The Barbaric Practice of Roman Crucifixion

It was Rome's most brutal form of punishment reserved for the lowest criminals and enemies.

This is the Catholic frequency Podcast and on Good Friday, we explore what victims endured who faced the torturous practice of Roman crucifixion.

The Romans crucified slaves, rebels, and noncitizens convicted of severe crimes like treason, piracy, or murder. Actual Roman citizens were very rarely crucified.

They were spared for less degrading executions, as crucifixion maximized both suffering and humiliation. It was a powerful deterrent. As victims were publicly displayed, their agony a warning to others. Crucifixion in the Roman world was a tool to maintain order and crush dissent. Condemned prisoners were often flogged first.

Whips with bone or metal tips shredded their skin and muscle, causing blood loss and shock before the cross was even raised. Victims of crucifixion had to carry their own cross beam to the execution site, a heavy burden to their already torn body. And on their way, crowds often mock them, adding humiliation to their physical torment. Nails or sometimes ropes would secure victims to the cross. And when they were nailed, nerves were hit causing severe pain with every movement or breath.

Once raised, breathing became torture. As victims had to push up against nails to exhale, each effort reopening wounds. Asphyxiation loomed as strength faded. Dehydration and exposure ravaged the body. Blood loss and shock set in.

Organs failing under the strain. Death by crucifixion could take hours or days depending on the victim's condition and method. Some lingered, delirious, until exhaustion or infection claimed them. Insects or birds often attacked exposed flesh. The victims were helpless and had to endure this added horror, their bodies being defiled even before death.

Psychological torment was relentless. Public shame, abandonment by loved ones, and the certainty of death crushed the spirit as much as the body. Romans would sometimes break the legs of the victims to hasten death, and suffocation followed quickly, ending the ordeal. Crucifixion was reserved for those Rome deemed threats or even scum, rebellious slaves, bandits, or political insurgents challenging imperial rule. Non Romans, in provinces like Judea, faced crucifixion for defying Roman authority.

It was a grim spectacle to subdue restless populations and enforce loyalty. The cross's cruelty left a mark on history, Its victims suffering, a testament to Rome's ruthless power and brutality. On this Good Friday, we remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who suffered the same brutal penalty reserved for rebels and outcasts. His agonizing death on the cross, his unimaginable suffering was necessary to redeem humanity to god, to provide a way back from sin into the friendship of god. May we never forget the price that was paid.

May we never take sin lightly. Let us never forget the cost paid on Good Friday. This is the Catholic Frequency podcast. Follow us online at catholicfrequency.com and on YouTube.