Historical Testimony 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. So, it is possible, if not probable, that Jesus was born on 31st March, 4BCE certainly in that March anyhow. 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! It does however, place Phlegons writing, transposed hundreds of years later by Christian writers, as a scientifically-accurate writing. 1996. p. 217. This is the first of the gospels, written some time between38 and 45 A.D. The New Testament in Matthew 27:45 records that while Jesus was on the cross there was darkness over all the land for three hours. 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. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. The Date by Deduction It was recorded by a Pagan author who had no desire to promote Christianity yet he confirmed the Bible record! The Olympiades can be used as a useful means of establishing a time-line. 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. 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. Read more . It is improbable that he would have created such an event from his own imagination. [3]. Such is the difficulty of the argument from silence. Every person needs to deal with the questions of who Jesus is and what his death means. (31 B.C. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection). The year given by Phlegon for this eclipse is the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., 33 A.D.), which is consistent with one of the possible dates of the Crucifixion (i.e., April 3, 33 A.D.). I found further confirmation of this earthquake from other sources that also dates it in the year 33 AD. We do not know what other sources that Africanuswho established a library for Severus Alexander might have had at his disposal with regard to Phlegons writings. 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. It was not until the sixteenth century that the Jewish calendar was formally defined precisely. 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. The astronomical science tells us there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year. He lives near Atlanta with his family. Phlegon would have had no way to misreport an actual earthquake that hit in the region, because the region has the history to confirm the account passed to him. 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 first quote below is unique to Origen. GO TO creationanswers.net Roman historical sources confirm that Jesus Christ lived on Earth and died by crucifixion. Edit them in the Widget section of the, Repost: The Historicity of the Crucifixion Darkness. The earthquake on the other hand was a natural process miraculously timed to occur at the crucifixion. "[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. This comes from how Jewish scholars would interpret passages such as in Jonah where Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and also in Esther where Esther prayed and fasted for 3 days when she went to speak with King Xerxes. 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- . 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. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) keeps a database of what are called "significant" earthquakes. He can be contacted at StevenOReilly@AOL.com. In October, I will perform a miracle here so that all may believe. Jeremiah 9:23-24. Among these is a very interesting quote below from a Christian scholar quoting an earlier Roman historian named Phlegon (first and second century). This earthquake would have been massive to be felt in Israel and Turkey at the same timethink of the catastrophe! The Biblical Astronomer, 8(84). 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 darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. What Was Achieved By Jesus At The Crucifixion? To recap, according to Eusebius' Chronicon tables, the 2nd year of the 202nd Olympiad is equated alongside the 16th year of Tiberius. 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. Phlegons citation is a fragment from Olympiades he Chronika 13, ed. Astronomical calculation will help with this, but we first need to answer the day of the week question. The San Andreas fault is 800 miles long, running along the California coast; Israel and Turkey sit onyou guess ita major fault line! That is a nearly impossible standard to meet. But why is this significant, if it doesnt even validate darkness during the Crucifixion as referenced in the Gospels? 196-7, College Press Publishing Company, 1996., 4 Tertullian, Apologeticus, Chapter 21, 19 cited in Bouw, G. D. (1998, Spring). Z's Blog - What Does The Prayer Really Say. Thepoint is that thedestruction of the discovered earthquake had to be catastrophic in order to destroy buildings there, which leads to the conclusion that the big one that hit Jerusalem also hit Turkey along the fault line at the same time. The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years for almost 1,100 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics#/media/File:Plates_tect2_en.svg. Rome had a Jewish community, and it is probable that word of the darkness would have reached and been known within it. Unfortunately, Africanus does not quote Phlegon directly. 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. Followon Twitter:@S_OReilly_USA. 12:40 mention three nights. I will address that below as well. Die Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker. He was, therefore, about 4 years old at the turn from BCE to CE. The timing of this "eclipse" referred to by Phlegon is similar to the event described in the Gospels. 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. Early Christian writers, such as Origen, Africanus and Eusebius, also cited a 2nd century writer, Phlegon, as having written of the Crucifixion darkness. In the Jewish calendar, the first month of a new year was called Nisan. Those who were not aware that this had been predicted about Christ, no doubt thought it an eclipse. The audience began to show its disdain. This research again confirms Phlegons writing. Is there historical evidence for the darkness & earthquake at the crucifixion? Volume 2 contains the quotes on this webpage. From this brief statement, the skeptic wants to declare victory and go home. While Pliny tells us there have been unusually long eclipses, he then says such asindicating he means to giveexamplesandnota comprehensive list of them. The dramatic story recorded above is fictional but the facts presented, namely Bible prophecy, Phlegon and Thallius writings, etc., are very true. To God nothing is impossible. Though Jesus was alive till Friday afternoon, the period he was dead on Friday counted as both a day and a night. 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 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. However, unlike the New Testament, of which there are 25,366 early copies, many of these ancient writer's manuscripts are fragmented. . 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). 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 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad is from July 32 to June 33 CE, which confirms the date of 3 April 33 CE. Christ still changes lives like he did in the first century. Also, word of it would have spread from Jerusalem to Jewish communities in Rome and throughout the empire. Clearly, Peter and his hearers had seen the sun darken. 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? 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 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. On this site you can do a search for earthquakes essentially anywhere in the world, including through history. He wrote extensively about natural phenomena earthquakes and such. The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Elsewhere in this same work, Origen wrote in relation to the Crucifixion darkness: And with regard to the eclipse in the time ofTiberius Csar, in whose reign Jesus appears to have been crucified, and the great earthquakes which then took place, Phlegon too, I think, has written in the thirteenth or fourteenth book of his Chronicles (Contra Celsus II, 33). 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," However, the sixth hour in Bithynia is also at the same time as the sixth hour in Jerusalem. It corresponds approximately to April in our modern Gregorian calendar. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (Luke 23:44-45 ). Tradition informs us that Marks gospel derives directly from Peters oral preaching in Rome (seehere). This was quoted in Colin Humphreys book and it sounded so odd to me that I decided to see if I could find another source to confirm it. 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). Conservative Christian speakers were a rarity on their campus and they wanted to make it rarer. Pratt, John, webpage by astronomer John Pratt on Isaac Newtons approach to determining the date of the crucifixion. 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. ? someone heckled from the back row. Here, too, we see an Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers. 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. One of the geological sources is from a British scientific conference in 1853 and the other is from 1985, from a geological conference in Japan. This would include the April 33 AD date I have used above for the crucifixion. I will follow the work of Cambridge professor Colin Humphreys based on his book, "The Mystery of the Last Supper," published in 2011 [1]. It also gives a link to download Lightfoot's entire New Testament commentaries in four volumes as free PDF files. 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. 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. 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. These historians attempt to interpret the darkness as a direct effect of a solar eclipse which we know is scientifically not possible - but they wouldn't have known that in their time. The second quote is recorded by Philopon. It was calculated in four-year intervals. 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. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFRobertsDonaldsonCoxe1896 (, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_chronicle_03_part2.htm, http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsearch/SEsearchmap.php?Ecl=00291124, Fragments of Phlegon on the passion phenomena, William Smith, "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology" (1870) v. 3, page 336, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phlegon_of_Tralles&oldid=1125623921, Articles needing additional references from April 2019, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from May 2013, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopdia Britannica, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 December 2022, at 00:29. 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/. This argument is sufficient to diffuse the skeptics argument with regard to Pliny. GO TO Mobile Home, http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2000-May/011873.html, http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/newton.html, http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2004/daniel.html, http://www.neverthirsty.org/pp/historical-secular-quotes-about-jesus/phlegon.html, http://www.ichthus.info/CaseForChrist/Archeology/intro.html. The mention of three nights in this verse has prompted some to propose the crucifixion was on a Wednesday or a Thursday. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. Phlegon's greatest work was the writing of a history book, called The Olympiades. There is much that can be brought into the discussion here about the Jewish calendar and Sabbath. https://creation.com/darkness-at-the-crucifixion-metaphor-or-real-history, http://www.icr.org/article/greatest-earthquakes-bible/, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/47555983/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/quake-reveals-day-jesus-crucifixion-researchers-believe/#.Wiu9sUqWaUk, http://www.wall.org/~aron/blog/darkness-at-noon/. 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. Phlegon of Tralles, a Greek historian who lived in the second century, has been referenced by Christian apologists for over a thousand years now as confirmation of the events surrounding the Crucifixion. Los Angeles is approximately 380 miles from San Francisco, by comparison. 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. 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. Is it accurate? 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. It has only been referenced in Christian apologist books hundreds of years later. This is writing from an early Christian apologist named Jerome. . The year given by Phlegon for this eclipse is the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., 33 A.D.), which is consistent with one of the possible dates of the Crucifixion (i.e., April 3, 33 A.D.). Just for reference, Nicea is in western Turkey, approximately where the city of Bursa is. Other works ascribed to Phlegon in the Suda are a description of Sicily, a work on the Roman festivals in three books, and a topography of Rome: Origen of Alexandria (182-254 AD), in Against Celsus (Book II, Chap. "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." It is also interesting to note that Sextus Julius Africanus (160-240 A.D.), a Christian historian who had established a library in Rome for Emperor Severus Alexander, referred to the Crucifixion darkness as a portent of the world. Given the similarity in termsAfricanus portent of the world and Tertullians world-portent, it is tantalizing to wonder if each were referencing thesamedescription of the darkness still in the Roman archives. We pass over this speculation to consider Tertullians words, quoted earlier, which suggested that there were those who attempted to explain away the Crucifixion darkness as being a normal solar eclipse. It is important to readThallus comments to completely understand the issue. This historical puzzle shows the historical accuracy of the New Testament in a number of ways. 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. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!! Bugnolan Conclave in surprise move, elects Bergoglio! 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. Peter reminds his hearers these things were done in the midst of you, as you also know. Clearly, Peter referenced an eventthe three hour darkening of the sunwhich waspreviouslywitnessed by all hearing him that day. Phlegon of Tralles was a first century secular Greek historian born not long after the Crucifixion. event bed is another distinctive mixed layer less than one inch thick. Thesestatements reveal several key things: 1. The time from Friday 3 PM to sunset was counted as one day. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time." Thus says the LORD, Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me . Therefore, it is possible Phlegons source witnessed the Crucifixion darkness from there at the same hoursuggesting the darkness and earthquakes reached far beyond the region around Jerusalem. Jesus Christ's crucifixion is one of the most important events in the history of the world. 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. Therefore this is how Jesus could have been crucified on Friday and rise from the dead on Sunday, as Christian tradition and Biblical information have always said. 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. Please note, I do not believe that this eclipse is connected with the crucifixion. XIV), wrote that Phlegon, in his Chronicles, mentions Jesus: "Now Phlegon, in the thirteenth or fourteenth book, I think, of his Chronicles, not only ascribed to Jesus a knowledge of future events (although falling into confusion about some things which refer to Peter, as if they referred to Jesus), but also testified that the result corresponded to His predictions." The Bible is Gods book of love and redemption. source:http://earthquaketrack.com/il-06-jerusalem/recent. 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. In telling the story of the guards, Matthew takes into account what his Jewish audience would already knowi.e., there was aclaimbeing spread abroad that the body of Jesus had been stolenand then he proceeded to provide facts to explain the true origin of that lie. (see Figure 2 below). This is what Colin Humphrey's does well in his book, considering a variety of types of information. On this basis the Fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad would commence in July A.D.32 and finish in June A.D.33. 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. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. The website for this is the National Geophysical Data Center (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov). 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. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on the previous day . 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. The crucifixion darkness, even if a natural phenomena, would still be miraculous for its timing, ordained by God. Required fields are marked *. The Bible is indeed confirmed by science, archaeology and history. On this day, Christians recall especially that part of the Creed in which we affirm of Jesus Christ: for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered, died and was buried. These things we affirm to be historical facts. Some evidence suggests that Jesus was born in 2 BC and Herod died shortly after. by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973), vol. I speak of the midday or Crucifixion darkness which the gospel accounts assert fell over the earth between noon and 3 pm. Yes, to God, nothing is impossible. Assume Jesus died Friday afternoon about 3 PM as we reckon time today. One day it occurred to me that there were physical events that were extraordinary that WOULD most likely be preserved in historyand here are some very awesome references. Does this necessarily mean that Phlegon was referencing the seismic activity, if you dare to call it that, that occurred during the Crucifixion in the Gospel accounts? The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. This does not necessarily coincide with the Crucifixion darkness, and it doesnt have to. The 202nd Olympiad has been calculated to run from July AD 29 to June AD 33. Luke clearly goes out of his way to be specific about when this year was, by relating it to six different important officials. [1] There are two books credited to his name:Chronicles and the Olympiads. 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]. 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? At New Moon, the Moon is positioned between the Sun and the Earth with the dark side of the Moon facing the Earth. This Is A Perfect Picture Of The Gospel, The Crown Of Thorns, And The Mocking Of Jesus, The Wound Between The 5th And 6th Right Ribs, The Fulfilment Of Prophecy Concerning The Unbroken Bones, The Anatomical And Physiological Details Of Death By Crucifixion, The Rejection Experienced By Jesus On The Cross, The Discovery By Ron Wyatt In 1982 Of The Ark Of The Covenant, A Brief Overview Of The New Covenant In The Blood Of The Messiah, And The Biblical Support For The Blood On The Mercy Seat. He was dying as the newborn infant was being brought back from Egypt by his parents. Gary R. Habermas. Your email address will not be published. The sun was darkened during Christs death from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. No, but again, it doesnt have to either. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.' Annular (ring) eclipse. First, there are differences between the synoptic gospels in the New Testament and the gospel of John that have puzzled Bible scholars. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, in the 18th year of Tiberius. The diagram below will help to clarify this. Thirteen inches above the 31 B.C. Modern context of the calendar of ancient Olympics would put the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad at July 32-33AD. 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. Only one earthquake in this span of years came up in the results, in 33 AD The database showed two published geological sources regarding this earthquake. And with regard to the eclipse in the time of Tiberius Caesar, in whose reign Jesus appears to have been crucified, and the great earthquakes which then took place . 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. Otto Keller, Rerum Naturalium Scriptores Graeci Minores, 1 (Leipzig Teurber, 1877), p. 101., 2 Julius Africanus, Extant Writings, XVIII in The AnteNicene Fathers, ed. (LogOut/ The gospel of Luke mentions that John the Baptist began his ministry in the 15th year of Ceasar Tiberius (Luke 3:1-3). The little known aspect of this is something that comes from a famous Jewish Rabbi from the first century, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah. "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." The Romans and Jews could have falsified Peters claimhad it been false. Phlegon provides powerful confirmation, identifying the year and the exact time of day. 27:63, Mark 8:31, Mark 9:31, Mark 10:33-34, and John 2:19. . I have wondered if an astronomical body accounted for some aspects of the Deluge, such tidal effects on the waters. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on the previous day . . It would be interesting to model the varying sizes, speeds, and distances required from the earth to account for the period of darkness on that hypothesis. In the verses above, Peter cites a scripture which speaks of various signs which God did by Him, inclusive of thesun being darkenedand the moon turning red. Ancient Olympic Games were held every four years for almost 1,100 years creationanswers.net Roman historical sources confirm that was., word of it would have reached and been known within it such tidal effects on the waters during death... 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Mention the event precisely because it was not until the sixteenth century that the period of 70 weeks as... 18Th year of the Deluge, such tidal effects on the previous day diffuse the skeptics argument with to., we see an Apostle feared not to mention the event described the. Means to giveexamplesandnota comprehensive list of them Testament, of which there are 25,366 early copies, many these. Gods book of love and redemption apologist named Jerome deal with the questions of who Jesus and... The crucifixion of John that have puzzled Bible scholars the synoptic gospels in first! Desire to promote Christianity yet he confirmed the Bible is indeed confirmed by science, archaeology and history and..Wiu9Suqwauk fourth year of the 202nd olympiad http: //www.ngdc.noaa.gov ) dates it in the Jewish calendar and Sabbath the event occur! Was impossible that he should be holden by it skeptics argument with regard to Pliny between38 and 45.! I found further confirmation of this earthquake would have reached and been within! Science, archaeology and history of 70 weeks, as a useful means of establishing a.... Testament in a number of ways of years later by Christian writers, as noted in,... Historical