Talmud for Sanhedrin 7:2

מִצְוַת הַנִּשְׂרָפִין, הָיוּ מְשַׁקְּעִין אוֹתוֹ בַזֶּבֶל עַד אַרְכֻּבּוֹתָיו וְנוֹתְנִין סוּדָר קָשָׁה לְתוֹךְ הָרַכָּה וְכוֹרֵךְ עַל צַוָּארוֹ. זֶה מוֹשֵׁךְ אֶצְלוֹ וְזֶה מוֹשֵׁךְ אֶצְלוֹ עַד שֶׁפּוֹתֵחַ אֶת פִּיו, וּמַדְלִיק אֶת הַפְּתִילָה וְזוֹרְקָהּ לְתוֹךְ פִּיו וְיוֹרֶדֶת לְתוֹךְ מֵעָיו וְחוֹמֶרֶת אֶת בְּנֵי מֵעָיו. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אַף הוּא אִם מֵת בְּיָדָם לֹא הָיוּ מְקַיְּמִין בּוֹ מִצְוַת שְׂרֵפָה, אֶלָּא פוֹתְחִין אֶת פִּיו בִּצְבָת שֶׁלֹּא בְטוֹבָתוֹ וּמַדְלִיק אֶת הַפְּתִילָה וְזוֹרְקָהּ לְתוֹךְ פִּיו וְיוֹרֶדֶת לְתוֹךְ מֵעָיו וְחוֹמֶרֶת אֶת בְּנֵי מֵעָיו. אָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן צָדוֹק, מַעֲשֶׂה בְּבַת כֹּהֵן אַחַת שֶׁזִּנְּתָה, וְהִקִּיפוּהָ חֲבִילֵי זְמוֹרוֹת וּשְׂרָפוּהָ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה בֵית דִּין שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה בָּקִי:

Execution by burning: They would steep him in refuse until his thighs [so that he not turn back and forth and the brand fall on his flesh.] They would place a hard cloth into a soft one and tie it around his throat, [the hard one to choke him; the soft one, to shield.] One would pull on one end; another, on the other, until he opened his mouth. Then he (another) would take the [leaden] brand and drop it into his mouth. It would descend to his innards and burn out (chomereth) his intestines, [as in (Eichah 2:11): "My intestines have been burned out" (chamarmaru). This is derived from the death of the sons of Aaron, viz. (Leviticus 10:6): "And let your brothers, the entire house of Israel, bewail the burning which the L rd has burned," where their bodies were not burned, viz. (Ibid. 5): "And they drew near and they carried them in their tunics." Here, too, the mitzvah of burning is satisfied even though their innards alone are burned. And this (form of burning) is preferred, it being written (Leviticus 19:18): "And you shall love your neighbor as yourself" — Choose a humane death for him.] R. Yehudah says: But if he died by their hands [i.e., by strangulation, before the dropping of the brand], they would not have performed the mitzvah of burning! Rather, [they do not choke him, but] they force his mouth open with tongs, kindle a brand, and throw it into his mouth. [The halachah is not in accordance with R. Yehudah.] R. Elazar b. R. Tzaddok said: But once the daughter of a priest committed adultery and they encircled her with twigs and burned her alive! They answered: That beth-din was not versed in the law. [They were Sadducees, who do not expound identities (gezeirah shavah), but who interpret the verse literally.]

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