When exactly, on what day of the week, was they crucified? John says that Jesus was crucified on the eve of Easter, while other Evangelists say that Christ was crucified on Easter itself.

It is difficult to say on what day of the week Jesus was crucified. This is one of the tricky questions. There is no doubt that John is talking about Jesus Christ being crucified on the eve of Easter. It was also the day before Saturday.

"Since it was Friday, when the Jews were preparing for the Sabbath day, and the tomb was nearby, they put Jesus in it." (John 19:42)

The Jews had different sabbaths. It was Saturday - Sabbath Day and other "Saturdays" such as Easter. This is the first source of possible misunderstandings.

The question is: was it Saturday, Sabbath Day, Easter Saturday, or both. I believe that all the evidence tells us that Jesus Christ was crucified on the day before Easter. Matthew confirms this:

“All this happened on the day of preparation. The next day the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate. "(Matthew 27:62)

Some people interpret the words "preparation day" in such a way that it turns out that Jesus Christ was crucified on Thursday, not Friday. This is possible because Easter could fall on Friday. In this case, the crucifixion could fall on the day of preparation and on the day before Saturday (we are not talking about Saturday Saturday).

What day of the week Jesus Christ was crucified - Thursday or Friday for Christianity does not matter. What is important is the fact that He was crucified on the eve of Passover and that the Last Supper coincided with the Jewish holiday of Seder. I believe this is very clear and the biblical writers are united on this.

On which day of the week the crucifixion fell depends on the year in which Jesus Christ was killed. Now I'm in China and I'm writing from memory, so it was either AD 29 or AD 30. On the one hand, the day of the week and the year of the crucifixion are not essential for Christianity. Nevertheless, this time is important for Christianity, since a very strong symbolic (and real) relationship to Easter and the Feast of the First Fruits is important. All Evangelists agree that Jesus Christ was crucified on the eve of Easter, on the day of preparation.

By the way, I believe it was most likely Friday, but my assumptions are based on strong early church traditions. These traditions are rooted in the past. I also believe that Jesus Christ was crucified in AD 30.

Pass if you want to test your knowledge and fundamentals of Christianity.

The execution of the crucifixion was the most shameful, the most painful and most cruel. In those days, only the most notorious villains were executed with such a death: robbers, murderers, rebels and criminal slaves. The torment of the crucified man cannot be described. In addition to unbearable pain in all parts of the body and suffering, the crucified one experienced a terrible thirst and mortal mental anguish. Death was so slow that many suffered on crosses for several days. Even the executors of the execution - usually cruel people - could not calmly look at the suffering of the crucified. They prepared a drink, with which they tried to either quench their unbearable thirst, or by adding various substances to temporarily dull consciousness and relieve torment. According to Jewish law, one who was hanged on a tree was considered cursed. The leaders of the Jews wanted to dishonor Jesus Christ forever by condemning Him to such a death. When they brought Jesus Christ to Golgotha, the soldiers gave Him to drink sour wine mixed with bitter substances to relieve suffering. But the Lord, having tasted it, did not want to drink it. He did not want to use any means to relieve suffering. He took this suffering upon Himself voluntarily for the sins of people; therefore he wanted to carry them to the end.

When everything was ready, the soldiers crucified Jesus Christ. It was about noon, in Hebrew at 6 o'clock in the afternoon. When they crucified Him, He prayed for His tormentors, saying: "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing."

Two villains (robbers) were crucified next to Jesus Christ, one on the right and the other on the left of Him. This fulfilled the prediction of the prophet Isaiah, who said: "And he was numbered among the evildoers" (Isaiah 53, 12).

By order of Pilate, an inscription was nailed to the cross above the head of Jesus Christ, signifying His guilt. It was written in Hebrew, Greek and Roman: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," and many read it. Such an inscription did not like the enemies of Christ. Therefore, the chief priests came to Pilate and said: "Do not write: King of the Jews, but write that He said: I am the King of the Jews."

But Pilate replied, "What I wrote, I wrote."

Meanwhile, the soldiers who crucified Jesus Christ took His clothes and began to divide among themselves. They tore the outer garment into four parts, a part for each soldier. The chiton (underwear) was not sewn, but all woven from top to bottom. Then they said to each other: "We will not tear him apart, but let us cast lots for him, who will get it." And having cast lots, the soldiers sitting, guarded the place of execution. So, here, too, the ancient prophecy of King David came true: "They divided My garments among themselves, and they cast lots for My clothes" (Psalm 21, 19).

The enemies did not stop insulting Jesus Christ on the cross. They, passing by, cursed and, nodding their heads, said: "Eh! He who destroys the temple and builds it up in three days! Save Yourself. If You are the Son of God, descend from the cross."

