V

WHEN WAS JESUS
CRUCIFIED?

CHAPTER ONE

Historicity of Crucifxion

 While the gospels deal with the crucifixion in detail there are only a few non-Christian sources that documented these events.  This is to be expected since it was done in a small state of Israel which was under the rule of the Great Roman Empire.  However we do have a few such mention.

·        Mara bar Serapion, is a Stoic philosopher from ancient Syria, and  is the author of the Letter of Mara bar Serapion, where he refers to crucifxion of a “wise King” who was executed by fellow Jews.  This is considered to be the  earliest non-Jewish, non-Christian references to a historical Jesus. The letter is dated to the first century AD  and a 6th or 7th century AD manuscript (BL Add. 14658) is kept in  British Library.  It was first published by  William Cureton, in the 19^th Century.

Writing from prison to encourage his son to pursue wisdom,  Mara bar Serapion writes:

“What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as a judgment for their crime.

What advantage did the men of Samos gain from burning Pythagoras? In a moment their land was covered with sand.

What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise king? It was just after that that their kingdom was abolished.

God justly avenged these three wise men: the Athenians died of hunger; the Samians were overwhelmed by the sea; the Jews, ruined and driven from their land, live in complete dispersion.

 But Socrates did not die for good; he lived on in the teaching of Plato.

Pythagoras did not die for good; he lived on in the statue of Hera.

Nor did the wise king die for good; he lived on in the teaching which he had given.”

·         Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus (55-ca.117 n. Chr.), in his Book 15 or the  Annals written about  A.D. 116   writes:

“auctor nominis eius Christus Tiberio imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio adfectus erat.”  "Christus...suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators..."

The passage is part of an account of the Great Fire of Rome (64), which emperor Nero blamed on a religious group called Chrestians or Christians  and offers an etymology for the group's name.

The first to cite this passage of Antiquities was Eusebius, writing in about 324AD in his Demonstratio Evangelica.

·         According to Gaius Tranquillus Sueton (69-ca.122 AD), Suetonius: The Lives of the Twelve Caesars;chapter 25, there occurred in Rome, during the reign of emperor Claudius (circa AD 50),

"persistent disturbances ... at the instigation of Chrestus".^[

"Da die Juden unter ihrem Anführer Chrestos [Christus] beständig Unruhe stiften, vertrieb er [Claudius] sie aus Rom." (Leben der Cäsaren, Claudius, 25.4)

·         Similarly, Greek satirist Lucian von Samosata (120-180 AD) refers to Jesus only as "the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account."  

Lucian was a Greek satirist and playwright of the second century, who wrote the play  "The Passing of Peregrinus." The hero of the tale, Peregrinus, was a Cynic philosopher who became a Christian, rose in prominence in the Christian community, and then returned to Cynicism.  Lucian points to Jesus as the founder of the religion of Christianity.  He confirms the method and place of Jesus' execution. He mentions Jesus as a sage and a teacher of some worth whose belifs to him are absurd.

·         Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD)  records:

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”

—Josephus , Antiquities of the Jews - XVIII, 3:8-10

·         Babylonian Talmud:  c500 AD

“On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, ‘He is going forth to be stoned because he has practised sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Anyone who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.’ But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover! —Sanhedrin 43a,  Babylonian Talmud (Soncino Edition)

·         Quran c 600AD

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them [or it appeared so unto them], and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not: Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.

—Qur'an 4:157–158

CHAPTER TWO

Dating of Crucifixion

We are used to dates and times as a matter of routine in out everyday life.  However calendars and dates and times were more difficult in earlier days in various cultures.  Calendars vary from culture to culture. Time is experienced by us as a sequence of events.  Thus it was usual for people to refer to dates in terms of known events.

By refering to the events we can come to pretty close estimate of the year of crucifixion.  It will of course depend on with what accuracy we can determine the date of those events in terms of our present day calendar.  At any rate broad outlines will narrow down the date.

Narrowing down in terms of periods.

