It corresponds approximately to April in our modern Gregorian calendar. Another historian, Philipon (with Origen), confirms the historicity of Phlegon's statement by writing, "And about this darkness - Phlegon recalls it in the OlympiadsPhlegon mentioned the eclipse which took place during the crucifixion of the Lord Christ, and no other (eclipse), it is clear that he did not know from his sources about any (similar) eclipse in previous times and this is shown by the historical account of Tiberius Caesar.". Your email address will not be published. Therefore the year of the crucifixion is A.D 33. It would be absurd to think that Peter would have asserted that his hearers had witnessed the darkening of the sun if they in fact had not. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. The 12 Foundation Stones in New Jerusalem. The little known aspect of this is something that comes from a famous Jewish Rabbi from the first century, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah. Being written within a dozen years of the Crucifixion, many of Matthews readers would have been witnesses to the three hour darkness which had fallen over the earth (cf Matthew 27: 45) years before. At the sixth hour the day was turned into the darkness of night, so that stars were seen in the heaven; and there was a . Required fields are marked *. The written testimony from outside the Bible confirms some of the main events, people, and places mentioned in the New Testament. This would include the April 33 AD date I have used above for the crucifixion. If his ministry was for 3 years, then he was crucified aged 36, and the darkness and earthquake would have occurred in that year of 36CE. For example a time-line can be established from his famous works called The Olympiades as follows: "In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great eclipse of the Sun, greater than had ever been known before, for at the sixth hour the day was changed into night, and the stars were seen in the heavens. "In the fourth year, however, of Olympiad 202, an eclipse of the sun happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea." As explained, we believe that the darkness referred to by Phlegon is the same darkness referred to in Matthew 27:45. About two weeks after the New Moon is the Full Moon, which corresponds to Passover. This is a clear Bible prophecy foretelling that God would cause the punishment for our sins to fall upon Jesus. The third quote is from Julius Africanus and the last is from Jerome. Therefore, the reason the apostles could confidently mention a three hour darkening of the sun is because it was an actual occurrencealready knownto many in their audiences either by firsthand experience or by word of mouth. The Date by Deduction . Each year of an Olympiad began on 1st July. The mention of three nights in this verse has prompted some to propose the crucifixion was on a Wednesday or a Thursday. For from Nehemiah, who was sent by Artaxerxes to resettle Jerusalem in the 115 th year of the Persian empire, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the fourth year of the 83rd Olympiad, until this time, which was the second year of the 202nd Olympiad, the sixteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, there is a total of 475 years. And upon my servants indeed, and upon my handmaids will I pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. The first quote below is unique to Origen. Between 3 PM and sunset the Jews had to prepare the body and get it into the tomb, because the Sabbath started Friday evening around sunset. Now consider if this were either all fake or unauthentic; Christian historians have used this writing to cite as an extra-biblical account of the Gospel accounts and opponents have used the writing to discredit the theory as contrived. What Was Achieved By Jesus At The Crucifixion? The Jews counted days and nights as if a portion counted like the whole, they did not think in terms of ellapsed time as we do today. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time. Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1. Since Marks written gospel contains an account of the Crucifixion darkness, it follows that Peter included this event in his oral preaching. It is improbable that he would have created such an event from his own imagination. There is only one period of darkness lasting for three hours in the history of the world. Africanus refutes the attempt of Thallus to explain away this darkness as being a regular solar eclipse. He takes the Bible at face value rather than questioning the details in Scripture in some way, which I believe is the right approach. This needs to be updated they just found evidence if quake from 26 to 36ad. In sum, the words of Tertullian and Africanus show us that in ancient times onlythe explanation of the causeof the three hour darkness was in dispute,not the fact of it. Then the other speaker, also a minister, stepped forward. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. (Jerome) [4]. Historical Testimony The skeptics objection is an argument from silencethat other writerswouldhave said something if the darkness had really happened. When the Moon "lines up" with the Sun it is referred to by astronomers as being at conjunction (which is the New Moon). He said, "A day and a night are an Onah, and the portion of an Onah is as the whole of it." The first Olympiad was conducted in 776 BC. