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Is it true that death by crucifixion takes place over a lengthy period of forty days on the cross? If so, how come our Lord Jesus Christ died in three hours?

The Persians were the first to practice crucifixion. Alexander the Great and his generals brought it to the Mediterranean world, Egypt and Carthage. The Romans learned the practice from the Carthaginians and rapidly developed a very high degree of efficiency and skill at it.

According to Roman custom, scourging always preceded the penalty of crucifixion; after this preliminary punishment, the condemned person had to carry the cross, or at least the transverse beam of it, to the place of execution, exposed to the insults of the people. On arrival at the place of execution, the cross was uplifted. The sufferer was bound to it with cords. He was then, fastened with four nails to the wood of the cross. Finally, a placard bearing the name of the condemned man and his sentence was placed at the top of the cross. It often happened that the condemned man did not die of hunger or thirst, but lingered on the cross for several days (three or more). To shorten his punishment therefore, and lessen his terrible sufferings, his legs were broken. The breaking of the leg bones prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; thus the tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest and rapid suffocation occurred. This custom, exceptional among the Romans, was common with the Jews. In this way, it was possible to take down the corpse on the very evening of the execution. Among the Romans, on the contrary, the corpse could not be taken down, unless such removal had been specially authorized in the sentence of death. The corpse might also be buried if the sentence permitted; otherwise it was left as prey for vultures and other voracious birds.

In the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, His death on the cross was relatively quickly without the breaking of His bones. His crucifixion was the last step in a long series of afflictions. After His arrest in the middle of the night, He was brought before the Sanhedrin and Caiphus, where trauma was inflicted. He was struck across the face, was blind-folded, mocked, and spat upon. In the early morning, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted from a sleepless night, He was taken to Pontius Pilate who sent him to Herod, then was returned to Pilate who condemned Him to scourging and crucifixion. Our Lord withstood thirty-nine lashes inflicted upon Him with a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near each end.. There was copious bleeding from the lashes and later from the crown of thorns pressed into His scalp, which is one of the most vascular areas of the body. Then our Lord was nailed on the cross causing more bleeding. Hanging by His arms caused tension on the chest's muscles. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Finally, carbon dioxide built up in the lungs and in the blood stream. He became totally dehydrated as we see Him asking to drink "I thirst" and then He breathed His last saying, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."

The punishment of the cross remained in force throughout the Roman Empire until the first half of the fourth century. In the early part of his reign, Constantine continued to inflict the penalty of the cross on slaves guilty of denouncing their masters. Later on, he abolished this infamous punishment, in memory and in honor of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.