Pontius Pilate:

was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea from AD 26–36.

He is typically referenced as the fifth Prefect of Judaea, and was the judge at Jesus' trial  who authorized his crucifixion  He finally lost his position after he ordered an attack on a group of Samaritans who had gathered at one of their holy sites. The resulting massacre aroused so much anger that he was suspended from office and ordered to return to Rome to explain his action.  He fell out of grace with Caesar and according to the Christian historian  Eusebius, he committed suicide in AD 39.

Joseph Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest (A.D. 27-36)

at the beginning of our Lord's public ministry, in the reign of Tiberius (Luke 3:2), and also at the time of his condemnation and crucifixion (Matt. 26:3,57; John 11:49; 18:13, 14). He held this office during the whole of Pilate's administration. His wife was the daughter of Annas, who had formerly been high priest, and was probably the vicar or deputy (Heb. sagan) of Caiaphas. He was of the sect of the Sadducees (Acts 5:17), and was a member of the council when he gave his opinion that Jesus should be put to death "for the people, and that the whole nation perish not" (John 11:50). In these words he unconsciously uttered a prophecy.  Joseph Caiaphas, sometimes written as Cantherus was one of the sons of Simon Boethus who was the  High Priest during the period 25-6 BC. 

Herod Antipas (short for Antipatros) reigned (4 BC – 39 AD) was the ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter").  He was the son of  the Jewish king Herod the Great and his wife Malthace.  he was full brother of Archelaus and a half brother of Philip. With his brothers Archelaus and Philip, he was educated in Rome.  In his father's testament, Herod Antipas was appointed tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea (the east bank of the Jordan). The Roman emperor Augustus confirmed this decision and Antipas' reign could begin (4 BCE).  

(Luk 3:1-3) Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, in the high–priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the region round about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins.

Tiberius became Caesar on August 19, 14 AD,  The ministry of John the Baptist began on the 15^th year of Tiberius Caesar which falls 14AD +15^th Year = 14 + 14/15 = around 28/29 AD. However Tiberius was appointed Coregent with Agustus in the year 11 AD (according to some from 12 AD).   In that case the 15^th year of Tiberius Caesar falls on AD 11 +14/15 = around 25 AD or 12 + 14/15 = 26/27 AD.  So we have two likely dates for the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist viz AD 28/29 and AD 25/26/27 Jesus and John were cousins and Jesus was six months younger than John, and scripture indicates that Jesus started his ministry soon after John. Jesus and John were probably 30 years old at the start of their ministries in accordance with the Jewish practice.   The crucifixion must be placed at least three years later since we know for certain he celebrated at least three Passovers outside of Jerusalem,.which will give us  a possible lower limits for the date as 29 AD.   As such a date of 30 AD is the most likely date.

Paul’s conversion date will give us a maximum range limit also.  

Paul says in Galatians that he was three years in Damascus following his conversion

" Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother" (Galatians 1:18-19).

Following this,  fourteen years elapsed till he joined in the council described in Acts 15.

"Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also" (Galatians 2:1).

This was to attend the Jerusalem Council. This council was in 48 or 49 AD.  Thus it should give us the likely conversion of Paul on  (49 – 17) = 32 AD 

Thus we are led to the date of crucifixion around 30 AD.

CHAPTER TWO

EASTER

We are certain that the resurrection took place on the first day of the week – Sunday.

 Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Mark 16:1-8

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb.

