Topic: The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross

[GillE]

The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross is the intriguing name of a programme being broadcast on BBC 4 tonight.  It is not a theological broadcast as such - it is a work by Haydn.

Not my cup of tea, but the title got me thinking about what Christ's last (unreported) seven words on the cross might have been.  Forgetting the inconvenient fact that he spoke Hebrew or Yiddish instead of English, how about, "This thing will be the death of me"?

Any other suggestions?

Any suggestions for other unreported comments which never made it past the editor into the bible?

[Rik]

"What time is lunch served around here?"

[mistybear]

I think it was the ancient language of Aramaic that they spoke.

Didn't he call out to one of the disciples, saying, "I can see your house from here".    

[davy51]

seriously with all the pain he had to be feeling

he had to say

O My God what did I do this time

[Clive]

"I'm fed up of hanging around here".

[Rik]

"Are you sure you're a qualified osteopath?"

[Simon]

"Those acupuncture needles are a bit rusty!"

[Sandra]

I thought it was "Always look on the bright side of life" 

[GillE]

Eight words, Sandra  .

I'll let you have either "look on the bright side of life" or "Always look on the bright side of..."

 

[Sandra]

Not my cup of tea, but the title got me thinking about what Christ's last (unreported) seven words on the cross might have been.  Forgetting the inconvenient fact that he spoke Hebrew or Yiddish instead of English, how about, "This thing will be the death of me"?

I thought of that then I re read your original post and counted your suggested phrase Gill, that has 8 words too  

I believe that when "Always look on the bright side of life" is translated into aramaic it comes out at 7 words exactly  

[GillE]

Drat - you're right about my eight words .

Let me amend it to "This will be the death of me" .

When I'm feeling particularly irreverent, I sometimes think Christians should reflect on the track, Hanging Around by The Stranglers.  After all lots of criminals were executed that day so it's more than likely Jesus literally found himself hanging around by the stranglers.  I only wish I could have summed that up succinctly in seven words.

[mistybear]

Into thy hands I commend my spirit.

[Sandra]

I dont think they let him drink any alcohol while he was on the cross MB 

[Rik]

There you are, the last words distilled.

[GillE]

They did give him vinegar, soaked into a bullrush so it would reach him.  All of which is very interesting because...

"When a man is crucified, his arms are stretched along the horizontal bar of the cross, making breathing difficult.  The breath comes in short inhalations and exhalations, since it is difficult and uncomfortable to take a deep breath in such a position.  When the vinegar-soaked sponge was put against his face, Jesus, because of the shock of the pungent smell, must have inhaled deeply, which is the natural reaction under such circumstance.  But having done so, it would have been very difficult for him to exhale once more.  The muscular anatomy of the chest makes this effectively impossible.  A painful death from asphyxiation would follow soon after.  The last, loud cry of Jesus was probably the sudden, painful inhalation."  (Dr Zakaria Erzinclioglu, "Forensics", London 2006).

So Jesus did not die from crucifixion but from asphyxiation.  What makes this particularly interesting to Dr Erzinclioglu is that the gospels are religious tracts and were not produced as historical documentation.  It made little difference to the authors if Jesus suffered for three days on the cross or died early.  Yet the account given in the gospels describes an event which the authors were extremely unlikely to have been able to fabricate because they were laymen and not well enough informed to be able to include such detail.  Dr Erzinclioglu sees this as proof that the descriptions of Jesus' death in the gospels were historically accurate.

The gospels also tell us it was normal practise for those being crucified to be pierced in the side with a sword and have their legs broken to precipitate death before the Sabbath started.  Yet Jesus' legs were not broken - he was already dead.  In fact, when Joseph of Arimathea approached Pontius Pilate for the body "Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.  And when he knew it of the centurian, he gave the body to Joseph". (Mark, Ch 15, V 43- 45).

To Dr Erzinclioglu, this account lends credibility to the other testimony of the gospel writers.