To God nothing is impossible. He made a famous statement to explain how days were counted for certain ceremonial purposes. AD 33 is too early for his crucifixion, surely. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, the One who saved me, and my goal is to spread the gospel and all the evidence for Christianity! From historical sources telling when these individuals were in office you can show that the possible range of years of the crucifixion to be from AD 26 to AD 36. College Press Publishing Co. Joplin, Missouri. This needs to be updated they just found evidence if quake from 26 to 36ad. . Origen, Against Celsus, Book 2.33, Phlegon mentioned the eclipse which took place during the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, and no other (eclipse); it is clear that he did not know from his sources about any (similar) eclipse in previous times . 12:40, Matt. Here, the skeptics case isseeminglymore plausible on first glance. . . The reader should note that Phlegons comment that an eclipse of the sun occurred during Jesus death was impossible (see Thallus) since the Jewish Passover occurs during a full moon. Just for reference, Nicea is in western Turkey, approximately where the city of Bursa is. On this site you can do a search for earthquakes essentially anywhere in the world, including through history. These aspects of the problem are critical and it shows the Jewish mindset about the calendar and counting days was quite different than our modern mindset. First, there are differences between the synoptic gospels in the New Testament and the gospel of John that have puzzled Bible scholars. The 202nd Olympiad has been calculated to run from July AD 29 to June AD 33. But why is this significant, if it doesnt even validate darkness during the Crucifixion as referenced in the Gospels? 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. The third quote is from Julius Africanus and the last is from Jerome. Los Angeles is approximately 380 miles from San Francisco, by comparison. Such is the difficulty of the argument from silence. Edit them in the Widget section of the, Repost: The Historicity of the Crucifixion Darkness. Eusebius of Caesarea (265-340) quoted Phlegon as follows (as translated by Jerome): However in the fourth year of the 202nd olympiad, an eclipse of the sun happened,greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea. These things the aforementioned man (says). (Jerome, Chronicle (2005), 256/258, as found onwww.tertullian.org) (Emphasis added). He can be contacted at StevenOReilly@AOL.com. But consider how do we know anything about history? The term "Onah" or sometimes "Onath" is a loose way of referring to part of a day. Yes, to God, nothing is impossible. Thus the New Moon is not visible. That is a nearly impossible standard to meet. 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. opif. And just for fun, who could possibly falsely place this earthquake during the time of Tiberius Caesar and roughly the time period of the 202nd Olympiad (and I fully grasp the weight of the word roughly)? 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. With this principle in mind, let us now consider the evidence. So, we know that when Jesus was crucified had to be a year between AD 26 and 36 in which Nisan 14 or Nisan 15 occurred on a Friday. 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. 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. He wrote extensively about natural phenomena earthquakes and such. Bugnolan Conclave in surprise move, elects Bergoglio! 1 Maier, Paul. Each recounts a fantastical or paranormal event. Followon Twitter:@S_OReilly_USA. 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. 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? 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? 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. 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. Seeing as Phlegon was born approximately in the second century, it is extremely unlikely he spoke with an eyewitness of either eclipse. This year would be AD 29 from Roman historical sources. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection, The Wheels of the Formal Correction turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine. What Was Achieved By Jesus At The Crucifixion? There is only one period of darkness lasting for three hours in the history of the world. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica." [4] 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). this objectionis something of a fallacious argument. ", 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.". 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. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole earth, until the ninth hour. (Matthew 27: 45), And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole earth until the ninth hour. "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. Jeremiah 9:23-24. From Friday evening at sunset to Saturday evening at sunset was an entire 24 hour day cycle, so it also counted as a day and a night. The Romans, for example, are known to have have kept archives which included data on eclipses of the moon and sun. The astronomical science tells us there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year. (LogOut/ The answer is a resounding yes.Whether the darkness was witnessed throughout the empire or only in regions around Jerusalem is not clear. ? someone heckled from the back row. His boyish face was flush and confident now. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nicaea" This would include the April 33 AD date I have used above for the crucifixion. Ancient writers sometimes describe their Olympiads as lasting five years but do so by counting inclusively; in fact each comprised a four year period. Conservative Christian speakers were a rarity on their campus and they wanted to make it rarer. 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. These historians even mention the darkening of the sky and the earthquake which the gospels describe at the time of the crucifixion. This is a clear Bible prophecy foretelling that God would cause the punishment for our sins to fall upon Jesus. Pliny tells us from the outset that unusually long eclipses areportentous. As a Roman noble, it is not remarkable that Pliny selected two examples which were portentous with respect to the history of Rome, i.e., the eclipses at the times of Caesars death and the war against Antony. However, such an explanation for the Crucifixion darkness is absurd because solar eclipses are counted in minutes, not hours. 3: 32-07-28/29: Athene : 4: 32- . "[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. 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. Thank you, Ive just been looking for information about this 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. 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. Earthquake and rocks split open Gary R. Habermas. 776 BC = Olympiad 1, not 0. There are also complicated issues about various calendar systems in use at the time of Christ that create confusion. It was not until the sixteenth century that the Jewish calendar was formally defined precisely. What miracles!!? 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. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time." The Biblical Astronomer, 8(84). I am more concerned in determining the year than the exact date and day of the week, but it seems you cannot really determine the year confidently without figuring out the exact day and day of the week. Volume 2 contains the quotes on this webpage. He referred to a description by Phlegon of an eclipse accompanied by earthquakes during the reign of Tiberius: that there was "the greatest eclipse of the sun" and that "it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i. e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. 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. Now before the accusations fly about me ascribing random astronomical events to this writing, consider this: these are the only two solar eclipses that occur within the time frame reference by Phlegon, and from 20-40AD there are only 3 other eclipses that could even possibly have been seen by Rome or the Persian Gulf; one in 20AD and the other two occur after 36AD. Even if the darkness had not been seen throughout the whole empire, word of it would have spread to Rome as the center of government and commerce. This may seem hard to accept for some. This firmly connects Jesus and the gospels to Roman history. !, The audience was rowdy now. Cause the punishment for our sins to fall upon Jesus second century, it is extremely unlikely he spoke an. Gospel of John that have puzzled Bible scholars Roman history to run from July AD 29 to June AD.... The sixth hour there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year for his Crucifixion, surely, noted. 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