Date of Christ's Crucifixation

[Benjamin Müller]

First, I wanted to thank everyone who posts such interesting material as well as @Humble Penny for questioning me about where I got some of my sources. It made me review my notes and I think somewhere along the line, it appears I got confused, mislead, wasn't thinking critically . . . I'm not sure. But I've been reviewing some of my notes and things don't seem to add up properly anymore. SO! What I'd like to know is all the reasons why you think [Insert Date] is the year of Christ's crucifixion.

I'm still doing some of my own research into this and going back through my notes, reproving and/or disproving my previous theory. But I'm not a scholar; I haven't been studying the Bible nearly as long as many of you and I had no previous guidance when I did my former studies so had to rely on my own critical thinking. It always disappointed me there was no one who could critique my work but now I found you guys!

So, please! Do educate me. You're all so very friendly and humble.

 

[HARK!]

Some of us have been studying this subject, in depth, here: Did Yahshua Rise on the 7th Day Shabbat...

 

[Humble Penny]

First, I wanted to thank everyone who posts such interesting material as well as @Humble Penny for questioning me about where I got some of my sources. It made me review my notes and I think somewhere along the line, it appears I got confused, mislead, wasn't thinking critically . . . I'm not sure. But I've been reviewing some of my notes and things don't seem to add up properly anymore. SO! What I'd like to know is all the reasons why you think [Insert Date] is the year of Christ's crucifixion.

I'm still doing some of my own research into this and going back through my notes, reproving and/or disproving my previous theory. But I'm not a scholar; I haven't been studying the Bible nearly as long as many of you and I had no previous guidance when I did my former studies so had to rely on my own critical thinking. It always disappointed me there was no one who could critique my work but now I found you guys!

So, please! Do educate me. You're all so very friendly and humble.

Hello brother and thanks for the invite! It's refreshing to hear that you are so open to having your work objectively looked at while considering the thoeries of others. Not the easiest thing to do.

To answer your main question in brief I have concluded that the date of Christ's crucifixion to be:

Anno Domini
30 AD
Olympiad
202nd Olympiad
Ab Urbe Condita
780 AUC
Anno Mundi
5500 AM

My reason for choosing these specific numbers is because prior to 525 AD no one was using the Anno Domini system for their dates. Therefore I found that it was only the Anno Mundi date which connected all of the otherwse disjointed dates of various reigns of kings and governemnts with one another. So as a chronologist it made sense to use the dating systems of the peoples who lived around the time of Christ. And after aligning the rulers mentioned in Scripture with the historical accounts we have from the ancient records: I found they all point to the above dates, and confirm the data we read in the Gospels.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

My confusion does rest on the fact that the Gregorian calendar was changed. I'm looking at the years 28 AD, 30 AD, and 31 AD. If I could figure which day of the week Passover fell on in each year, I think I'd get a clearer picture, however, calendars seem to differ depending on sites.

 

[Humble Penny]

My confusion does rest on the fact that the Gregorian calendar was changed. I'm looking at the years 28 AD, 30 AD, and 31 AD. If I could figure which day of the week Passover fell on in each year, I think I'd get a clearer picture, however, calendars seem to differ depending on sites.

Well it seems this is where other people get tripped as well. And it's not hard to understand because many fail to see that these dating systems are not dependent on the calendar just as time acts independetly of the luminaries.

The easiest way to visualize this is to imagine a Timer which has been set to a predetermined time. Your timer will contiue to count down independent of everything else going on around it. If we look at our Anno Domini system we will see that it was created to count the years from the birth of Christ to the present year: therefore all years before the birth of Christ would be represented by a negative number. Going back to our countdown timer analogy when the BC counter goes from -x BC and reaches 0 BC: Christ is born and this would also give us our 1 AD year.

So in this case the Anno Domini system is dependent on knowing the years of Christ's birth and death. Therefore our BC/AD dates depend on the age of Christ.

 

[Humble Penny]

One other thing to keep in mind is that as people we never use a calendar to determine how old we are, or others are. Instead we look at the year they were born and the year they are living in, or died in if deceased, and then count how many years there are between those two years.

