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Crown Of Thorns: Pictures

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Eulalia said:
If a 'crown of thorns' anything like the ones usually portrayed actually was used,
it would have caused profuse bleeding, and probably rapid death.
There are lots of blood vessels around the scalp and temples,
and any serious bleeding in that region is likely to be life-threatening.

We had a good discussion about this at
http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/the-holy-crown.3894/#post-130350
I think the suggestion that the crown used to mock Jesus
may have been of acanthus leaves is a good one.
They would have been painful, but not dangerous like acacia spines.
Click to expand...
The plant was always rumoured to be one of the buckthorns, the Rhamnaceae, and so was named Ziziphus spina-christi.

The fruit is edible and it is quite common through the Middle East. The invasive variety we have in Australia has thorns though they are often quite short.
 
That's very interesting Pp - there's quite a lot about Z. spina-christi on the internet,
though it's not easy to find pics that show the thorns clearly -
judging by this one, they're pretty vicious and what I said above about the risk of fatal bleeding would apply:

9062553.jpg​

the fruits (aka jujube) have long been eaten - there were some in Tutankhamun's tomb!​
 
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Eulalia said:
That's very interesting Pp - there's quite a lot about Z. spina-christi on the internet,
though it's not easy to find pics that show the thorns clearly -
judging by this one, they're pretty vicious and what I said above about the risk of fatal bleeding would apply:

View attachment 201541​

the fruits (aka jujube) have long been eaten - there were some in Tutankhamun's tomb!​
Click to expand...
Much of what we have has actually been reclassified as Z. mauritiana usually referred to as Chinee Apple or Indian jujube. That species probably originated in India and SE Asia but it has long been naturalised from southern African, through the Middle East and right through Asia and China. Not sure if the red circle shows but the thorns can be very short.
Ziziphus_mauritiana_fruit_2.jpg
I have seen quite a lot of variation in the thorns in both species here and in trees in Oman where I worked in the early 1980's.
 
Doing a quick search on the subject, I found this interesting blog post:
http://naturesdesignsonline.com/crownofthorns.htm
He makes a good point. The crown seems to have been an impromptu joke by the soldiers. Jesus' flogging likely took place at the Fortress Antonia, adjacent to the Temple. It is unlikely there would have been any thorny bushes within the city.

Rose branches are very supple & could be easily woven into a crown. With leather gloves that is, not so easily bare handed. As a bonus, the thorns, while painful, are not long enough to cause sever damage & blood loss.

In any case, I think the crown was not a part of any formal punishment. The Gospels clearly state that the soldiers did it in order to mock Jesus claim as King of the Jews, along with putting a robe on him & giving him a stick for a "scepter". It is unlikely that it would ever be used in a regular crucifixion. After all , what would be the point? There is no mention of it in any other source & the two thieves with Jesus weren't similarly crowned.

The whole thing may have been made up anyway. The Gospel writers were big on symbolism. Later Christians associated it with the ram that God offered to Abraham to sacrifice instead of his son, Isaac.
"And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns." - Genesis 22: 13 (English Standard Version)
The ram was caught in a thicket - possible a thorn bush - by it's horns, that is, by branches around it's head. The parallel is God offering Jesus - the ram, or male lamb - as a substitute sacrifice for humanity.
 
mp5stab said:
Perhaps it mjght look like this, but a rouch more painful:

As an aside, isn't it bizzare that
pictures dislaying a women with a crown of thorns are disproportionately stock photos? What could be the reason for that?
Click to expand...

mp5stab

The Crown of Roses is your job?

Top Cat
 
mp5stab said:
"crown" of thorns, not "motorcycle crash helmet" of thorns.
Click to expand...

mp5stab

The executioner who made the crown of thorn, erred in size.

So when she was crowned, the crown went down to his chin.

She, the victim, liked and thought was more beautiful.

The executioner liked and I think the most beautiful victim.

Other members of the CF liked and found the most beautiful victim.

And most important

Top Cat liked, found beautiful and posted!

Top Cat
 
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