Dont believe me? So how should we understand the statement about Jesus being dead three days and three nights? Within each olympiad, time was reckoned by referring to its 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year. Jesus was born whilst Herod, the Great, was still alive; we know he died in BCE and on 1st April 4BCE. To God nothing is impossible. There is a silence of historical sources with regard to this Crucifixion darkness. Therefore, he relied on transcribed information; either written or oral. 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. Another issue to notice in Jerome's quote above is regarding an earthquake that took place at the same time as the mysterious darkening of the sky. 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. (Jerome) [4]. The evidence also shows it likely to have been a magnitude 5.5. The time from Friday 3 PM to sunset was counted as one day. One such quotation is 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. The writings on the crucifixion of the historians from the first and second centuries is very interesting. He lives near Atlanta with his family. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on the previous day . Thank You Father :). Phlegon was a Greek historian who wrote an extensive chronology around AD 137. 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. 3: 32-07-28/29: Athene : 4: 32- . He inadvertently dated the darkness at noon on the day of Crucifixion in his work, The Olympiades. The Cancellation Of The Curse Of Death, And The Free Gift Of Eternal Life, The Cancellation Of The Curse Of Sickness, And The Availability Of Supernatural Health, The Cancellation Of The Curse Of Poverty, And The Availability Of Gods Supernatural Abundance, Victory Over Satan Won At The Crucifixion, Accreditation, Acknowledgements and Legal notices for Crucifixion, Contact Dr Richard Kent and Recommendation. This needs to be updated they just found evidence if quake from 26 to 36ad. Unfortunately, Africanus does not quote Phlegon directly. Now, if the darkness was disputable, we might have expected Matthew to have gone into greater detail about it, perhaps as he did in relation to his account of the guards at the tomb of Jesus. Many authors have suggested various means of resolving all the mysteries about the date of the crucifixion. EARTHQUAKE AND DARKNESS THAT OCCURRED AT JESUS DEATH WAS RECORDED IN SECULAR HISTORY. Is it accurate? 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. Those who were not aware that this had been predicted about Christ, no doubt thought it an eclipse. "[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. TheActs of the Apostlesrecounts Peters words on Pentecost. The written testimony from outside the Bible confirms some of the main events, people, and places mentioned in the New Testament. 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. We have already cited the Acts of the Apostles, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Tertullian, Africanus, the 1st century historian Thallus, and the 2nd century historian, Phlegon, and these sufficiently demonstrate the historicity of the Crucifixion darkness. 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. Trallianus, Olympiades: In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, [AD 32-33] a failure of the Sun took place greater than any previously known, and night came on at the sixth hour of the day [noon], so that stars actually appeared in the sky; and a great earthquake took place in Bithynia and overthrew the greater part of Niceaea," II 21 [2], 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. Thus the New Moon is not visible. 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. Since Passover took place in the Spring before the Olympics, I think the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad would be Summer 32 AD to Summer 33 AD. Nisan was the month the Passover was celebrated, a very important time for the Jews commemorating their deliverance out of slavery in Egypt. Phlegon provides powerful confirmation, identifying the year and the exact time of day. Why preach something that was manifestly untrue? Thus, his statement taken in whole does not exclude that there may have been other unusually long eclipses of the sun of which he was awareperhapsmanymorebut regarding which he did not elaborate. Gary R. Habermas. ", 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.". So a 24 hour daily cycle was from sunset to sunset. Such is the difficulty of the argument from silence. 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? This earthquake would have been massive to be felt in Israel and Turkey at the same timethink of the catastrophe! AWESOME I had read so many "time lines" and prophetic explanations. But Peter standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke to them: Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and with your ears receive my words. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!! 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). However, we might venture to reasonably speculate why Plinyif he had known of the Crucifixion darknesschosenot to include it in his examples. Bursa is approximately 600 miles from Jerusalem. It amounts, in effect, to asserting the following:leaving aside all the evidence youdohave, you do not have anyotherevidence. Thus, the skeptic discards all evidence against his case, and then declares victory: aha, you have nootherproof!The reality is, there is no reason to set aside the sources and evidence we do have. The 202nd Olympiad has been calculated to run from July AD 29 to June AD 33. 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? Jerusalem is another place where we might have expected there to be records of the events of Matthew 27, and to hope that individual residents of Jerusalemcontemporaneous to the eventsmight have commented on these wondrous happenings in personal records, etc. It does however, place Phlegons writing, transposed hundreds of years later by Christian writers, as a scientifically-accurate writing. Yes, to God, nothing is impossible. Even with the loss of the original writing, if the transposition of the original to the copy were to be altered, there would be significant doubt as to when the event occurred, or if, it even occurred. Only the Nov. 24, AD 29 eclipse over Asia Minor can match that, and Joel's prophecy (Acts 2, 14-21) that ``the sun will be turned to darkness and moon to blood." He quotes Phlegon as stating it was the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, conflicting with Africanus who quotes Phlegon as stating it was the 2nd year; He asserts this occurred at the Passover both in the 18th year of Tiberius (spring 32AD) and in Olympiad 202.4 (spring 33AD); 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. On Marvels consists of "anecdotes culled from sources as diverse as the Greek poet Hesiod and the Roman natural historian Pliny the Elder. Zero as a mathematical number in the Greco-Roman world was a later invention. 