Christ’s Wounds

In testifying to the faithfulness of Sir Gawain, saying, “all his trust upon earth was in the five wounds that Christ bare on the cross,” the author alludes to the crucifixion of Christ, and the details of Christ’s wounds, as found in JOHN 19:34 and JOHN 20:27. These verses reveal that His side was pierced with the spear of a Roman soldier, in addition to being crucified, which is stated in all four of the Gospel accounts (MATTHEW 27:35; MARK 15:24; LUKE 23:33; JOHN 19:18). Roman crucifixion was accomplished by fixing a person’s hands or wrists to the crossbeam with nails, along with the feet. This process created four wounds, one in each hand and in each foot. Christ, then, suffered a total of five piercing wounds.