Also, the chief priests, scribes, elders and Pharisees, mocking, said: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. ; let God now deliver Him, if He is pleasing to Him; for He said: I am God's Son. "

Following their example, the Gentile warriors, who sat at the crosses and watched the crucified, mockingly, said: "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself." Even one of the crucified robbers, who was on the left of the Savior, cursed Him and said: "If You are the Christ, save yourself and us."

Another robber, on the contrary, calmed him down and said: "Or are you not afraid of God when you yourself are condemned to the same (that is, to the same torment and death)? But we are justly condemned, because we have accepted what is worthy according to our deeds. , but He did nothing wrong. " Having said this, he turned to Jesus Christ with a prayer: "Remember me (remember me), Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom!"

The merciful Savior accepted the heartfelt repentance of this sinner, who had shown such a wondrous faith in Him, and answered the prudent thief: "Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

At the cross of the Savior stood His Mother, the Apostle John, Mary Magdalene and several other women who venerated Him. It is impossible to describe the grief of the Mother of God, who saw the intolerable torment of her Son!

Jesus Christ, seeing His Mother and John standing here, whom he especially loved, says to His Mother: "Woman, behold, Thy son." Then he says to John: "Behold, thy Mother." From that time on, John took the Mother of God to his home and took care of Her until the end of Her life. Meanwhile, during the suffering of the Savior, a great sign happened on Calvary. From the hour the Savior was crucified, that is, from the sixth hour (and according to our count, from the twelfth hour of the day), the sun darkened and darkness fell throughout the earth, and continued until the very death of the Savior. This extraordinary, universal darkness was noted by pagan historians: the Roman astronomer Phlegont, Fallus and Junius Africanus. The famous philosopher from Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite, was at this time in Egypt, in the city of Heliopolis; observing the sudden darkness, he said: "either the Creator suffers, or the world is being destroyed." Subsequently, Dionysius the Areopagite converted to Christianity and was the first bishop of Athens.

At about nine o'clock, Jesus Christ loudly exclaimed: "Eli, Eli! Lima savakhfani!" that is, "My God, my God! Why did You forsake Me?" These were the opening words from Psalm 21 of King David, in which David clearly predicted the suffering of the Savior on the cross. With these words, the Lord reminded people for the last time that He is the true Christ, the Savior of the world. Some of those who stood on Calvary, hearing these words spoken by the Lord, said: "Behold, He is calling Elijah." Others said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to save Him." But the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that everything had already happened, said: "I am thirsty." Then one of the soldiers ran, took a sponge, wetted it with vinegar, put it on a cane and brought it to the Savior's withered lips.

Having tasted the vinegar, the Savior said: "It is finished," that is, the promise of God has been fulfilled, the salvation of the human race has been completed. After that, He said in a loud voice: "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." And, bowing his head, he betrayed the spirit, that is, he died. And so, the curtain in the temple, covering the Holy of Holies, was torn in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook and the stones were split; and the coffins were opened; And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered Jerusalem and appeared to many.

The centurion (the chief of the soldiers) and the soldiers with him, who were guarding the crucified Savior, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened in front of them, were frightened and said: "Truly, this man was the Son of God." And the people, who were at the crucifixion and saw everything, began to disperse in fear, striking themselves in the chest. It was Friday evening. This evening was to eat Easter. The Jews did not want to leave the bodies of those crucified on the crosses until Saturday, because Easter Saturday was considered a great day. Therefore, they asked Pilate for permission to break the legs of the crucified, so that they would die sooner and they could be removed from the crosses. Pilate allowed. The warriors came and broke the shins of the robbers. When they approached Jesus Christ, they saw that He had already died, and therefore did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers, so that there was no doubt about His death, pierced His ribs with a spear, and blood and water flowed from the wound.

NOTE: See in the Gospel: Matt., Ch. 27, 33-56; from Mark, ch. 15, 22-41; from Luke, ch. 23, 33-49; from John, ch. 19, 18-37.

May 15, 2017

There is an inextricable connection with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we find out on what day of the week Jesus Christ was executed, then we can know on what day of the week he was resurrected. But one can say: “What an absurdity! The whole world knows on what day Christ was executed and on what day he was resurrected. Why reinvent the wheel ?! "

The whole world lives by deception, which was written by European Christianity. And today we have a mass of evidence that the New Testament, or rather its individual fragments, are distorted to the point of disgrace (in the direct and semantic sense).

On what day was Christ executed as the Passover Lamb

Christians celebrate Easter for three days because God loves the Trinity. The Law says that Easter is celebrated for seven days. The holiday consists of three parts - Pesach (the first day of unleavened bread), when in the first minutes of the day, or rather in the evening (according to the Bible, the day begins in the evening), the people ate the Passover lamb with bitter herbs.

5 in the first month, on the fourteenth [day] of the month, in the evening of the Lord's Passover;

On this day, one could not work and do one's own business. This day was equated to Saturday.

