The Cross and the Shroud: A Medical Inquiry Into the Crucifixion

I read this book because I was interested in finding out the physiological cause of Christ's death. Dr. Zugibe gives a very viable explanation but in addition gives a sensitive and vivid account of the last events of Christ's life. I found it profoundly moving to realize the breadth and profundity of Christ's suffering. Suffering which he entered into willingly! At one point the author (speaking as a forensic pathologist) notes, (given the tremendous blood loss, exhaustion, pain from the crown of thorns, etc.) that Jesus' surviving to be nailed to a cross was "an act of sheer will power." This is the loving Lord of all, who would will himself to suffer for the sins of the world. The material on the Shroud was also intriguing and the illustrations work well to support Zugibe's entire thesis.