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. Moon phase and solar year events are shown on the day in Athens. GO TO creationanswers.net Pontius Pilate (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1968), p. 366. He made a famous statement to explain how days were counted for certain ceremonial purposes. The dramatic story recorded above is fictional but the facts presented, namely Bible prophecy, Phlegon and Thallius writings, etc., are very true. 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. Phlegons citation is a fragment from Olympiades he Chronika 13, ed. 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. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. We believe that the event referred to by Phlegon is the same event that is recorded in the New Testament. Is there any evidence of global or regional darkness in 36CE? At some time during that twelve months occurred the darkness over Asia in which lay Bithynia and Nicea to which Phlegon refers. The placement in time within the text is just too precise. While Pliny tells us there have been unusually long eclipses, he then says such asindicating he means to giveexamplesandnota comprehensive list of them. ? someone heckled from the back row. Why preach something that was manifestly untrue? Emma Southon: "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". Gary R. Habermas. 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. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. . 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. 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. Luke clearly goes out of his way to be specific about when this year was, by relating it to six different important officials. Nisan was the month the Passover was celebrated, a very important time for the Jews commemorating their deliverance out of slavery in Egypt. Fr. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. Well, Phlegon does mention this guy named Jesus. The source from Jerome above is interesting in that it dates the unusual darkening of the sky by the Olympiad numbering system. 26:61, Matt. Jesus was born whilst Herod, the Great, was still alive; we know he died in BCE and on 1st April 4BCE. In the Jewish calendar, the first month of a new year was called Nisan. And I will shew wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath: blood and fire, and vapour of smoke. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. opif. [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!! What miracles!!? 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 little known aspect of this is something that comes from a famous Jewish Rabbi from the first century, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah. "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. Indeed Phlegon, who is an excellent calculator of olympiads, also writes about this, in his 13th book writing thus: "However in the fourth year of the 202nd olympiad [32 CE], an eclipse of the sun happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour [around noon] day turned into dark night, so that the . 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. 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- . 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. As several of the early Fathers quoted Phlegon, there seems no reason to doubt his word. 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. One problem with AD 30 being the crucifixion is that it does not allow enough time for Jesus ministry. 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. 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. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, in the 18th year of Tiberius. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. 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. 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. We have already seen there is strong reason to believe a record of the Crucifixion darkness was held in the Roman archives. When they could see the new crescent Moon in the evening (only visible for a short time in the early evening) they would send runners to announce that the new month had begun. An unknown, massive astronomical body passing through the solar system or on long period orbit, transiting between the earth and sun? Next, we consider the Gospel of Matthew. Each year of an Olympiad began on 1st July. 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. Required fields are marked *. The crucifixion darkness, even if a natural phenomena, would still be miraculous for its timing, ordained by God. This is what Colin Humphrey's does well in his book, considering a variety of types of information. 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. Are you sure that you will enter heaven to be with God in the afterlife? 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. mund. The answer is a resounding yes.Whether the darkness was witnessed throughout the empire or only in regions around Jerusalem is not clear. For example, the first year of Olympiad 140 began in the summer of 220 BC and lasted until the middle of . The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!! 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 above said, we may venture still further in suggesting another reason for theseemingsilence. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. 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! April 13, 2017 (Steven OReilly) Good Friday approaches. And it cannot happen at any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the sun? by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973), vol. Having provided an argument for the historicity of a three hour darkness based on historical sources and reason, we may now address the objection made to it by skeptics, which may be stated as follows. The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Ancient writers sometimes describe their Olympiads as lasting five years but do so by counting inclusively; in fact each comprised a four year period. and a seismic event that happened sometime between the years 26 and 36. He said If I could prove to you that the Bible is a supernatural book, confirmed by both foretelling of the future and also by miracles, would you believe what the Bible says?. 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. Within each olympiad, time was reckoned by referring to its 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year. 3) the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad; being commonly associated with the March 19, 33 CE solar eclipse. "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. Volume 2 contains the quotes on this webpage. The Biblical Astronomer, 8(84). Unfortunately, no one of those three pairs, that is, recorded event vs. eclipse, is a perfect fit or a harmonious pair. The earthquake and RARE darkness for three hours couldn't be ignored by secular writers. It was not until the sixteenth century that the Jewish calendar was formally defined precisely. Assume Jesus died Friday afternoon about 3 PM as we reckon time today. 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. 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]. Barton, Bill, This webpage quotes John Lightfoot explaining the "onah" concept. This is a clear Bible prophecy foretelling that God would cause the punishment for our sins to fall upon Jesus. I will address that below as well. Thus the darkening of the sky at the crucifixion is very extraordinary. He has written apologetic articles and is working on a historical-adventure trilogy, set during the time of the Arian crisis. (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. 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. Dont Panic! Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. 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? Phlegon provides powerful confirmation, identifying the year and the exact time of day. While the actual words used by Thallus no longer survive, the response of Africanus (below) give us a sense of what he must have said: As to His (i.e., Jesus Christ) works severally, and His cures effected upon body and soul, and the mysteries of His doctrine, and the resurrection from the dead, these have been most authoritatively set forth by His disciples and apostles before us. 776 BC = Olympiad 1, not 0. A non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation. ", 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.". There are also complicated issues about various calendar systems in use at the time of Christ that create confusion. That is a nearly impossible standard to meet. The gospel references where Jesus predicted he would rise in three days are Matt. 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. source:http://earthquaketrack.com/il-06-jerusalem/recent. Some of the students had come just to harass the speakers. The reality is, Plinys statement is not evidence against the Crucifixion darkness. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. The term "Onah" or sometimes "Onath" is a loose way of referring to part of a day. Many authors have suggested various means of resolving all the mysteries about the date of the crucifixion. Remember that Jesus' baptism was shortly after the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry, which began in AD 29. Is this a powerful confirmation of the events described in the New Testament? The sedimentation rate puts this second earthquake about 65 years after the 31 B.C. 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. From the work of Phlegon we can work out the date of the Crucifixion. Two short works by him are extant. The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years for almost 1,100 years. Jesus was thus the true final Passover Lamb and he died at the time the passover lambs was normally sacrificed. 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. Yes, to God, nothing is impossible. The Date by Deduction Properly working out the Jewish calendar shows this to work for AD 33 (see C. Humphreys). This information would be every unlikely to have been added at a later time due to its specificity in time. 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. Thus, a solar eclipse, which happens when the moon passes between the earth and sun cannot be a valid explanation for the Crucifixion darkness. Copyright Like The Master Ministries. Though it is almost impossible to deny that this strange event truly happened, on the same day our Lord died on the Cross, I strived for years to find a natural astronomical explanation about it but in vain. Here, too, we see an Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers. 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. Thus the New Moon is not visible. Thesestatements reveal several key things: 1. A solar eclipse supposedly occurred during a full moon. Change). 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? 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 . And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time." Retrieved November 30, 2006 from [2]. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. (Jerome) [4]. Astronomical calculation will help with this, but we first need to answer the day of the week question. This needs to be updated they just found evidence if quake from 26 to 36ad. Another writer, a Christian historian named Sextus Julius Africanus, also commented about Phlegon's writings which connect the above event to the the crucifixion: "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. Mysteries about the date of the crucifixion darkness with the March 19, 33 CE solar eclipse occurred! 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