6 and on the fifteenth day of the same month a feast of unleavened bread to the Lord; eat unleavened bread for seven days;

7 on the first day you have a sacred meeting; do not work any work;

8 and within seven days offer sacrifices to the Lord; on the seventh day also a sacred meeting; do not work any work.

The last day was also a holy day, like Saturday, and it was impossible to work and do one's own affairs on it.

And one more fragment of the holiday:

12 And on the day of offering up the sheaf, offer a burnt offering to the Lord a one year old lamb without blemish,

13 and with it a grain offering, two tenths of an ephah of flour mixed with oil, as a sacrifice to the Lord for a sweet savor, and a drink to it a quarter of a hin of wine;

14 Eat no [new] bread, nor dried grains, nor raw grains, until the day that you bring offerings to your God: this is an everlasting decree throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15 Count to yourself from the first day after the feast, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of shock, seven full weeks,

(Lev. 23: 10-15)

This part in the feast was the starting point for calculating the next feast in seven weeks - Pentecost.

From all this data, we can see that the holiday is not tied to any day of the week. Everything is tied to the 14th of the first month. In what month does Christians have a holiday? - Around the third and fourth months, depending on when the vernal equinox is.

Based on the day of the vernal equinox, they determine the day of the holiday on the seventh day of the week - Sunday. In general ... nothing to do with the Passover charter that God established. However, Christians, in the same sequence as in the Law, calculate the day of Pentecost, which also falls on the resurrection. From here we see the difference that the biblical Easter and the subsequent holiday of Pentecost, is calculated from the 14th day of the first month, regardless of the day of the week, and the Christian system of the Easter holiday is calculated from the vernal equinox on the next seventh day of the week, i.e. resurrection.

Neither God, nor Jesus Christ, nor the Apostle Paul established such a system of calculating the holiday. By the way, Paul himself always celebrated God's feasts in accordance with the Law. This is found in the New Testament descriptions.

But now let's move on to the question on which day Christ was executed as the Passover lamb. He was to be executed on the same day on which they slaughtered the prototypes of Christ - the immaculate one-year-old lambs - on the 14th day, in the afternoon before evening, and in the evening, when the beginning of the 15th day, they were eaten. This suggests that the death of Christ is not tied to the day of the week, and accordingly, his resurrection is not tied to the day of the week. In addition, in the very holiday of Easter, the time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is indicated.

10 Proclaim to the children of Israel, and say to them, When you come to the land that I give you and reap the harvest in it, bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest.

11 he will lift up this sheaf before the Lord, that he may be well pleased with you; on the next day of the feast the priest will exalt it;

The Torah says that it was not a sheaf, but a bowl with a certain amount of the weight of barley grains - omer.

10 Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, When you come to the land that I give you and reap a harvest therein, bring the omer from the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.

11 And he will exalt the omer before Jehova to win you favor; on the second day of the celebration, the priest will exalt it.

The date is indicated on which it was necessary to bring the number of grains of barley in order to receive favor for the gathering of a new crop of barley and its use. This is the second day of the holiday - the 16th day of the first month. Jesus Christ, as the first person to come to life from the dead, is represented in the law in the form of the Omer, who acquired favor for the harvest. Therefore, he is called the firstborn from the dead who came to life for eternal life. His death and his resurrection bring the message of immortality to the world, which is restored by faith in the revived Jesus Christ.

Considering this sequence, we see that Jesus Christ had to die on the 14th in the afternoon (evening), before the onset of Easter, on the day of the slaughter of the lambs. With the onset of darkness, he had to be buried so that the Torah - the law about the hanged on a tree - would not be violated. The hanged were to be buried before sunset, and even more so as Easter was approaching.

On the third day of the holiday, Christ had to be resurrected - this is after the night of the 17th early in the morning. On this day, everyone was allowed to harvest a new crop. And as the evangelists write, that day in the morning, he was not found in the grave, and in the evening of the same day, he appeared to the disciples in the house where they were hiding from angry enemies.

Let's take a quick look at how events developed at that time.

Day of the execution of Christ

1 After two days [should] be [the feast] of the Passover and unleavened bread. And the chief priests and scribes were looking for how to take him by cunning and kill him;

2 but they said: [only] not on a holiday, lest there be a disturbance among the people.

Killing on Easter was not part of their plans. Therefore, Christ was executed before the holiday, as we have already seen.

14 Then it was Friday before Easter, and the sixth hour. And [Pilate] said to the Jews: Behold, your King!

15 But they cried out: Take, take, crucify Him! Pilate says to them: Will I crucify your king? The chief priests answered: We have no king but Caesar.

16 Then at last he delivered him to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away.

(John 19: 14-16)

A serious mistake was made in the text of the gospel of John - Then it was Friday ... To put it bluntly, the Jews of that time did not have such a day. They had the fifth day of the week, the sixth day of the week. Friday is the name that derives from the Roman deity:

Among the ancient Romans, Friday was dedicated to Venus (tracing paper from the Greek name - Aphrodites hemera). This tradition of the Romans, in turn, was adopted by the ancient Germanic tribes, associating Venus with their goddess Freya.

