Tag: Tacitus

Ancient Phenomenon Of Grip Lock In Battle

Throughout history, soldiers have been remembered for their courage and skill — but sometimes, a warrior stands out for their extreme endurance. In high stress situations, combatants have been known to grip their weapon so tightly that their fingers can’t release them— even after the danger is gone.

Dale Pollard

Throughout history, soldiers have been remembered for their courage and skill — but sometimes, a warrior stands out for their extreme endurance. In high stress situations, combatants have been known to grip their weapon so tightly that their fingers can’t release them— even after the danger is gone. This phenomenon is known as “grip lock” (or, in death, cadaveric spasm) and it appears in sources from the Biblical record to various other battle chronicles.

The Biblical Case of Eleazar 

One of the earliest recorded examples comes from 2 Samuel 23:9–10 (10th century BC). Eleazar, one of David’s “mighty men,” fought the Philistines long after the rest of the army had retreated. His effort was so great that “his hand clung to the sword” after the battle — an epic but physiologically accurate description of “sustained tetanic muscle contraction” from hours of exertion and an extreme adrenaline overload.

More Military Accounts 

Battle of Marathon (490 BC) – Herodotus records Athenian hoplites whose hands were “welded” to their spear shafts after the fight.

Battle of Cannae (216 BC) – Polybius describes Roman infantry unable to drop their shields or swords, even in retreat, with some death grips preserved in fallen soldiers.

Boudicca’s Revolt (AD 60–61) – Tacitus notes Briton warriors locked to their chariot rails or spears, requiring force to release them.

Battle of Stiklestad (AD 1030) – Norse sagas speak of hands “frozen to the sword like ice to iron.”

Physiology 

Modern science explains grip lock as a combination of:

Adrenaline surge – The sympathetic nervous system floods the body with epinephrine and norepinephrine, boosting muscle contraction power.

Full recruitment of fast-twitch fibers – Grip muscles in the forearm contract at maximal force, overriding fine motor control.

Loss of inhibitory signals – The brain suppresses “release” commands in favor of survival-driven holding or pulling actions.

Muscle fatigue and tetany – After prolonged strain, the muscles seize in a sustained contraction, sometimes lasting minutes or hours.

Eleazar’s hand that refused to let go eliminates any chasm between a myth and medical reality. The Bible is accurate down to the finest details and it teaches us more than just history; it shows us the future (Rev. 22, 1 Thess. 4.16-18, Matt. 24.42-44).

“…..but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead”

I Samuel 23:10

The Power Of The Resurrection (Part 3)

Carl Pollard

 Previously we have discussed the importance of knowing for certain that Jesus lived on this earth. The power of His resurrection begins with the hope of His birth. We are all in need of a Savior. Thankfully, 2,000 years ago God sent His Son to take on flesh. He willingly came and left an example for us to imitate. Secular historians all agree that Jesus of Nazareth really did exist. But there’s more to this that we need to study. He lived, oh yes, He LIVED. But we also need to understand that He Died. 

Scripture says that, in John 19:18, “There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.” Mark 15:39 adds, “When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

Scripture tells us that not only did Jesus live on earth, He was also put to death. John tells us that Jesus hung on a cross between two criminals. Mark records the response of a Roman centurion who saw the way Jesus died and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” 

God in flesh and blood hung on a cross for my sins, for the sins of the world. For me, having several biblical authors record the death of Jesus is more than enough proof. But let’s see what secular history has to say about His death. 

The Roman historian Tacitus said this in AD 117, “Their originator, Christ, has been executed in Tiberius’ reign, by Pontius Pilate.” Even Jesus’ worst enemies record His death. The Jewish Rabbis and Religious leaders wrote this in the Talmud, “Jesus of Nazareth was a transgressor in Israel who practiced magic, scorned the words of the wise, led the people astray, and said that he had not come to destroy the law but to add to it. He was hanged on Passover Eve for heresy and misleading the people.” 

The truth is, Jesus surely died for you and me. Scripture clearly teaches this, and so do many secular historians. For us to fully grasp the power of what comes next, we’ve got to believe that Jesus lived and that He died on a cross for you and me. 

Persecution And Hope (Part One)

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary III

Gary Pollard

Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56-120) wrote two secular historical works describing the reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, and Gabba, Otho, Vespasian, and Vitellius (Annals and Histories).
 
He was the son-in-law of Agricola, the Roman General responsible for Roman expansion throughout Europe, especially northern Britain. He was not a Christian by any means, but a patriotic Roman with a family heritage tied to its conquests.
 
In the following excerpt, Tacitus mentions Jesus (referred to as Christus) and details the persecution of early Christians. I have abbreviated some of the excerpt (ellipsis), given contextual explanation (brackets), and added emphasis (bolded text). The information in his writings is fascinating, but I found the following to be shareable.
 
“…The next thing was to seek means of propitiating the gods [because of the burning of Rome], and recourse was had to the Sibylline books… But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order.
 
Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition [of resurrection], thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome…
 
Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.
 
Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man’s cruelty, that they were being destroyed.”
 
Annals of Tacitus Book XV