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Answer: Scourging appears to have been a customary preliminary
administered to those about to be crucified. The condemned,
usually stripped naked, was beaten and mocked all the
way to the execution site. Yet, at most, Jesus underwent
a superficial scourging. According to Mark 15:20 and
Matthew 27:31 the Roman soldiers "put his own outer
garments on him" before he was led to the place of execution.
New Testament confirmation that Jesus' scourging was
mild (if it occurred at all) is found in this claim
that he was given his own clothes to wear to the execution.
On arrival at the execution site the clothes he wore,
both his outer garments and his inner garment, were
not bloodstained and torn by the whiplash of the blows
struck as the condemned marched to his execution. If
his clothes were blood-soaked and torn they would have
been of no value to the soldiers. The author of John
writes:
The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified
Jesus, took his outer garments [imatia] and made four
parts to every soldier and also the inner garment [khitona];
now the inner garment was seamless, woven in one piece.
They said therefore to one another, "Let us not tear
it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be;"
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "They divided
my outer garments among them, and for my clothing they
cast lots." (John 19:23-24; see also Matthew 27:35,
Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34)
If Jesus wore clothing on a scourged ripped-raw body
the clothing removed from him would be shredded and
soaked in blood. For what purpose would the soldiers
divide up such bloodied and torn clothing? The presumption
must be that the clothing he wore to the execution site
were in good, usable condition. It follows that Jesus'
physical condition was not greatly altered by what the
evangelists call a "scourging." Furthermore, the Gospels
make no mention of scourging taking place at the site
of the crucifixion. To take the New Testament's description
of Jesus final hours at their word one would have to
assume that a scourging was not inflicted upon Jesus.
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