Jesus Christ, born of the immaculate Mary, died for all mankind so that sinners would have the right to forgiveness. He taught people how to live correctly, gathered followers around him. But he was betrayed by the vile Judas Iscariot right after the celebration of Holy Easter, when Jesus gathered everyone for the "Last Supper".
The student betrayed his Rabbi out of envy and selfish motives, for only 30 pieces of silver, kissing him, which was a conventional sign for the guards lurking at the entrance. From this began the story of the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus foresaw everything, so he offered no resistance to the guards. He knew that this was his fate and that he had to go through all the trials in order to eventually die, and then resurrect, for the sake of reuniting with his father. In what year Jesus Christ was crucified is not known for certain, there are only a few theories put forward by the best minds of mankind.
Jefferson Theory
Unprecedented earthquake and eclipse described in Holy Scripture helped American and German scientistsestablish when Jesus Christ was crucified. This study, published in the International Geology Review, is based on the movement of lithospheric plates at the bottom of the Dead Sea, which is located 13 miles from Jerusalem.
The Gospel of Matthew (chapter 27) says: “Jesus, again crying out with a loud voice, died. And the curtain in the temple was torn exactly in the middle, from top to bottom; the earth shook; and the stones settled…” - which, of course, can be interpreted as an earthquake, from the point of view of science. Geologists Markus Schwab, Jefferson Williams, and Achim Broer traveled to the Dead Sea to analyze the effects of long-standing geological activity coinciding with the execution of the Son of God.
Foundations of the theory
Near the beach of Ein Jedi Spa, they studied 3 layers of land, on the basis of which geologists recognized that the seismic activity that coincided with the execution of Christ was most likely involved in "an earthquake that happened before or somewhat after the crucifixion." This event was actually taken by the author of the Gospel of Matthew in order to point out the whole epic nature of the dramatic moment. According to the researchers, the described earthquake happened around 26-36 years from the birth of Christ, and, apparently, was sufficient to change the layers near Ein Jedi, but clearly not so large-scale to prove that the Bible is talking about German
"The day Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross (Good Friday) is known with high accuracy, but things get more complicated with the year," Williams said in an interview.
Onthe geologist is currently deep in studying sandstorm deposits in layers of the earth that coincide in time with the beginning of the century of historic earthquakes near Jerusalem.
Bible date
Based on the gospel, during the terrible torment and death of Jesus on the cross, an earthquake happened, and the sky turned black. In Matthew, Mark and Luke it is written that the Son of God was executed on the 14th of the month of Nisan, but in John it is indicated on the 15th.
After studying the annual layers near the Dead Sea and comparing these data with the Gospel, scientists came to the conclusion that April 3, 1033 AD can be considered a more accurate date when Jesus Christ was crucified. e. And the darkness that epic coincided with the death sigh of the Son of God, they explained the sandstorm caused by the activity of the lithospheric plates.
Was there an eclipse?
According to the Bible version, during the crucifixion of Christ, there was a total eclipse, but was it? Since ancient times, scientists have not been able to determine whether it could have been on the day, month and year when Jesus Christ was crucified.
The following scene is reflected in various artistic creations of the great masters - "the crucified Son of God hangs on the cross, his wounds bleed, and around the darkness - like an eclipse hid the sun."
Director of the Vatican Observatory, Guy Consolmagno, in a letter to RNS, said: "Despite the fact that it seems incredibly difficult to recreate the exact date of historical phenomena, it is absolutely not."
When asked what yearcrucified Jesus Christ, there are several answers, but is there the only true one among them?
In three of the four Gospels, there are references to the fact that at the time of the death of the only son of God, the sky darkened. One of them says: “It was about noon, and darkness hung over the earth and lasted about three hours, because the light of the sun was extinguished” - from Luke 23:44. And in the new Bible of the American edition, this part is translated as: "because of the solar eclipse." From what the meaning seems to have not changed, but according to the Reverend James Kurzynski, priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, attempts to explain everything with the help of science are nothing more than “a side effect of life in the era of modernity.”
He went on to say, “Everything in the Bible must have a natural explanation, and we are only now beginning to understand it.”
To find out at what time Jesus Christ was crucified and whether there was an eclipse, even Newton tried, but the question is still relevant.
The Holy Scripture explains that the execution of the Son of God on the cross fell on the day of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which is celebrated during the full moon in spring. But for a solar eclipse, it is the phase of the new moon that is needed! And this is one of the inconsistencies of this theory. Moreover, the darkness that fell on the earth during the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth was too long to be a simple eclipse of the sun, which lasts a couple of minutes. But if it was not complete, then it could well last up to three hours.
Moreover, people of thattime had good knowledge about the movements of the moon and the sun, and they could accurately predict such a phenomenon as an eclipse. Therefore, the darkness that appeared at the time of the crucifixion cannot be him.
And if there was a lunar eclipse?
