Posted on 08/22/2017 8:09:39 AM PDT by Salvation
With the solar eclipse that occurred Monday, it occurred to me to consider the darkening of the sun that occurred when Jesus was on the Cross. Though some wish to explain it scientifically (as an eclipse), there may have been more at work than mere astronomy.
In Luke 23:44, we read, It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (i.e., from noon until 3:00 PM).
Although this seems to describe a solar eclipse, it isn’t appropriate to insist that it was an eclipse (at least as we define the term today). Matthew, Mark, and Luke all speak to the darkness of that day using the Greek term σκότος (skotos), meaning simply “darkness.” Only Luke went on to state the reason for the darkness: the sun was darkened (Luke 23:45). He even used the Greek word ἐκλιπόντος (eklipontos), from which the word “eclipse” was derived. In Greek, however, the word eklipontos simply means “darkened,” whereas our word “eclipse” refers to a darkening as a result of the moon blocking the light of the sun. But that is not necessarily, or even likely, what Luke meant here.
As a general rule, we should avoid applying a scientific meaning to a text that is more specific than the author intends. That there was darkness over the land from noon until three is certainly attested to in the sacred texts, but the cause of that darkness is not definitively stated to be an eclipse, at least not as we use the term today. Perhaps God made use of other natural causes, such as very heavy clouds, to cause the light of the sun to dim. It is also possible that the darkness was of purely supernatural origin and was experienced only by some of those present.
Trying to explain the darkness simply in terms of the laws of science risks doing a disservice to the text by missing its deeper meaning: that the darkness of sin had reached its zenith. Whatever the physical mechanism of the darkness, its deepest cause was sin and evil.
Jesus said elsewhere, “This is the judgment: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (Jn 3:19). Referring to His passion, He also said, “Night is coming, when no one can work” (Jn 9:4). And when Judas left the Last Supper to betray Jesus, John observed simply and profoundly, “And it was night” (Jn 13:30). Yes, deep darkness had come upon the world.
Some also question whether the occurrence of darkness on that day has any “basis in fact” or whether the biblical accounts are mere theologizing. Although a few modern scholars consider the reference to be a mere literary device, there seems little reason to doubt that it actually occurred. While some refer to a purported Letter of Pontius Pilate to Tiberius verifying it, the letter’s historical veracity is highly disputed.
Yet it is recorded in three of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and most of the Fathers of the Church treated the darkness as historical.
That said, how many people experienced the darkness and how deep it was, is not clearly specified. We should balance accepting its historical accuracy with an appreciation that the biblical texts are restrained in terms of precise details and were written with a theological purpose more so than to provide a detailed description.
Follow this link to see “Solar Eclipse 2017 Explained“
Monsignor Pope Ping!
One of those three hour eclipses.
I liked how he gave a spiritual explanation rather than a scientific one.
**that the darkness of sin had reached its zenith. Whatever the physical mechanism of the darkness, its deepest cause was sin and evil.**
Jerusalem coordinates 31.7683° N, 35.2137° E
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses_in_the_1st_century
The answer to that question really depends on when Good Friday was (what year).
It should be easily determined, given the same mathematics that predict solar eclipses, if any occurred on a Friday in Israel during the probable time frame (AD 29-33, maybe up to 35).
If none did, then that’s the certain answer to the question posed (baring any supernatural intervention that provided a solar eclipse anyway despite the laws of nature, which is always possible of course since God is sovereign).
It was not an eclipse because the moon was not in the right position for that at the time. And, it lasted three hours, whereas a normal eclipse lasts only a few minutes.
Moreover the historians Thallus, Africanus, and Phlegon record the same darkness, which may have been worldwide and not just confined to Judea.
Seems we think alike! (See my post 6).
I’ll have to take a look at that link when I have more time.
It could NOT have been a solar eclipse. Jesus was crucified near passover which is aligned in the jewish calendar with a full moon. The moon is in the wrong location for a solar eclipse.
The darkening of the skies was one of the easy miracles — or maybe wasn’t even a miracle and might just have been weather related. How about people coming out of graves and walking around? Explain that one.
It was not an eclipse because the moon was not in the right position for that at the time. And, it lasted three hours, whereas a normal eclipse lasts only a few minutes.
Moreover the historians Thallus, Africanus, and Phlegon record the same darkness, which may have been worldwide and not just confined to Judea.
**********
Passover would have been the same week as a full moon, not a new moon. Thus, there could not have been a solar eclipse the week of Passover; it could only have been 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after.
It is interesting to note that the Bible is a lot like Trump’s Tweets: He tweets, people go crazy doubting him, and he turns out to be correct. Of course, since Trump’s win in 2016 is encoded in the Old Testament, it is obvious that a lot of what Trump tweets is Divine Prophecy.
Eclipses don’t last 3 hours. It was supernatural.
Ever notice in APOCALYPTO how the young man is saved from sacrifice by the eclipse, yet shortly after he is running with a full moon in the background?
So, could it have been the Angel of Death, that blotted out the sun? The same one that passed over Egypt during the original Passover?
All the firstborn Egyptians died in the first occurrence, except for those who had taken refuge with Hebrews, who had marked their door frames with lamb's blood. Could it be the firstborn of G_d died during the second occurrence. Shedding His blood, and marking the “doorway” for entrance to Heaven?
Actually, yesterday’s eclipse did last 3 hours. Totality was 2+ minutes, but the whole darkening did last 90 minutes before & after.
Nothing wrong with at least checking to see if there was an eclipse then. Easy & precise to determine, explains a lot if it did; if not, at least rules that out.
“It could NOT have been a solar eclipse. Jesus was crucified near passover which is aligned in the jewish calendar with a full moon. The moon is in the wrong location for a solar eclipse.”
That’s a definitive answer.
My cousin, a Russian Orthodox Priest, posted a comment about the eclipse vs the darkness yesterday on Facebook: “for those claiming a spiritual experience from today’s total eclipse, on April 6 2018, join us as we commemorate a similar occurrence, when the sun and moon recoiled at the sight of their Creator suffering death. The experience of today’s natural occurrence passed quickly without any lasting effects, but Christ’s crucifixion benefits mankind for all eternity.”
I am anxious to see what, if anything, happens on Oct 13, the 100 year anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun. I have read everything I could find about that and there is no doubt it occurred and no explanation for it. So I pray that Our Lady returns....
It was all the sin of mankind, past, present, and future that was placed between God the Father and His Only Son - our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Christ.
THIS "eclipse" of the Son was the most pain anyone has ever borne. There is nothing we can do to pay the price. Jesus paid it all.
...just a thought.
God does work in mysterious ways...He created the universe and He can manipulate it and those who dwell in it by merely speaking His wish into being like He spoke everything into existence.
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