It was spring and three state criminals had been executed by crucifixion. Events had occurred which were uncommon in One of the three. The sky darkened and as He died He called out with a loud voice which caused the chief Roman guard to exclaim, "This truly was the Son of God".
The military governor would send for confirmation this Person's death and it would be confirmed.
The body was claimed by a well known, wealthy merchant and member of the Sanhedrin. Nails used, ropes used, would not be discarded, but kept by Rome to be utilized again.
Members of the supporters of this Person would be noted in women and one solitary disciple.
Some things are lost in modern understanding of Walmart and Home Depot in cloth and nails were extremely labor intensive items. They had value as an asset like modern cell phones and vehicles.
It is in that backdrop that a spike was found recently among the burial tomb of 3 people, 3 swords, one sword bearing the mark of the Knights Templar, and a most interesting cared for relic in a crafted box holding this spike.
This spike would have been the type used to fasten state executed criminals to the crosses used in Roman crucifixions. It has obvious importance as it was well handled, cared for and often handled.
The question is though in this spike dating from the first and second centuries is would this be one of three spikes utilized to crucify the Christ?
Could this be one of the spikes which were used to crucify one of the 10 disciples who met this fate or perhaps St. Paul, when he was execute in Rome?
There really is not a great deal of any icons from the Apostles or from St. Paul. That is a most interesting situation considering their importance to the early Church, but often enough, there are indeed shrouds, to Holy Grails to spikes which are held by faithful with thee utmost care.
I desire to explain something as an example in how unique this spike is in the care it was given, to literally be placed in safe keeping with a Knight who most likely visited the Holy Land on Crusade, obtained this icon, and it was deemed so extraordinary, that it was placed in a burial chamber.
My favorite Knight on this planet earth was a little girl of France named Jeannette D'Arc du Lis. In her short life, she was informed supernaturally that Charlemagne's sword was buried behind an altar to which it was searched for and dug up. She carried that sword.
There were a finite number of artifacts in her armour, her dress, her little battle axe, which were donated to France for safe keeping. Every artifact though of Joan D'Arc was deliberately destroyed in the French Revolution. The mobs burned everything in God's savior of France.
It was said there was a hair of Joan's which was in some wax seal, but some collector stole that and it is lost to no one's knowledge.
That is what is most interesting in this in there are rare relics of the Apostles, none of Joan D'Arc and a certain few of the Christ, but even the Shroud of Turin was almost destroyed by fire.
Before relics became valuable for monetary con artists, it is logical to believe that the core group of Disciples and Apostles would have kept the relics associated with the Christ, after his Ascention as new believers would look upon more than words in the second generation of Luke and Mark's ministries.
First as stated such things were expensive to manufacture, as most people had only one set of clothing and nails were high technology in the effort to mine ore, smelt it and then change it by blacksmith fire to an implement for human use.
Burial clothes would be kept by the inner family of Jesus, perhaps Mary Magdalene in being his step mother as she was the wife of Joseph of Aramathea who buried Jesus.
Spikes would logically be kept by a Roman Centurion in awe of the says events and in tradition a convert to Christianity.
One can deduct if this is a Christ crucifixion spike, it was driven into one of the wrists, because in driving through the feet, bones were often enough struck bending the spike, which makes one cringe at how tortuous that event would build upon in scourging, beating, deprived of sleep all night, mocked, made to carry a wooden cross and deprived of nourishment. Death would be a welcome situation, but all of the torture would just be beginning.
Understand that one does not die from blood loss in crucifixion, but the human body is not designed to be hung for hours and that is what brings death through a form of suffocation.
As one hangs and the muscles relax, breathing becomes impossible and one has to stand on the nail pounded into the feet which is further torture. As one wears oneself out, one simply suffocates.
That is why when Jesus gave up His Life, Pontius Pilate was surprised and a spear was stuck into his vitals to confirm death.
In most cases to hasten death as the shine of public execution wore off on tiring crowds, the legs were broken and suffocation ensued.
In noting this would logically be a wrist spike, one can note that the spike was in all probability nailed into the Christ facing him due to the curve of the lower part of the shaft. We conclude this because when the spike was pulled from the Corpse, it would not be pulled on the hand nor the arm, but a block was utilized for leverage as the nail was straight.
This reveals either experience in removing nails from a cross and possibly the fact that there was consideration from whoever removed the nail from the Body.
One can even conclude the depth of the spike by the curve in the nail, was not driven in by some zealous soldier who thrived on executions, but was doing the minumal job necessary and not sinking to depths.
The nailer was not that comfortable in the work and not a sadist.
One can even suggest logically that the nail was pulled from the top, as the bottom would be "greasy" from blood flow and a block would slip on being leveraged against.
Given the opportunity to exam the hammer blow marks, one could ascertain if the blows were driven by a right or left handed person, and even in that subtlety one could detect a slight inclination of the strikes to conclude if this spike was in the right or left wrist, because in natural forensic psychology the nailer would slant the nail away from the person being crucified.
One can imagine the silent awe of those who beheld and held this spike. How many times in trouble they would hold it in desperate prayers. The vibrations imprinted on it would be some of the deepest humans would express.
An inner treasure so personal, that neither Church nor state would be afforded this relic. A respect so deep in the individual or individuals who buried the three Knights, that none kept the nail with the owner dead, and in such duty, honor and chivalry, that none ever spoke that this icon was buried where it was.
That is secrecy born of something extraordinary in God only the faithful would exhibit and carry out.
In noting the above psychological, physical, archaeological and historical evidence, this would appear to be a nail used to crucify the Christ.
How extraordinary to look upon it. Faith is what one believes in.
agtG 327
(Personal note to self: Is is possible the nailer would still even in passing to the afterlife be so ashamed of the act that he would still generate such an imprint to note he was not enthused over his part in the driving of nails into Who He would consider an innocent, that his story would be deemed necessary to be told yet?)
The nail of Christ