My confusion does rest on the fact that the Gregorian calendar was changed. I'm looking at the years 28 AD, 30 AD, and 31 AD. If I could figure which day of the week Passover fell on in each year, I think I'd get a clearer picture, however, calendars seem to differ depending on sites.

But since this is your thread and we are considering other views, why do you think Christ's crucifixion fell on those three dates you mentioned?

 

[Benjamin Müller]

Some of the key details.

• Death of Herod is recorded between 4 BC and 1 AD, depending on the historian.
• Christ was 30 years old when he began his ministry
• The wise men came from the east to see he who would be born king of the Jews, for they had seen his star. It would have taken them a bit of time to reach Israel.
• Herod diligently inquired when they saw the star and later when the wise-men did not return to Herod, he had every male under 2 years old killed; indicating that some time had, indeed, passed between the birth of Christ and the magi arriving. (Matthew 2:16)
  
• The wise-men came to a house -- not a manger -- and saw the child. The word for child is paidion, properly meaning a child in training which doesn't sound like an infant, but rather a toddler, which would correspond with killing children under 2 years old. (Matthew 2:11)
• Herod and Christ would had to have been contemporaries for approximately two years.
  
• Josephus recorded Herod died between a lunar eclipse and Passover. A total eclipse occurred March 23rd, 4 BC; a partial eclipse occurred March 13th, 3 BC; a penumbral eclipse occurred March 2nd, 2 BC. All the aforementioned eclipses would have been seen in Jerusalem. There are no other eclipses a month (or even two) prior to Passover until 6 AD

If Christ was 30 in 27 AD then 27 - 30 years is (I think) 4 BC birth. The lack of year 0, gets confusing, so maybe I did the math wrong and it's 3 BC? Herod's death should be roughly 2 years after the birth of Christ, making a 2 BC death which would align with Josephus' eclipse.

That's just part of my research. I'm still scouring through my work at the moment. But if the Daniel's 70 week prophecy is dual and Christ's ministry is 70 weeks long, then I'd be on the look out for the Jewish leap year as the extra month would make a 69 or 70 week ministry more plausible. 27-28 AD had the extra month as did 30-31 AD.

If the teachings of Jonathan Cahn are correct about the Shemitah years, then 26-27AD would have been a Shemitah year. This sounds plausible to be then for John the Baptist and Christ to begin their ministries in a Sabbath year--as everyone would be 'on vacation' so to speak. They'd have the time to be in the synagogues and may be why the Pharisees would continually remark about how he was working on the Sabbath.

I don't think it being a Sabbatical year is necessarily critical, but it seems like a 69-70 week ministry is correct.

Anyway, I'm still on the bunny trail. I'll add more soon.

Links: Catalog of Lunar Eclipses: -0099 to 0000
Catalog of Lunar Eclipses: 0001 to 0100

 

[Humble Penny]

Some of the key details.

• Death of Herod is recorded between 4 BC and 1 AD, depending on the historian.
• Christ was 30 years old when he began his ministry
• The wise men came from the east to see he who would be born king of the Jews, for they had seen his star. It would have taken them a bit of time to reach Israel.
• Herod diligently inquired when they saw the star and later when the wise-men did not return to Herod, he had every male under 2 years old killed; indicating that some time had, indeed, passed between the birth of Christ and the magi arriving. (Matthew 2:16)
  
• The wise-men came to a house -- not a manger -- and saw the child. The word for child is paidion, properly meaning a child in training which doesn't sound like an infant, but rather a toddler, which would correspond with killing children under 2 years old. (Matthew 2:11)
• Herod and Christ would had to have been contemporaries for approximately two years.
  
• Josephus recorded Herod died between a lunar eclipse and Passover. A total eclipse occurred March 23rd, 4 BC; a partial eclipse occurred March 13th, 3 BC; a penumbral eclipse occurred March 2nd, 2 BC. All the aforementioned eclipses would have been seen in Jerusalem. There are no other eclipses a month (or even two) prior to Passover until 6 AD

If Christ was 30 in 27 AD then 27 - 30 years is (I think) 4 BC birth. The lack of year 0, gets confusing, so maybe I did the math wrong and it's 3 BC? Herod's death should be roughly 2 years after the birth of Christ, making a 2 BC death which would align with Josephus' eclipse.

