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. . 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. 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. 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. The time from Friday 3 PM to sunset was counted as one day. Moon phase and solar year events are shown on the day in Athens. . 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. I wonder too, hypothetically, what might a natural cause include. So a 24 hour daily cycle was from sunset to sunset. 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. Updated May 2013 A solar eclipse supposedly occurred during a full moon. And finally, if the crucifixion was on 3rd April AD 33 (Julian) then it is 490 years (70 . The gospel of Luke mentions that John the Baptist began his ministry in the 15th year of Ceasar Tiberius (Luke 3:1-3). Two short works by him are extant. 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 term "Onah" or sometimes "Onath" is a loose way of referring to part of a day. There is much that can be brought into the discussion here about the Jewish calendar and Sabbath. Using the above information we can work out that the period of darkness occurred in 33 AD. I would not always agree with him on some interpretational points but he does well in analyzing the crucifixion date question. Retrieved November 30, 2006 from [2]. Jesus Christ's crucifixion is one of the most important events in the history of the world. This would include the April 33 AD date I have used above for the crucifixion. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. From the work of Phlegon we can work out the date of the Crucifixion. The Bible is a book that is a record of facts and not myths. Gary R. Habermas. There are a variety of opinions on this question. Those who heard Peter preach in Rome would have previously known about this darkness in several ways, including: (1) having witnessed it firsthand in Rome if it had been a universal darkness; (2) hearing of it from travelers to Rome; and or (3) through letters or official reports received from the provinces, the latter of which were kept in the Roman archives. In his book Chronicle of the Olympiad he records a miracle mentioned in the New Testament. 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. It even mentions buildings collapsing in Nicea, which would be over 1,000 miles Northwest from Jerusalem by land. Within each olympiad, time was reckoned by referring to its 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year. In reply. TheActs of the Apostlesrecounts Peters words on Pentecost. In the Jewish calendar, the first month of a new year was called Nisan. 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. This is the first of the gospels, written some time between38 and 45 A.D. 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. Moon phase and solar year events are shown on the day in Athens. event bed is another distinctive mixed layer less than one inch thick. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on . There is only one period of darkness lasting for three hours in the history of the world. Is this a powerful confirmation of the events described in the New Testament? So, it is possible, if not probable, that Jesus was born on 31st March, 4BCE certainly in that March anyhow. Unfortunately, no one of those three pairs, that is, recorded event vs. eclipse, is a perfect fit or a harmonious pair. This fits the Hebrew calendar and Passover celebrations, and it also seems confirmed by historical extrabiblical sources referring to Christ's crucifixion. On Marvels consists of "anecdotes culled from sources as diverse as the Greek poet Hesiod and the Roman natural historian Pliny the Elder. 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 was smartly dressed, flamboyant and gregarious. Thus, in their mindset, Jesus could say "three days and three nights" and the Jews would not have understood that this had to be a full 72 hours. Los Angeles is approximately 380 miles from San Francisco, by comparison. But consider how do we know anything about history? 27:39-40, Matt. For example, the first year of Olympiad 140 began in the summer of 220 BC and lasted until the middle of . This may seem hard to accept for some. Another historian, Philipon (with Origen), confirms the historicity of Phlegon's statement by writing, "And about this darkness - Phlegon recalls it in the OlympiadsPhlegon mentioned the eclipse which took place during the crucifixion of the Lord Christ, and no other (eclipse), it is clear that he did not know from his sources about any (similar) eclipse in previous times and this is shown by the historical account of Tiberius Caesar.". 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. Since Marks written gospel contains an account of the Crucifixion darkness, it follows that Peter included this event in his oral preaching. Phlegon, born about A.D. 80, was a secular historian who lived in the second century. Well, Phlegon does mention this guy named Jesus. (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. 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. "In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great eclipse [Greek EKLEIPSIS] of the Sun, greater than had ever been known before, for at the 6th hour the day was changed into night and the stars were seen in the heavens. 