In reply. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. source:http://www.numachi.com/~ccount/hmepa/calendars/202.html. Each year of an Olympiad began on 1st July. 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. April 13, 2017 (Steven OReilly) Good Friday approaches. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time. Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1. 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! . Also, word of it would have spread from Jerusalem to Jewish communities in Rome and throughout the empire. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day: But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass, in the last days, (saith the Lord,) I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. "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." Moon phase and solar year events are shown on the day in Athens. He made a famous statement to explain how days were counted for certain ceremonial purposes. Martinus Nijhoff. Thus geological data seem to confirm the 33 AD date. In the Jewish calendar, the first month of a new year was called Nisan. Well, Phlegon does mention this guy named Jesus. . Phlegon was a Greek historian who wrote an extensive chronology around AD 137. 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. It is significant that Jesus be crucified on a Friday because that is the normal time when the passover lamb was sacrificed by the Jews. Now you may be asking yourself, why is this even relevant? 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. On the subject of unusually long eclipses of the sun, Pliny states the following: Eclipses of the sun also take place which are portentous and unusually long,such asoccurred when Csar the Dictator was slain, and in the war against Antony, the sun remained dim for almost a whole year(Pliny the Elder,Natural History,II, 30) [Italics added]. Gary R. Habermas. Here, too, we see an Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers. The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years for almost 1,100 years. [CDATA[*/ var d = new Date(); var n = d.getFullYear(); document.getElementById('getYear').innerHTML = n; /*]]>*/ Christian Evidence. Jesus baptism was apparently not long after the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry. 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? 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. Suffice it to say that the Jewish Sabbath was on Saturday and remember that the Jews considered a 24 hour day cycle to begin at sunset in the evening. This earthquake would have been massive to be felt in Israel and Turkey at the same timethink of the catastrophe! The Historical Jesus. This eliminates most of the years in the range from AD 26 to 36, leaving primarily just AD 30 and AD 33 as candidates. He inadvertently dated the darkness at noon on the day of Crucifixion in his work, The Olympiades. So, it is possible, if not probable, that Jesus was born on 31st March, 4BCE certainly in that March anyhow. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!! An unknown, massive astronomical body passing through the solar system or on long period orbit, transiting between the earth and sun? Thus, a solar eclipse, which happens when the moon passes between the earth and sun cannot be a valid explanation for the Crucifixion darkness. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on the previous day . This example underlines the point that Matthew did not have a similar need to defend the truth of the three hour darkness, precisely because it was a well known, accepted and indisputablefact. Sixty thousands people could witness with awe the sun dancing in the sky. We have no need to be dogmatic about precise numbers regarding His age at the time of His crucifixion. At Fatima, the miracle was localized though still within many miles of the town. earthquake! So how should we understand the statement about Jesus being dead three days and three nights? Bugnolan Conclave in surprise move, elects Bergoglio! 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. The astronomical science tells us there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year. 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. However, this is scientifically impossible. The onah concept applies to part "days" and whole "days" so that they counted the same. 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. [3]. 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. His boyish face was flush and confident now. 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. 776 BC = Olympiad 1, not 0. The Bible is indeed confirmed by science, archaeology and history. 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. Christ still changes lives like he did in the first century. Colin Humphreys estimates that Jesus' ministry began in 30 A.D. Is this a powerful confirmation of the events described in the New Testament? The darkness and earthquake were evident not just in Jerusalem but also in Nicea which is over 300 miles away from Jerusalem! "[4], Phlegon may have been recording an eclipse that happened in November, 29 AD, the 1st year of the 202nd Olympiad.[5]. 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. The difficulty in this is that it mentions three nights as well as three days. This one too is during the 202ndOlympiad, although in the first year, not the fourth. [citation needed]. The Text Widget allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. The answer is a resounding yes.Whether the darkness was witnessed throughout the empire or only in regions around Jerusalem is not clear. 