In most Romance languages, the name comes from the Latin dies Veneris, "the day of Venus": vendredi in French, venerdì in Italian, viernes in Spanish, divendres in Catalan, vennari in Corsican, vineri in Romanian. It is also reflected in P-Celtic Welsh as dydd Gwener.

(Wikipedia)

Why should the evangelists designate some days with pagan names, and some days with biblical names. Where it is about preparing for the holiday, it says that it was Friday, and where it says about the resurrection of Christ, this is the first day of the week. But if we talk about Friday as the fifth day, then the first day of the week is Monday.

And if we proceed from this text:

42 And as evening had already come, - because it was Friday, that is, [the day] before Saturday, -

In general, it is necessary to write in plain text that Christ was resurrected not on the first day of the week (Monday), but on Sunday - the seventh day of the week, because this passage contains both Friday and Saturday, it remains only to write the Sunday.

The falsification of events for the days of the week is obvious in order to bring the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the Roman holiday - the Day of the Sun God, which they have on the seventh day of the week. In such a miraculous way, the greatest deception of world significance took place - Saturday disappeared, as the seal of the completion of the creation of the World by the Creator, created by the Creators on the seventh day. Having abolished the authority of this day and its significance, the Christians shifted it back from the seventh day to the sixth, and instead they set Sunday, which became the seventh day of the week - a day of rest and rest. In fact, this is the day of the Roman Sun God. Those who worship God on this day, as on a special day of God, also worship the Roman deity - the Sun. We can observe a similar picture in the life of a wicked king who committed an abomination in the Temple, for the sake of his whim, imitating the pagans:

10 And king Ahaz went to meet Tiglaffellasar king of Assyria in Damascus, and he saw the altar that was in Damascus, and king Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a picture of the altar and a drawing of its entire structure.

11 And the priest of Uriah built an altar according to the pattern which King Ahaz had sent from Damascus; and the priest of Uriah did so before the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.

12 And the king came from Damascus, and the king saw the altar, and the king came up to the altar, and offered sacrifice on it;

13 And he burnt his burnt offering and his grain offering, and finished his libation, and sprinkled the blood of the peace offering on his altar.

14 And the brazen altar, which was before the Lord, he moved from the front of the temple, from [the place] between the altar [new] and the house of the Lord, and put it on the side of [this] altar to the north.

15 And king Ahaz gave command to the priest of Uriah, saying, On the great altar, burn the morning burnt offering and the evening meal offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering from all the people of the earth, and the grain offering from them, and the drink offering from them, and Sprinkle it with all the blood of burnt offerings and with all the blood of sacrifices, and the brass altar will remain until my discretion.

16 And the priest of Uriah did according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

(4 Kings 16: 10-16)

The analogy of this is that the true altar was canceled, and a pagan one was erected in its place, the true altar was shifted, as the Creator's Sabbath was moved, and people were commanded to honor God on the day of the Roman deity. It was forbidden to offer sacrifices on the true altar. It was not removed, but it was not used either. Likewise, the Sabbath was moved, but not excluded, but it was forbidden to honor God on this day and was ordered to honor him on Sunday, i.e. on the day of the Roman deity Sun. Absolutely identical situation.

There is no direct evidence that Gospel Friday was actually the fifth day of the week. This is a juggling of events for the days of the week, as mentioned above.

The theory, or even the teaching, that it was Friday, and then Saturday and Christ was allegedly resurrected on Sunday should be excluded, for lack of direct evidence. This is a hoax. And do not rely on the fact that the Sabbath, which fell on Easter at that time, made this Saturday a great day.

As already at the beginning of the article it was said that the first day and the last day of the Easter holiday were equated to Saturday. And the proof of this, the words of God to Moses, in the law of the holidays.

32 this is for you rest Saturday, and humble your souls, from the evening of the ninth [day] of the month; celebrate from evening to evening your Saturday.

37 These are the feasts of the Lord, in which sacred assemblies are to be called to sacrifice to the Lord a burnt offering, a grain offering, slaughtered offerings and drink offerings, each on its own day.

38 besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides everything [offered] according to your diligence, which you give to the Lord.

(Lev.23: 37.38)

So, we see that in addition to the Sabbath of God, there were Sabbaths of the people, on which they were also forbidden to work, as on the Sabbath, because these dates were holidays, and not because they fell on the Sabbath. You need to understand that it is impossible to create such a calendar so that all Saturdays fall on all specified holidays and, moreover, annually.

Supporters of a new world order who defend Sunday as New Testament Saturday, cite a text from the Gospel, in which they argue that in that year, Saturday fell on Easter and therefore it is called the Great Day, the Evangelist John.

31 But since [then] it was Friday, the Jews, so as not to leave the bodies on the cross on Saturday, - for that Saturday was a great day, - asked Pilate to break their legs and take them off.