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. Some Christian scholars argue Jesus was crucified on Thursday and some even hold to a Wednesday crucifixion. Is there any evidence of global or regional darkness in 36CE? "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. (Mark 15: 33), And it was almost the sixth hour; and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 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); The young minister was painfully uncomfortable standing in front of a largely secular group of college students. Let us, briefly, consider the case for the historicity of this event by first quoting the relevant gospel accounts. The darkness and earthquake were evident not just in Jerusalem but also in Nicea which is over 300 miles away from Jerusalem! 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. There were Jewish, Christian, and Roman writers from the first and second centuries that refer to Christ and the crucifixion. We know that Jesus was crucified in the Spring, at the time of the Passover. To God nothing is impossible. (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1) [4]. Are you positive in regards to the source? Next, let us consider the argument with regard to theGospel of Mark. 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. The timing of this "eclipse" referred to by Phlegon is similar to the event described in the Gospels. The astronomical science tells us there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year. 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). 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. He wrote extensively about natural phenomena earthquakes and such. 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 . He asks for your prayers for his intentions. Early Christian writers, such as Origen, Africanus and Eusebius, also cited a 2nd century writer, Phlegon, as having written of the Crucifixion darkness. There is little doubt that this information was passed from ancient source to ancient source before it reached Phlegon; however; its place in historical writings is scientifically confirmed nearly 2 millenia later. In light of themassobservation and notoriety of a three hour darkness, it would not have made any sense for the Apostlesin preaching or writing about the truth of Christ to believers and nonbelievers aliketo have mentioned this darkness if it had notreallyhappened. !, The audience was rowdy now. He can be contacted at StevenOReilly@AOL.com. 196-7, College Press Publishing Company, 1996., 4 Tertullian, Apologeticus, Chapter 21, 19 cited in Bouw, G. D. (1998, Spring). Your email address will not be published. Little is known about Phlegon, but he made reference to Christ. 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 . The crucifixion darkness, even if a natural phenomena, would still be miraculous for its timing, ordained by God. (LogOut/ 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. The onah concept applies to part "days" and whole "days" so that they counted the same. In chapter 28, Matthew provides an accountprobably sourced to either one of the guards and or a Jewish elderof how the guards were bribed, and the lie was spread that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus (cf Matthew 28:1-15). Is there historical evidence for the darkness & earthquake at the crucifixion? For example a time-line can be established from his famous works called The Olympiades 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. subject for a long time and yours is the best Ive discovered till now. The question is: should we accept the historicity of this Crucifixion darkness? . . The little known aspect of this is something that comes from a famous Jewish Rabbi from the first century, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah. Jesus was ABOUT 30 years old when He began His ministry. It was not until the sixteenth century that the Jewish calendar was formally defined precisely. Martinus Nijhoff. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. This needs to be updated they just found evidence if quake from 26 to 36ad. He said, "A day and a night are an Onah, and the portion of an Onah is as the whole of it." 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. About two weeks after the New Moon is the Full Moon, which corresponds to Passover. 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. In the same hour, too, the light of day was withdrawn, when the sun at the very time was in his meridian blaze. This firmly connects Jesus and the gospels to Roman history. The above said, we may venture still further in suggesting another reason for theseemingsilence. Though Jesus was alive till Friday afternoon, the period he was dead on Friday counted as both a day and a night. From the direct quote above, it is clear Phlegons source is an observer in Bithynia (in modern day Turkey), which is well over 500 miles away from Jerusalem. 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. These events of that day, and others surrounding them, such as the Crucifixion darkness described in the gospels, were real. There is a silence of historical sources with regard to this Crucifixion darkness. I have wondered if an astronomical body accounted for some aspects of the Deluge, such tidal effects on the waters. 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. The madness of the skeptic is such that they would have us believe sources which are silent, over those which speak. Phlegons citation is a fragment from Olympiades he Chronika 13, ed. Passover occurred on either Nisan 14 or 15 about two weeks after the New Moon. /*

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