Page 62 - Bible Doctrine Survey I (3)

All four gospels declare that Jesus gave up His life and died. In fact, John 19:31-35 records that he died
even earlier than expected, probably as a result of the awful scourging He endured. The Jews wanted
the bodies to be removed before the Passover began at 6:00 PM, the Roman soldiers came and broke
the legs of those crucified which asphyxiates the victim almost immediately. When the soldiers came to
Jesus he was already dead so they chose NOT to break His legs. To validate His death, a Roman soldier
rammed a spear in His side, piercing His heart. The fact that there was a sudden flow of blood and
water didn't just prove that he was dead but even tells anatomists how he had died - rupture of
the heart.

In Mark 15:42-46 we read that, when Joseph of Arimathea came and asked for the body of Jesus, Pilate
was quite surprised that he was already dead. He asked the centurion if that was so and the centurion
confirmed it. The Roman centurion who was an expert in killing people validated His death.

Joseph and Nicodemus removed Jesus’ body from the cross and had to quickly anoint His body with
burial spices and placed Him in Joseph’s tomb.

The religious leaders responsible for Jesus’ death and crucifixion knew that Jesus has foretold that after
three days, He would come alive again. So to prevent Him from doing so, or from His disciples stealing
His body and claiming that He had raised from the dead, asked Pilate for a Roman guard to be stationed
at the tomb. Pilate ordered three things to be done to prevent the resurrection or possible disturbance
to the tomb:

1. A large stone was rolled over the entrance of the tomb. The
entrance to Jewish tombs was low, probably around 5’ (the disciples had
to stoop down to enter). That would mean that the stone covering the
tomb would be probably 5 to 6 feet in diameter and at least 2 inches
thick or more. Depending on the type of stone used, if it was granite, it
would weight in between one and two tons (between 2000 to 4000
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lbs.). A single person could not move the stone, as it would take at
least two to three men to roll it into place.

Generally speaking, the rolling stone was set inside a groove in front of the entrance, and secured from
falling over by a stone wall that stood in front of tomb opening (the rolling stone was sandwiched
between the tomb entrance and stone wall as the pictures below illustrate). Often, the groove was not
level, but slightly sloped. To close the tomb, the stone would be rolled down the groove at a decline and
come to rest in front of the entrance. To open the tomb, the stone would have to be rolled up the
groove at an incline, requiring more manpower to move it. Certainly, a couple of women could not
move the stone.

2. The Roman Seal was place over the tomb. The seal was a sign of authentication that the tomb was
occupied, and the power and authority of Rome stood behind the seal. Anyone found breaking the
Roman seal would suffer the punishment of an unpleasant and immediate death. The Roman seal was a
soft, moldable substance, probably clay, and was imprinted with the Roman imperial seal and attached
to the stone with a rope. Should the stone be moved, the rope would break the seal.

38 https://theosophical.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/the-size-of-the-stone-covering-jesus%E2%80%99-tomb-2/

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