Proving the Existence of Jesus
Did Jesus really die in the first place? What’s the evidence? Is there any way he could have faked his dead? For this, Strobel turned to Alexander Metherell. Metherell has a medical degree from the University of Miami, a doctorate in engineering from the University of Bristol in England, has helped edit five scientific books, and even published analysis of muscular contraction in The Physiologist and Biophysics Journal. In The Case for Christ, Metherell undergo a length conversation of everything Jesus went through. I have to warn you this part is graphic, but here are the points:
1. Hematidrosis – the Bible says that Jesus was sweating blood, this can happen when a person is under a high amount of psychological stress
2. Flogging – a whip of braided leather thongs with metal balls woven into them along with sharp pieces of bone, the balls and bone would cause deep cuts, bruises, contusions, and lacerations.
3. Hypovolemic Shock – a large amount of blood loss, the heart tries to compensate by pumping faster, the blood pressure tries to compensate by decreasing, the kidneys decrease urine production to prevent further fluid loss, and the person becomes very thirsty
4. Nails – 5 to 7 inch nails through his wrists destroying his medial nerve and through his feet, excruciatingly painful
5. Asphyxiation – difficulty breathing while nailed to the cross vertically because in order to exhale, the individual would have to push up on his feet to ease the muscle tension on the chest
6. Respiratory Acidosis – the carbon dioxide in the blood is converted to carbonic acid, causing an increase in acidity in the blood
7. Pericardial and Pleural Effusion – fluid around the heart and lungs, this was caused by a spear that pierced the right lung and the heart, we know this was true because John 19:34 says clear fluid and blood came out when the spear was removed
8. Cardiac Arrest – the hypovolemic shock, asphyxiation, respiratory acidosis, pericardial effusion, and pleural effusion would lead to cardiac arrest, therefore death
“Is there any possible way – any possible way – that Jesus could have survived this? Metherell shook his head and pointed his finger at me for emphasis. Absolutely not.” (Strobel, 269)
The hypovolemic shock alone would have been enough to lead to heart failure before Jesus even got on the cross. With the additions of being nailed to the cross, and stabbed by a spear in the heart and right lung, faking his death would be impossible. Let’s look at another quote from the Journal of the American Medical Association:
“Cleary, the weight of the historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound in his side was inflicted…Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge.” – William D. Edwards et al., “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” Journal of the American Medical Association (March 21, 1986), 1455-63.
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