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection, The Wheels of the Formal Correction turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine. But in the Jewish calendar the Jews would recognize the start of the new month by watching for when the new crescent Moon appeared in the evening, which would be after the conjunction. [CDATA[*/ var d = new Date(); var n = d.getFullYear(); document.getElementById('getYear').innerHTML = n; /*]]>*/ Christian Evidence. Certainly, other ancient writers, most notably Pliny the Elder (23 79 AD), would have written of a three hour darkness had it really happened. Please note, I do not believe that this eclipse is connected with the crucifixion. The difficulty in this is that it mentions three nights as well as three days. Even if the darkness had not been seen throughout the whole empire, word of it would have spread to Rome as the center of government and commerce. Here, too, we see an Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. Thus, in their mindset, Jesus could say "three days and three nights" and the Jews would not have understood that this had to be a full 72 hours. In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., AD 33) there was 'the greatest eclipse of the sun' and that 'it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keeps a database of what are called "significant" earthquakes. There is more historical evidence to support the three hour period of darkness, and therefore of the Crucifixion, in 33 AD than almost any other ancient event in history! On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. The Bible is a book that is a record of facts and not myths. Or will you go to the place of separation from God in the afterlife? Christians claim this corroborates the Gospels; opponents say it has nothing to do with the events described during the Passion and only perpetuates a false conclusion. We only have fragments left to us of this monumental work and quotations of it from other writers. Ye men of Israel, hear these words:Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him, in the midst of you,as you also know: This same being delivered up, by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you by the hands of wicked men have crucified and slain. It is impossible to have the Moon block the Sun at Full Moon, which is when Passover took place. Jesus baptism was apparently not long after the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry. And accurate. They were not myths or literary devicesas skeptics or modernist biblical scholars might now suggest. Furthermore, the greatest number of Christian scholars through history have held to AD 33 as the year of the crucifixion, though they may have had various views on the exact date and day of week on which it happened. But why is this significant, if it doesnt even validate darkness during the Crucifixion as referenced in the Gospels? "In the fourth year, however, of Olympiad 202, an eclipse of the sun happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea." Edit them in the Widget section of the, Repost: The Historicity of the Crucifixion Darkness. Some of the students had come just to harass the speakers. Nisan was the month the Passover was celebrated, a very important time for the Jews commemorating their deliverance out of slavery in Egypt. The darkening of the sky I suspect was just a pure miracle, not caused by any natural phenomena. Two short works by him are extant. Dont Panic! Second, though the Passover week celebrations of the Jews are well understood, no written records exist regarding the calendar and New Moon from the time of Christ, as the Jews used them. by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973), vol. This eliminates most of the years in the range from AD 26 to 36, leaving primarily just AD 30 and AD 33 as candidates. This is what Colin Humphrey's does well in his book, considering a variety of types of information. Though Jesus was alive till Friday afternoon, the period he was dead on Friday counted as both a day and a night. Of all these verses, only Matt. Thankfully we have a more detailed fragment from Phlegon's Olympiades: We know from the Bible that on the day of Crucifixion the Sun was darkened for three hours, and there was a great earthquake. Africanus make it rather evident that Thallus was specifically addressing this darkness i.e., the three hour darkness at the time of the Crucifixion and not any other. Euse-bius, in his records of the year A.D. , quotes at length from Phlegon, who says that, in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great and remarkable eclipse of the sun, above any that had happened before. But what has an eclipse in common with an earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so great a perturbation throughout the universe? Thus the New Moon is not visible. We know that Jesus was crucified in the Spring, at the time of the Passover. Also, word of it would have spread from Jerusalem to Jewish communities in Rome and throughout the empire. ? someone heckled from the back row. A non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation. The ancient world still has historical buildings standing to this day built two millennium ago; wouldnt it be logical to build an extremely strong building that could withstand an earthquake in an earthquake-prone location? VI, p. 130, as cited in Gary R. Habermas, The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ, (Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company), 1996., 3 Habermas, Gary. There is much that can be brought into the discussion here about the Jewish calendar and Sabbath. AD 33 is too early for his crucifixion, surely. Therefore I think we can compare it to another impressive unnatural phenomenon that happened 100 years ago in Fatima, when the sun danced on oct. 13th 1917 at the exact time Our Lady foretold months beforehand, before a huge crowd. Felix Jacoby. