It is widely believed that Jesus’ tomb was empty, skeptics and Christians alike, and Jesus’ dead body was not inside.
Where did Jesus’ corpse go?
Many answers other than resurrection were proposed. Let’s look at one of them: Jesus actually survived the crucifixion. He just walked out of the tomb. It is called the “Swoon Theory”.
Is it possible that Jesus actually was not dead on the cross, that he just fell unconscious on the cross and in the cool of the tomb, he regained his strength and got out of the tomb in the end? Some suggested that the drink Jesus received on the cross was a drug that simulated death, so that allowed him to fake through the Romans and be revived later.
Jesus should be dead before his body was taken down from the cross according to modern medical knowledge. An article titled “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ” published in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" discusses in depth the medical conditions of Jesus right before crucifixion and when he was on the cross. It describes in details how "crucifixion" and “flogging” was done by the Roman soldiers, and their medical impact on Jesus. It says “The physical and mental abuse meted out by the Jews and the Romans, as well as the lack of food, water, and sleep, also contributed to his generally weakened state. Therefore, even before the actual crucifixion, Jesus’ physical condition was at least serious and possibly critical”.
The article concludes that “it remains unsettled whether Jesus died of cardiac rupture or of cardiorespiratory failure…Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to his side was inflicted and supports the traditional view that the spear thrust between his right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured his death. Accordingly, interpretations based on the assumption that Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at odds with modern medical knowledge”.
Therefore, it is highly improbable that Jesus survived crucifixion according to our current medical knowledge. There is yet another argument that I found convincing against the Swoon Theory.
Suppose Jesus somehow miraculously survived crucifixion. After Jesus suffered that horrible abuse, with all the catastrophic blood loss and trauma, he would have looked so pitiful that the disciples could hardly hailed him as a conqueror of death, could they? The disciples would have felt sorry for him and tried to nurse him back to health. Can these disciples turn around and worship Him as the mighty God? It does not sound possible.
We can conclude with great confident that Jesus did not survive crucifixion.
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