Changes

'''Crucifixion''', derived from the Latin ''crux'' ("cross") and ''figere'' ("to fasten"), was an agonizing form of death famous as a means of execution in the [[Roman Empire]] and other places (though less famous).  It involved the recipient being nailed to a [[cross]] and left to hang until dead.  The victim, always a [[slave]] or [[criminal]], never a citizen, was mercilessly [[flogging|flogged]] and then nailed to a wooden post with crossbeam.

'''Crucifixion''', derived from the Latin ''crux'' ("cross") and ''figere'' ("to fasten"), was an agonizing form of death famous as a means of execution in the [[Roman Empire]].  It involved the recipient being nailed to a [[cross]] and left to hang until dead.  The victim, always a [[slave]] or [[criminal]], never a citizen, was mercilessly [[flogging|flogged]] and then nailed to a wooden post with crossbeam.

At one time it was believed the nails were driven through the hands and the feet, but the modern view believes the nails were driven through the wrists.  The nails were more dull than the sharp nails of today.  The cross would usually be inclined slightly forward to further strain the body.  The shoulders would become dislocated.  Breathing was only possible by pushing up the legs which would cause excruciating pain in the nailed feet. Indeed, the word 'excruciating' comes from crucifying.  Relieving the pressure on the feet by not pushing would once again cause breathing to be cut off.  This cycle would continue until the condemned would finally die.  Death could come over a course of days.  [[Asphyxiation]] was the primary cause of death as the lungs would slowly fill with fluid although it was also possible to die of thirst, shock, or exhaustion.  Sleep was impossible.  Hallucinations during this gradual process of dying would be common.

At one time it was believed the nails were driven through the hands and the feet, but the modern view believes the nails were driven through the wrists.  The nails were more dull than the sharp nails of today.  The cross would usually be inclined slightly forward to further strain the body.  The shoulders would become dislocated.  Breathing was only possible by pushing up the legs which would cause excruciating pain in the nailed feet. Indeed, the word 'excruciating' comes from crucifying.  Relieving the pressure on the feet by not pushing would once again cause breathing to be cut off.  This cycle would continue until the condemned would finally die.  Death could come over a course of days.  [[Asphyxiation]] was the primary cause of death as the lungs would slowly fill with fluid although it was also possible to die of thirst, shock, or exhaustion.  Sleep was impossible.  Hallucinations during this gradual process of dying would be common.

French surgeon Dr. Pierre Barbet postulated after [[World War II]] that crucifixion victims on a cross would experience sagging ribs, making it impossible for them to exhale properly.  A 1986 article in the [[Journal of the American Medical Association]] states that the flogging of Jesus resulted in deep stripelike lacerations and significant [[blood]] loss, which probably resulted in [[Cardiogenic Shock|hypovolemic shock]] and [[pleural effusion]].  This probably accounts for Jesus being too weak to be able to carry the [[crossbar]] to [[Golgotha]] without help.  The hypovolemic shock and the marked difficulty in respiration, along with other contributing factors, were cited as the medical causes of Jesus' death.<ref>[http://www.biblicalrecorder.org/content/news/2005/3_25_2005/ne250305csi.shtml CSI Jerusalem: Death on an old wooden cross]</ref><ref>[http://the-crucifixion.org/ On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ]</ref>

French surgeon Dr. Pierre Barbet postulated after [[World War II]] that crucifixion victims on a cross would experience sagging ribs, making it impossible for them to exhale properly.  A 1986 article in the [[Journal of the American Medical Association]] states that the flogging of Jesus resulted in deep stripelike lacerations and significant [[blood]] loss, which probably resulted in [[Cardiogenic Shock|hypovolemic shock]] and [[pleural effusion]].  This probably accounts for Jesus being too weak to be able to carry the [[crossbar]] to [[Golgotha]] without help.  The hypovolemic shock and the marked difficulty in respiration, along with other contributing factors, were cited as the medical causes of Jesus' death.<ref>[http://www.biblicalrecorder.org/content/news/2005/3_25_2005/ne250305csi.shtml CSI Jerusalem: Death on an old wooden cross]</ref><ref>[http://the-crucifixion.org/ On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ]</ref>

When Christianity became a legal religion within the Roman empire in 313 AD, crucifixion was abandoned. However, this was a mixed blessing, as instead of traditional crosses the condemned were choked to death using Y shaped crosses, their necks placed in the fork. Other countries and areas of the world have used this form of punishment, but never to the extent as occurred during Roman times.

When Christianity became a legal religion within the Roman empire in 313 AD, crucifixion was abandoned. Other countries and areas of the world have used this form of punishment, but never to the extent as occurred during Roman times.

==Johanan ben Ha-galgol==

==Johanan ben Ha-galgol==