The Nails That Pierced Christ

Continuing on with my research on the torture implements of Christ's Crucifixion, I want to focus on the nails this time around. Common misconception is that the nails were driven through the palms of the hands. To be "hung" by nails would require placement of the nails in the middle of the wrists between the radius and ulna bones and then capped off by the carpel bones. This would be the only placement that would be able to support the full weight of a grown man. The description below shows that this placement would have been exceedingly painful because of the severing of the median nerve in the center of the wrist. Keep in mind, my purpose for telling you all of this is not to gross you out, it is to show how true love is this, "that a man should lay down his life for a friend..." On top of that, Christ's sacrifice was not your everyday run-of-the-mill roman execution, this was the worst of the worst kind of execution in human history. And to think that he would do that for sin-stricken people like us! We better wake up praising God every day, and proclaiming his truth every breath, if we really want to respond in a way that would only scratch the surface of the glory that God deserves by giving us this wonderful gift of eternal life in him!
What do you think?


Crucifixion Nails

These nails are reproductions of what is best known about the type of nails used in Roman Crucifixions.

The nails used in Roman Crucifixions were driven into the wrists and feet of the condemned criminal. The nails would have been thick enough to support the weight of the person and had a flat top to them so that the victim’s wrist wouldn’t easily slide off. This diagram shows the placement of the nails being close, if not severing, the median nerve of the wrist leading to the hand. In addition to the continuous pain of the open wounds as a result of the scourging, the constant sharp pain of severed nerves added to the torture of Christ’s suffering for us.

“Spikes about 7 inches long and 3/8 of an inch in diameter were driven into the wrists. The spikes would hit the area of the median nerve, causing shocks of pain up the arms to the shoulders and neck.”