(John 19:31)

But as we have already said, not Saturday is called great, but the day that was called Easter - your Saturday.

John also calls the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the Sabbath of the people, and on which it was impossible to work, a great day.

2 The feast of the Jews - the setting up of the tabernacles - was approaching.

3 Then his brothers said to him: Get out from here and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see the works that you do.

10 But when His brothers came, then He also came to the feast not openly, but as if in secret.

11 And the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?

14 But at half-time of the feast, Jesus entered the temple and taught.

37 On the last great day of the holiday Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone is thirsty, come to Me and drink.

The first and last day of the Feast of Tabernacles was equal to the Sabbath day, on these days it was impossible to work and therefore the first day and the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles were named - Great... For the same reason, the first day of Easter is named - the great day (Saturday is yours), and in the same way the last day of the holiday of Easter - the seventh, which Christians do not celebrate, for quite understandable reasons - should be called.

The law does not attach importance to the days of the week in any of the feasts of God. Everything focuses only around dates. Dates on holidays remain unchanged in both regular and leap years. Consequently, the days of the week on these holidays are completely different for each year. And therefore, it makes no sense from the point of view of the Bible, or more precisely, the Law, to attach an important meaning to the day of the execution of Jesus Christ and the day of his resurrection in terms of the days of the week.

Who can tell what day of the week was 300 years ago? This is difficult to do, assuming that the landmark will be based on one calendar - Pope Gregory. And before Pope Gregory there was still Julius Caesar's calendar. And in Judea there was a completely different calendar. The Jewish and Christian calendars are different. In the Christian it is now 6017 from the creation of the world, and in the Jewish now it is 5777 from the creation of the world. The difference is 240 years !!! What days of the week can we talk about?

The cult of the Day of the Sun has penetrated into the consciousness of people and therefore, they see the New Testament (not without the help of Roman editors), in the light in which Jesus was resurrected on resurrection, canceled the Law of God and established the Christian Law, in which Sunday is a day resurrection of Christ.

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Therefore, he died on the 14th day of the first month, and not earlier than the 16th day, was resurrected. After the 16th, a new harvest was allowed, which symbolizes the beginning of the era of the resurrected Messiah of Israel.

So we see that rulers of the new world order distorted the teachings of God in their political interests, falsifying the day of the execution of Jesus Christ on Friday, in order to legitimize the day of the Sun God through the authority of the Jewish apostles. It is no coincidence that later Christ was also called Christ the Sun. This image is perceived by Christians today.

Jesus Christ, born of the immaculate Mary, accepted death for all mankind so that sinners would have the right to be forgiven. He taught people how to live correctly, gathered followers around him. But he was betrayed by the vile Judas Iscariot right after the celebration of Holy Passover, when Jesus gathered everyone for the "Last Supper".

The disciple betrayed his Rabbi out of envy and selfish motives, for only 30 pieces of silver, by kissing him - which was a conventional sign for the guards hiding at the entrance. This was the beginning of the story of the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus foresaw everything, so he offered no resistance to the guards. He knew that this was his fate and that he had to go through all the tests in order to eventually die, and then be resurrected, for the sake of reuniting with his father. In what year Jesus Christ was crucified, it is not known for certain, there are only a few theories put forward by the best minds of mankind.

Jefferson's theory

The unprecedented earthquake and eclipse described in Scripture helped American and German scientists establish when Jesus Christ was crucified. This study, published in the International Geology Review, is based on the bottom of the Dead Sea, which is 13 miles from Jerusalem.

The Gospel of Matthew (chapter 27) says: “Jesus, again screaming with a loud voice, died. And the curtain in the temple was torn right in the middle, from top to bottom; the earth shook; and the stones settled ... ”- which, of course, can be interpreted as an earthquake, from the point of view of science. Geological scientists Marcus Schwab, Jefferson Williams and Achim Broer traveled to the Dead Sea to analyze the consequences of long-standing geological activity, coinciding with the execution of the son of God.

Foundations of the theory

Near the Ein Jedi Spa beach, they studied 3 layers of earth, on the basis of which geologists admitted that the seismic activity that coincided with the execution of Christ was most likely involved in "an earthquake that happened before or somewhat after the crucifixion." This event was actually taken by the author of the Gospel of Matthew in order to indicate the whole epic character of the dramatic moment. According to the researchers, the described earthquake happened around 26-36 years from the birth of Christ, and, apparently, was sufficient for changes in the layers near Ein Jedi, but clearly not so large-scale to prove that the Bible is talking about German

“The day when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross (Good Friday) is known with high accuracy, but with the year things are more complicated,” Williams said in an interview.

At the moment, the geologist is engaged in an in-depth study of sandstorm deposits in the layers of the earth, which coincide in time with the beginning of a century of historical earthquakes near Jerusalem.

