Was Jesus young or old when he died on the Cross?

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This is just silly. Average age at death has nothing to do with how fast the body ages!

My fathers youngest sister died at the age of 21 of scarlet fever. Death at an early age from infections diseases was pretty common in that time and place. But she was still a* young woman* at age 20 ! I’ve seen her photo!
 
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meep:
Yes I did. And I noted that while it seems to speak of his death by crucifixion, it also calls him the “acquaintance who survived”. If they’re saying he survived crucifixion, this survival is certainly not mentioned elsewhere in the article. In the context of the preceding sentences (“In conclusion, we now have empirical evidence of a crucifixion. Death on a cross could be prolonged or swift”) it sounds like they’re saying he survived longer than Christ.

In fact, let me return your question: did you read the article? Here’s a sentence you may have missed: “Dr. Haas is undoubtedly correct, furthermore, in concluding that the iron nail bent approximately 2 cm because it hit a knot necessitating the amputation of the feet to remove the corpse from the cross.”

So if Jehohanan survived crucifixion, why did they remove his corpse from the cross?
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Did you read the article with understanding?

Who said Jehohanan was Josephus’s acquaintance?
 
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JimG:
This is just silly. Average age at death has nothing to do with how fast the body ages!

My fathers youngest sister died at the age of 21 of scarlet fever. Death at an early age from infections diseases was pretty common in that time and place. But she was still a* young woman* at age 20 ! I’ve seen her photo!
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The average death according to physical anthropologists and other experts is the age in which the majority of the population dies in the time period in which those people lived.

In the U.S. in 1900 the average age was 40; today it is ~78.

In the time of Christ in Rome, the average age was between 25-28 years old. If Jesus was crucified at ~33 years old, then he was about ~5 years past the average age for that time period, making him an old man in my opinion.
 
I can’t believe this discussion is continuing. Look, average life expectancy does not result in individual bodies ageing in relation to the numbers. This is a ludicrous assertion.

Say I am a cruel dictator, and I decide to kill everyone after they reach 30 years old. Needless to say, the life expectancy of my subjects is going to be very low. This does not mean that suddenly, 29-year-olds are going to be stooped, white-haired, and losing their teeth.

Perhaps you are connecting the term “old man” to life expectancy as well: if that’s the case, and you’re simply trying to say that Jesus was an “old man” because of the life expectancy, then you’re going to have to show linguistic evidence that the term “old man” was used that way at that time. I don’t think you’ll find it—it seems to me that when Scriptures describe an “old man”, they are using the term as it applies to a biologically aged person, not relative to the life expectancy.

I hope that’s what you’re saying, but your comment that you think Jesus’ “old age” was a factor in his death makes me (regretfully) think that you’re not, and that you actually think that a low life expectancy of a population at any given time is “read” by the biological functions of an individual’s body, so that Jesus would have been wrinkled and grey at 33. Sorry, but if that’s what you think, I just don’t know what to say. This is a lack of critical thinking skills.
 
You’re absolutely right, Sherlock. In South Central Los Angeles, the average life expectancy of a black male is 41. That’s because so many black males aged 14-28 die as a result of gang violence. But those who don’t get shot down in the street age normally and may live into their 90’s.

There are lies, there are damn lies, and there are statistics. 😃

Paul
 
Bobby A. Greene:
Who said Jehohanan was Josephus’s acquaintance?
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Ah, thanks. That’s where I was getting confused. Since there was no previous reference to this acquaintance of Josephus, I assumed they were still speaking of the same person. I was wrong–glad we’re on the same page now.

Josephus had three acquaintances who were crucified. He begged for their lives. Titus granted his request and commanded that a physician care for them. Two of the three died, and one survived. So now we’ve established that if the Romans take someone down from the cross before they’re dead, there’s a posibility a physician can revive them.

Perhaps now you can explain to me how this survival relates to the age of Jesus. If He were younger, do you think the Romans would have changed their minds about Him like they did with Josephus’ friends? Or how would youth have helped Him survive?
 
I dont understand the OP. How can “old age” contribute to death when cause of death was NOT old age.

Its admirable that you seek to prove that Jesus died on the cross, but to say that old age contributed to the death is wrong.

Jesus is God, he can and did have the power to manipulate the very being of His soul and body.

He would not have suffered from any disease or problem, infact to suggest that Jesus would have suffered any problems that we as a race suffer that lead to old age is wrong. He was in complete control of his health at every moment leading up to his crucifixion, and therefore chose to die. Being God, he would have had to permit death to overcome Him.