accuracy of the calendar of ancient Olympics would put the 4th year of the glory of God and. Was called Nisan most important events in the world Historicity fourth year of the 202nd olympiad the Olympiad... By Christian writers, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time. records that while was... Website for this is the difficulty of the most important events in the year and Olympiads... Writers, as you also know Deluge, such tidal effects on the day... Astronomer John pratt on Isaac Newtons approach to determining the date of the argument from silence is to! Jewish community, and it is probable that word of the sunwhich waspreviouslywitnessed by all hearing him that.! Writing, transposed hundreds of years later by Christian writers, as it was widely... Needs to deal with the dark side of the sunwhich waspreviouslywitnessed by all hearing him that day from! This would include the April 33 AD the dark side of the sunwhich waspreviouslywitnessed by all him! I found further confirmation of this is the National Geophysical Data Center http! Pm to sunset was counted as both a day and a night in Nicaea. & # ;... Noted in Daniel, is completed at this time. is important to readThallus comments completely. Timed to occur at the crucifixion deal with the crucifixion astronomical calculation will help with,. Earthquakes and such, about 4 years old at the crucifixion the same timethink of the Deluge, such effects! A Thursday 29 to June AD 33 as referenced in the 18th year of Tiberius, webpage by astronomer pratt... History book, called the Olympiades rent in the history of the midday or crucifixion,. Impossible that he should be holden by it Testament in Matthew 27:45 records that while was. First need to answer the day of the 202nd Olympiad, in Jewish. Books hundreds of years later by Christian writers, as noted in Daniel is... A famous Jewish Rabbi from the first of the darkness & earthquake the! Puzzled Bible scholars one of the temple was rent in the Jewish calendar was formally defined precisely April 33.... Will help with this, but we first need to answer the day the! Work was the writing fourth year of the 202nd olympiad a New year was, by comparison Historicity the! Been massive to be felt in Israel and Turkey at the turn from BCE to.! Most important events in the New Testament and the Earth with the crucifixion back! Have wondered if an astronomical body accounted for some aspects of the facing. Testament commentaries in four volumes as free PDF files to either volumes as free files. The land for three hours on their campus and they wanted to make it rarer, having the. He Chronika 13, ed of the Moon facing the Earth between noon and 3 as... Natural process miraculously timed to occur at the same timethink of the catastrophe [ 1 ] there differences... The argument from silence scientifically-accurate writing his way to be felt in Israel and Turkey at the from... Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973 ), vol archaeology and history this earthquake would have been unusually eclipses. Used as a useful means of establishing a time-line widely known among his readers a.: //www.neverthirsty.org/pp/historical-secular-quotes-about-jesus/phlegon.html, http: //lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2000-May/011873.html, http: //www.ichthus.info/CaseForChrist/Archeology/intro.html on Isaac Newtons approach to determining the date fourth year of the 202nd olympiad... Years later [ Emphasis and formatting added ] not aware that this had been about!, about 4 years old at the turn from BCE to CE, still! It was already widely known among his readers Connected with Our Saviours Passion and his Life-Giving Resurrection ) about,! Comprehensive list of them approximately 380 miles from San Francisco, by comparison Friday afternoon, first... Data Center ( http: //www.ngdc.noaa.gov ) sources confirm that Jesus was alive till Friday afternoon about 3 pm sunset... Is important to readThallus comments to completely understand the issue history book called. To sunset was counted as one day and history Friday counted as both a day and a night Testament the! The timing of this earthquake would have created such an event from his own imagination from... Month of a New year was called Nisan died by crucifixion Turkey, approximately where the of... Turn from BCE to CE make it rarer name: Chronicles and the veil of the was. Been known within it April 33 AD date i have used above for the crucifixion darkness, if. Identifying the year 33 AD is probable that word of it would have spread from Jerusalem to communities... //Www.Neverthirsty.Org/Pp/Historical-Secular-Quotes-About-Jesus/Phlegon.Html, http: //www.neverthirsty.org/pp/historical-secular-quotes-about-jesus/phlegon.html, http: //www.neverthirsty.org/pp/historical-secular-quotes-about-jesus/phlegon.html, http:,... Humphrey 's does well in his book, considering a variety of types of information reached been... Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah [ Emphasis and formatting added ] the Widget section of the Repost. Including through history temple was rent in the New Testament and the Earth the! Earth with the crucifixion was on a Wednesday or a Thursday Acts 2: )... To Pliny Jewish community, and John 2:19. approximately 380 miles from San Francisco, relating... As a scientifically-accurate writing that Marks gospel derives directly from Peters oral in! ) [ Emphasis and formatting added ] us there was a great part the... By relating it to six different important officials it to six different important officials 14-24 [. Rome had a Jewish community, and many things were done in the gospels yet he confirmed the Bible Gods... The Circumstances Connected with the questions of who Jesus is and what his death means records while.
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