Bible Date

Based on the Gospel, during the terrible torment and death of Jesus on the cross, an earthquake happened, and the sky turned black. Matthew, Mark and Luke say that the Son of God was executed on the 14th of the month of Nisan, but John indicates the 15th.

After studying the annual layers near the Dead Sea and comparing these data with the Gospel, scientists came to the conclusion that the more accurate date when Jesus Christ was crucified could be considered April 3, 1033 AD. NS. And the darkness, epic coinciding with the mortal sigh of the Son of God, they explained by the sandstorm caused by the activity of the lithospheric plates.

Was there an eclipse?

According to the Biblical version, during the crucifixion of Christ, there was a total eclipse, but was it? Since ancient times, scientists have not been able to determine in any way whether it could have been in the day, month and year when Jesus Christ was crucified.

In various artistic creations of the great masters such a scene is reflected - "the crucified Son of God hangs on the cross, his wounds are bleeding, and all around the darkness is like an eclipse hid the sun."

Director of the Vatican Observatory Guy Consolmagno, in his letter to the RNS, said: "Although it seems incredibly difficult to recreate the exact date of historical phenomena, this is absolutely not the case."

There are several answers to the question in what year Jesus Christ was crucified, but is there the only correct one among them?

In three of the four Gospels, there are references to the fact that at the time of the death of the only son of God, the sky darkened. One of them says: “It was about noon, and darkness hung over the earth and lasted for about three hours, because the light of the sun was extinguished” - Luke 23:44. And in the new Bible of the American edition, this part is translated as: "due to a solar eclipse." From which the meaning does not seem to have changed, but according to the Rev. James Kurzinski, priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, attempts to explain everything with the help of science are nothing more than "a side effect of life in the modern era."

Even Newton tried to find out at what time Jesus Christ was crucified and whether there was an eclipse, but the question is still relevant.

Scripture explains that the execution of the Son of God on the cross fell on the day of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which is celebrated during the full moon in spring. But the phase of the new moon is needed for a solar eclipse! And this is one of the inconsistencies of this theory. Moreover, the darkness that fell to the earth during the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth was too long to be a simple eclipse of the sun, which lasts a couple of minutes. But if it was not complete, then it could well last up to three hours.

Moreover, people of that time had good knowledge of the movements of the moon and sun, and they could accurately predict such a phenomenon as an eclipse. Therefore, the darkness that appeared during the crucifixion cannot be him.

And if there was a lunar eclipse?

John Dvorak wrote in his book that on Easter there was just the right phase of the moon for its eclipse, and at that moment it could well have happened.

In search of an answer to the question of what year Jesus Christ was crucified, the date seems to be clear - it is 33, the 3rd day of April, but modern scientists do not agree with this theory, putting forward their own. And this is the problem of the lunar theory, because if an eclipse took place, then it should have been noticed in Jerusalem, but there is no mention of this anywhere. Which is at least strange. Dvorak suggested that people simply knew about the upcoming eclipse, which for some reason did not happen. In any case, there is still no evidence for this theory.

Christian theory

Father Kurzinsky suggests that darkness could have come due to unusually dense clouds, although he does not leave the thought that this is just "a beautiful metaphor used to express the epic moment".

Believers see this as a manifestation of a miracle revealed by the Lord God Himself, so that people understand what they have done.

"Darkness is a sure sign of God's judgment!" - says the evangelist Anne Graham Lotz. Christians firmly believe that Jesus died for all people, taking upon himself what was due to accursed sinners.

Anne Lotz also noted other references to extraordinary darkness in the Bible, referring to the darkness hanging over Egypt described in Exodus. It was one of 10 disasters that God brought down on the Egyptians to convince the Pharaoh to give freedom to the Jewish slaves. He also predicted that the day would turn into night, and the moon would be filled with blood at the hour of the Lord.

She also said: "This is a sign of the absence of God and complete condemnation, and until we get to heaven, we will not know the truth."

Fomenko's theory

Quite popular today is the theory proposed by several scientists at Moscow State University, on the basis of which the history of mankind was completely different, and not as we are used to knowing it, it was more compressed in time. According to her, many historical events and characters were only phantoms (doubles) of others who were earlier. G. Nosovsky, AT Fomenko and their colleagues established completely different dates for such events as the compilation of the star catalog "Algamest" by Claudius Ptolemy, the construction of the Nicene Cathedral, and the year in which Jesus Christ was crucified. And if you believe their theory, you can see a completely different picture of the existence of the world. It goes without saying that the assumptions of Moscow scientists require analysis and clarification, however, like everyone else.

Fomenko's innovative calculations

To establish the newest date of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, scientists have invented two ways to find out:

1. Using the "Sunday calendar terms";
2. According to astronomical data.

If you believe the first method, then the date of the crucifixion falls on the year 1095 from the birth of Christ, but the second indicates the date - 1086.