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? 196-7, College Press Publishing Company, 1996., 4 Tertullian, Apologeticus, Chapter 21, 19 cited in Bouw, G. D. (1998, Spring). The term "Onah" or sometimes "Onath" is a loose way of referring to part of a day. He dabbed the sweat from his pallid face and intoned Are you at peace with God? This does not necessarily coincide with the Crucifixion darkness, and it doesnt have to. However, this is scientifically impossible. The expression "three days and three nights" then becomes a special idiom that had a different meaning to the Jews than the way we would use it today. 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. Fr. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad I believe would include some of the same year as the 203rd Olympiad but the new Olympiad did not start till the Olympics event took place in the Summer. Your email address will not be published. This is the first of the gospels, written some time between38 and 45 A.D. Some of the students had come just to harass the speakers. He wrote extensively about natural phenomena earthquakes and such. Though historical data may be sketchy on some issues sometimes, regarding Christ's crucifixion, the evidence we have confirming the New Testament is I think very persuasive. 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. In the Jewish calendar, the first month of a new year was called Nisan. The terms "day" and "night" sort of overlapped in their way of thinking. A few verses later in Matthew 27:51 it is recorded that there was an earthquake at the exact moment that Jesus died. 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. Julius Africanus elsewhere makes the point that what was sometimes referred to as an eclipse of the Sun by Roman writers could not possibly be a solar eclipse because it happened at the wrong time of the month [5]. I speak of the midday or Crucifixion darkness which the gospel accounts assert fell over the earth between noon and 3 pm. 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. I found further confirmation of this earthquake from other sources that also dates it in the year 33 AD. Regarding thissame2nd century historian, Africanus also wrote: Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, 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(Sextus Africanus,Fragment 18. Assume Jesus died Friday afternoon about 3 PM as we reckon time today. 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- . 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. Tertullian, Apologeticus, Chapter 21, 19, Christian Evidence was created to enable Christians to defend their faith, and to open their eyes up to the overwhelming evidence for Christianity. 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? An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. Are you positive in regards to the source? He lived up to the death of the emperor Augustus in 14CE and we know from Luke that his ministry began in the 15th year of Augustus successor, Tiberius. And I will shew wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath: blood and fire, and vapour of smoke. With this principle in mind, let us now consider the evidence. Your email address will not be published. Sure, its certainly possible to wildly claim an earthquake happened somewhere, at some time, as they occur on Earth all the time; I could generalize that a major earthquake hit San Francisco in 1900, as I was born approximately 80 years later and have no direct source, but would I be inaccurate in claiming that? It is believed to be an 8.2-magnitude earthquake. Thirteen inches above the 31 B.C. Historical Testimony earthquake! Well, for starters, it places a high degree of scientific precision for a writing that could considered to be hearsay or speculative because of its inference from another source. The little known aspect of this is something that comes from a famous Jewish Rabbi from the first century, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah. In addition, he writes of an earthquake accompanying the darkness, which is specifically recorded in Matthews Gospel (Matthew 27:51): Secular Geologist, Jefferson Williams of Supersonic Geophysical, and colleagues Markus Schwab and Achim Brauer of the German Research Center for Geosciences, researched the Dead Sea and revealed that at least two major earthquakes occurred: A widespread earthquake in 31 B.C. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. All Rights Reserved. 2. The span of distance between Bythnia and Jerusalem would have put the earthquake in a cataclysmic category, and the evidence confirmed by science supports that conclusion. Sixty thousands people could witness with awe the sun dancing in the sky. Just for reference, Nicea is in western Turkey, approximately where the city of Bursa is. Phlegon's ``Olympiads" (2nd century) says that Christ's crucifixion was in the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad (AD 29-33), when a total solar eclipse occurred in the 6th hour. 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. Required fields are marked *. This eliminates most of the years in the range from AD 26 to 36, leaving primarily just AD 30 and AD 33 as candidates. From this brief statement, the skeptic wants to declare victory and go home. There are some uncertainties in the Olympiad numbering system but it seems from various sources the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad would be either AD 32 or AD 33. To recap, according to Eusebius' Chronicon tables, the 2nd year of the 202nd Olympiad is equated alongside the 16th year of Tiberius. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Age of Isaiah Scroll Scientifically Predates Jesus, Earliest Records of the Gospel Accounts of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Corroborate the Modern Text, http://www.numachi.com/~ccount/hmepa/calendars/202.html, http://www.deadseaquake.info/was-there-really-an-earthquake-on-the-day-that-jesus-died/, Mara Bar Serapion Confirms Early Reference to Jesus, Rome Confirms the Existence of Christianity, Phlegon of Tralles Scientifically Established as a Credible Source on Jesus. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection). No, but again, it doesnt have to either. Felix Jacoby. This research again confirms Phlegons writing. The Historical Jesus, pp. There is much that can be brought into the discussion here about the Jewish calendar and Sabbath. (LogOut/ Africanus does this by noting that the eve of Passover falls on a date of a near full moon, i.e., when the moon is opposite the sun in relation to the earth. All rights reserved. And finally, if the crucifixion was on 3rd April AD 33 (Julian) then it is 490 years (70 . An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nicaea" 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). Be that as it may, and even if the dating of Phlegon is not correct, this does not diminish the case made thus far for the historicity of the Crucifixion darkness. Moon phase and solar year events are shown on the day in Athens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.' Annular (ring) eclipse. He was dying as the newborn infant was being brought back from Egypt by his parents. At New Moon, the Moon is positioned between the Sun and the Earth with the dark side of the Moon facing the Earth. The dates of the Olympic Games, recorded in Phlegon's Olympiad In ancient Greece the Olympic Games were held in the July of the first year of each Olympiad, which was a 4 year period running from July to June of each succeeding year. Moon phase and solar year events are shown on the day in Athens. However, the sixth hour in Bithynia is also at the same time as the sixth hour in Jerusalem. The Romans, for example, are known to have have kept archives which included data on eclipses of the moon and sun. The earthquake on the other hand was a natural process miraculously timed to occur at the crucifixion. Check Huffpost. In 70 A.D., just forty years after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the city of Jerusalem and the Temple were utterly destroyed by the Romans and the surviving population carried off into captivity. It was not until the sixteenth century that the Jewish calendar was formally defined precisely. The maximum duration for a total solar eclipse is seven minutes, not three hours, and at the latitude of Jerusalem the maximum duration is even less. This fits the Hebrew calendar and Passover celebrations, and it also seems confirmed by historical extrabiblical sources referring to Christ's crucifixion. Next, let us consider the argument with regard to theGospel of Mark. I will also point out that the Roman historian Thallius also recorded these events. 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. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. (below) says it took place in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, which was 33 A.D. - which can be verified by clicking on the link following Phlegon's quote in red below. Luke clearly goes out of his way to be specific about when this year was, by relating it to six different important officials. Die Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker. Copyright Like The Master Ministries. The speaker continued The 53rd chapter of Isaiah, written over 700 years before the birth of Christ, describes the most important aspect of the ministry of Jesus Christ!! On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics#/media/File:Plates_tect2_en.svg. The second quote is recorded by Philopon. Next, we consider the Gospel of Matthew. 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 . Thus, a solar eclipse, which happens when the moon passes between the earth and sun cannot be a valid explanation for the Crucifixion darkness. Each year of an Olympiad began on 1st July. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that he should be holden by it. (Acts 2: 14-24)[Emphasis and formatting added]. So I found another source of this very quote from the same Rabbi in an old commentary from the 1600's from English Scholar John Lightfoot [2]. opif. So, these historical extrabiblical sources are also consistent with the AD 33 date. We know that Jesus was crucified in the Spring, at the time of the Passover. Thus, if the quote is accurate, and Phlegons eclipse has not been conflated with one which occurred in 29 A.D., then Phlegon is another source who supports the Crucifixion darkness. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on the previous day . [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!! (see Figure 2 below). Thesestatements reveal several key things: 1. This information would be every unlikely to have been added at a later time due to its specificity in time. 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. How could the science not possibly confirm this level of coincidence? (LogOut/ In fact, it is also quite impossible for a solar eclipse to last for 3 hours. Tertullians statement certainly suggests he himself had seen the account of this world-portent. Otherwise, it would have been foolhardy of him to have made such a bold challenge to such sticklers for record keeping as the Romans, who could have proven him wrong. 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. It should then not come as a surprise to us that Pliny, who scorned the idea of God and religion (cfNatural HistoryI, 5), would pass over in silence this world-portent now claimed by and associated with the Christian religion, which wasat that time he wrotea portent of a persecuted, criminal and maligned sect. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on . "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. This is especially significant I think because no other significant earthquakes turned up in Israel for the entire range of years from 25 to 35 AD. No one has ever met a literary device walking down the street or stubbed their toe on one, thus we should not expect that any early Christian would have suffered martyrdom for one. . Eusebius' records of the Olympics were considered authoritative but were lost, though they are translated and preserved some in the writings of others. The darkness during the crucifixion. Among these is a very interesting quote below from a Christian scholar quoting an earlier Roman historian named Phlegon (first and second century). 2004. I have wondered if an astronomical body accounted for some aspects of the Deluge, such tidal effects on the waters. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time." In fact, PlinysNatural Historyincludes a chapter entitled Of Unusual Long Eclipses of the Sun. Therefore, it seems atfirst glancethatthe skeptic is on to something when he points out that a three hour long darkness is nowhere to be found in this chapter. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In reply. /*