Jehohanan
Encyclopedia
Jehohanan was a man put to death by crucifixion
in the 1st century CE, whose ossuary
was found in 1968 when building contractors working in Giv'at ha-Mivtar
, a Jewish neighborhood in northern East Jerusalem
, Israel
, accidentally uncovered a Jewish tomb. The Jewish stone ossuary
had the Hebrew inscription "Jehohanan the son of Hagkol". In his initial anthropological observations in 1970 at Hebrew University, Nicu Haas, concluded Jehohanan was crucified with his arms stretched out with his forearms nailed, supporting crucifixion
on a two-beamed Latin cross
.Joe Zias, Crucifixion in Antiquity - The Evidence However, the 1985 reappraisal by Joseph Zias of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums
and Dr. Eliezer Sekeles at the Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical School
discovered multiple errors in Haas's observations: the heel nail was shorter than Haas reported and the nail pierced only one heel, pieces of bone had been misidentified and some of the bone fragments were from another individual, the lack of traumatic injury to the forearm
and metacarpals of the hand suggested the arms were tied rather than nailed to the cross and Jehohanan may have extended his arms upward on a crux simplex (simple upright stake)."Crucifixion – The Archaeological Evidence," Biblical Archaeology Review, Vol. 11 (1985), pp. 44-53
Haas was unable to examine the remains any further because of serious health problems, and while his conclusions became widely accepted by the general public, several errors in his observations were later identified by Joseph Zias and Dr. Eliezer Sekeles at the Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical School
in their 1985 reappraisal.
, and Dr. Eliezer Sekeles, from the Hadassah Medical Center
, reexamined the crucifixion remains. They discovered that Haas' analysis was fraught with errors:
Zias and Sekeles also stated the presence of the scratch in one of the forearms "was not convincing" evidence of a nail-wound:
In conclusion, The findings of Zias and Sekeles do not indicate a horizontal patibulum cross-beam was attached to the victim's crucifixion device. Jehohanan may have very well extended his arms upward on a crux simplex (simple upright stake). The evidence was so ambiguous concerning the arms that Zias and Sekeles had to rely on the data provided by Classical writings to support their reconstruction of the position of the arms:
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
in the 1st century CE, whose ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
was found in 1968 when building contractors working in Giv'at ha-Mivtar
Givat HaMivtar
Givat HaMivtar is a Jewish neighborhood in northern Jerusalem established in 1970 between Ramat Eshkol and French Hill. It is located on a hill where an important battle took place in the Six Day War. Archaeological excavations have revealed important ancient Jewish tombs in the region...
, a Jewish neighborhood in northern East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, accidentally uncovered a Jewish tomb. The Jewish stone ossuary
Ossuary
An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
had the Hebrew inscription "Jehohanan the son of Hagkol". In his initial anthropological observations in 1970 at Hebrew University, Nicu Haas, concluded Jehohanan was crucified with his arms stretched out with his forearms nailed, supporting crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
on a two-beamed Latin cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
.Joe Zias, Crucifixion in Antiquity - The Evidence However, the 1985 reappraisal by Joseph Zias of the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums
Israel Antiquities Authority
The Israel Antiquities Authority is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservation, and promotes research...
and Dr. Eliezer Sekeles at the Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical School
Hadassah Medical Center
Hadassah Medical Center is a medical organization that operates two University hospitals at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, Israel, as well as schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacology affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.The hospital was founded by Hadassah,...
discovered multiple errors in Haas's observations: the heel nail was shorter than Haas reported and the nail pierced only one heel, pieces of bone had been misidentified and some of the bone fragments were from another individual, the lack of traumatic injury to the forearm
Forearm
-See also:*Forearm flexors*Forearm muscles...
and metacarpals of the hand suggested the arms were tied rather than nailed to the cross and Jehohanan may have extended his arms upward on a crux simplex (simple upright stake)."Crucifixion – The Archaeological Evidence," Biblical Archaeology Review, Vol. 11 (1985), pp. 44-53
Initial Observations, Haas, 1970
In his article "Anthropological Observations on the Skeletal Remains from Giv'at ha-Mivtar" published in the Israel Exploration Journal in 1970, Nicu Haas of the Department of Anatomy at Hebrew University, wrote of the remains of a man crucified:Haas was unable to examine the remains any further because of serious health problems, and while his conclusions became widely accepted by the general public, several errors in his observations were later identified by Joseph Zias and Dr. Eliezer Sekeles at the Hebrew University - Hadassah Medical School
Hadassah Medical Center
Hadassah Medical Center is a medical organization that operates two University hospitals at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, Israel, as well as schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacology affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.The hospital was founded by Hadassah,...
in their 1985 reappraisal.
Reappraisal, Zias & Sekeles, 1985
In 1985, Joseph Zias, curator of the Israel Department of Antiquities and MuseumsIsrael Antiquities Authority
The Israel Antiquities Authority is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservation, and promotes research...
, and Dr. Eliezer Sekeles, from the Hadassah Medical Center
Hadassah Medical Center
Hadassah Medical Center is a medical organization that operates two University hospitals at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, Israel, as well as schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacology affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.The hospital was founded by Hadassah,...
, reexamined the crucifixion remains. They discovered that Haas' analysis was fraught with errors:
Zias and Sekeles also stated the presence of the scratch in one of the forearms "was not convincing" evidence of a nail-wound:
In conclusion, The findings of Zias and Sekeles do not indicate a horizontal patibulum cross-beam was attached to the victim's crucifixion device. Jehohanan may have very well extended his arms upward on a crux simplex (simple upright stake). The evidence was so ambiguous concerning the arms that Zias and Sekeles had to rely on the data provided by Classical writings to support their reconstruction of the position of the arms: