Were Jesus’ hands tied on the way to Calvary?

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Was Jesus tied to the patibulum on the way to Calvary?

It is quite possible that Christ was tied to the patibulum or crossbar of his Cross, but the Catholic Church has no official stance on this subject. The Church has no traditions of such things being done to Jesus during his Passion.

Some might say that victims to be crucified were so weak after their scourging that there would be no reason to tie the condemned to their patibulums.

Some Catholic sources claim that yes victims were indeed tied to their crossbar, but the Church has no official pronouncements on it.

What was a typical crucifixion like?

After the flogging, the victim would carry his own cross bar (called a patibulum) from the flogging area inside the city to the crucifixion area outside of the city walls. The crucifixion area was always outside the city, because the process was horrible and disturbing to citizens.

The upright part of the cross (the stipe) was permanently mounted in the crucifixion area. The part that the victim carried was the cross bar, weighing in at 75 to 125 pounds. The cross bar would be balanced on the victims shoulders, and their arms would be tied to the crossbar. In this position, if the victim tripped or fell, they could not use their arms to break their fall, and they would likely fall face first into the ground.

The victim was escorted by a Roman guard (probably a centurion and several soldiers), who were responsible for guarding the victim until his death. One of the soldiers would display a sign with the crime written on it.

What was a typical crucifixion like?

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