Posted on 04/03/2014 4:52:36 PM PDT by Rashputin
April 3, AD 33
In our new book, The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived , we assume but do not argue for a precise date of Jesuss crucifixion. Virtually all scholars believe, for various reasons, that Jesus was crucified in the spring of either a.d. 30 or a.d. 33, with the majority opting for the former. ( The evidence from astronomy narrows the possibilities to a.d. 27, 30, 33, or 34). However, we want to set forth our case for the date of Friday, April 3, a.d. 33 as the exact day that Christ died for our sins.
To be clear, the Bible does not explicitly specify the precise date of Jesuss crucifixion and it is not an essential salvation truth. But that does not make it unknowable or unimportant. Because Christianity is a historical religion and the events of Christs life did take place in human history alongside other known events, it is helpful to locate Jesuss deathas precisely as the available evidence allowswithin the larger context of human history.
Among the Gospel writers, no one makes this point more strongly than Luke, the Gentile physician turned historian and inspired chronicler of early Christianity.
The Year John the Baptists Ministry Began
Luke implies that John the Baptist began his public ministry shortly before Jesus did, and he gives us a historical reference point for when the Baptists ministry began: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar . . . (Luke 3:1).
We know from Roman historians that Tiberius succeeded Augustus as emperor and was confirmed by the Roman Senate on August 19, a.d. 14. He ruled until a.d. 37. The fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar sounds like a straightforward date, but there are some ambiguities, beginning with when one starts the calculation. Most likely, Tiberiuss reign was counted either from the day he took office in a.d. 14 or from January 1 of the following year, a.d. 15. The earliest possible date at which Tiberiuss fifteenth year began is August 19, a.d. 28, and the latest possible date at which his fifteenth year ended is December 31, a.d. 29. So John the Baptists ministry began anywhere from mid-a.d. 28 until sometime in a.d. 29.
The Year Jesuss Ministry Began
If Jesus, as the Gospels seem to indicate, began his ministry not long after John, then based on the calculations above, the earliest date for Jesuss baptism would be in late a.d. 28 at the very earliest. However, it is more probable to place it sometime in the first half of the year a.d. 29, because a few months probably elapsed between the beginning of Johns ministry and that of Jesus (and the year a.d. 30 is the latest possible date). So Jesuss ministry must have begun between the end of a.d. 28 at the earliest and a.d. 30 at the latest.
This coheres with Lukes mention that Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age (Luke 3:23). If he was born in 6 or 5 b.c., as is most likely, Jesus would have been approximately thirty-two to thirty-four years old in late a.d. 28 until a.d. 30, which falls well within the range of him being about thirty years of age.
The Length of Jesuss Ministry
Now we need to know how long Jesuss public ministry lasted, because if it went on for two or more years, this would seem to rule out spring of a.d. 30 as a possible date for the crucifixion.
Johns Gospel mentions that Jesus attended at least three Passovers (possibly four), which took place once a year in the spring:
Even if there were only three Passovers, this would still make a date of a.d. 30 all but impossible for the date of the crucifixion. As noted above, the earliest likely date for the beginning of Jesuss ministry from Luke 3:1 is late a.d. 28. So the first of these Passovers (at the beginning of Jesus ministry; John 2:13) would fall on Nisan 14 in a.d. 29 (because Nisan is in March/April, near the beginning of a year). The second would fall in a.d. 30 at the earliest, and the third would fall in 31 at the earliest. This means that if Jesuss ministry coincided with at least three Passovers, and if the first Passover was in a.d. 29, he could not have been crucified in a.d. 30.