Luk 24:1-7

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came unto the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, while they were perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel: and as they were affrighted, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying that the Son of man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

John 20:1-15

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!" 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" 14 "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thus all the four gospels clearly states that Jesus rose from the grave sometime during the first day of the week.  We are not sure exactly when.  It could have been in the night soon after the Sabbath Saturday or anytime before the dawn of Sunday Morning.  All declarations and appearances of Jesus on that day falls during the dawn or daylight time.
We can construct a chronology of the life of Jesus:            
5 B.C. = Jesus' birth
A.D. 8 = Visit to temple
A.D. 26 (fall of the year) = Beginning of Christ's ministry (15th year of Tiberius)
A.D. 27 April 11  = First Passover (John 2:13)
A.D. 28 April 28 = Second Passover (John 5:1)
A.D. 29 April 18 = Third Passover (John 6:4)
A.D. 30 (Thursday evening, April 6, Nisan 13) = Fourth Passover (John 12:1)
A.D. 30 (Friday afternoon, April 7, Nisan 14) = Jesus crucified
A.D. 30 (Sunday morning, April 9, Nisan 16) = Jesus raised from the dead

CHAPTER THREE

THREE DAYS

Several times the Gospels mention that Jesus was crucified on the day before the Sabbath, the Jewish Day of Preparation (Matthew 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42), that is, on Friday.

This Friday preparation day (paraskeue:G3904) is mentioned in Mat 27:62, Mk 15:42, Lk 23:54, Jn 19:14, 19:31 and 19:42. It is worth noting that paraskeue is apparently always used to define the day before the seventh-day Sabbath, but not a day preceding a non-seventh-day festival sabbath. The term always means what we call Friday, in both scriptural and non-scriptural usage.

The following texts repeatedly says that resurrection took placed on the third day

 Mat 16:21 From that time began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

Mat 17:23 and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised up. And they were exceeding sorry.

Mat 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and *the third day* he shall rise again.

Mark 9:31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise *the third* day.

Mark 10:34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and *the third day* he shall rise again.

Luk 9:22 saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

Luk 18:33 and they shall scourge and kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in *three days* I will raise it up.

Acts 10:38-40 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up *the third day*, and showed him openly;

1Co 15:3-4   For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;   and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures;

Jews reckoned a part of a day as a whole day. Then the third day fits well with the passages for a Friday noon crucifixion. Thus we should assert that the tradition of Friday crucifixion fits the majority of the scripture.  It only needs to check whether we have a Passover on Friday during the given period.

The 3 PM on Friday April 7 of the year 30 AD thus fixes the date and time exactly. This will place resurrection on unday April 9, 30 AD

Chronology of the Passion  week

Nissan 8  Saturday  March 30, 30 AD
Arrived at Bethany                          John 12:1

Nissan 9  Sunday   March 31,30 AD  
Crowd came to see Jesus   John 12:9-11

Nissan 10  Monday   April 1,30 AD
Triumphal Entry     Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-44

Nissan 11  Tuesday  April 2,30 AD
Cursed Fig Tree      Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14
Cleansed Temple    Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46

Nissan 12  Wednesday  April 3,30 AD
Fig Tree Withered      Matthew 21:20-22; Mark 11:20-26
Temple Controversy   Matthew 21:23-23:39; Mark 11:27-12:44; Luke 20:1-21:4 Olivet Discourse

 Nisan 13  Thursday /April 6  30 AD

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM         Last Supper    

                                        Matthew 26:20-30; Mark 14:17-26; Luke 22:14-30

10:00 PM – 1:00 AM       In the Garden of Gethsemanae                             

1:00 AM and 2:00 AM   The Arrest of Jesus  
                          Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53;  John 18:2-12

2:00 AM – 3:00AM        The Interrogation of Jesus at the Home of Annas
                         Matthew 26:57-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-65: John 18:13-27

3:00 AM – 3:30 AM        On the Way to the Palace of Caiaphas

2:00 AM – 5:00 AM       The Trial Before the Sanhedrin in
                                      The Palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest
                                       Matthew 27:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66

Nissan 14  Friday / April 7 30 AD      

6:00 AM – to 6:30 AM   The First Appearance of Jesus Before Pontus Pilate
6:45 AM – 7:15 AM        Jesus’ Interrogation Before Herod
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM       The Second Appearance of Jesus before Pontus Pilate

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM       On the Way to Golgotha

9:00 AM                         The Crucifixion of Jesus

3:00 PM                          The Death of the Lamb 

3:00 PM – Sunset           The Burial of Jesus in the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea

