflects those facts. As a "newcomer" to the subject (I have been reading and thinking about crucifixion and the Shroud for only 40 years!) I found "The Crucifixion of Jesus" to be an impressive and persuasive achievement.

This Is not a book for the faint at heart.That Is not to say that It Is not good, because It Is.It describes what crucifixon was all about(what the victims went thourgh) and why It was done.There were many things about the suffering jesus Indured that I did not know and this book opened my eyes much more than the recent(unrealistic) movie.There Is also a Interesting section on the recent carbon datings of the shroud which makes this very good reading.Overall, this Is a book that should not be missed.

I actually used this book as research for my own work, and found it to be quite comprehensive and relatively objective in its approach. Granted, some details are assumed based upon scripture and other historical data, so one hsould not mistake this as an absolute, factual account, but for those interested in having a more starkly detailed portrayal of what might have happened during Jesus' crucifixion, this is a valuable resource.

Dr. Zugibe has done a spectacular job of research over the years. Although this book is difficult to read (emotionally), it is one that should be read. I always knew that Christ suffered greatly, but never to the extent that He really did. This account has opened my eyes and has changed my life. Since I read his book, I have not been able to think of anything except what love Jesus has for us all. Everyone should know what He truly endured for each one of us. The book is life changing.

I'll try to be brief. This is surely the most balanced point-and-counterpoint book to date, about forensic archaeology and the Shroud of Turin. Scientifically, nothing else I have seen comes close.

An interesting book, well written and clear. Probably has too much of the shroud of Turin in it, but a good book none the less. Well worth reading
The book arrived in a timely manner and within a few days of ordering. I would purchase from this seller again.

This book is a great book for the serious student of the cross. The doctor does several studies of the crucifixion process. He reveals some truth that will break some common myths about how Jesus died. Not for the casual student.

I agree with the other reviewer here that the book is rather disorganized, but its one unimpeachable value is the author's brief explanation at the beginning about his attempt to help Mel Gibson get it right, and his logical and commonsense dismissal of the outrageous and exaggerated unrealism of the Gibson portrayal. Too bad Gibson didn't listen.

Interestingly, Pierre Barbet makes an observation in his book on the medical aspects of the Passion that would have also served to rein in Gibson's blood lust and helped him, perhaps, produce a film far truer and more powerful than what has been claimed for it: Speaking of visual art of the Passion, Barbet writes:

"Actually, those pictures which are meant to be the most realistic are the ones which contain the most blatant physiological errors...When a crucifix is designed to stir our emotions by displaying to us the atrocious nature of the torment, so much the further is it from the truth. I know I shall be attacked for this, but still, it has to be said; if from the artistic standpoint I am able to appreciate the pictorial values of a Grunewald [he is here referring, I surmise, to the Isenheim altarpiece, one of the most gruesome potraits of the Crucifixion ever produced], the contorted way in which he paints the Crucified seems to me to be purely grotesque. I can assure you that the Passion was both more simple and infinitely more tragic than that," (page 28, 1963 Image paperback edition of "A Doctor at Calvary").

For all their disagreement with each other, we can assume that Zugibe and Barbet would be completely one in critcizing Mel Gibson's allegedly "most realistic" presentation of the Passion as grotesque nonsense, and I'm glad Zugibe could go on the record as a medical expert and say so.