That's just part of my research. I'm still scouring through my work at the moment. But if the Daniel's 70 week prophecy is dual and Christ's ministry is 70 weeks long, then I'd be on the look out for the Jewish leap year as the extra month would make a 69 or 70 week ministry more plausible. 27-28 AD had the extra month as did 30-31 AD.

If the teachings of Jonathan Cahn are correct about the Shemitah years, then 26-27AD would have been a Shemitah year. This sounds plausible to be then for John the Baptist and Christ to begin their ministries in a Sabbath year--as everyone would be 'on vacation' so to speak. They'd have the time to be in the synagogues and may be why the Pharisees would continually remark about how he was working on the Sabbath.

I don't think it being a Sabbatical year is necessarily critical, but it seems like a 69-70 week ministry is correct.

Anyway, I'm still on the bunny trail. I'll add more soon.

Links: Catalog of Lunar Eclipses: -0099 to 0000
Catalog of Lunar Eclipses: 0001 to 0100

Okay cool those are many things I have heard as well, but thankfuly I don't have to be an astronomer or mathematician to do my work as a chronologist lol! Here are some questions to ponder on:

• What exactly would a lunar eclipse have to do with the birth of Christ?
• Since the Anno Domini wouldn't be in use until 525 Years after the birth of Christ how do you go about ordering and connecting your dates?
• And aside from a quick internet search have you looked at the ancient histories to track down and verify the reported years given by mainstream history?

 

[Benjamin Müller]

• What exactly would a lunar eclipse have to do with the birth of Christ?

• 
  

Only in that it helps date the death of Herod, if he died between a lunar eclipse and Passover, finding a lunar eclipse in the given years of 4 BC - 1 AD can narrow down a date.

• Since the Anno Domini wouldn't be in use until 525 Years after the birth of Christ how do you go about ordering and connecting your dates?

• 
  

I have no idea! Ha ha. The calendar part is tricky, which is why I'm going by astronomy at the moment. I don't know where to view other calendars if you have links to other calendar sources I'd appreciate being able to view them.

• And aside from a quick internet search have you looked at the ancient histories to track down and verify the reported years given by mainstream history?

I've been picking apart records by Josephus and trying to find other sources like Tacitus etc for comparison, but it's a little difficult wading through them all. Lol.

Also, it appears Passover would have been late in 28 and 31 AD. Some calendars and writers (blog writers, not scholars) have them listed earlier. I'm not super convinced by that notion.

 

[Christian Gedge]

SO! What I'd like to know is all the reasons why you think [AD 30] is the year of Christ's crucifixion.

I would like to offer five reasons starting with Astronomical Data.

Modern research has enabled us through astronomical and computer technology to pinpoint two possible dates for the cross. They are AD 30 or AD 33. This is based on Old Testament information that the Passover lamb was slain late on the 14th Nisan and eaten early on the fifteenth. Therefore, since the Hebrew day began at sunset, Jesus’ last meal with his disciples would have been about 9 pm, Thursday, the fifteenth Nisan.

Now, Hebrew months begin on the sighting of new moon and the position of the moon can be determined at any moment in history enabling us to convert lunar dates. When we examine AD 31 for example, Passover fell on a Tuesday; but Jesus’ last supper was not on a Tuesday. This particular Passover had to be Thursday/Friday and, according to data from astronomical observatories, Passover occurred late Thursday 15th Nisan during this period only on 6th April AD 30 and 2nd April AD 33. Therefore, since Christ was crucified later on Friday, the crucifixion date must either be 7th April AD 30 or 3rd April AD 33.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

@Christian Gedge

Is there a reason why you believe the Passover needed to be Thursday/Friday? I hear different interruptions: one of which is Christ must have been crucified in the midst of the week (Daniel 9), so the last supper and crucifixion would be Tuesday/Wednesday respectively.