Nissan 15 Saturday/ April 8 30 AD

Sabbath

Nissan 16 Sunday/ April 9 30 AD

Resurrection

Tradition and early fathers supports this date

JUSTIN: (150AD)

"But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration." (First apology of Justin, Weekly Worship of the Christians, Ch 68)

IGNATIUS: (250 AD)

 "On the day of the preparation, then, at the third hour, He received the sentence from Pilate, the Father permitting that to happen; at the sixth hour He was crucified; at the ninth hour He gave up the ghost; and before sunset He was buried. During the Sabbath He continued under the earth in the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathaea had laid Him. At the dawning of the Lord's day He arose from the dead, according to what was spoken by Himself, "As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man also be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." The day of the preparation, then, comprises the passion; the Sabbath embraces the burial; the Lord's Day contains the resurrection." The (Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians, chapter 9

A Thursday Crucifixion

If Jesus had been Crucified on the Hebrew Friday, and died in the Ninth Hour, meaning 3 pm, he would have to be interned within three hours of his death in order that Sabbath is not violated.  The three hours leads to a tight schedule for Joseph of Aremathea to go to Pilot, get permission to get the body of Jesus released, arrange for burial and get the body in the cave in time.  As such some people think that Jesus was crucified on a Thursday (14^th of Nissan – Passover sacrifice day) and was placed in the cave after 6pm which is Thursday night according to Roman rendering which will be a Friday according to Hebrew rendering and which will be the day of preparation of Saturday Sabbath. 

The Advantage of this scheme is that it will satisfy the full three days and three nighs and will also make the resurrection on the third day.

Mar 15:34-37  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elijah.  And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take him down. And Jesus uttered a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

Thus death did not take place at the 9^th hour but after the ritual of the vinegar.  How long was this we do not know. 

Soon after the death we are told that  “the even was now come which was the day of preparation.”

 Mar 15:42  And when even was now come, because it was the Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath (προσάββατον)

This verse seems to indicate that the burial took place after the sundown which is the beginning of the day of preparation. In this scenario nothing changes except the day of crucifixion is shifted to Thursday.

But this scenario will be possible only in AD  34 which falls well out of the historical possibility.

A  Wednesday Crucifixion

A Wednesday view assume two Sabbaths on the week of Jesus' crucifixion. The first Sabbath is from the evening soon after crucifixion (Mark 15:42 and Luke 23:52-54) which was a Passover and a second Sabbath the usual Saturday. Leaving a Friday for the women to purchase spices (Mark 16:1)

This fits with the verse    "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 12:40

Hebrew day started with the evening. If we assume that Jesus was in the grave for three days and three nights ending up in Sunday the crucifixion will then have be Wednesday.  To satisfy a strict 72 hour within the grave Jesus was put in the grave at 6 in the evening of Thursday and rose from the dead 6 in the evening of Saturday.

But this will conflict with the “third day” phrases in other verses.  Again looking at the list of Passovers, a Wednesday Passover will need to have the year of crucifixion as AD 28. .

CHAPTER FOUR

  Death certificate of Jesus: Shroud of Turin

Barbara Frale is a historian on staff at the Vatican Secret Archives. A specialist on the Templars, the Crusades, and the papacy, she earned her Ph.D. at the University of Venice. She lives in Viterbo, Italy.

“

November 21, 2009

Death certificate is imprinted on the Shroud of Turin, says Vatican scholar

Richard Owen in Rome

A Vatican scholar claims to have deciphered the "death certificate" imprinted on the Shroud of Turin, or Holy Shroud, a linen cloth revered by Christians and held by many to bear the image of the crucified Jesus.

Dr Barbara Frale, a researcher in the Vatican secret archives, said "I think I have managed to read the burial certificate of Jesus the Nazarene, or Jesus of Nazareth." She said that she had reconstructed it from fragments of Greek, Hebrew and Latin writing imprinted on the cloth together with the image of the crucified man.

