Scientific Evidence For The Day Of Crucifixion, and archeological Evidence For The Crucifixion Of Jesus Christ

Scientific Evidence For The Day Of Crucifixion, and archeological Evidence For The Crucifixion Of Jesus Christ

https://reasonandscience.catsboard.com/t3104-scientific-evidence-for-the-day-of-crucifixion-and-archeological-evidence-for-the-crucifixion-of-jesus-christ

The exact date of Christ’s crucifixion and death

Neverthirsty: Our first clue as to the time of Jesus’ death comes from John 2:20 where we are told that construction of the temple had already been in process for 46 years. Since the construction of the temple started in 20/19 B.C. which means Jesus’ ministry began after A.D. 27/28. We also know from Matthew 26:3 that Jesus ministered while Caiaphas was the high priest (A.D. 18 to A.D. 37) and Pontius Pilate was governor (Luke 3:1) from A.D. 26 to A.D. 36. Consequently, we conclude that Jesus’ ministry and death occurred between A.D. 30 and A.D. 36. However, it is highly doubtful that Christ lived past A.D. 34 given the year of His birth and the length of His ministry. Now we have the range of years in which Jesus died, but not the exact day.6







Evidence-for-the-bible: Christians commemorate Good Friday and Easter, the yearly events of Jesus’ death (the Day of Crucifixion), and resurrection. All of us understand that this occurred in Jerusalem in the 1st century. That separates Jesus from mythological pagan gods, who were expected to reside in areas or times that none can define. Exactly how certain can we be about the death of Jesus? Can we figure out the precise day? With some mathematical and scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion, we can.

Here’s how …

1: The High Priesthood of Caiaphas
The gospels suggest that Jesus was crucified at the instigation of the 1st-century high priest called Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3 -4, John 11:49 -53).
We understand from other sources that he functioned as high priest from A.D. 18 to 36, so that puts Jesus’ death during that timespan.
However, we can get more certain with scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion. A lot more.

2: The Governorship of Pontius Pilate
All 4 gospels concur that Jesus was crucified on the orders of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:24 -26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24, John 19:15 -16).
We understand from other sources when he functioned as governor of Judea – A.D. 26 to A.D. 36 – so we can narrow the time span by a number of years.
However, how are we going to get it down to a precise day and year?

3: After “the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Caesar”
The Gospel of Luke informs us when the ministry of John the Baptist started:
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar … the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness [Luke 3 -2]
This identifies a particular year: A.D. 29.
Considering that all 4 gospels portray the ministry of Christ starting after that of John the Baptist had actually kicked off (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1), this indicates that we can shave a couple of more years off our time span. The death of Christ needed to remain in a range of 7 years: in between A.D. 29 and 36.

4: Crucified on a Friday
All 4 gospels concur that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42; Luke23:54; John 19:42), right before a Sabbath, which was right before the 1st day of the week (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). We understand that it was a Friday due to the fact that it is described as “the day of preparation”– that is, the day on which Jews made the preparations they required for the Sabbath, given that they might refrain from doing any work on that day. Therefore they prepared food ahead of time and made other needed preparations. That gets rid of 6 of the days of the week, however there were still many Fridays in between A.D. 29 and 36.
Can we find out which one? Again, with more scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion, we definitely can!

5: A Friday at Passover
The gospels likewise concur that Jesus was crucified in conjunction with the yearly feast of Passover (Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1, John 18:39).
Here we come across a small problem, due to the fact that Matthew, Mark, and Luke talk about the Last Supper on Holy Thursday as a Passover meal (Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:15). That would indicate that Good Friday was the day after Passover. Nevertheless, when explaining the early morning of Good Friday, John reveals that the Jewish authorities had actually not yet consumed the Passover meal:
Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium [i.e., Pilate’s palace] It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. So Pilate went out to them [John 18:28 -29 That proposes that the Passover would have started on sundown Friday. Referring to John’s declaration about Jesus’ captors as an indicator of what the Jewish authorities or the mainstream Jewish practice was: They were commemorating a Passover that started on what we would call Friday night. That lets us shorten the range of possible dates to simply a handful. Here is a total list of the days around A.D. 29 and 36 on whose evenings Passover started:.