I'd like to know more about the Thursday/Friday theory as perhaps I am missing something regarding that theory or haven't understood properly.

 

[Christian Gedge]

Christ must have been crucified in the midst of the week (Daniel 9), so the last supper and crucifixion would be Tuesday/Wednesday respectively.

Daniel is referring to the week of years – IOW. the seven year sabbatical cycle.

I'd like to know more about the Thursday/Friday theory as perhaps I am missing something regarding that theory or haven't understood properly.

The traditional view of the church from earliest times was that Jesus was crucified on good Friday. Therefore, his meal with the disciples was on Thursday evening prior to his arrest. In recent times some have argued for a Wednesday crucifixion, but that theory has real problems. Stick to Friday if you’re looking for an accurate crucifixion date.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

In recent times some have argued for a Wednesday crucifixion, but that theory has real problems. Stick to Friday if you’re looking for an accurate crucifixion date.

Can you tell what those problems are or link me to the arguments (even if there's a thread here on this site)? I don't want to obligate anyone to write me an essay ha ha. I just want to see all the arguments for and against.

 

[Christian Gedge]

Can you tell what those problems are or link me to the arguments (even if there's a thread here on this site)? I don't want to obligate anyone to write me an essay ha ha. I just want to see all the arguments for and against.

Google is your friend. (prepare to be bombed with essays )

 

[Torah Keeper]

This is a really difficult question that many scholars and historians have debated. We are not even sure which day of the week He was crucified. See Hark's link to another thread above. I believe it was Thursday. You can look at moon phases for years 25-41 AD and try and find one where a full moon would line up with the 15th. But first you need to decide which day of the week it was. Then the year. And I don't think Yeshua had to be 33 when He died. The Bible doesn't say that He was 33, and there is a verse that suggests He was at least 40. When the Pharisees said "You are not yet 50 years old, and have you seen Abraham?" So this implies that He was at least 40. I have also seen a Greek copy of Matthew with the date 41 AD on it. Who wrote that date, when and how they knew that, I don't know. And is that the date Matthew was written, or translated into Greek? Or both?

 

[LoveGodsWord]

I would like to offer five reasons starting with Astronomical Data.

Modern research has enabled us through astronomical and computer technology to pinpoint two possible dates for the cross. They are AD 30 or AD 33. This is based on Old Testament information that the Passover lamb was slain late on the 14th Nisan and eaten early on the fifteenth. Therefore, since the Hebrew day began at sunset, Jesus’ last meal with his disciples would have been about 9 pm, Thursday, the fifteenth Nisan.

Now, Hebrew months begin on the sighting of new moon and the position of the moon can be determined at any moment in history enabling us to convert lunar dates. When we examine AD 31 for example, Passover fell on a Tuesday; but Jesus’ last supper was not on a Tuesday. This particular Passover had to be Thursday/Friday and, according to data from astronomical observatories, Passover occurred late Thursday 15th Nisan during this period only on 6th April AD 30 and 2nd April AD 33. Therefore, since Christ was crucified later on Friday, the crucifixion date must either be 7th April AD 30 or 3rd April AD 33.

How confident are you the Jews in biblical times used Astronomical reckonings which you provided above? The history of the Jewish calendar is divided into three periods— (1) the Biblical, the (2) Talmudic, and the (3) post-Talmudic. The biblical calendar rested purely on the observation of the sun and the moon, the second on observation and reckoning, the third entirely on reckoning. The Talmudic period did not start until late in the second century. This means the time of Christ was clearly in the Biblical period of the Jewish calendar and its construction rested purely on the observation of the sun and the moon through visual observation. Hence the Jews used a visual sighting for the waxing crescent of the moon to determine the first day of their calendar month depending on how clear the day was varied from 1-3.5 days. The Astronomical reckonings as we have them today that you provided in your post uses the moon in conjunction not the visual sighting of the crescent moon. What this means is that only Astronomical new moons that you have presented can be found through computation while in biblical sighting of the crescent new moons could only be done through visual observation of the crescent moon which had a 1-3.5 day variation of sighting times. What that means is that Astronomical computation of the new moon cannot determine the new moon in biblical reckoning of time. Just some food for thought as what this means is that there is nothing you have posted here that is set in concrete. So bottom line is that no one had Astronomical reckoning for determining the times of the seasons in the old covenant or in Christs time. The only way according to the scriptures was the sighting of the sun and the new moons which is based on the scriptures for determining the times and the seasons as shown in Genesis 1:14.