3) the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad; being commonly associated with the March 19, 33 CE solar eclipse. For example the first Olympiad happened in 776 and the second occurred in 772 BC. It is important to readThallus comments to completely understand the issue. (Jerome) [4]. 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. Please note, I do not believe that this eclipse is connected with the crucifixion. 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. TheActs of the Apostlesrecounts Peters words on Pentecost. This historical puzzle shows the historical accuracy of the New Testament in a number of ways. We have already seen there is strong reason to believe a record of the Crucifixion darkness was held in the Roman archives. Last Olympiad: Next Olympiad: 1st year: Begins 29-07-01/02: Hekatombaion 29 Metageitnion 29 Boedromion 30 Puanepsion 29 Maimakterion 30 Poseideon . 26:61, Matt. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar and thus months start with the New Moon. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Modern context of the calendar of ancient Olympics would put the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad at July 32-33AD. 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. "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 next piece of the puzzle is to determine if Jesus indeed was crucified on a Friday. 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? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics#/media/File:Plates_tect2_en.svg. The Crucifixion darknesswould have been observable to many hundreds of thousands of peopleif not millions. event bed is another distinctive mixed layer less than one inch thick. This sediment outcrop is a distinctive one-foot thick mixed layer of sediment that is tied strongly to the Qumran earthquakes onshore ground ruptures of 31 B.C. Just for reference, Nicea is in western Turkey, approximately where the city of Bursa is. Los Angeles is approximately 380 miles from San Francisco, by comparison. 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." "[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, it is also quite impossible for a solar eclipse to last for 3 hours. He stated that in the 19th year of Tiberius and the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., AD 33), a large eclipse occurred which turned day to night around the sixth hour (noon), and an earthquake destroyed many houses in the city of Nicaea. These historians even mention the darkening of the sky and the earthquake which the gospels describe at the time of the crucifixion. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time." . Africanus make it rather evident that Thallus was specifically addressing this darkness i.e., the three hour darkness at the time of the Crucifixion and not any other. Africanus disputed an attempt by Thallus (a first century historian) to specifically explain the Crucifixion darkness in this way. Jerome (4th century) is quoting Phlegon's 13th book which is a translation of a historical chronicle on the 202nd Olympiad by Eusebius. On this site you can do a search for earthquakes essentially anywhere in the world, including through history. This information was considered reliable at the time because Origen (in 248 CE) quoted it to refute Celsus (Against Celsus II:14,33,59), a Greek philosopher very critical of Christianity but familiar with history. 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. At His own free-will, He with a word dismissed from Him His spirit, anticipating the executioners work. College Press Publishing Co. Joplin, Missouri. He said, "A day and a night are an Onah, and the portion of an Onah is as the whole of it." Even more fascinating is the mention of an earthquake. It was recorded by a Pagan author who had no desire to promote Christianity yet he confirmed the Bible record! There is much that can be brought into the discussion here about the Jewish calendar and Sabbath. However, Eusebius, in book 2 of Chronicle (Chronicon, quoted by Jerome), actually quotes Phlegon, with no mention of Jesus or a three hour darkness. Those issues do not change the conclusion for various reasons. Jeremiah 9:23-24. 27:63, Mark 8:31, Mark 9:31, Mark 10:33-34, and John 2:19. 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. He was, therefore, about 4 years old at the turn from BCE to CE. 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. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord come. The astronomical science tells us there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year. For example, the first year of Olympiad 140 began in the summer of 220 BC and lasted until the middle of . However, history provides a sufficient answer as to why such documentary evidence has not survived on these topics of great interest. Solar eclipses during this time frame that were visible to that part of the world were rare, which puts obvious delimiters on when they occurred. Last month: Next month: new 18:49 33/01/19 UTC : 1: 33-01-20/21: Noumenia kata Selene : 2: 33-01-21/22: Agathos Daimon : 3: 33-01-22/23: Athene : 4: 33- . 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. mund. And accurate. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on the previous day . In October, I will perform a miracle here so that all may believe. He was smartly dressed, flamboyant and gregarious. John the Baptist 's ministry thousands people could witness with awe the sun dancing in the summer 220! May be asking yourself, why is this even relevant called Nisan at. The same in Athens documentary evidence has not survived on these topics of great interest fourth year of the of! 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