A Doctor at Calvary: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ As Described by a Surgeon by Barbet Dr. Pierre

Author:Barbet, Dr. Pierre [Barbet, Dr. Pierre]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Papamoa Press
Published: 2018-02-26T16:00:00+00:00

I would add to this that the exact localisation of these stigmata is not always the same, but it varies throughout the whole extent of the metacarpal zone, as far as being very near to the wrists. We should come to the conclusion that the stigmatists can give us no information either as to the position or the form of the wounds of the crucifixion. (See also p. 129, the wound in the heart.)

Furthermore, that is the opinion of the stigmatists themselves; their wounds have only a mystical value for them. I will only quote one, Theresa Neumann, whose supernatural manifestations seem to be nowadays well confirmed by the proper authorities. Theresa has said to one of her friends: “Do not think that Our Saviour was nailed in the hands, where I have my stigmata. These marks only have a mystical meaning. Jesus must have been fixed more firmly on the cross.”

And as we are dealing with the mystics, may I, with all the desirable reserve and with the greatest reverence, recall this revelation of the Blessed Virgin to St. Brigit (Bk. I, c.10): “My Son’s hands were pierced at the spot where the bone was most solid—Perforatӕ fuerunt Filio meo manus in ea parte, in quo os solidius erat. ”

To conclude: without wishing to discuss the bodily mechanism of the miracle, which we are indeed scarcely in a position to do (for I firmly believe that these stigmata have a preternatural cause), it is permissible to believe that the impression was usually made at the spot where the stigmatists believed that Our Saviour received His wounds. This would appear to be necessary and providential, so that the stigmatist should not be bewildered at these manifestations and so that they should retain their mystical meaning for his soul. And let us also own that we understand nothing about this mystery. If, for example, such an ordeal was imposed on me, I think that the stigma would be perhaps...not in the wrists, but in the palms of the hands, just in order to teach me humility!

In any case, the sacred texts, to which we must give our complete submission, are not so explicit. They do not speak of the palms, but of the hands. It is for anatomists to say what is meant by the word hand. Those of every age and every country are agreed on this point: the hand consists of the wrist, the metacarpus and the fingers.

Now, the wound we are studying is easy to see on the shroud; the two hands are crossed—the right is extended as far as the outer edge of the upper part of the right thigh; the left passes in front of the right wrist, which it conceals completely, and goes a much shorter distance beyond the mesial line. This would suggest that the right shoulder is lower than the left, and this can be verified better on the dorsal image.

In passing, let us remember that the wrist is an area whose boundaries

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