The shroud, which is kept in the royal chapel of Turin Cathedral and is to be put in display next spring, is regarded by many scholars as a medieval forgery. A 1988 carbon dating of a fragment of the cloth dated it to the Middle Ages.

However Dr Frale, who is to publish her findings in a new book, La Sindone di Gesu Nazareno (The Shroud of Jesus of Nazareth) said that the inscription provided "historical date consistent with the Gospels account". The letters, barely visible to the naked eye, were first spotted during an examination of the shroud in 1978, and others have since come to light.

Some scholars have suggested that the writing is from a reliquary attached to the cloth in medieval times. But Dr Frale said that the text could not have been written by a medieval Christian because it did not refer to Jesus as Christ but as "the Nazarene". This would have been "heretical" in the Middle Ages since it defined Jesus as "only a man" rather than the Son of God.

Like the image of the man himself the letters are in reverse and only make sense in negative photographs. Dr Frale told La Repubblica that under Jewish burial practices current at the time of Christ in a Roman colony such as Palestine, a body buried after a death sentence could only be returned to the family after a year in a common grave.

A death certificate was therefore glued to the burial shroud to identify it for later retrieval, and was usually stuck to the cloth around the face. This had apparently been done in the case of Jesus even though he was buried not in a common grave but in the tomb offered by Joseph of Arimathea.

Dr Frale said that many of the letters were missing, with Jesus for example referred to as "(I)esou(s) Nnazarennos" and only the "iber" of "Tiberiou" surviving. Her reconstruction, however, suggested that the certificate read: "In the year 16 of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius Jesus the Nazarene, taken down in the early evening after having been condemned to death by a Roman judge because he was found guilty by a Hebrew authority, is hereby sent for burial with the obligation of being consigned to his family only after one full year". It ends "signed by" but the signature has not survived.

Dr Frale said that the use of three languages was consistent with the polyglot nature of a community of Greek-speaking Jews in a Roman colony. Best known for her studies of the Knights Templar, who she claims at one stage preserved the shroud, she said what she had deciphered was "the death sentence on a man called Jesus the Nazarene. If that man was also Christ the Son of God it is beyond my job to establish. I did not set out to demonstrate the truth of faith. I am a Catholic, but all my teachers have been atheists or agnostics, and the only believer among them was a Jew. I forced myself to work on this as I would have done on any other archaeological find."

The Catholic Church has never either endorsed the Turin Shroud or rejected it as inauthentic. Pope John Paul II arranged for public showings in 1998 and 2000, saying: "The Shroud is an image of God's love as well as of human sin. The imprint left by the tortured body of the Crucified One, which attests to the tremendous human capacity for causing pain and death to one's fellow man, stands as an icon of the suffering of the innocent in every age." Pope Benedict XVI is to pray before the Shroud when it is put on show again next Spring in Turin.

“The Shroud is truly the most enigmatic relic in the world, and has baffled eminent forensicscientists for years. Top-ranking patho

logists have established that the man who was covered in that linen-cloth died from crucifixion, that his body bore the marks of over 700 wounds, and that on his forehead the traces of the crown of thorns are clearly visible.”

The certificate reads

"In the year 16 of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius Jesus the Nazarene, taken down in the early evening after having been condemned to death by a Roman judge because he was found guilty by a Hebrew authority, is hereby sent for burial with the obligation of being consigned to his family only after one full year".

Highlighting of the inscriptions around the face of the Shroud; notice the words INNECE (to death), NNAZAPENNUS (Nazarene) and HOY (Jesus)

§         Tiberius Claudius Nero; Reigned as Roman Emperor / Caesar: AD 14–37 as Tiberius Caesar Augustus

Since Tiberius became emperor after the death of Octavian Augustus Caesar in A.D. 14, the 16th year of his reign would be within the span of the years A.D. 30 to A.D. 31.  Again this confirms the date of crucifixion as The Friday April 7 of the year 30 AD

CHAPTER FIVE

Sir Isaac Newton’s Analysis

Sir Issac Newton (1643–1727 AD) was a Mathematician and a Physicist.  Newton went on to invent integral calculus which today forms to core of all Physical Sciences and Mathematics.  In Physics Newton made a huge impact on theoretical astronomy. Newton’s  laws of motion and the universal law gravitation are still fundamental laws.  These laws were  used to predict precisely the motions of stars, and the planets around the sun.  Newton published his works in two books, namely "Opticks" and "Principia." 

