Thus the darkening of the sky at the crucifixion is very extraordinary. Thus, if the quote is accurate, and Phlegon's eclipse has . (LogOut/ There are writings from Roman, Jewish, and Christian writers all known as good historians who mention Jesus Christ in some way, often as they write about Christians. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (Luke 23:44-45 ). This historical puzzle shows the historical accuracy of the New Testament in a number of ways. The next piece of the puzzle is to determine if Jesus indeed was crucified on a Friday. This year would be AD 29 from Roman historical sources. Last month: Next month: new 02:44 32/07/26 UTC : 1: 32-07-26/27: Noumenia : 2: 32-07-27/28: Noumenia kata Selene Agathos Daimon: Herakleia? 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. 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. So how should we understand the statement about Jesus being dead three days and three nights? We believe that the event referred to by Phlegon is the same event that is recorded in the New Testament. I will follow the work of Cambridge professor Colin Humphreys based on his book, "The Mystery of the Last Supper," published in 2011 [1]. Required fields are marked *. Thus the New Moon is not visible. This information augments Phlegons credibility as a historian; citing sources that preceded his lifetime and were thus out of his control, as they would have recorded the event about a century before he was writing. The gospel references where Jesus predicted he would rise in three days are Matt. One of the strengths of Humphrey's book is the way it clarifies calendar issues and the way the Jews counted months, days, and nights. Please note, I do not believe that this eclipse is connected with the crucifixion. Though Jesus was alive till Friday afternoon, the period he was dead on Friday counted as both a day and a night. Contact Dr Richard Kent and recommendations, Bible Prophecy Concerning The Crucifixion, The Blood Covenant In Relation To The Crucifixion, Recording of The Crucifixion by Contemporary Historians, The Three Hour Period Of Darkness Is Confirmed By Many Historians, The Ad 33 Date Of The Crucifixion According To Phlegon, A Secular Greek Historian, The Ad 33 Date Of The Crucifixion From Bible Prophecy, Caiaphas Prophesied About The Crucifixion, In Gethsemane Jesus Sweated Blood, The Disciples Slept, And Judas Betrayed Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot Betrayed Jesus Christ For Thirty Pieces Of Silver, The Timing Of The Night Before The Crucifixion, Jesus Christ Stood In Our Place At The Six Trials, Jesus Was Condemned To Death For "blasphemy", The Crowd Choose Barabbas Rather Than Jesus. Gary R. Habermas. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on the previous day . This firmly connects Jesus and the gospels to Roman history. 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. We can therefore calculate with great accuracy that the three hour period of darkness, and also the Crucifixion, had to be in the Spring of A.D. 33. The Crucifixion darkness could certainly have been one of these excluded eclipses. However, whether there was or was not a Crucifixion darkness, it can not be proven from Pliny. The last known Olympic celebration was held in the year 261 CE ( Common Era, also known as "AD" from the Latin Anno Domini which means In the Year of the Lord in English). It was recorded by a Pagan author who had no desire to promote Christianity yet he confirmed the Bible record! Thesestatements reveal several key things: 1. Or has it been changed and contaminated by ambitious Christian defenders? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This earthquake did not center near Jerusalem exactly but it was strong enough to be very noticable in effects at Jerusalem if it did damage in Nicea. . This is the first of the gospels, written some time between38 and 45 A.D. It is believed to be an 8.2-magnitude earthquake. Many Christian scholars have come to question either the synoptic gospels or the gospel of John because of the difficulties of resolving questions about exactly when Jesus was crucified. In order to make it, the skeptic must demonstrate that the other surviving ancient sources we do havecertainlywould have mentioned the darkness if it had happenedandthat there is no sufficient reason why these sources excluded it. 27:39-40, Matt. 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? . Check it out for yourselfhttp://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0001-0100.html. The facts were recorded in a historical account of Tiberius. 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. (LogOut/ In October, I will perform a miracle here so that all may believe. Jesus was born whilst Herod, the Great, was still alive; we know he died in BCE and on 1st April 4BCE. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection). "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 his book Chronicle of the Olympiad he records a miracle mentioned in the New Testament. (Mark 15: 33), And it was almost the sixth hour; and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 12:40 mention three nights. Dont believe me? If the above quotes about the crucifixion sky darkening and the earthquake are correct and actually correspond to the crucifixion, then we have historical evidence for miracles at the crucifixion. 2. 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. In Rome,Peter spokeas he had to the Jews of Jerusalem (cf Acts 2:14-24)to an audience that hadpriorknowledge of the three hour darkness. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It was calculated in four-year intervals. Phlegon, born about A.D. 80, was a secular historian who lived in the second century. TheActs of the Apostlesrecords the very first public preaching of Peter and the Apostles, which took place less than eight weeks after the Crucifixion. The dramatic story recorded above is fictional but the facts presented, namely Bible prophecy, Phlegon and Thallius writings, etc., are very true. The Text Widget allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. This fits the Hebrew calendar and Passover celebrations, and it also seems confirmed by historical extrabiblical sources referring to Christ's crucifixion. . 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. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, in the 18th year of Tiberius. Archeological study of artifacts or buried structures is helpful but archeologists would often consider an ancient written source to be more important than an artifact because you need to know something to give the artifact a context. Now before the accusations fly about me ascribing random astronomical events to this writing, consider this: these are the only two solar eclipses that occur within the time frame reference by Phlegon, and from 20-40AD there are only 3 other eclipses that could even possibly have been seen by Rome or the Persian Gulf; one in 20AD and the other two occur after 36AD. In light of themassobservation and notoriety of a three hour darkness, it would not have made any sense for the Apostlesin preaching or writing about the truth of Christ to believers and nonbelievers aliketo have mentioned this darkness if it had notreallyhappened. Thus geological data seem to confirm the 33 AD date. The 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad was 32-33AD: HMEPA Hellenic Month Established Per Athens The 202nd Olympiad Last Olympiad Next Olympiad Last Olympiad source: http://www.numachi.com/~ccount/hmepa/calendars/202.html Modern context of the calendar of ancient Olympics would put the 4 th year of the 202 nd Olympiad at July 32-33AD. However, this is scientifically impossible. whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Unfortunately, Africanus does not quote Phlegon directly. Adding these figures up, we find that Jesus began proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of heaven when he was 33 years old. Unfortunately for the skepticand a sign of his desperation as wellthe argument from silence is, perhaps, one of the most difficult types of arguments to make. Are you positive in regards to the source? 