How was the first date displayed? It was obtained in accordance with the "calendar terms" borrowed from the manuscript of Matthew Vlastar, the Byzantine chronicler of the 14th century. Here is a fragment of the entry: “The Lord suffered for the salvation of our souls in 5539, when the circle of the sun was 23, the moon was 10, and the Jewish Passover was celebrated on Saturday, March 24th. And on the coming Sunday (March 25), Christ was resurrected. The feast of the Jews was celebrated during the equinox on the 14th lunar day (ie full moon) from March 21 to April 18, but the current Passover is celebrated on the Sunday following it. "

Based on this text, the scholars have applied the following "conditions of Sunday":

1. Circle of the sun 23.
2. Circle of the moon 10.
3. celebrated on March 24.
4. Christ was resurrected on the 25th, Sunday.

The necessary data were entered into a computer, which, with the help of a specially developed program, issued the date 1095 AD. NS. Moreover, the year corresponding to Sunday, which happened on March 25, was calculated according to Orthodox Easter.

Why is this theory in doubt?

And yet the year 1095, deduced by the calculations of scientists as the year of the resurrection of Christ, is not accurately determined. Mainly because it does not coincide with the Gospel "condition of the Resurrection."

Based on the results of the above, it is obvious that the 1095th year, as the date of the crucifixion and resurrection, was determined by the researchers incorrectly. Probably because it does not meet the most important "condition of the Resurrection", according to which the full moon fell on the night from Thursday to Friday, when the disciples and Christ ate Easter at the Last Supper, and not at all on Saturday, as the "third condition" was defined. " innovators ". And other "calendar conditions" are not exactly wrong, but rather unreliable and easily challenged.

The "astronomical" version, put forward by the scientists of Moscow State University, seems to supplement the latest date of the crucifixion of Christ, but for some reason the execution of Jesus falls on the year 1086.

How was the second date displayed? The Holy Scriptures describe that at the birth of Christ a new star shone in the sky, showing the Magi, who walked from the East, the way to the “Miraculous Child”. And the time of Jesus' death is described as follows: "... From the sixth hour, darkness enveloped the whole earth until the ninth" (Matthew 27:45).

It is logical that the disciples meant by "darkness" an eclipse, and given that in 1054 AD. NS. a new star lit up, and in 1086 (32 years later), there was a complete "hiding of the sun", it happened on February 16 on Monday.

But any hypothesis can be wrong, because the chronicles throughout history could easily be forged. And why do we need this knowledge? You just need to believe in God and not question the biblical data.

Two interesting thoughts on this topic.
The first thought.
I am sure of one thing: my Redeemer lives!
Pastor Miroslav KOMAROV (Lugansk, Ukraine)

At first glance, everything lies on the surface, but one has only to open the New Testament ... Evangelists say - Friday. But then, if Christ was crucified on Friday and laid in the tomb in the last rays of the sun, and he rose on Sunday early at dawn, then it turns out that He was in the tomb for about 40 hours, i.e. just over a day and a half. But it should be about three days and three nights. Christ himself said this: “The Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:40). How can you explain this discrepancy?
If you count Friday evening, full Saturday and the beginning of Sunday, you can call it three days. It really could have been. Moreover, the words of Jesus about Himself: "... And on the third day he will rise again" (Matt. 20:19) or the phrase of the disciples returning to Emmaus: "... The third day now, as it happened" (Luke 24: 21) - may indicate Friday as the day of death.

But there is one "but" - two instead of three nights. If Christ was crucified on Friday, He could not be “in the heart of the earth” for three nights. Only two. Of course, if the darkness that enveloped Jerusalem for three hours, on the day of the execution of Jesus Christ, is called night, then we will have three days and three nights. Maybe so, but I can't believe it. After all, Christ was not in the grave during this terrible sign. Moreover, He was still alive (Matt. 27: 45-50). So the version of replacing the missing night with a three-hour darkness seems far-fetched.

There is another option, it is suitable for those who are fond of allegorical interpretations. The third night is the period from the death of Christ on the cross to the moment when all the dead believers will be resurrected. The chain of thoughts is something like this: believers are the Body of Christ, but believers die, so the resurrection began, but did not end, but will end with the resurrection of all believers, and then the phrase “three nights” will be dotted.

For myself, I make an intermediate conclusion. Either the phrase "three days and three nights" does not need to be taken literally, but it is worth treating it as a kind of phraseological phraseology, or Christ was crucified not on Friday, but on Thursday.

At what time was Jesus crucified? “It was three o'clock and they crucified Him” (Mark 15:25). But in the Gospel of John the time of Pilate's judgment is recorded: “Then it was Friday before Easter, and the sixth hour” (19:14). How could Pilate judge Jesus at six o'clock if Christ was crucified at three? Mark, Luke, and Matthew use Greek (Roman?) Time, and John use Jewish time? Jewish counts the hours of the day from dawn, and, accordingly, six hours in Jewish time is noon here. And the Greeks count from midnight and from noon, so three in the afternoon is 15.00 here (or three in the morning). And then it turns out that at noon (six o'clock in Hebrew, at John) Pilate's trial took place, and at 15.00 (three o'clock at Mark's) the crucifixion began.