If you suggest that old age was a contributing factor to the death of Jesus, you do in fact suggest that he did not have the power to prevent his health from deteriorating. In fact, if his age had exceeded that of the average life expectancy, and as suggested above his real age was closer to 40, one must assume that for a man to live to such an age, he would have had to be extremely lucky, being the peasant he was, being in amongst dirt, disease, sinners who led very impure lives exposing themselves to all sorts of dangers, being persecuted by others day and night who wished very much to kill him, the NT tells of many instances that Jesus had to remove Himself from the presence of others because they became dangerously hostile. I find it hard to see that a man who had undertaken such persecution, such a beating and flogging, been humiliated and physcologically blasted, could have even carried a cross, let alone suffer crucifixion while at the same time, keeping sane enough to pray to His Father, give instuctions to his disciples, etc…

The difference in terminology is evident, the OP assumes, (incorrectly) that an “old man” is one who having exceeded the average life expectancy would also have exhibited a major deterioration in his health. However, the Truth is opposite, not least for the reason that Our Lord was in complete control of his body every second of His Life, an “old man” is one who exceeds the average life expectancy, however in this day and age the phrase also carries the significance of also becoming increasingly frail, prone to disease, etc…, the problem lies here, natural deterioration of health does indeed start from birth( or post pubescent period, if you like), however the time at which it becomes a threat to life is around 60. Therefore, if you look at the age of Jesus which is at least 20 years from such a natural decline in health, it is inappropriate to suggest that His health could have cause a faster/quicker/less painful death on the cross. Jesus was as fit and healthy as you could get, any loss of life was because he, as God, chose it so that he could die and become the ultimate sacrifice to save mankind.

Hope that clears up the misunderstandings that seem to be running through this thread.

In Christ.

Andre.
 
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meep:
Ah, thanks. That’s where I was getting confused. Since there was no previous reference to this acquaintance of Josephus, I assumed they were still speaking of the same person. I was wrong–glad we’re on the same page now.
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So you have learned to read with understanding?
 
Jesus is God, he can and did have the power to manipulate the very being of His soul and body.
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Yes, I totally agree, but this is the theologist’s argument. What about the non-theologist or the non-Christian such as the scientist/philosopher or the infidel? How does one convince them that Jesus died on the cross without begging the question?
 
Bobby A. Greene:
So you have learned to read with understanding?
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You’ve read over half the posts on this thread without understanding–just ask the authors–and you’re lecturing me about reading with understanding?? No, I cannot promise you that I’ll never misread a sentence again in my life. But rather than condescension, perhaps you could answer my questions, and explain how the example of this one man–who survived because a government official had him released before he could be killed by crucifixion–could have anything to do with Jesus suriving crucifixion if He had been younger.
 
One fact we forgot to mention is that the Divinity of Jesus was present before time-so Jesus was as old as God in his Divinity and as young as Jesus the Man. So he was both young and old by any standard.
 
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meep:
You’ve read over half the posts on this thread without understanding–just ask the authors–and you’re lecturing me about reading with understanding?? No, I cannot promise you that I’ll never misread a sentence again in my life. But rather than condescension, perhaps you could answer my questions, and explain how the example of this one man–who survived because a government official had him released before he could be killed by crucifixion–could have anything to do with Jesus suriving crucifixion if He had been younger.
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Wow, you really have problems with your reading comprehension. Are you slightly dyslexic?

If you review my past posts on this thread, you will discern that I simply provided an example of how some victims survived their crucifixion experience, so that crucifixion was not that efficient or effective a means of execution as compared to beheading, garroting, burning at the stake, hanging, or a multitude of others the Romans applied to their citizenry.

In fact, crucifixion was not meant to be an efficient or effective means of execution, it was meant to be a grueling and lingering method of death reserved for non-Roman subjects to set an example for others, a method some victims survived.

Because some victims did survive their crucifixion experience, this makes it plausible to some other religions that Christ too survived, and I have again simply added that at his age of 33, which was not young 2,000 years ago, would have been a contributing factor to his demise besides loss of blood, shock, dehydration, exhaustion, etc. So, materialistically speaking, Jesus was not a healthy young man in his prime when he was nailed to the cross.

Did I really have to repeat all of this just to make the obvious clear to you?
 
Bobby A. Greene:
Wow, you really have problems with your reading comprehension. Are you slightly dyslexic?

…

Did I really have to repeat all of this just to make the obvious clear to you?
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I think the things you said in this post re-emphasized that you weren’t really listening to the arguments made by myself or others.

However, as you seem unwilling to discuss this with Christian charity, I am going to end my involvement in this thread, rather than cause an occasion of sin for you. If you wish to discuss this at all, please message me.
 
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