(snip)
>GEISLER CONTINUED:
><<What is more, crucifixion demands that the victim constantly pull himself
>up in order to breathe (thus inflicting excruciating pain from the nails). >>
>
>TILL'S REPLY:
>Yes, I agree, but even if we assume that Jesus was crucified as the NT
>claims, we don't know anything about his physical strength and durability.
> Perhaps he had the strength to do this for a day without suffocating.
> However, let's just assume that Jesus was crucified and that he was indeed
>stone-cold dead when he was buried (which we will also assume), how would any
>of this prove that a dead man came back to life, unless we again assume the
>historical accuracy of the NT documents?
>
>GEISLER CONTINUED:
><<Doing this all day would kill anyone even if they were in good health.>>
>
>TILL'S REPLY:
>Pardon me, but aren't there records of people who took several days to die
>from crucifixion?
(and snip)
Isn't there something in the NT relating that Pilate (or some authority) was *surprised* when notified that Jesus had died, since death from crucifixion usually took much longer than it purportedly did in Jesus' case? This would seem to support Till's position against Geisler, since the duration of Jesus' crucifixion was much less than the amount of time typically required to cause death in the average condemned person.
============================================================================== Winfield Featherston (winfeath@siu.edu) | "Creatures inveterately wrong in Dept. of Philosophy |their inductions have a pathetic but Southern Illinois University |praiseworthy tendency to die before at Carbondale |reproducing their kind." W.V.O. Quine ============================================================================ =