Was the Crucifixion really on a Friday?

cfposter

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Everyone who has studied the topic of the Crucifixion has heard that Christ was crucified on a Friday. I'm not disputing that as I don't have enough information to dispute it.

However, the often accepted date is Friday April 3rd of 33 AD (Juilian).

The problem with that date is that Friday of April 3rd is NOT the 14th day of the month per true reckoning of the Lunar month.

That day would actually be the 15th day of the Month if that Lunar month is regarded as the first month of the year.

Although many calendars will reference that Friday (Apr 3rd , 33AD) as the 14th of Nissan, it is in error.

Consider the following:

A Biblical Jewish day began when Night came and ended with the Evening hours completed. So we have:

Night - Morning - Day - Evening

Now they observed the days per a Lunar Calendar. The moon has its morning (beginning) when the sun has set. This means the sign of the moon that rises with the oncoming Night is the indicator of the beginning of the RESPECTIVE Day of the Month.

The first SLIVER of Light that the month incurred BEGAN the night of 3/20/33. That was the commencement of the 2nd Day of the Month and the 1st day of the week. Now consider that the Passover is actually on the 14th day of the Month and you will find that the 14th day actually begins the night of 4/1.

This means if Passover occurred that month - it would have been on the Day of 4/2 which is a Thursday and not a Friday crucifixion.

This is WHY KNOWING when a Day begins and ends is very important to getting it right.
 

miamited

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Hi cfposter,

I've always considered that it may well have been a Thursday as we account the days of the week. I think the Friday idea came from the mention of the next day being a Sabbath, but there are many Sabbaths honored in Judaism that aren't the seventh day of rest, Friday sunset to Saturday sunset Sabbath. In fact, at the time that it is claimed in the Scriptures that Jesus was crucified, the days of Passover, there are a couple of Sabbaths to be mindful of.

Unfortunately, to really know when the Passover was celebrated in the year the Jesus was crucified, we have to know what year Jesus was crucified. That still isn't an established fact. But yes, if we knew what year Jesus was crucified, we should be able to go back and figure when the Sabbath would have been based on the moon's cycle. There would have been a Sabbath immediately after the Passover, that next day would have been a Sabbath. So, if the Passover in the year that Jesus was crucified were on a Thursday, and Jesus slain on that day as our final Passover Lamb, then Friday would have been a Sabbath and the next day, Saturday, would also have been a Sabbath. Leaving Sunday as the first day that the women could have visited the tomb to prepare Jesus' body.

God bless,
Ted
 
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cfposter

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Hi cfposter,

I've always considered that it may well have been a Thursday as we account the days of the week. I think the Friday idea came from the mention of the next day being a Sabbath, but there are many Sabbaths honored in Judaism that aren't the seventh day of rest, Friday sunset to Saturday sunset Sabbath. In fact, at the time that it is claimed in the Scriptures that Jesus was crucified, the days of Passover, there are a couple of Sabbaths to be mindful of.

Unfortunately, to really know when the Passover was celebrated in the year the Jesus was crucified, we have to know what year Jesus was crucified. That still isn't an established fact. But yes, if we knew what year Jesus was crucified, we should be able to go back and figure when the Sabbath would have been based on the moon's cycle. There would have been a Sabbath immediately after the Passover, that next day would have been a Sabbath. So, if the Passover in the year that Jesus was crucified were on a Thursday, and Jesus slain on that day as our final Passover Lamb, then Friday would have been a Sabbath and the next day, Saturday, would also have been a Sabbath. Leaving Sunday as the first day that the women could have visited the tomb to prepare Jesus' body.

God bless,
Ted

Yes, I agree. The next day after Passover was a Sabbath. I agree that also. I have a different date that I propose MAY be the day of the Crucifixion. And it is probably one of the least considered:

March 14th, 32 AD - The day was also a Friday. I don't know if it was, but if we take the 15th Year of Tiberius as the start of Jesus Ministry and a 3.5 year ministry before crucifixion, then I think either that year or 33 AD.
 
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com7fy8

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On "the day before the Sabbath" the body of Jesus was taken down and put in the grave > Mark 15:42-47.