But if John the Baptist began his ministry in a.d. 29, then Jesus probably began his ministry in late a.d. 29 or early a.d. 30. Then the Passovers in John would occur on the following dates:
Nisan 14 |
a.d. 30 |
John 2:13 |
Nisan 14 |
a.d. 31 |
either the unnamed feast in John 5:1 or else a Passover that John does not mention (but that may be implied in the Synoptics) |
Nisan 14 |
a.d. 32 |
John 6:4 |
Nisan 14 |
a.d. 33 |
John 11:55, the Passover at which Jesus was crucified |
Jesus Was Crucified on the Day of Preparation for the Passover
John also mentions that Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation (John 19:31), that is, the Friday before the Sabbath of Passover week (Mark 15:42). The night before, on Thursday evening, Jesus ate a Passover meal with the Twelve (Mark 14:12), his Last Supper.
In the Pharisaic-rabbinic calendar commonly used in Jesuss day, Passover always falls on the fourteenth day of Nisan (Exodus 12:6), which begins Thursday after sundown and ends Friday at sundown. In the year a.d. 33, the most likely year of Jesuss crucifixion, Nisan 14 fell on April 3, yielding April 3, a.d. 33, as the most likely date for the crucifixion. In The Final Days of Jesus, we therefore constructed the following chart to show the dates for Jesuss final week in a.d. 33:
April 2 |
Nissan 14 |
Thursday (Wednesday nightfall to Thursday nightfall) |
Day of Passover preparation |
Last Supper |
April 3 |
Nissan 15 |
Friday (Thursday nightfall to Friday nightfall) |
Passover; Feast of Unleavened Bread, begins |
Crucifixion |
April 4 |
Nissan 16 |
Saturday (Friday nightfall to Saturday nightfall) |
Sabbath |
|
April 5 |
Nissan 17 |
Sunday (Saturday nightfall to Sunday nightfall) |
First day of the week |
Resurrection |
Conclusion
The above calculations may appear complicated, but in a nutshell the argument runs like this:
HISTORICAL INFORMATION |
YEAR |
Beginning of Tiberiuss reign |
a.d. 14 |
Fifteenth year of Tiberiuss reign: Beginning of John the Baptists ministry |
a.d. 28 |
A few months later: Beginning of Jesuss ministry |
a.d. 29 |
Minimum three-year duration of Jesus ministry: Most likely date of Jesuss crucifixion |
a.d. 33 (April 3) |
While this is in our judgment the most likely scenario, it should be acknowledged that many believe Jesus was crucified in the year a.d. 30, not 33. However, if the beginning of Tiberiuss reign is placed in the year a.d. 14, it is virtually impossible to accommodate fifteen years of Tiberiuss reign and three years of Jesus ministry between a.d. 14 and 30. For this reason, some have postulated a co-regency (joint rule) of Tiberius and Augustus during the last few years of Augustuss reign. However, there is no reliable ancient historical evidence for such co-regency.
Protestants are like liberals, they will NEVER allow the facts to get in the way of their own opinions.
I posted the following a while back, but this seems to be a good time for a revisit.
Has any Christian on this board ever suspected that the Catholic "church" might have been created by a Christ-hater with the sole purpose of mocking Jesus and his apostles? This is not an accusation: I am merely inquiring of the possibility. Anyway, I am making a list of what might have been in the minds of the Catholic "church" founders when they invented their doctrine. See if you think this could be a likely scenario:
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1. Christ said:
"And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." (Mat 23:9)
The Catholic "Church" founders, after reading this verse, laughed, and said,
"Let's call all our priests "Father," and the head honcho, "Holy Father".
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2. Christ said:
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. . . But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi [Master], Rabbi [Master]. But be not ye called Rabbi [Master]: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren." (Matthew 23:2, 4-8)
And the Catholic founders laughed, and said,
"Lets give all our priests unique uniforms that are easily recognizable in the marketplace. Since they are always called "Father," that title, along with their dressy uniforms, will command respect, generate greetings, and provide them with better seats at feasts (and help generate more revenue.) The head honcho, our "Holy Father" (laughter,) will be clothed in all the splendour of the early Levitical High Priest, and then some."
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3. Christ said:
"Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)
And the Catholic founders laughed, and said,
"Let us give our head honcho, our "Holy Father" (laughter,) all the power of a king within our "Church" (laughter,) and strive toward giving him power over the kings of the nations."