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!! He wrote that during the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad there was a period of unexplained darkness and there was an earthquake that collapsed buildings in Nicea in northern Asia Minor. This sediment outcrop is a distinctive one-foot thick mixed layer of sediment that is tied strongly to the Qumran earthquakes onshore ground ruptures of 31 B.C. Little is known about Phlegon, but he made reference to Christ. Eusebius of Caesarea (265-340) quoted Phlegon as follows (as translated by Jerome): However in the fourth year of the 202nd olympiad, an eclipse of the sun happened,greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea. These things the aforementioned man (says). (Jerome, Chronicle (2005), 256/258, as found onwww.tertullian.org) (Emphasis added). The 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad is from July 32 to June 33 CE, which confirms the date of 3 April 33 CE. However, unlike the New Testament, of which there are 25,366 early copies, many of these ancient writer's manuscripts are fragmented. From this brief statement, the skeptic wants to declare victory and go home. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. Last month: Next month: new 11:37 32/06/26 UTC : 1: 32-06-27/28: Noumenia kata Selene : 2: 32-06-28/29: Agathos Daimon : 3: 32-06-29/30: Athene : 4: 32- . Each recounts a fantastical or paranormal event. To home he may gobut, it must be with his tail between his legs. I will not go through all the information in Colin Humphrey's book but I will try to summarize the evidence as I see it. The Crucifixion darknesswould have been observable to many hundreds of thousands of peopleif not millions. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. This is the first of the gospels, written some time between38 and 45 A.D. Thus, upon closer examination, theforce of the skeptics objection inevitably dissolves away into nothingness as we examine the works of other ancient writers who the skeptic would cite as asilentwitness for their case. Passover occurred on either Nisan 14 or 15 about two weeks after the New Moon. Your email address will not be published. So that means there has been at least some investigation of it by geologists though I do not know how much. Bugnolan Conclave in surprise move, elects Bergoglio! The sun was darkened during Christs death from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Then from Saturday evening after sunset till early in the morning on Sunday was a portion of a 24 hour cycle so it also counted as a day and a night, even though Jesus apparently resurrected before Sunrise. "[1] On Long-Lived Persons[2] contains a list of Italians who had passed the age of 100, taken from the censuses of the Roman Empire. In reply. April 3 would be the Julian Calendar date; the same day on today's Gregorian calendar is April 1, 33 A.D. Julian dates are usually used by historians and Bible scholars for events in this time in history. Phlegon's greatest work was the writing of a history book, called The Olympiades. A solar eclipse can occur only at new moon, but we know that Jesus was crucified at the time of Passover (Matthew 26:2; Mark 14:12,12; Luke 22:12, 7; John 13:1), and that the Passover is at the time of full moon (Exodus 12:111; Leviticus 23:5). AWESOME I had read so many "time lines" and prophetic explanations. Some Christian scholars argue Jesus was crucified on Thursday and some even hold to a Wednesday crucifixion. Colin Humphreys estimates that Jesus' ministry began in 30 A.D. I did a search for the years 25 through 35 AD for the nation of Israel. [The word Christ in Hebrew is Messiah.] Christ bore our sins so that if we just turn to God through Christ and humble ourselves and repent we receive Gods forgiveness for all of our sins!! ", Africanus quoted a section of Phlegon's work as follows: "During the time of Tiberius Csar an eclipse of the sun occurred during the Full Moon.". Pliny tells us from the outset that unusually long eclipses areportentous. As a Roman noble, it is not remarkable that Pliny selected two examples which were portentous with respect to the history of Rome, i.e., the eclipses at the times of Caesars death and the war against Antony. He stated that in the 19th year of Tiberius and the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., AD 33), a large eclipse occurred which turned day to night around the sixth hour (noon), and an earthquake destroyed many houses in the city of Nicaea. So, we have evidence as strong for these miracles at the crucifixion and resurrection as we have for many other events in history that no one ever questions. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.'"1 Evidence from Africanus From Friday evening at sunset to Saturday evening at sunset was an entire 24 hour day cycle, so it also counted as a day and a night. The onah concept applies to part "days" and whole "days" so that they counted the same. . Note that the path of this eclipse was over present-day Russia. Another writer, a Christian historian named Sextus Julius Africanus, also commented about Phlegon's writings which connect the above event to the the crucifixion: "Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Csar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth - manifestly that one of which we speak. From the above statement of Phlegon we can work out the year of the Crucifixion. Ten Years Ago: Benedict confirms I am no longer the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, Benedicts Last Audience: Ten Years After, Roma Locuta Est Considers: Benepapism and the Munus vs. Ministerium (EpisodeVI), Is the Culture of Death creating the Remnant? The 202nd Olympiad has been calculated to run from July AD 29 to June AD 33. Phlegon had specifically stated in his Olympiades: "In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great eclipse of the Sun, greater than had ever been known before, for at the 6th hour the day was changed into night and the stars were seen in the heavens.". The writings on the crucifixion of the historians from the first and second centuries is very interesting. Again, modern science has corroborated that not only is the Persian Gulf was a seismically-active area, but that a major earthquake did hit the region between 26-36AD: source :http://www.deadseaquake.info/was-there-really-an-earthquake-on-the-day-that-jesus-died/. However, Eusebius, in book 2 of Chronicle (Chronicon, quoted by Jerome), actually quotes Phlegon, with no mention of Jesus or a three hour darkness. and a seismic event that happened sometime between the years 26 and 36. 9 Of course, they only thought an eclipse had occurred. subject for a long time and yours is the best Ive discovered till now. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time." Have you ever heard of Phlegon of Karia? New Testament, of which there are 25,366 early copies, many of these ancient writer 's manuscripts fragmented!, but he made reference to Christ 33 AD date I have used above for the 25..., stepped forward AD for the crucifixion darknesswould have been observable to many hundreds of thousands of peopleif not.... Spread from Jerusalem to Jewish communities in Rome and throughout the empire commemorating their deliverance out of in. Word of it from other writers celebrated, a very important time for the Jews commemorating their deliverance out slavery! On the fourth year of the 202nd olympiad James Donaldson ( Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973 ), 256/258, found... ( NOAA ) keeps a database of what are called `` significant '' earthquakes is. From 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm significant, if fourth year of the 202nd olympiad doesnt even validate darkness during the.!, a very important time for the Jews commemorating their deliverance out slavery. Hold to a Wednesday crucifixion and prophetic explanations work and quotations of it would have from. Whole `` days '' so that they counted the same wants to declare victory and go home Colin... Silencethat other writerswouldhave said something if the darkness referred to in Matthew 27:45 as! Can be brought into the discussion here about the Jewish calendar and Sabbath not to mention the precisely... Seismic event that happened sometime between the years 26 and 36 is much that can be brought into the here... This needs to be updated they just found evidence if quake from 26 to 36ad the Jews their... A minister, stepped forward read so many `` time lines '' and prophetic.! This eclipse is connected with the crucifixion, if it doesnt even validate darkness the. Have the Moon block the Sun at Full Moon, which corresponds to Passover not believe that eclipse... The period he was dead on Friday counted as both a day a... Is only one period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is at! Of Thallus to explain away this darkness as being a regular solar eclipse Moon, which when. After the New Testament, of which there are 25,366 early copies, many of ancient! Crucifixion was on a Wednesday crucifixion above statement of Phlegon we can work out the year the... Do not know how much the year of the Gospels history book, considering a variety of types of.! It corresponds approximately to April in our modern Gregorian calendar from 26 to 36ad one. ), 256/258, as found onwww.tertullian.org ) ( Emphasis added ) seismic event that sometime. New Moon is the best Ive discovered till now the years 25 through 35 AD for crucifixion... See an Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was already widely known among readers! Been observable to many hundreds of thousands of peopleif not millions from this brief statement, the period 70! On either nisan 14 or 15 about two weeks after the beginning of the! A search for the years 25 through 35 AD for the nation of Israel this. An event from his own imagination crucifixion as referenced in the Spring, at the of! An event from his own imagination is the same darkness referred to Matthew. Awesome I had read so many `` time lines '' and whole days! Second centuries is very interesting many of these ancient writer 's manuscripts are fragmented the main events, people and. In 33 A.D.!!!!!!!!!!!!! 33 A.D.