As far as I know, Jews considered the weekly Sabbath to be from sunset until the next sunset of the last day of the week. The last day of the week is what a lot of people call "Saturday".

So, I can see that the scriptures could be saying Jesus died on what most people would say was "Friday".
 
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Der Alte

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Let us ask someone who was centuries closer to the event in question.
Justin [A.D. 110-165.] The First Apology. Chap. LXVII. —
And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday,76 all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability,77 and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given,78 and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.
All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on parasceue which means "preparation" and which was at the time of Jesus and is to this day the Greek name of the day we call Friday.
Matthew 27:62-63
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
Mark 15:42
42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
Luke 23:54
54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
John 19:14-15
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
John 19:31
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
There was only one Sabbath in passion week. The weekly Sabbath.

 
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cfposter

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On "the day before the Sabbath" the body of Jesus was taken down and put in the grave > Mark 15:42-47.

As far as I know, Jews considered the weekly Sabbath to be from sunset until the next sunset of the last day of the week. The last day of the week is what a lot of people call "Saturday".

So, I can see that the scriptures could be saying Jesus died on what most people would say was "Friday".

He definitely died before the Sabbath and it was the day prior. That day was a High Sabbath which means it was a Feast Day and in this case that Sabbath was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. However, I don't know where "Friday" originated. Maybe because it actually was a "Friday" or because it was the 6th day of the week. I don't know.
 
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cfposter

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Does it matter, and if so why?

Absolutely it matters. If it was some man who claimed that we are to believe was the Messiah then He has to fulfill the scriptures. We would be holding in vain the prophets and the scriptures that foretold His Coming if we were to neglect such a responsibility.
 
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truthisfreedom2019

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Matthew 12: 39-40 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." If the three days and three nights did not truly occur then the sign given would be false. I believe it did literally.
 
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cfposter

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Let us ask someone who was centuries closer to the event in question.
Justin [A.D. 110-165.] The First Apology. Chap. LXVII. —
And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday,76 all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability,77 and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given,78 and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.
All four gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on parasceue which means "preparation" and which was at the time of Jesus and is to this day the Greek name of the day we call Friday.
Matthew 27:62-63
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
Mark 15:42
42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
Luke 23:54
54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
John 19:14-15
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
John 19:31
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
There was only one Sabbath in passion week. The weekly Sabbath.


Do we have information that his original writing said Sunday or did the translator interpret (First day of the week) as Sunday? I've seen this done before. I hope it is Sunday in the writing as that whole piece would lend weight to the possibility that Jesus was crucified in 32 AD on March 14 - Friday.
 
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cfposter

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Matthew 12: 39-40 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." If the three days and three nights did not truly accrue then the sign given would be false. I believe it did literally.

Problem is most people don't know what the sign is. I always see people thinking the sign is a reference to being in the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights. But that is not what the sign if a reference to.
 
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seeking.IAM

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Does it matter, and if so why?
Absolutely it matters. If it was some man who claimed that we are to believe was the Messiah then He has to fulfill the scriptures. We would be holding in vain the prophets and the scriptures that foretold His Coming if we were to neglect such a responsibility.

It seems like another of those discussions where a group comes along 2,000 years later to say the Church has been wrong all this time. Improbable.
 
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cfposter

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It seems like another of those discussions where a group comes along 2,000 years later to say the Church has been wrong all this time. Improbable.

I'm not sure how you came to "It seems". Surely God wanted His Prophets to produce fruit by their prophetic gifts. As to what the Church is or what it is wrong about is to each their own. I would remind you that God specifically refers to His Church as being represented by 7 different Candlesticks each having faults or strengths of their own. So to think that God's Church is of one accord would be holding the current dispensation in vain. For at this time, Jesus is is judging the Church as did Moses Judge the congregation of Israel in the Wilderness for 40 Years. Likewise, Jesus is doing the same for these 40 Jubilees (A Spiritual Generation).
 
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cfposter

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Notice the screenshot below. The Day is actually a Friday but the Hebrew Calendar resolves it to the 12th day of the leap month. I believe that is wrong.

I believe that day may be indeed the very Day that is the 14th Day of the Month and that Jesus may be been Crucified on that day.


upload_2021-6-13_19-49-9.png
 
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miamited

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Matthew 12: 39-40 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." If the three days and three nights did not truly occur then the sign given would be false. I believe it did literally.

