Deliverance from the Cross — Page 78
the Shroud of Turin reflect. 2. The manner of death was such that medical analysis can follow each stage from the beginning of the crucifixion to the time of Jesus saying: I thirst. The exact moment, two minutes later, when Jesus gave up the ghost is also clearly established. 3. In an ordinary case of death by suffocation as described, it would be impossible for the doomed person to speak so clearly only a minute before giving up the ghost. It follows that this was an abnormal case. Psychological considerations confirm this. Even if a man in such a condition were capable of speaking, what he would crave is not water or a drink but air! because he would be bound to realise that he would choke without it. It is the request for a drink which reflects the true state of affairs at that point of time. Drinking is only possible if the air channels are in good condition. That the air channels and breathing organs were no longer in a normal condition but in a state of cramp was one of the causes of suffocation, but not the only one. At this precise moment, there must be a link missing from the chain. The time has come to put it in its place. It is this link which caused the spontaneous end which surprised everybody. The end was brought about by one definite cause: the vinegar. 78