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. Jeremiah 9:23-24. Pure speculation. I am more concerned in determining the year than the exact date and day of the week, but it seems you cannot really determine the year confidently without figuring out the exact day and day of the week. Note that the path of this eclipse was over present-day Russia. 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). On Marvels consists of "anecdotes culled from sources as diverse as the Greek poet Hesiod and the Roman natural historian Pliny the Elder. And accurate. There is a silence of historical sources with regard to this Crucifixion darkness. Since Marks written gospel contains an account of the Crucifixion darkness, it follows that Peter included this event in his oral preaching. These aspects of the problem are critical and it shows the Jewish mindset about the calendar and counting days was quite different than our modern mindset. Assume Jesus died Friday afternoon about 3 PM as we reckon time today. Even more fascinating is the mention of an earthquake. They were not myths or literary devicesas skeptics or modernist biblical scholars might now suggest. He dabbed the sweat from his pallid face and intoned Are you at peace with God? The Date by Deduction However, the sixth hour in Bithynia is also at the same time as the sixth hour in Jerusalem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics#/media/File:Plates_tect2_en.svg. If you were to cross-reference that to every fourth year of an Olympiad, only 3 more would have been visible from Rome; 4AD, 17AD, and 20AD. Two short works by him are extant. When the Moon "lines up" with the Sun it is referred to by astronomers as being at conjunction (which is the New Moon). Well, Phlegon does mention this guy named Jesus. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. 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. It is significant that Jesus be crucified on a Friday because that is the normal time when the passover lamb was sacrificed by the Jews. So the daylight part of a day (or any part thereof) is an onah and the evening is an onah and the entire dark period of the night is also an onah. The reader should note that Phlegons comment that an eclipse of the sun occurred during Jesus death was impossible (see Thallus) since the Jewish Passover occurs during a full moon. The astronomical science tells us there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year. However, such an explanation for the Crucifixion darkness is absurd because solar eclipses are counted in minutes, not hours. Here, too, we see an Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers. Modern context of the calendar of ancient Olympics would put the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad at July 32-33AD. Remember then, especially on Good Friday between the hours of noon and 3 pm, that the Crucifixion darkness is a real, historical eventand pray for those who deny it. This is done carefully in Humphreys book [1]. Phlegon of Tralles (Ancient Greek: Flegon o Trallianos) was a Greek writer and freedman of the emperor Hadrian, who lived in the 2nd century AD. . However, these are all unlikely candidates as their timing is off from the Olympiad calendar. March 25, 2018: With the arrival of Holy Week, I am reposting this article on the historicity of the Crucifixion darkness, originally posted April 13, 2017. 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. Phlegons 13th book quoted in Jeromes translation of Eusebius Chronicle, 202 Olympad. Clearly, Peter and his hearers had seen the sun darken. While the actual words used by Thallus no longer survive, the response of Africanus (below) give us a sense of what he must have said: As to His (i.e., Jesus Christ) works severally, and His cures effected upon body and soul, and the mysteries of His doctrine, and the resurrection from the dead, these have been most authoritatively set forth by His disciples and apostles before us. So, we know that when Jesus was crucified had to be a year between AD 26 and 36 in which Nisan 14 or Nisan 15 occurred on a Friday. Check Huffpost. Why would the Apostles allude to a darkness their hearers and readersknewdid not happen? Unfortunately, no one of those three pairs, that is, recorded event vs. eclipse, is a perfect fit or a harmonious pair. From the work of Phlegon we can work out the date of the Crucifixion. First, there are differences between the synoptic gospels in the New Testament and the gospel of John that have puzzled Bible scholars. His chief work was the Olympiads, an historical compendium in sixteen books, from the 1st down to the 229th Olympiad (776 BC to AD 137), of which several chapters are preserved in Eusebius' Chronicle, Photius, and George Syncellus. On this basis the Fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad would commence in July A.D.32 and finish in June A.D.33. The Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI: Now available through other book sellers, Roma Locuta Est Considers: Benepapism and the Munus vs. Ministerium (EpisodeII), Roma Locuta Est Considers: Introduction to Benepapism (Episode I). "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." Picking on Pliny The Romans and Jews could have falsified Peters claimhad it been false. (Jerome) [4]. It is important to note that 1) an eclipse of the sun cannot occur during a full moon since the moon would be on the opposite side of the earth and 2) that Jesus died on Passover during a full moon. ? someone heckled from the back row. Origen tells us in his work,Against Celsus(cf Contra Celsus II, 14), that Phlegon had some knowledge of Jesus. He referred to a description by Phlegon of an eclipse accompanied by earthquakes during the reign of Tiberius: that 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. 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.". 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Of the temple was rent in the New Testament in a number of ways 202 Olympad to a darkness hearers... `` anecdotes culled from sources as diverse as the sixth hour in Bithynia is also the. October, I will perform a miracle here so that all may believe myths literary. In Jeromes translation of Eusebius Chronicle, 202 Olympad be AD 29 from Roman historical sources note, do! Of Tiberius do not believe that this eclipse was over present-day Russia this fits Hebrew.

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