Hi truthisfreedom2019,

That's also one of the reasons I tend to lean towards a Thursday crucifixion. It allows for an actual 3 days and 3 nights in the earth. By dying on Thursday, then Jesus was in the tomb for Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night. I know that a lot of folks play around with the days by allowing that if Jesus went to the grave before sundown on Friday, then he was in the grave for part of the day of Friday and all day Saturday and part of the day of Sunday. That settles the three days, but what about the specifically mentioned '3 nights'? Being laid in the tomb on Friday, at any time of the day, and rising on Sunday morning does not allow for 3 nights no matter how you parse it out.

God bless,
Ted
 
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cfposter

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Hi truthisfreedom2019,

That's also one of the reasons I tend to lean towards a Thursday crucifixion. It allows for an actual 3 days and 3 nights in the earth. By dying on Thursday, then Jesus was in the tomb for Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night. I know that a lot of folks play around with the days by allowing that if Jesus went to the grave before sundown on Friday, then he was in the grave for part of the day of Friday and all day Saturday and part of the day of Sunday. That settles the three days, but what about the specifically mentioned '3 nights'? Being laid in the tomb on Friday, at any time of the day, and rising on Sunday morning does not allow for 3 nights no matter how you parse it out.

God bless,
Ted

Hi Ted, let me help clarify the Sign of Jonah. If we see the Sign of Jonah as an earthly sign then we have failed. It can only be a Spiritual Sign. Let's Remember the story of Jonah. Jonah was sent to warn Nineveh. Therefore, as someone called as a watchman, Jonah carried the penalty upon him for warning Nineveh for who God declares as a watchman that fails to warn, God will require that fault upon them. So Jonah was carry the sins essentially of those people. So what happened? He ran away and entered into sail on a ship, the sea became treacherous. The people on board DREW LOTS to see whom this curse came upon them and it fell on Jonah. You see this is a type of Jesus as the Scapegoat. He went before Pilate on the 10th of the month along with Barrabas and those 2 goats had lots drawn (in this case the lots were drawn by the Jews), they chose Barrabas to be freed. Jesus would therefore be led into the Wilderness by a FIT MAN (per levitical law) which was Simon of Cyrene. So the 3 days and 3 nights were the 11th, 12th, and 13th. Remember, Jesus had to be apprehended and kept apart starting the 10th day per Levitical law for the Passover Lamb. Therefore, you can see the Sign was a Spiritual message and those that are earthly will not understand it without a Prophet to give them understanding.
 
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dqhall

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Everyone who has studied the topic of the Crucifixion has heard that Christ was crucified on a Friday. I'm not disputing that as I don't have enough information to dispute it.

However, the often accepted date is Friday April 3rd of 33 AD (Juilian).

The problem with that date is that Friday of April 3rd is NOT the 14th day of the month per true reckoning of the Lunar month.

That day would actually be the 15th day of the Month if that Lunar month is regarded as the first month of the year.

Although many calendars will reference that Friday (Apr 3rd , 33AD) as the 14th of Nissan, it is in error.

Consider the following:

A Biblical Jewish day began when Night came and ended with the Evening hours completed. So we have:

Night - Morning - Day - Evening

Now they observed the days per a Lunar Calendar. The moon has its morning (beginning) when the sun has set. This means the sign of the moon that rises with the oncoming Night is the indicator of the beginning of the RESPECTIVE Day of the Month.

The first SLIVER of Light that the month incurred BEGAN the night of 3/20/33. That was the commencement of the 2nd Day of the Month and the 1st day of the week. Now consider that the Passover is actually on the 14th day of the Month and you will find that the 14th day actually begins the night of 4/1.

This means if Passover occurred that month - it would have been on the Day of 4/2 which is a Thursday and not a Friday crucifixion.

This is WHY KNOWING when a Day begins and ends is very important to getting it right.
The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar. The calendar wandered in as much as they had to adjust it every once in awhile, else the harvest no longer coincided with the day of Pentecost. We do not know the date Christ was crucified. According to John’s Gospel it was during the day of preparation for the Passover. No work is allowed during the Passover Seder.
 
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