I read Borromeo’s Sacred Painting and Museum over the weekend, and I found the following quote interesting:
Some have thought that the Savior was not nailed through the palms of the hands but through the wrists, for otherwise they could not have supported his weight. Nevertheless, the common custom and tradition of the Catholic Church must be maintained, and nothing new should be introduced. After all, the Gospel says that Christ showed his pierced hands and his pierced side.
Federico Borromeo, “Sacred Museum” in Sacred Painting /Museum. ed. and trans. Kenneth S. Rothwell Jr (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010), 79.
Borromeo’s “Sacred Painting” was written in 1624. I know how popular it is to point out that Christ’s hands could not have held up him on the cross. I also know that many people think this is a recent discovery. As we can tell, this debate actually is not that new. I do not think any full analysis can ever be made, because the Gospels do not include all the information we need to figure out exactly the way Christ was crucified. I do think it is possible the nails were put through his hands. The use of ropes in crucifixion might have made the nails superfluous for holding Christ up and used merely to increase Christ’s pain. While we will never know, I myself tend to follow tradition when such questions arise, as long as I can find justification for it. What are your thoughts on this?
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