Not demonstratedNo reliable evidence establishes it; yet not every scenario can be ruled out.
The idea of a 're-enactment of the Passion' comes from Thomas's hagiographic narrative, which models William's death on Christ's. Nothing outside this narrative attests it.
Assessment
Evidence for
- +Thomas's narrative describes wounds that he interprets as an imitation of the Passion.
Evidence against
- −The Passion model is a standard device of hagiography: it serves to turn a dead person into a martyr.
- −According to M. R. James, the ritual dimension only appears after Theobald's statements.
Limits of the sources
- !The state of the body is known only from Thomas's description, several years later.
Reasoning
The crucifixion motif is the author's interpretation, built for a cult. It rests on no independent observation.
- Confidence
- High
- Last reviewed
- 9 November 2026
Assessment history (1)
9 November 2026Not demonstrated
First published assessment (dossier version 1).