Replies

I've seldom seen a documentary about Jesus or anything pertaining to him or his teachings that I felt was "accurate." I'm no theologian, but I do know that some concepts have stretched credibility too far. You can "feel" it when it's wrong.

There are degrees of accuracy. Let me give you an example to help make the distinction between feeling something is wrong and knowing it is wrong:

One of the most popular alternative theories currently to explain the resurrection of Jesus is swoon theory--the idea that Jesus didn't really die on the cross. In point of fact, swoon theory is over one-hundred years old, so the idea isn't exactly new. It is still held to by some, though not for intellectual reasons. In true ironic fashion, the theory did not die.

A recent twist on swoon theory comes from an author in Britain. She notes that mandrake, a plant which can be used as an anaesthetic, grows in Palestine. It would have been available for use by the Romans of Jesus's day. In fact, half a dozen Greek and Roman writers make mention of its medical use from about 200 B.C. to 200 A.D. The mandrake root would have been mixed with vinegar as a solution. Hmm, vinegar...Sounds familiar, doesn't it? John, in his record of Jesus's last acts, says this:

"Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.' A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:28-31, NIV)

Uh oh. Things look bad for the Resurrection--or do they?...

...Now, let's shoot some wide holes into a theory that already has enormous truth gaps. The mandrake root, or Mandagora, does have an anaesthetic effect--but that's not all. Mandrake is also an emetic. It induces vomitting and diarrhea in improper doses, which can last for several hours. If Jesus ingested enough mandrake-vinegar solution to render him unconscious for six or seven hours, let's just say that people would have seen some rather unpleasant things.

There is also the serious risk of someone choking on their own vomit in an unconscious state. This is especially relevant because the Jews, like many other cultures, buried their dead lying face up. Jesus was prepared, wrapped, and put into the tomb within the course of a few hours. Of course, this is all assuming that the unusually large dose that produced instant unconsciousness wasn't lethal, as mandrake can be.

To spend this much time pointing out the flaws in mandrake-induced swoon theory is kind of silly. For one, you have to ignore John's record of a spear being thrust into Jesus's side, directly under the heart, producing an outflow of water and blood.

Second, the swoon theorist has to overlook the fact that Scripture has Jesus arrested on Thursday night, probably between 9 and 11 p.m. From the time he was arrested in Gethsemane to the time of his death, there is no record of him eating or drinking, other than the vinegar soaked sponge. To put it clearly, Jesus would have gone without food or water for approximately 16-18 hours. Not that big of a deal. The body's ability to maintain homeostasis is phenomenal, but that is overlooking the events that occured in those 16 to 18 hours...