Newton actually spent more time on theology than on science even though his work in this area never came in public view until after two centuries when his biblical writings were made known in 1936 during a public auction.   He was a keen student of prophecy and biblical chronology. He was one of the first scientists to estimate the date of the crucifixion by calculating the relative visibility of the crescent of the new moon between the Hebrew and Julian calendars.

Newton began by dating the baptism of Christ in AD 29 as the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar starting from the year when Tiberius became Caesar. .  He then accounted for five Passovers leading to the crucifixion fifth Passover.  This will take us to     AD 34  as the year of crucifixion.

He then looked at the 14^th of Nissan which was a Friday   (John 19:14, 42). He assumed that Hebrews calculated Passover based on the visibility of  moon as opposed to astronomical time.  To see the moon Newton assumed that it will take  "about 18 h after the true conjunction,"   Using that rule to determine the first day of Nisan, he calculated the day of the week for 14 Nisan will fall on a Thurdasy astronomically which we can see fall in AD 34 .  Astronomical day of Thursday new moon will be visible only on Friday April 23. 

Newton’s date of crucifixion was  Friday, April 23, A.D. 34.

Daniel’s Prophecy and the cutting off of the Anointed One 

Newton’s second Approach was based on Daniel’s prophesy.

 Daniel 9: 25-26  Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.

Thus, Newton focused only on the two end points of the seventy weeks. To him it was clear that the prophecy meant that it would be seventy weeks of years from the beginning of the rebuilding of Jerusalem until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The book of Ezra gives the year of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem as being the seventh year of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:7).   Artaxerxes I (Artaxerxes Longimanus), issued  the decree in the year 458 BC.  Adding 490 years to this will give  - 458+ 457 will give BC 1 (490 - 457 = 33) then we start AD) giving  the year when the Anointed One (Christ) was cut off as  33 AD  giving Friday, 1 April, 33 AD on Gregorian calendar. Newton favored AD 34  as he considered the ministry of Jesus as 4 and half  years. 

CHAPTER SIX

Talmudic Evidence for crucifixion at AD 30

The Talmud (Hebrew: תַּלְמוּד talmūd "instruction, learning", from a root lmd "teach, study") is a central text of mainstream Judaism, in the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history. There are essentially two separate Talmuds.  The Jerusalem Talmud  (c 200 AD) or Talmud Yerushalmi  and the Babylonian Talmud. (c 500 AD)  These are the final writing down notes and commentaries on oral traditions handed down through generations.

Both these Talmuds confirm strange happenings starting from 30 AD which confirm the validity of the traditional date of Crucifixion of the Mesiah who was thus rejected by the Jews, the nation through whom incarnation was brought forth.

 Jerusalem Talmud says:

"Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open" (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157).

Babylonian Talmud says:

“Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot ['For the Lord'] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine; and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves" (Soncino version, Yoma 39b).

From the year 30 onwards these impossible things occurred according to these Talmudic reports;

1.      Lord’s Lot came with a black stone selecting the left hand side goat for consecutive years till the temple was destroyed in AD 70/71

2.      The crimson colored strap tied to the temple pillar did not turn white for all those years.

3.      The western most light of the temple menorah known as the Servant Lamp failed to burn for all those years every day of the years.

4.      The temple door which was closed in the evening every day was found open every day for all these years

The Drawing of Lot for Yom Kippur Sacrifice 

 This refers to the following temple practice of drawing the lot during the Day of Atonement.:

Leviticus 16:29-30...In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work ... For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the LORD.

