What Christ Suffered: A Doctor's Journey Through the Passion

What Christ suffered during his Passion -- for you -- is a powerful source of reflection and meditation.

While we know Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem around AD 33, the details have been confused and obscured over the past two millennia. In this revised and expanded edition of What Christ Suffered, Dr. Thomas W. McGovern provides the most accurate, up-to-date understanding of the sufferings of Jesus Christ, using ancient Greek and Latin literature about crucifixion, discoveries of ancient images, archaeology, medical reenactment studies, and medical case reports. In addition, drawing on the teachings of Pope Saint John Paul II in Salvifici Doloris and the author's own experience with suffering, this book offers practical ways to respond to suffering, both our own and that of others.

This medical investigation of the Passion allows readers to enter more fully than ever into the reality of what Jesus suffered for our redemption. His Passion really comes alive and has the potential to heal us when we come to know him more deeply in our own sufferings. By his sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus has won salvation for the whole world, redeeming even our sufferings through his incredible act of love.

Paperback

421 Pages

January 2026

Our Sunday Visitor

ISBN: 9781639663477