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 Jesus’s 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 Jesus’s 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 Christ’s life did take place in human history alongside other known events, it is helpful to locate Jesus’s death—as precisely as the available evidence allows—within 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 Baptist’s 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Luke implies that John the Baptist began his public ministry shortly before Jesus did, and he gives us a historical reference point for when the Baptist’s ministry began: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar .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, Tiberius’s 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 Tiberius’s “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 Baptist’s ministry began anywhere from mid-a.d. 28 until sometime in a.d. 29.
The Year Jesus’s 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 Jesus’s 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 John’s ministry and that of Jesus (and the year a.d. 30 is the latest possible date). So Jesus’s ministry must have begun between the end of a.d. 28 at the earliest and a.d. 30 at the latest.
This coheres with Luke’s 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 Jesus’s Ministry
Now we need to know how long Jesus’s 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.
John’s 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 Jesus’s 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 Jesus’s 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 Jesus’s 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 Jesus’s 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 Jesus’s 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 Tiberius’s reign |
a.d. 14 |
|
Fifteenth year of Tiberius’s reign: Beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry |
a.d. 28 |
|
A few months later: Beginning of Jesus’s ministry |
a.d. 29 |
|
Minimum three-year duration of Jesus’ ministry: Most likely date of Jesus’s 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 Tiberius’s reign is placed in the year a.d. 14, it is virtually impossible to accommodate fifteen years of Tiberius’s 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 Augustus’s reign. However, there is no reliable ancient historical evidence for such co-regency.
Then why not use the name "Jesus" like a normal person? Do you think that Jesus really cares that you refer to him as Yazoo, or whatever you call him? He is the Lord of the universe. He is not vain.
>>>I'm trying to understand why some "seem" to feel a need that they are no longer sinners.<<<
I've met a few like that. I personally do not believe we can understand, being mere mortals.
>>>It's pretty obvious that we all "miss the mark" of being righteousness in the example that has been set, and that "we all" need to "work" on that problem - no?<<<
That is what the scripture says. Thankfully, Jesus gives us a way out, in that he is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2.)
Philip
To: UriÂ’el-2012
You are demanding Lawlessness.
no, Christians are demanded to follow the law of love, not the Torah.
but then again, a CHRISTIAN would realize that.
this is my post #115 responding to the charge of demanding lawlessness.
No where have I stated that one needs to be Torah observant. So your claim is either a reading error or a comprehension error. Others would say you just make things up like a democrat and repeat a lie. But I think you are just a little dyslexic. Again I recommend a Reading Comprehension course:
Where did anyone get the idea that it was optional?
Certainly not from scripture!
Revelation 3:
[2] Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
[3] Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
How does anyone miss this? - He told the Thessalonians that because they observed the times and seasons that Yeshua wouldn't come on them as a thief.
Don't we prefer to be Thessalonians? - The alternative is grim, as the above verse makes plain.
.
?
Why don’t you read what I wrote instead of making it up as you go?
>> “Christians are demanded to follow the law of love, not the Torah.” <<
.
Double talk!- Torah is the law of love.
Yeshua made it plain that all of the Torah hung on love.
.
No where have I stated that one needs to be Torah observant.
ooookay, so does that mean that parents that wish to do the will of God and obey His Word, can ignore the command found in Genesis 17?
after all, it seems to bind the descendants of Abraham, which Paul tells us in Galatians 3:29 that if we are Christ’s, we are Abraham’s offspring.
I guess that's because I'm not "a normal person" Philip. :-)
I'm doing my best to follow the teachings of Yeshua (though I admit that I fail miserably), whereas most in this world, seem to want to do the opposite.
About the only good thing I can honestly say about myself is that I keep trying.
double talk?
King James Bible
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
1 John3:23
if the law of love is the Torah, why did Jesus Christ give us this NEW COMMANDMENT? after all, everyone had the Torah when this commandment was given.
>> “my pagan Bible says in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek.” <<
.
Your pagan bible also says that only doers of the law will be justified.
So, Jew or whatever, if you will be justified, it will be by his terms.
>> “Then why not use the name “Jesus” like a normal person?” <<
Because “Jesus” is not his name, and respect requires using his name.
.
You are demanding Lawlessness.
no, Christians are demanded to follow the law of love, not the Torah.
but then again, a CHRISTIAN would realize that.
this is my post #115 responding to the charge of demanding lawlessness.
If you are not a NooB, You are rude. When you cite a person's name one should ping then. I think you are a NooB
There you go again, posting a snippet to reverse the meaning of the chapter.
That was no new commandment as the chapter makes abundantly clear.
my name in spanish is tomas, in english it’s thomas.
if i go to Spain, i am called Tomas, should i look at that as disrespect and demand they refer to me as thomas? or should i realize the people are going to call me by my name in THEIR LANGUAGE?
When you cite a person’s name one should ping then
You are correct, i apologize for the oversight and thank you for pointing this out to me. i will make every effort to do better in the future.
Yeshua’s name in Hebrew is Yeshua, in english its Yeshua.
He seems to think his name is Jesus. People have called on the name of Jesus throughout the centuries, and Christianity has spread. One would think that if they were using a disrespectful name, Jesus would not have listened to their prayers, and would have put a stop to what they were doing?
Besides, Jesus did not say, "If you love me call me Yazoo." He said, if you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15.)
Philip
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
That was no new commandment..........
hmm, who to believe???
Yeshua’s name in Hebrew is Yeshua, in english its Yeshua.
i typed “yeshua” in dictionary.com and got no results. it’s not an english name. we speak english.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.