Luke clearly goes out of his way to be specific about when this year was, by relating it to six different important officials. Phlegon Darkness occurred when Christ was crucified, an eclipse of the sun cannot occur during a full moon since the moon would be on the opposite side of the earth. The speaker continued The 53rd chapter of Isaiah, written over 700 years before the birth of Christ, describes the most important aspect of the ministry of Jesus Christ!! Pontius Pilate (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1968), p. 366. Euse-bius, in his records of the year A.D. , quotes at length from Phlegon, who says that, in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great and remarkable eclipse of the sun, above any that had happened before. TheActs of the Apostlesrecounts Peters words on Pentecost. 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- . 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. So a 24 hour daily cycle was from sunset to sunset. . And I will shew wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath: blood and fire, and vapour of smoke. The darkening of the sky I suspect was just a pure miracle, not caused by any natural phenomena. These historians even mention the darkening of the sky and the earthquake which the gospels describe at the time of the crucifixion. On Marvels consists of "anecdotes culled from sources as diverse as the Greek poet Hesiod and the Roman natural historian Pliny the Elder. 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.). . This research again confirms Phlegons writing. One problem with AD 30 being the crucifixion is that it does not allow enough time for Jesus ministry. AD 33 is too early for his crucifixion, surely. Jerome (4th century) is quoting Phlegon's 13th book which is a translation of a historical chronicle on the 202nd Olympiad by Eusebius. 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/. However, history provides a sufficient answer as to why such documentary evidence has not survived on these topics of great interest. Copyright Like The Master Ministries. Bugnolan Conclave in surprise move, elects Bergoglio! His boyish face was flush and confident now. 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. Therefore the year of the crucifixion is A.D 33. Within each olympiad, time was reckoned by referring to its 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year. 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. "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. 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. 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. 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. 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 . In fact, it is also quite impossible for a solar eclipse to last for 3 hours. What Was Achieved By Jesus At The Crucifixion? At His own free-will, He with a word dismissed from Him His spirit, anticipating the executioners work. He made a famous statement to explain how days were counted for certain ceremonial purposes. However, if the crucifixion were on a Wednesday or Thursday this does not seem to fit the proper timing in the Jewish Passover week. Los Angeles is approximately 380 miles from San Francisco, by comparison. Tradition informs us that Marks gospel derives directly from Peters oral preaching in Rome (seehere). 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. This would include the April 33 AD date I have used above for the crucifixion. We know that Jesus was crucified in the Spring, at the time of the Passover. So that means there has been at least some investigation of it by geologists though I do not know how much. Using the above information we can work out that the period of darkness occurred in 33 AD. From the above statement of Phlegon we can work out the year of the Crucifixion. . There are no surviving records after this date. Those who were not aware that this had been predicted about Christ, no doubt thought it an eclipse. 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. And upon my servants indeed, and upon my handmaids will I pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. 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. We also know from the New Testament that at that time Caiaphas was the Jewish High Priest (Caiaphas is mentioned in Jewish writings) and Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea. The Crucifixion darkness could certainly have been one of these excluded eclipses. However, whether there was or was not a Crucifixion darkness, it can not be proven from Pliny. The young minister was painfully uncomfortable standing in front of a largely secular group of college students. Phlegon, born about A.D. 80, was a secular historian who lived in the second century. We believe that the event referred to by Phlegon is the same event that is recorded in the New Testament. 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. Unfortunately, no one of those three pairs, that is, recorded event vs. eclipse, is a perfect fit or a harmonious pair. Sure, there is a degree of speculation as to whether this actually was an occurrence during the Crucifixion (I fully realize there a 10-year swing is 3650-ish days according to modern calendar, which means a .0274% chance that it was on the actual day), but here again is evidence that the transcription from ancient origins thatPhlegon relied on and passed to writers who referenced his collected materials is scientifically plausible. . Thus, upon closer examination, theforce of the skeptics objection inevitably dissolves away into nothingness as we examine the works of other ancient writers who the skeptic would cite as asilentwitness for their case. and this is shown by the historical account of Tiberius Caesar. Philopon, De. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica." [4] A secondline of argument for the crucifixion date comes from historical testimony and the weight of opinion of Christian scholars through history. The Date by Deduction Check Huffpost. 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. Africanus refutes the attempt of Thallus to explain away this darkness as being a regular solar eclipse. Matthew 12:40 says that as Jonah was three days and three nights in the fish, Jesus would be dead three days and three nights. With these things in mind, I would like to provide some thoughts on the historicity of one particular event that is said to have occurred on the afternoon Our Lord was crucified. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time. Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1. 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. The darkness and earthquake were evident not just in Jerusalem but also in Nicea which is over 300 miles away from Jerusalem! Now let us consider how he might have categorized the Crucifixion darkness. 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. We only have fragments left to us of this monumental work and quotations of it from other writers. He inadvertently dated the darkness at noon on the day of Crucifixion in his work, The Olympiades. AWESOME I had read so many "time lines" and prophetic explanations. 3: 32-07-28/29: Athene : 4: 32- . Conservative Christian speakers were a rarity on their campus and they wanted to make it rarer. However, these are all unlikely candidates as their timing is off from the Olympiad calendar. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad I believe would include some of the same year as the 203rd Olympiad but the new Olympiad did not start till the Olympics event took place in the Summer. Yes, to God, nothing is impossible. 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. Z's Blog - What Does The Prayer Really Say. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. (LogOut/ 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. Some events regarding the life of Christ and the life of Paul the Apostle, which are mentioned in the New Testament can be dated. 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]. However, Eusebius, in book 2 of Chronicle (Chronicon, quoted by Jerome), actually quotes Phlegon, with no mention of Jesus or a three hour darkness. He lives near Atlanta with his family. 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. The mention of three nights in this verse has prompted some to propose the crucifixion was on a Wednesday or a Thursday. There are writings from Roman, Jewish, and Christian writers all known as good historians who mention Jesus Christ in some way, often as they write about Christians. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The next piece of the puzzle is to determine if Jesus indeed was crucified on a Friday. Two short works by him are extant. Rome had a Jewish community, and it is probable that word of the darkness would have reached and been known within it. Next, let us consider the argument with regard to theGospel of Mark. The time from Friday 3 PM to sunset was counted as one day. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. Pure speculation. The Cancellation Of The Curse Of Death, And The Free Gift Of Eternal Life, The Cancellation Of The Curse Of Sickness, And The Availability Of Supernatural Health, The Cancellation Of The Curse Of Poverty, And The Availability Of Gods Supernatural Abundance, Victory Over Satan Won At The Crucifixion, Accreditation, Acknowledgements and Legal notices for Crucifixion, Contact Dr Richard Kent and Recommendation. Some evidence suggests that Jesus was born in 2 BC and Herod died shortly after. Phlegon of Karia recorded both of these events in Chronicle of the Olympiad. The Olympiades can be used as a useful means of establishing a time-line. The little known aspect of this is something that comes from a famous Jewish Rabbi from the first century, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah. 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. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on . The writings on the crucifixion of the historians from the first and second centuries is very interesting. 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. The placement in time within the text is just too precise. 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. Steven OReilly is a graduate of the University of Dallas and the Georgia Institute of Technology. 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). From the work of Phlegon we can work out the date of the Crucifixion. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.' Annular (ring) eclipse. The crucifixion darkness, even if a natural phenomena, would still be miraculous for its timing, ordained by God. The first quote below is unique to Origen. In the Jewish calendar, the first month of a new year was called Nisan. The above said, we may venture still further in suggesting another reason for theseemingsilence. 4th year: Begins 32-06-27/28: Hekatombaion 29 Metageitnion 30 Boedromion 30 Puanepsion 29 Maimakterion 30 Poseideon 29 Poseideon-2 30 Gamelion 29 . 196-7, College Press Publishing Company, 1996., 4 Tertullian, Apologeticus, Chapter 21, 19 cited in Bouw, G. D. (1998, Spring). . I wonder too, hypothetically, what might a natural cause include. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection). Next, we consider the Gospel of Matthew. No one has ever met a literary device walking down the street or stubbed their toe on one, thus we should not expect that any early Christian would have suffered martyrdom for one. Donations to this ministry aretax-deductible. Assume Jesus died Friday afternoon about 3 PM as we reckon time today. Clearly, Peter and his hearers had seen the sun darken. Thus, if the quote is accurate, and Phlegon's eclipse has . In reply. The astronomical science tells us there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year. There are also complicated issues about various calendar systems in use at the time of Christ that create confusion. Each year of an Olympiad began on 1st July. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. 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. The reality is, Plinys statement is not evidence against the Crucifixion darkness. 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.). Julius Africanus elsewhere makes the point that what was sometimes referred to as an eclipse of the Sun by Roman writers could not possibly be a solar eclipse because it happened at the wrong time of the month [5]. A great earthquake occurred during Christs death. Doing so would only demolish their credibility on allotherpoints of the gospel they hoped to prove about Christ basedsolelyon personal testimony. Africanus disputed an attempt by Thallus (a first century historian) to specifically explain the Crucifixion darkness in this way. 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. The audience was quieter now and gave the speakers the respectful hearing that they deserved. Christ still changes lives like he did in the first century. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad I believe would include some of the same year as the 203rd Olympiad but the new Olympiad did not start till the Olympics event took place in the Summer. The second quote is recorded by Philopon. There were Jewish, Christian, and Roman writers from the first and second centuries that refer to Christ and the crucifixion. Since Marks written gospel contains an account of the Crucifixion darkness, it follows that Peter included this event in his oral preaching. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar and thus months start with the New Moon. The 202nd Olympiad. (31 B.C. [citation needed]. It was recorded by a Pagan author who had no desire to promote Christianity yet he confirmed the Bible record! He takes the Bible at face value rather than questioning the details in Scripture in some way, which I believe is the right approach. 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. 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. Gary R. Habermas. Pratt, John, webpage by astronomer John Pratt on Isaac Newtons approach to determining the date of the crucifixion. Earthquake and rocks split open 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). Then you can go through a process of elimination to to rule out all these years except AD 33. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the 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. The dates of the Olympic Games, recorded in Phlegon's Olympiad 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. 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. April 13, 2017 (Steven OReilly) Good Friday approaches. "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. We believe that the period of darkness referred to by Phlegon is the same period of darkness referred to in the New Testament, since the event is unique. !, The audience was rowdy now. 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. 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. I would say there are a couple oflines of argument that can be used to date the crucifixion. Those issues do not change the conclusion for various reasons. Someone shouted Show me a Bible miracle thats recorded in SECULAR history!!. As several of the early Fathers quoted Phlegon, there seems no reason to doubt his word. Moon phase and solar year events are shown on the day in Athens. 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? 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? First, is what I would call deduction from all available information. . [3]. Check it out for yourselfhttp://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE0001-0100.html. The Historical Jesus. 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. All rights reserved. The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. It does however, place Phlegons writing, transposed hundreds of years later by Christian writers, as a scientifically-accurate writing. As explained, we believe that the darkness referred to by Phlegon is the same darkness referred to in Matthew 27:45. If we know the day of the week that the crucifixion took place on, this can be used to rule out a number of the possible years (in the range from AD 26 to AD 36). whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved. Here, too, we see an Apostle feared not to mention the event precisely because it was already widely known among his readers. The earthquake and RARE darkness for three hours couldn't be ignored by secular writers. Why would the Apostles allude to a darkness their hearers and readersknewdid not happen? 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. This year would be AD 29 from Roman historical sources. 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. 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); 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. 1996. p. 217. Origen tells us in his work,Against Celsus(cf Contra Celsus II, 14), that Phlegon had some knowledge of Jesus. , that whosoever shall call upon the name of the sky and the crucifixion of the waspreviouslywitnessed!, p. 366 as noted in Daniel, is what I would deduction. 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