The Heel Bones of Yehohanan (part 1)

March 30, 2024

Roman crucifixion is arguably one of the most brutal and painful forms of execution ever invented by men, yet, according to the accounts of first-century historians, Rome systematically sentenced thousands of men to death by crucifixion, including our Savior, Jesus. Loss of blood, muscle spasms, and exhaustion greatly contributed to the death of crucified men, but asphyxiation was the pivotal cause of death, for breathing became incredibly difficult as the hours passed, especially when those crucified could no longer muster the energy to pull up with their arms or push up with their legs in order to fill their lungs with air.

We know too from historians that the condemned were either tied or nailed to wooden crossbeams and uprights, but until 1968 no physical evidence had ever been found of Roman crucifixion. In that year construction workers uncovered an ancient tomb in a neighborhood in northeast Jerusalem, and inside they found an ossuary (a bone box) inscribed with the name Yehohanan, the son of Hagakol.

A young Greek archaeologist named Vassilios Tzaferis oversaw the excavation of the tomb, and in 1985 he wrote a detailed article about his findings. He determined that Yehohanan was 24-28 years old when he died and approximately 5’ 6” tall (an average height for people in that part of the world at that time) with a slender build and lean muscles. His bones showed no evidence of nutritional deficiency or disease and no serious injuries prior to his crucifixion, but outside of a noticeable cleft palate, which he might have successfully hidden by a beard, Yehohan had a pleasant face.

His short life and tragic ending, however, have provided enormous insight into the manner in which men were crucified during the time of Jesus. We’ll look at this in next week’s post.

Daniel McCabe