What is Reddit's opinion of The Crucifixion of Jesus, Completely Revised and Expanded: A Forensic Inquiry?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

>So once again... Where EXACTLY is the sacrifice?

Because he is God, and at any point in the process he could have opted out. At every single excruciating moment of the process he chose to remain in the moment and suffer.

>If YOU were in Jesus' place, would you be even the slight bit worried about ANYTHING!?

I expect Jesus, as a human being, may have doubted his ability to carry the burden he had accepted. We'll never know what that was really like for him, but we know it was an enormous strain -- to the point of sweating blood during his Agony in the garden, asking his Father if there was another way, and crying out from the cross (though quoting Scripture in the process) "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

I expect that Jesus' fears were for us -- for the fate of the world if he should fail.

As for the nature of the sacrifice, we know he was subject to a series of tortures that were greater than what was typical for the already-excruciating process of crucifixion. He was scourged, crowned with vicious thorns (there are two likely species of plant used -- one has long, thin thorns, the other stout, hooked ones), and forced to carry a heavy cross -- plus beaten along the way, fatigued from lack of sleep, deprived of food since the night before, and likely dehydrated as well. And all that is before you get to the psychic/metaphysical burden -- about which we can only speculate -- of dying for the world's sins.

As for the particulars of crucifixion, the best modern account is probably that of Frederick Zugibe, MD, PhD. I'm happy to post excerpts if you're actually interested in knowing what it was like to suffer on a cross.

>Am I wrong?

Profoundly so, yes.

The authoritative source on the bloodstains is probably going to be The Crucifixion of Jesus: a Forensic Inquiry by Frederic Zugibe. I was hoping he addressed the blood stains concisely, but according to the index, discussion is spread throughout the book. So, I'll have to re-read it and get back to you. Or read if for yourself. It's fascinating, and Zugibe's credentials (M.D., PhD in anatomy, former Medical Examiner & recognized forensic expert) are certainly unimpeachable. It's a good example of what real scientific methods look like when applied to the Shroud.

Also, there is paper by Kelly Kearse (PDF) on the immunological analysis of the blood, but he addresses the stains as well.

The thing to keep in mind is that, in the immediate post-mortem time frame, the only force acting on a body which will cause blood to 'flow' is (usually) gravity. For a body laid flat on its back, the only stains we'd expect to see -- other than those from direct contact with partially-dried, tacky blood -- would be on the posterior side . And, in fact, there is evidence of just such a stain on the left side of the Shroud (in the usual orientation) where blood has pooled after oozing from the wound in the right pectoral area.

In the case of the Sudarium, it's purpose was specifically to soak up blood as the body was being moved around. This is probably why there is a handprint where the person carrying the body has pinched the nose and covered the mouth to prevent blood from flowing out while the body was lowered from the cross and carried to the tomb.

I spotted this book in the same vein on Amazon a while ago. Looks interesting.