Fact check: Jesus died on the cross
The claim that Jesus did not actually die on the cross, but was drugged and revived later is an old claim, is an old one, and is quite ridiculous, in fact. When one considers the facts of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion as recounted by the eyewitnesses who wrote the gospels (or in the case of Luke, who were interviewed), a Man who had endured arrest, being taken before Pilate, sent to Herod, back to Pilate; in a long trial process that lasted through the evening, until the morning of the following day, and Who was then brutally beaten and crowned with thorns, causing a great deal of blood loss, then flogged in the Roman style with lashes that leave huge, deep gashes and open wounds, and then Who was so weakened He could not carry the cross Himself, then being nailed to the cross and lifted up, having been elevated to a posture in which He could barely breathe, it is no wonder that Jesus died before the two thieves that were crucified next to Him.
The accounts of Jesus’ sufferings in the garden of Gethsemane, before the cross and upon the cross are consistent with medical knowledge, and I have listed some of articles below that demonstrate this.
Jesus’ Resurrection was not a mere resuscitation
Long ago, skeptic David Strauss argued quite compellingly that Jesus’ resurrection was not a mere physical resuscitation as some claim:
Strauss argued that it would be “impossible” for Jesus to somehow “creep out of the tomb” after having just been beaten and crucified and give his disciplines “the impression that he was a Conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life, an impression which lay at the bottom of their future ministry”; this type of resuscitation “could by no possibility have changed their sorrow into enthusiasm, have elevated their reverence into worship.” 1
However the central piece of evidence that Jesus actually died on the cross is really quite compelling.
The central piece of evidence that Jesus died: the spear in His side.
It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.
Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.” And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.” John 19: 31-37
It appears likely that Jesus suffered a haemothorax – an accumulation of fluid and blood in the lungs – due to the heavy flagellation.
After Jesus died, his body was left hanging on the cross for some time, and the plasma and red cells had separated. When the soldier pierced his side, the blood and plasma gushed out.
Dr Antony De Bono, a retired cardio-thoracic surgeon explained it thus: “I can think of no other explanation,” the doctor reports, adding, “technically the process for draining the chest is known as a thoracocentesis.”2
The writer of John’s gospel had no thought of providing medical evidence in telling this incident, seeing this instead as a miracle. In a sense it was a very great miracle, for it is only two thousand years later that we can see that as evidence that the claims of the gospel are both eyewitness accounts, and truthful.
Bibliography
An Examination of the Medical Evidence for the Physical Death of Christ by Bert Thompson, Ph.D., Brad Harrub, Ph.D.
https://web.archive.org/web/20130120092655/http://apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=13&article=145
Edwards WD, Gabel WJ, Hosmer FE. On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ. JAMA. 1986;255(11):1455–1463. doi:10.1001/jama.1986.03370110077025 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/403315 pdf Available here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19648788_On_the_Physical_Death_of_Jesus_Christ
A summary of the above, with images from the article:
https://g3min.org/medical-report-the-physical-death-of-jesus-christ/
Habermas G, Kopel J, Shaw BCF. Medical views on the death by crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2021 Jul 30;34(6):748-752. doi: 10.1080/08998280.2021.1951096. PMID: 34733010; PMCID: PMC8545147. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8545147/
This article is a little hard to read as it was presumably written in Spanish and subsequently translated, but gives a fairly complete medical account as well:
The suffering of “MAN JESUS CHRIST” that preceded his crucifixion according to the Holy Bible from the perspective of pathophysiology, Martelli and Martelli https://ojs.southfloridapublishing.com/ojs/index.php/jdev/article/view/16/55
The following short article is in various places on the internet and I couldn’t find the source:
https://aleteia.org/2019/06/22/a-doctor-on-why-blood-and-water-gushed-from-jesus-heart/
However Antony De Bono was indeed a cardiac surgeon:
https://cms.ijcva.org/Uploads/Article_52551/ijca-6-129-En.pdf
Habermas G, Kopel J, Shaw BCF. Medical views on the death by crucifixion of Jesus Christ. p.748
Antony de Bono’s critique seems to be quite old; however Gary Habermas, Jonathan Kopel, and Benjamin C. F. Shaw’s article looking at the medical and historical literature around this subject is quite recent and they come to the same conclusion:
…the fact of Jesus’ death from crucifixion is established historically by, among other things, the post-death Roman spear plus Strauss’ exceptionally well-regarded critique. Taken together, these two factors lead to the probable conclusion on the dominant cause of Jesus’ death, backed by the even more clearly established fact of Jesus’ death. In short, historians have long agreed that Jesus died; medical specialists now seem to be growing in agreement on how Jesus died.
I don't believe any human being can be "resurrected." Therefore I conclude the story falls under the category of "myth."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament
Are you aware that the absolute earliest the new testament was written down was about 70 years after Jesus' death. Many other historians date it more than 100 years after his death. So what Luke wrote down isn't from first hand experience. Those stories have been orally transmitted for at least three generations. A lot of Chinese whispers. No doubt, Jesus was an extraordinarily brave man but we will never know if he died on the cross or not. That he apparently was seen a few days later is an indication that he didn't die.
A long time ago I read a German book about Jesus. The title was something like "A man called Jesus". It made a lot of sense. It debunked the fantastic stories around Jesus. Since then I really like Jesus. I believe he was an extraordinary man, a freedom fighter and advanced spiritual person. The book claimed he went to India between the age of about 20 and 30 years of age and returned much wiser and braver. Advanced Yogis can do amazing things - like being burried alive for weeks and survive. But even Yogi's can't come back from physical death. If the body is dead - it is dead.
I read a lot of books about spirituality and language is tricky and confusing. But in spiritual circles, when they talk about death, very often it refers to the death of the ego and people are reborn in an enlightened state. That's the story in many traditions. I think a similar story happens with Jesus on the cross. His word: "Father forgive them. They don't know what they are doing." is a clear indication that, in his suffering, he has a very enlightening experience, realizing the illusion everyone lives in. I believe that Jesus got enlightened on the cross. The author of the book believes that Jesus had powerful friends that bribed the Roman soldiers (easy to do in these days) and he was saved, barely alive. After his recovery he went back to India. One of the lost Jewish tribes went to India. Apparently he lived with them until he died as an old man. Apparently there is a grave and in his name.
The big question is: Why is so important to keep up that amazing story that he physically resurrected? In all spiritual traditions, the physical was never important. The body is just a biological entity that grows and dies and decays. What matters is spirit and awareness. Most of Christian stories are not helpful or encouraging for people to reach for enlightenment. My 2 cents for what it is worth. You believe what you like. I hope it serves you.