In Memoriam: Jesus Christ

In the Roman Calendar today is Good Friday, the day on which we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

There is no more powerful and scientific examination of that day than "On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ" by William Edwards, Wesley Gabel, and Floyd Hosmer. The authors seek to "present...a medically, and historically accurate account of the physical death of the one called Jesus Christ."

The Gospel narratives are such a part of our popular culture and religious consciousness that like the Nativity, they can be remote and more difficult to experience. The formatting of the Gospel as a Passion play, the creation of Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, and the Stations of the Cross are wonderful ways to use scripture to overcome this. This medical and historical article is an attempt to do likewise.

The article draws from "the writings of the ancient Christian and non-Christian authors, the writings of modern authors, and the Shroud of Turin." The next seven pages form a historically rooted account of what happens over the Triduum - from the Agony of the Garden to the death of Jesus Christ. On this Good Friday, be sure to read and meditate on this historical fact.