Medical Details on Jesus' Cap of Thorns

We tend to separate ourselves from specific details of any tragedy. That information is always the most difficult to block out and always truly upsetting. Nevertheless, we have a part of the entertainment media that strives to shock those, who will watch, with new versions of visual suffering. The end results create a desensitized audience, thus constantly requiring new ways to present visual shock. However, they too will leave out details that everyone would relate with, in fear of those details turning the most devoted fan.

The majority of us do the same with Jesus' crucifixion, we avoid the details because they prove how callous evil is in reality. Thus, to understand what Jesus did for us, is to learn the details. From the research of Dr. Pierre Barbet, Dr. Frederick Thomas Zugibe, and scientific teams that examined the Shroud of Turin, the following provides details on what Jesus endured just with the cap (crown) of thorns.

Copyright 1978 Barrie Schwortz Collection, STERA, Inc.

First, what Thorns were used?

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At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr. Michael Evanari, a professor of Botany presented the following information: The Syrian Christ Thorn grew in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' crucifixion. This plant was most likely to have been used.

Ziziphus spina-christi, Syrian Christ Thorn. Image by Miller, J.

Paliurus spina-christi, Christ's Thorn

Yet, other experts have stated that the Christ's Thorn was used despite not being able to prove that the plant grew in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. Nevertheless, both plants have sharp thorns that are very close to each other.

Crown or Cap of Thorns?

Medical experiments by Dr. Zugibe and the image on the shroud, shows the pattern of blood flow attesting to a cap and not a crown of thorns previously depicted in movies. The medical details of what this cap of thorns would do to anyone are appalling and only one person was given this cap or crown by the Romans to signify the king of Jews. His name is Jesus.

Effects from a Cap of Thorns?

On the shroud there are sections along the head showing blood flow and the hair is saturated with dried blood. This will cause the hair to remain flat to the face on both sides. As for enduring the effects, that seems impossible:

When a Roman soldier struck Jesus with a reed, hand or any object, excruciating pain would have traveled across His face, into His ears and through His forehead. Yet, even feeling a breeze upon His face would initiate severe pain.

The perception of pain in the head region comes from two major nerves. The trigeminal nerve for the front half of the head and the occipital, which is for the back half of the head. The trigeminal nerve passes through the face, including the eyes, jaw, lips, nose, cheeks, and tongue. The extremely painful condition called trigeminal neuralgia would be activated by the thorns and triggered by any slight touch, movement of the jaw, speaking or swallowing. Even temperature changes would create a stabbing pain radiating around the eyes, across the forehead, into the lips, nose, cheeks and tongue. This is agonizing pain and reported to be the worst anyone can endure. Jesus had this pain as he walked all the way to Calvary and until he died on the Cross.

All this would have created a state for traumatic and hypovolemic shock as He bled profusely. Along with feeling unsteady, short of breath, feelings of vomiting, Jesus collapsed under the weight of a patibulum, the horizontal part of the cross. This caused additional pain and paralysis of the right arm as I wrote about in my July 20, 2014 blog called: Suffered Ad Infinitum Until Death

- LJ
Author of UPPER ROOM, THE WAY: 33AD to 57AD
Author and Publisher's profits go to help the poor from sales of this Historical Novel.