Take Care

 

[Christian Gedge]

The Astronomical reckonings as we have them today that you provided in your post uses the moon in conjunction not the visual sighting of the crescent moon. What this means is that only Astronomical new moons that you have presented can be found through computation while in biblical sighting of the crescent new moons could only be done through visual observation of the crescent moon which had a 1-3.5 day variation of sighting times.

No, I did not use conjunction dates and I am aware of the sighting variations that you reference. I used a moon finder app that steps through the phases of the moon to the hour and even to the minute. So, accurate sighting times can be claimed.

The dates, 7th April AD 30 and 3rd April 33 have been the subject of more than one research paper. Yes, I am confident they are the only two possible crucifixion dates to choose from.

 

[LoveGodsWord]

No, I did not use conjunction dates and I am aware of the sighting variations that you reference. I used a moon finder app that steps through the phases of the moon to the hour and even to the minute. So, accurate sighting times can be claimed.

The dates, 7th April AD 30 and 3rd April 33 have been the subject of more than one research paper. Yes, I am confident they are the only two possible crucifixion dates to choose from.

Hi CG, I am not sure if you understood my post. It is impossible for the crescent moon to be calculated as it varies from month to month and year to year from 1 to 3.5 days linked. An app cannot calculate it as it has to be visually seen at any particular point in time because of the 1 to 3.5 day variation. So it is impossible for any app to calculate this. You can do some more research on this to see if what I am saying is true or not. They did not have Astronomical reckoning in the old testament and the days of Jesus. In my view most research papers make the same mistake of using Astronomical reckoning of the New moon. Something that was never practiced in the days of old testament and the days of Jesus and the Apostles.

Take Care.

 

[Filippus]

Daniel is referring to the week of years – IOW. the seven year sabbatical cycle.


The traditional view of the church from earliest times was that Jesus was crucified on good Friday. Therefore, his meal with the disciples was on Thursday evening prior to his arrest. In recent times some have argued for a Wednesday crucifixion, but that theory has real problems. Stick to Friday if you’re looking for an accurate crucifixion date.

Agree the Wednesday crucifixion requires three Sabbaths in a row, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Friday being a normal day would have allowed the woman to go back to the grave, which they did not until Sunday morning. Therefore Wednesday is to early.

 

[Humble Penny]

It seems not many people here are very familiar with the works of early church chronologists. Here is a link showing the various dates people have come up with for creation:

Dating creation - Wikipedia.

As you will see under the Abrahamic Religions section, the early church based their Anno Mundi Years directly from the Septuagint, and it wouldn't be until the 10th Century that the Church shifted gears and began using the date proposed by Ussher.

Among all of the chronologists from the early church Sextus Julius Africanus was the oddball out be sure he was the first to start using astronomical dates for the birth of Christ. I call him oddball because prior to the birth of Christ, Africanus counted the years up normally with no problem or resorting to the use of any calendar; but once he began approaching the birth of Christ he all of a sudden said you needed the Jewish calendar to figure out His birth year. This trend of using astronomical dates over the Anno Mundi and chronological dates provided to us by history really took off with Ussher.

I find it odd that very few people bother to question why you need astronomical dates for the birth and death of Christ, but don't need them when discussing other important historical figures and empires. The early Church had no problem using the Biblical accounts to accurately determine the number of years from Adam to Christ, and even to the Millennial Kingdom, and Final Judgment.

Why does the birth and death of Christ require astronomy when the Star which appeared to the Magi is not to be found in our sky?

Why does the death of Herod require knowledge of a lunar eclipse when the deaths of Augustus and Julius Caesar do not require such knowledge?