Flaying was a method of execution designed to be as slow and agonizing as possible. The executioners would make small incisions—usually around the head or feet—and then slowly peel the skin away from the muscle while the victim was still breathing. Legend says that Bartholomew remained so miraculously composed that he continued to preach the Gospel to the horrified onlookers even as his nerves were exposed to the open air. To ensure he finally died, the Romans eventually beheaded him once the sk