This is the first part of a deep dive (about 4,000 words) covering the nails of the crucifixion. Part I examines the Biblical, extra-Biblical, and artistic evidence for Jesus being nailed to the Cross. Part II will cover the relics.
Was Jesus Nailed to the Cross?
It seems like an easy question to answer, but the Gospels are silent on this moment of the crucifixion.
If you look at the four Gospel accounts of the crucifixion itself, nowhere do they specify that Jesus was nailed to his cross. We have such specific images in our minds of this scene that this may come as a shock to some, but let’s look at the passages.
Mark: “And they crucify him” (15:24)
Matthew: “And when they had crucified him” (27:35)
Luke: “And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him” (23:33)
John: “There they crucified him” (19:18)
There are some interesting things to note about the way the evangelists handled the actual crucifixion. First, there is Mark’s use of the present tense, wh…