---------------------------------------------
4. Paul said:
"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." (1 Tim 6:8)
The Catholic founders, laughing, said,
"Not us! We will ensure that we squeeze every last mite out of the sheep so our leadership can live in luxury, and so we can build outrageously tall and extravagant "cathedrals," even in small, poor communities.
---------------------------------------------
5. The Hebrews and Paul said, respectively:
"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled . . ." (Heb 13:4)
". . . in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." (1 Tim 4:1-3)
The Catholic founders, laughing, said,
"This a good one. Let's forbid all the staff--men and women--to marry; and we will use that as a marketing tool to convince the sheep how great our sacrifices are to serve them (laughter.) And let's have a meat-free day, every week, say, on Friday. But in honor of our illustrious "saviour," fish will be allowed (laughter.)"
---------------------------------------------
6. James said:
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed . . . " (Jam 5:16)
The Catholic founders, scheming, said,
"Wait! We can use this to our advantage. We will call it, say, a penance, or an indulgence, and we will put a price on each so we can squeeze more money out of the sheep (laughter.) To give it force, we will make it so they can only confess their sins to a priest, I mean, a "Father" (laughter.) "
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Philip
Would you please write in English? I dont understand gibberish.
It causes me to wonder about your salvation. It is interesting that you would consider
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
"calling on the NAME of Jesus Christ", gibberish.
What kind of bride tells her husband,The law of love; as in the following by Yah'shua
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments
We are the Bride of Yah'shua, does a bride show
their love for their husband by obeying His commandments.
I love you but I will not obey you.
Galatians 5:14
for the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
read Acts 15, your side lost.
>shalom bSHEM Yahshua HaMashiach<<
we are supposed to be impressed by what i guess is hebrew??
funny, i thought we all communicate in english on this site.
for the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
read Acts 15, your side lost.
Do you mean where Peter's amanuensis Mark
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
and Matthew and Luke quoted Yah'shua quoting His WORD the Torah . Leviticus 19:18
. but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am YHvH.
Welcome to FR; NooBTry to understand the board before
you embarrass yourself.
3 years hardly qualifies him as a Noob. However refusing to use English...
Galatians 5:1-3
for freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. now i Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision , CHRIST WILL BE OF NO ADVANTAGE TO YOU. I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is bound TO KEEP THE WHOLE LAW.
Genesis 17:10
this is my covenant, which you should keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
the Torah commands circumcision, which is the old covenant.
but the writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus is the mediator of A NEW COVENANT, one in which circumcision is not only NOT COMMANDED, but one in which Paul warns us that if we attempt to keep the law, Christ is of no advantage to us.
i would recommend buying a Bible that does not end with the book of deuteronomy.
you can write in english after all, hooray!!
3 years hardly qualifies him as a Noob
cut him some slack, it’s already been established he has a hard time counting to 3. :)
You also seem to be a NooBWelcome to FR
How do you read Colossians 2:8-11shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiachPaul is as spoken of by Peter difficult to read and understand
which is why it is imperative to not cherry pick one verse
out of context and build a cult upon it.
The scriptures are not scriptural?
Placing the verses of the four gospels together in time as an interlinear makes them not scriptural?
Wow! That is fear exposed.
>>>It is interesting that you would consider “calling on the NAME of Jesus Christ”, gibberish.<<<
It is interesting you would write gibberish and claim it means “calling on the name of Jesus Christ;” when all you had to write, to make yourself clear, was “calling on the name of Jesus Christ.”
Jesus tried to make himself understood to the common man. You seem to be on a mission to “impress” people with your ability to string together unintelligible gibberish.
It causes me to wonder about YOUR salvation.
Philip
On a site that has been up and running almost 18 years, yes 3 years is very noob.
.
What would you know about salvation?
Have you ever read “Flatlander?”
.
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