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In order to validate this convoluted sophistry, one must believe that Jesus of Nazareth was actually dead when he was place in the tomb. There ought to be an equally tortuous body of thought regrading that, though I, not being scolarly in this regard, have never read one. How is it that the legend of the Roman Soldier and the removal from the cross is not discussed to this extent; that Jesus' body was given up to the woman, by the guard, prior to his actual death?

The best discussion I have read on this theory; "The fainting theory" was from The Case For Christ. Simply put, there is no way that Y'shua of Nazareth was pulled off of the execution stake at Golgotha alive.

The account was reviewed by a Medical Examiner who traced through the trauma inflicted on the person of Jesus. From the beard pulling, beating, being struck with a Roman "flagellum" 39 times, being marched across Jerusalem and back three seperate times, and going without water or food for 18 hours prior to being even nailed on the cross, the conclusion reached is that Christ was in critical condition before even being nailed on the cross.

The crucifiction account itself has no historical flaws. The thieves needed to have their legs broken (to hasten death by suffocation) because they were not bleeding from a massive back trauma and in Hypovolemic Shock. The "Blood and Water" reference in John's account is consistent with Pulmonary Edema, brought on by Hypovolemic Shock and the Carbonic Acid buidup from being unable to properly exhale.

Finally, understand that the Romans that actually did the execution were well schooled in what dead people looked like, and that the usual penalty for a botched execution was replacing the intended victim with your incompetent self. The Romans would have made sure that Jesus was dead; hence the coup de gras administered with a spear driven into the heart.

He was dead alright. See the Case for Christ by Lee Strobel for additional (gory) details...

There ought to be an equally tortuous body of thought regrading that, though I, not being scolarly in this regard, have never read one.

Here is a detailed medical discussion of the crucifixion, and it gives some pretty good reasons why Jesus would indeed have been dead on the cross.

As for the "giving up the body to the women" part -- I believe it was the generally duty of women to prepare the body; indeed, to prepare the body is precisely why the women returned to the tomb on the third day, only to find Him gone.

In order to validate this convoluted sophistry, one must believe that Jesus of Nazareth was actually dead when he was place in the tomb. There ought to be an equally tortuous body of thought regrading that, though I, not being scolarly in this regard, have never read one. How is it that the legend of the Roman Soldier and the removal from the cross is not discussed to this extent; that Jesus' body was given up to the woman, by the guard, prior to his actual death?

Calling an argument names is an easy way to avoid respoinding to its particulars.

The author has already addressed the "Jesus was never dead" argument reasonably well. I have read better, but it isn't a matter of the facts anyway.

John 3:17-19 (NIV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Shalom.