There are two common misunderstandings concerning the wounds in Christ’s hands.
First, in artwork, statues, and crucifixes the wounds in Christ’s hands are often depicted as being in the middle of the palm of the hand. A number of anatomists and medical experts have disputed this idea because a nail set through the middle of the palm of a hand would not be sufficient to hold most of the weight of an adult male on a cross. The victim of crucifixion would be struggling in pain, and as a result, the nail would tear through the ligaments and tendons in the hand. Therefore, it is unlikely that Christ was crucified through the middle of the palm of the hand.
Second, some artwork, statues, and crucifixes place the nails through the distal end of the forearm (where one would wear a wrist watch). This placement would seem to hold the weight of an adult male, since it is surrounded by bone (the ulna and radius bones of the forearm and the carpal bones). The problem here is that traditionally the nail marks in Christ’s hands have been in the hand, not at the wrist or forearm.
In Sacred Scripture, after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Christ shows his hands to the Apostles. The nail marks are in his hands, not his wrist or forearm.
“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands….’ ” (John 20:27).
“ ‘See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself….’ And when he had said this he showed them his hands and his feet.” (Luke 24:39-40).
Some sources of private revelation also support the idea that the nail marks were in the hand, not the wrist or forearm. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich was shown visions from God of Christ’s Crucifixion. She describes Christ being nailed through the palm of the hand, but does not say what part of the palm (The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, TAN Books and Publishers, p. 271).
Saint Bridget of Sweden also received visions of the Crucifixion. She is more specific. She states: “they transfixed His hand in the part where the bone was firmest.” (Revelations to St. Bridget, TAN Books and Publishers, p. 45). The part of the hand where the bones are the firmest is the heel of the hand.
The heel of the hand contains all 8 carpal bones, which are the wrist bones. However, the location commonly called the wrist, where one wears a wrist watch, is not the anatomical wrist; a wrist watch is worn at the distal end of the forearm. The anatomical wrist, containing the carpal or wrist bones, is in the heel of the palm of the hand.
Many people think that the wounds in Christ’s hands must have been made in His wrists, that is, in the location most people call the wrist, where one might wear a wristwatch. This is a widespread misunderstanding. All 8 bones of the wrist (the carpal bones) are located in the heel of the hand, at the part of the palm of the hand closest to the forearm. When medical experts claim that the nails of Christ’s Crucifixion must have been driven through His wrists, they mean the anatomical wrist in the heel of the hand.
This explains why some persons mistakenly think that the nail marks were located at the distal end of the forearm. They knew that some medical experts believed the nail marks were in the wrist, but they did not realize that the anatomical wrist is in the heel of the hand. So various persons have made artwork and crucifixes with the nail marks in the wrong location.
An analysis of the Shroud of Turin, which many believe to be the actual burial shroud of Jesus Christ, shows a blood print in the location of the bones of the anatomical wrist.
The wounds of the crucifixion itself are seen in the blood flows from the wrists and feet. One of the most interesting features of the Shroud is that the nail wounds are in the wrists, not in the palm as traditionally depicted in art. Experimenting with cadavers and amputated arms, Barbet (1953:102-20) demonstrated that nailing at the point indicated on the Shroud image, the so-called space of Destot between the bones of the wrist, allowed the body weight to be supported, where-as the palm would tear away from the nail under a fraction of the body weight. Sava (1957:440) holds that the wrist bones and tendons would be severely damaged by nailing and that the Shroud figure was nailed through the wrist end of the forearm, but most medical opinion concurs in siting the nailing at the wrist. Barbet also observed that the median nerve was invariably injured by the nail, causing the thumb to retract into the palm. Neither thumb is visible on the Shroud, their position in the palm presumably being retained by rigor mortis.
(The Authentication of the Turin Shroud, http://www.shroud.com/meacham2.htm)
The placement of the nails in crucifixion, within the anatomical wrist, in the heel of the hand, was most likely in a specific spot, between the wrist bones, called the “space of Destot” (Barbet, Pierre. 1963. A Doctor at Calvary. New York: Image). This location would allow the nails to support the weight of an adult man because the ligaments which join the 8 wrist bones (carpal bones) are thicker and stronger than those which connect the bones of the palm (metacarpal bones). Furthermore, a nail placed through the space of Destot (between the wrist bones) would injure the median nerve and likely cause the thumb to turn inward, as on the Shroud of Turin.
Some artists have depicted the nails of Christ’s Crucifixion as being placed in what is commonly called the wrist. These depictions are the result of a misunderstanding. The space of Destot, where most medical experts claim that the nails were placed, is located between the first and second row of wrist bones (carpal bones) in the heel of the hand (Lamberto Schiatti, The Shroud, A Guide to the Reading of an Image Full of Mystery, Alba House). Most artwork and most crucifixes incorrectly place the wounds in Christ’s hands in either the middle of the palm or in what is commonly called the wrist. The correct location of the wounds in Christ’s hands was most likely in the anatomical wrist, which is in the heel of the hand.
But some experts, most notably Dr. Frederick Zugibe, have said that a nail through the space of Destot would not injure the median nerve, causing the thumbs to rotate inward. The reason given is that the median nerve passes through the middle of the anatomical wrist, but closer to the thumb side of the hand, whereas the space of Destot is in the middle of the anatomical wrist, but closer to the little finger side of the hand.
(Pierre Barbet Revisited, Frederick T. Zugibe, M.D., Ph.D.,
http://www.shroud.com/zugibe.htm)
To the contrary, the nails used in crucifixion were large, thick, and rough (unlike the nails of today). And the space of Destot is not a large space, but more of a potential space. When a nail was driven through the space of Destot, it would necessarily have had to push aside the bones around it. Since these carpal (wrist) bones are tightly bound by ligaments and fascia, the pressure on the median nerve would be severe. (This effect would be like an extreme case of carpal tunnel syndrome.) Furthermore, since the carpal bones would be pushed against the median nerve itself, these could damage the nerve from physical trauma. So the nails themselves need not have directly cut or damaged the median nerve. Therefore, Barbet’s theory is still tenable, and even likely.
Dr. Frederick Zugibe also notes that the nail marks on the Shroud of Turin are closer to the thumb side of the hand, than they are to the little finger side (where the space of Destot is located). However, he himself notes that the nail marks are on the back of the hand and so are less revealing about the exact location through the front of the hand. Furthermore, the marks on the hand of the Shroud are in almost a direct line from the middle of the four fingers of the hand (between the middle and ring fingers), but somewhat closer to the little finger.
The space of Destot is at this same location, almost on a direct line drawn with two fingers on each side of the line pointing toward the carpal bones, but closer to the little finger side. By comparison, the space favored by Dr. Zugibe (called the “Z” area) is in a direct line from between the index finger and the middle finger. Dr. Zugibe’s claim that the Shroud nail marks are closer to the thumb side does not appear to be true.
We cannot be absolutely certain of the specific location of the nail marks in Christ’s hand, because infallible Sacred Scripture is not specific, other than to say that the nail marks were in His hands. Also, the Romans may have used different methods of crucifixion in different places, and these methods may have changed over time.
In conclusion, the most likely place for the crucifixion nails in the hands of Jesus Christ was in the heel (anatomical wrist) of the palm of the hand. The space of Destot is, specifically, the more likely location within the heel of the hand. The middle of the palm of the hand is unlikely, as is the distal end of the forearm, yet both of these locations are fairly common in modern depictions of the Crucifixion.
An alternative point of view on this question.
by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
revised March 16, 2006
