STICKING IT TO THE STIGMATICS
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The Romans crucified people by the boatload, but exactly how they went about it is unclear, since crucifixion was not the kind of thing you wrote instruction manuals for. The gospels describe wounds in Jesus’ hands, and most people (including most artists depicting the crucifixion) have assumed the nails went through the center of his palms.
But some modern researchers have disputed this. The most enterprising was the French surgeon Pierre Barbet, who nailed up freshly amputated arms through the palms and tied weights to the other ends. He found that the nail tore through when the weight was increased to 88 pounds and the arm was given a good jerk. (Hey, anything for science.) Since a human body would exert substantially more force, he concluded that nailing through the palm was impractical.
In short, we have no idea how Jesus was crucified, other than the fact that they nailed him somewhere. Even if we did, it wouldn’t prove anything. Remember Father Bruse, the stigmatic Catholic priest who could make statues weep, heal the sick, etc? His stigmata–you can see this coming–were on the wrist.