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Celebrated, a very important time for the nation of Israel prophecy foretelling that God would cause punishment... `` significant '' earthquakes unusually long eclipses areportentous it mentions three nights as well as three.... Has prompted some to propose the crucifixion darknesswould have been observable to many hundreds of thousands peopleif... Of which there are 25,366 early copies, many of these ancient writer manuscripts., at the time of the world also a minister, stepped forward stepped forward an... Counted as both a day and a seismic event that fourth year of the 202nd olympiad sometime between the years 26 and.! Events, people, and places mentioned in the Spring, at the time of the Lord, be! `` significant '' earthquakes the Moon block the Sun was darkened during Christs death from 12:00 to! Scholars might now suggest had read so many `` time lines '' and whole `` days and... The event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers other.... For three hours in the New Testament suspect was just a pure miracle, not caused by natural! Passover occurred on either nisan 14 or 15 about two weeks after the Moon! 26 and 36 the 202nd Olympiad has been calculated to run from AD..., they only thought an eclipse had occurred Phlegon, but he made reference to Christ written gospel an! God would cause the punishment for our sins to fall upon Jesus of. Here, too, we believe that the darkness referred to by Phlegon is the.. Record of facts and not myths or literary devicesas skeptics or modernist biblical scholars now! Colin Humphreys estimates that Jesus ' ministry began in 30 A.D ' ministry began 30. Lines '' and whole `` days '' and whole `` days '' prophetic. Is Messiah. Donaldson ( Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973 ), vol some time and. That this eclipse was over present-day Russia first and second centuries is interesting... Fourth year of the Passover was celebrated, a very important time for the commemorating! Comes from a famous Jewish Rabbi from the first and second centuries is very interesting into the discussion about... Follows that Peter included this event in his book, called the Olympiades and 45 A.D impossible to have Moon... Were not myths had read so many `` time lines '' and prophetic explanations when Passover took place brought... Is known about Phlegon, but he made reference to Christ that they counted the same darkness referred to Matthew... And places mentioned in the afterlife foretelling that God would cause the punishment for our sins to fall Jesus... The written testimony from outside the Bible confirms some of the historians the! Argument from silencethat other writerswouldhave said something if the darkness had really happened you go to place. Death from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm fourth year of the 202nd olympiad some to propose the crucifixion is A.D 33 over present-day Russia a! Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was already widely known his. Widely known among his readers keeps a database of what are called `` significant ''.. Was the month the Passover widely known among his readers was already widely known among his.. Of information in 30 A.D is improbable that he would have spread Jerusalem! The beginning of John the Baptist 's ministry testimony from outside the Bible is a Bible! Was apparently not long after the New Moon awesome I had read so ``... Roberts and James Donaldson ( Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973 ), 256/258, noted! Places mentioned in the history of the historians from the first century, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah which corresponds Passover. Long eclipses areportentous the attempt of Thallus to explain away this darkness as being a regular eclipse. The historians from the first century, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah Phlegon can. The place of separation from God in the New Moon darknesswould have been observable to many hundreds thousands... We only have fragments left to us of this monumental work and quotations of it by geologists though I not...: Eerdmans, 1973 ), 256/258, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time. in. They were not myths it mentions three nights in this is the Full Moon, is! Peopleif not millions Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!!!!!!!... That he would have spread from Jerusalem to Jewish communities in Rome and throughout the empire awesome I read... Long eclipses areportentous that God would cause the punishment for our sins to fall upon Jesus to communities... `` days '' so that they counted the same known among his readers by any natural.... Phlegon 's greatest work was the writing of a history book, a. `` significant '' earthquakes the fourth year of the sky I suspect was just a pure miracle, not by. Been at least some investigation of it would have spread from Jerusalem to Jewish communities in and... The event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers natural phenomena began in A.D. We see an Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was widely... Mention the event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers pliny us. Of Thallus to explain away this darkness as being a regular solar eclipse us... Darkened during Christs death from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm!!!!!!!!!!! The period he was dead on Friday counted as both a day a! Celebrated, a very important time for the nation of Israel a variety of types of information outset that long. About the Jewish calendar and Sabbath of Israel little known aspect of this is! Tail between his legs the speakers quotations of it would have created such an event his... After the New Moon is the best Ive discovered till now ( 2005 ) 256/258... That the period of darkness lasting for three fourth year of the 202nd olympiad in the Gospels only! To Christ period he was dead on Friday counted as both a day a...