But first, why do Mark, Luke, and Matthew use Greek time? Well, okay - Mark, and Matthew, who wrote to the Jews? Secondly, even if this is the case, i.e. Mark in Greek and John in Hebrew, there is still a problem. To see it, you need to ask the question: at what time did the sun go down then? Knowing the length of daylight hours and the time of sunrise will help to answer. The duration of daylight hours should be close to 12 hours, because, firstly, these are southern latitudes, and, secondly, spring, the day of the vernal equinox is somewhere nearby. So a day takes exactly half a day, or 12 hours. What time is dawn? It is logical to assume that at six o'clock in the morning "our way", and then the sunset, respectively, at 18.00.

Now you need to calculate. As I already wrote, at 12.00 (six o'clock in Hebrew for John) Pilate's trial took place, and at 15.00 (three hours for Mark) the crucifixion began. After three hours, i.e. at 18.00, Jerusalem for three hours - until 21.00 was plunged into darkness (“from the sixth hour, darkness was over the whole earth until the ninth hour”; “at the sixth hour darkness came and lasted until the ninth hour”, Mark 15:33). Around this time, at 21.00, Christ expired.

If this is so, then there was no miracle with darkness, the sun just went down - and that's it. And Christ was buried after sunset, i.e. on the day of Easter. Apparently, this theory is completely unviable and does not stand up to criticism.

What if it was the other way around? John, as the writer of the later Gospel (while, most likely, living not in Jerusalem), used the Greek version of time counting, and Mark and Matthew - the Hebrew? John in his Gospel about time speaks in the first chapter, describing the meeting of Andrew and another disciple of John the Baptist with Jesus: “They came and saw where He lives and stayed with him that day. It was about ten o'clock. " Could it be Jewish time, i.e. 16.00 our way? With a big stretch. Most likely it was 10 o'clock in the morning, i.e. 10 hours after midnight, in Greek, and the disciples stayed with Jesus all day.

The second time John speaks of the time in the fourth chapter: “Jesus, tired of the journey, sat down by a well. It was about six o'clock ”- this is a famous meeting with a Samaritan woman. If in Hebrew, then 12.00 is here, and if in Greek, then six o'clock - either in the morning (which is unlikely), or in the evening, which is quite logical, given the disciples, anxious about the search for food and surprised by Jesus' reaction to the food brought.

It seems that John was using the Greek timekeeping system. This means that Pilate's trial took place at 6.00 (18.00 is also suitable, but this is impossible), then at 9.00 (three o'clock in Hebrew) - the crucifixion, from 12.00 to 15.00 (from six to nine) - darkness and about 15.00 (nine) - death. Then Jesus' friends have two or three hours to get permission before sunset, to remove the body from the cross and put it in a nearby tomb. If you do not pay attention to the early hour of the trial, then everything fits together perfectly without any exaggeration.

Could Pilate's trial have taken place at six in the morning, i.e. almost at dawn? Considering the hot climate, in which it is customary to do all the important things until the sun was hot, and also not forgetting how hurriedly Jesus' enemies, wanting to have time to do away with Him before Easter, I think that it could have happened.

I will stop halfway if I do not raise the issue of Christ's last Supper with the disciples. It is generally accepted that the Supper was on Thursday. But if Easter is on Saturday, then you need to start celebrating on Friday after sunset, isn't it? But on Friday Christ was already crucified.

What prompted Christ to start the Passover meal earlier?

I know three versions:
1. Christ foresaw that on Friday He would be crucified, invited the disciples a day earlier, disregarding the canons (as He did earlier in relation to the Sabbath).

2. Since Easter fell on Saturday that year (Easter, with its flexible schedule, could fall on any day of the week), the celebration, according to some Jews, could be postponed a day earlier. Why is Saturday bad for celebrating Easter? You cannot light a fire on Saturday, and, according to the canons, it was necessary to burn the bones of the lamb left over from the evening meal. It turned out that some Jews celebrated from Thursday evening to Friday, while others from Friday evening to Saturday.

3. Between Galilee and Judea there was a difference in the religious calendar with regard to the celebration of Passover (somehow this is related to the Essenes). Therefore, the Galileans, namely to them Jesus and most of the disciples, celebrated in their own way. Perhaps not even on Thursday, but on Wednesday or Tuesday. This point of view is not very common, it appeared relatively recently, thanks to the Dead Sea Scrolls, but in one of his sermons, the current viceroy of the Roman throne, Benedict XVI, voiced it.

I cannot say that on all these issues I have concrete confidence. But I am sure of one thing: my Redeemer lives! And this is the main thing for me, and the rest is things with limited value.