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Luke implies that John the Baptist began his public ministry shortly before Jesus did, and he gives us a historical reference point for when the Baptists ministry began: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar .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.
who is the author of this, i don’t see it sourced any where?
the Apostle to the Gentiles wrote to them in Hebrew when THEY SPOKE GREEK??
Well; if you’re an observant Jew; then yes.
I just KNEW you’d show up again one of these days!
That Luke was sure a joker!!
5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.
12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. Brothers, he said, listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16 After this I will return
and rebuild Davids fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things[b]
18 things known from long ago.[c]
19 It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.
The apostles and elders, your brothers,
To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell.
30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. [34] [d] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Oh GOODY! So murder is ok.... stealing is ok... drunkenness is ok... Drugs are ok... false witness... YIPPEEE! And since we don't have to listen to Torah, who's to say what 'sexual immorality' is!
Seeya. I'm going to go buy me a Harley and some gypsy leather.
Christians follow the law of Christ, which is the law of love. all of those activities you list violate the law of Christ, so Christians do well to avoid them as well.
Christ kept the Torah PERFECTLY, and we believers in Christ keep the Torah perfectly since our life is hidden with Christ in God.
Then by your reply, the Jerusalem council is not definitive.
Christ kept the Torah PERFECTLY, and we believers in Christ keep the Torah perfectly since our life is hidden with Christ in God.
But you are not hidden from Yeshua... and as His disciple, you are to emulate him - And he kept Torah... and he told his disciples (you and me) to do and teach Torah.
Sounds like you have a problem with the BOOK!
Nope. I have a problem with what some people say the Book says. That they say it does not make it true.
Amen!
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