Endnote 12 – What Did Jesus’ Tomb Look Like?

Tzaferis, “Crucifixion—the Archaeological Evidence,” p. 50; my emphasis. In their reexamination of this skeleton, Zias and Sekeles, “The Crucified Man from Giv’at ha-Mivtar,” p. 24, found no evidence for amputation, but confirmed that the nail could not be removed from the heel bone because it was bent: “Once the body was removed from the cross, albeit with some difficulty in removing the right leg, the condemned man’s family would now find it impossible to remove the bent nail without completely destroying the heel bone” (p. 27).