John Dvorak wrote in his book that Easter was just the right phase of the moon for its eclipse, and at that moment it could well have happened.
In search of an answer to the question in what year Jesus Christ was crucified, the date seems to be clear - it is 33, the 3rd day of April, but modern scientists do not agree with this theory, putting forward their own. And this is the problem with the lunar theory, because if an eclipse took place, then it should have been noticed in Jerusalem, but there is no mention of this anywhere. Which is strange to say the least. Dvorak, on the other hand, suggested that people simply knew about the upcoming eclipse, which for some reason did not happen. In any case, there is no evidence for this theory yet.
Christian theory
Holy Father Kurzinsky suggests that darkness could have come due to unusually dense clouds, although he does not leave the thought that this is just “a beautiful metaphor used to express the epic nature of the moment.”
Believers see this as a manifestation of a miracle, revealed by the Lord God himself, so that people understand what they have done.
"Darkness is a sure sign of God's judgment!" says evangelist Ann Graham Lotz. Christians firmly believe that Jesus died for all people, taking upon himself what was due to damned sinners.
Ann Lotz also noted other references to extraordinary darkness in the Bible, referring to the darkness that hung over Egypt, descriptionwhich can be found in Exodus. This was one of the 10 disasters that God brought down on the Egyptians to convince the pharaoh to give freedom to the Jewish slaves. Even the prophet Joel predicted that the day would turn into night, and the moon would bleed at the hour of the Lord.
She also said, “This is a sign of the absence of God and complete condemnation, and until we get to heaven we will not know the truth.”
Fomenko's theory
To date, the theory proposed by several scientists of Moscow State University is quite popular, based on which the history of mankind was completely different, and not the same as we used to know it, it was more compressed in time. According to it, many historical events and characters were only phantoms (doubles) of others that were earlier. G. Nosovsky, A. T. Fomenko and their colleagues established completely different dates for such events as the compilation of the Algamest star catalog by Claudius Ptolemy, the construction of the Nicene Cathedral, and the year in which Jesus Christ was crucified. And if you believe their theory, you can see a completely different picture of the existence of the world. Needless to say, the assumptions of Moscow scientists require analysis and clarification, however, like everyone else.
Fomenko's innovative calculations
To establish the newest date for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, scientists have invented two ways to find it out:
- Using "Sunday calendar conditions";
- According to astronomical data.
If you believe the first method, then the date of the crucifixion falls on the year 1095 from the birth of Christ, but the second indicates the date - 1086.
How was it bredfirst date? It was obtained in accordance with the "calendar conditions" borrowed from the manuscript of Matthew Blastar, a Byzantine chronicler of the 14th century. Here is a fragment of the entry: “The Lord suffered for the salvation of our souls in the year 5539, when the circle of the sun was 23, the moon was 10, and the Jewish Passover was celebrated on Saturday, March 24th. And on the following Sunday (March 25), Christ was resurrected. The feast of the Jews was celebrated during the equinox on the 14th lunar day (i.e. full moon) from March 21 to April 18, but the current Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday.”
Based on this text, the scholars applied the following "Sunday conditions":
- Circle of the Sun 23.
- Circle of the moon 10.
- Jewish Passover celebrated on March 24.
- Christ is risen on the 25th, Sunday.
The necessary data was entered into a computer, which, using a specially designed program, gave out the date 1095 AD. e. Moreover, the year corresponding to the Sunday that happened on March 25 was calculated according to the Orthodox Paschalia.
Why is this theory questionable?
And yet, the year 1095, calculated by scientists as the year of the resurrection of Christ, is not exactly determined. Mainly because it does not coincide with the gospel "resurrection condition".
Following the above, it is obvious that the year 1095, as the date of the crucifixion and resurrection, is determined by the researchers incorrectly. Probably because it does not meet the most important "condition of the Resurrection", according to whichthe full moon fell on the night from Thursday to Friday, when the disciples and Christ ate Easter at the Last Supper, and not at all on Saturday, as the "3rd condition" of the "innovators" determined. And other "calendar conditions" are not that wrong, but rather unreliable and easily disputed.
The "astronomical" version, put forward by the scientists of Moscow State University, seems to supplement the newest date of the crucifixion of Christ, but for some reason, according to it, the execution of Jesus falls on the year 1086.
How was the second date derived? The Holy Scriptures describe that after the birth of Christ, a new star shone in the sky, showing the Magi, who were coming from the East, the path to the “Wonderful Baby”. And the time of Jesus' death is described as follows: "…From the sixth hour, darkness enveloped the whole earth until the ninth" (Matthew 27:45).
It is logical that the disciples meant by "darkness" an eclipse, and given that in 1054 AD. e. a new star lit up, and in 1086 (32 years later), a complete "hiding of the sun" happened, then it happened on February 16 on Monday.
But any hypotheses can be erroneous, because chronicles throughout history could be easily forged. And why do we need this knowledge? You just need to believe in God and not question the biblical data.