This was the only day in the year when the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies carrying with him the blood of the sacrifice.

Leviticus 16:8-10  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him [for] a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, [and] to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

The lot was taken with two stones in the bag – one white and the other black - assigned to two identical goats - one on  the left (black)goat and the other for the right (white).  Since the year 30 CE onwards the High Priest always picked the black stone! This is a statistically impossible situation.  Notice that Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and God, not for sins against another person.  The selection of the left hand goat on picking black stone is considered as  indication of rejection of the people of Israel by God. A black stone indicated a prophecy of evil days and a white stone indicated a period of good days in the coming year starting with the Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. The last white stone was in the year AD 29.  Yom Kippur the first day of Civil Calendar falls during September –October period while Nissan 1 starts  the Religious New Year falls  during March - April period.  Crucifixion occurred during April 30 AD and the next September 30 AD Yom Kippur onwards the lot fell on the black stone consecutively until the destruction of the Temple.

The Crimson Stripe

The scape goat was then tied with a crimson tape representing the sins of the community and was let loose in the wilderness.

"But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat." "to carry the sins of the nation into the wilderness"

The scapegoat was given a scarlet thread around its neck before releasing it in the wilderness, representing the sins of the people of Israel.   A portion of the thread was also tied to the Temple door.  According to the Jewish Talmuds this red stripe would eventually turn white, signaling God’s acceptance of the offering. The cloth turned white everytime all the way up until 30 AD. For forty years after that, it didn't. 

Isaiah 1:18 ''Come, let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet [crimson], they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as [white] wool''

However from AD 30 Yom Kippur onward (along with the picking up of black stone)   the red stripe did not turn white which indicated something was wrong with those sacrifices and that the sin of Israel was not pardoned by God on the basis of those animal sacrifices.  

God has done away with the old sacrificial system and established the sacrifice of His Son as the only basis for forgiveness of His people. Christ offered one perfect sacrifice, and having finished His glorious work, He is now sitting down at the right hand of God. Since His sacrifice has truly accomplished its purpose, God declares that their sins are forgiven only on the basis of the sacrifice on the cross.

Heb 10:17 Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer any offering for sin"

Temple Doors

Matthew 27:51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,  

Solomon's temple was 30 cubits high (1 Kings 6:2), but Herod had increased the height to 40 cubits, according to the writings of Josephus, a first century Jewish historian.  Josephus mentions that the veil was four inches thick and that horses tied to each side could not pull the veil apart. Accodring to Exodus the veil was fashioned out of four strips of curtains from blue, purple and scarlet material and   "fine twined linen, with Cherubims of cunning work." The veil was torn from top to bottom indicating that God now kept the Holy of Holies open for anyone without any more blood. 

Josephus says: “At the same festival (Passover)... the Eastern gate of the inner court of the Temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, , and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a base armered with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of it's own accord about the sixth our of the night. -Josephus; The Wars of the Jews 6.5.3

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which be hath consecrated for us, through the, veil, that is to say, his flesh—Hebrews 10:19-20.

 It is this openness that God kept reminding when the temple doors were constantly kept opened in spite of the temple authorities’ attempt to keep it closed every evening.

The Miracle of the Servant Lamp

 The fourth miracle was that the most important lamp of the seven candle-stick Menorah of the Temple which is the Western most candle stick.   "This 'western lamp' was to be kept lit at all times. Every morning, the wicks of the whole Menorah had to be changed, fresh oil placed in the Menorah and it had to be lit. During the time of Simeon the Righteous, they always lit the Menorah from the western end of it and then from it they would light the other six branches. For that reason, the priests kept extra reservoirs of olive oil and other implements in ready supply to make sure that the 'western lamp' (under all circumstances) would stay lit This provided the continuity of the fire over generations. For this reason this lamp was called the Servant lamp. 

What happened beginning in 30 AD, was the western branch went out and they were not able to light the other branches from it.  This happened every day for 40 years until the menorah was carried away to Rome.