Monday, April 18, A.D. 29.
Friday, April 7, A.D. 30.
Tuesday, March 27, A.D. 31.
Monday, April 14, A.D. 32.
Friday, April 3, A.D. 33.
Wednesday, March 24, A.D. 34.
Tuesday, April 12, A.D. 35.
Saturday, March 31, A.D. 36.

As you can see, we have simply 2 prospects left: Jesus was either crucified on April 7 of A.D. 30 or April 3 of A.D. 33 Which was it? The conventional date is that of A.D. 33. You will discover quite a variety of individuals today promoting the A.D. 30 date. Do the gospels let us choose among the two?

6: John’s Three Passovers.
The Gospel of John records 3 various Passovers throughout the ministry of Jesus:

Passover # 1: This is captured in John 2:13, near the start of Jesus’ ministry.
Passover # 2: This is captured in John 6:4, in the middle of Jesus’ ministry.
Passover # 3: This is captured in John 11:55 (and often talked about later on), at the end of Jesus’ ministry.

That suggests that the ministry of Jesus needed to cover something over 2 years. A fuller treatment would uncover that it stretched over about 3 and a half years. However, even if we presume it started right away prior to Passover # 1, the addition of 2 more Passovers reveals that it lasted more than 2 years at a bare minimum. That suggests the A.D. 30 date is out. There are insufficient time anywhere between the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar– A.D. 29– and the next year’s Passover to accommodate a ministry of at minimum 2 years. The numbers do not add up. As a result, the conventional date of Jesus’ death– Friday, April 3, A.D. 33– need to be considered as the proper one. Can we be a lot more accurate with scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion?

7: “The Ninth Hour”.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record that Jesus passed away about “the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45 -50, Mark 15:34 -37, Luke 23:44 -46). “The ninth hour” is what we, today, would come to know as 3:00 p.m This enables us to shorten the time of Jesus’ death to a remarkably precise point in history: around 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33. On a final note, even the stars in heaven point exactly to the date that we have concluded here. It is highly suggested that you also view our Prophetic Evidence For The Star Of Bethlehem and have zero doubt as to the 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 date!!




Jeffrey L. Edwards (2017): One significant date used to establish Peter’s travels includes the timing attributed to Christ’s crucifixion. The best method to determine when the Romans crucified Christ requires the process of elimination. Humphreys and Waddington summarize the three main components to use to establish the correct date regarding Christ’s crucifixion:
There are three main pieces of biblical evidence for dating the Crucifixion: 

1. Jesus was crucified when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea during AD 26–36 (all four Gospels; also Tacitus, Ann. 15:44). 
2. All four Gospels agree that Jesus died a few hours before the commencement of the Jewish Sabbath, that is, he died before nightfall on a Friday. In addition, the earliest writings that explicitly state the date of the Crucifixion all have it as a Friday. 
3. All four Gospels agree to within about a day . . . that the Crucifixion was at the time of Passover.

Christ’s crucifixion took place on a Friday afternoon, between A.D. 26 and A.D. 36, and on or near Passover.  The following details utilize this and other previous research to verify the exact date for Christ’s crucifixion.
Exodus 12:6 fixed Nisan 14 as the Passover date. They killed a lamb each Nisan 14 “in the evening” (Ex 12:1–8 ). They measured a day from evening to morning, but that practiced changed to a morning reckoning.  This evening reckoning or morning reckoning calculation permits Passover to fall either on Nisan 14 or Nisan 15. Between A.D. 26 and A.D. 36 only A.D. 27, 30, 33, and 34 place Nisan 14 or 15 on a Friday. The first step to determining which date the Scriptures state as the crucifixion Passover requires a simple reason that eliminates A.D. 27. John the Baptist’s ministry began in Tiberius Caesar’s fifteenth year, or A.D. 29. Christ’s crucifixion occurred after his ministry began in A.D. 29, thereby eliminating A.D. 27. The second step means eliminating A.D. 34 as a possibility. This requires eliminating Nisan 15 as an option. The reason scholars entertain Nisan 15 relates to which weekday Christ celebrated the last supper. The Synoptic Gospels state that Christ celebrated the last supper as a Passover meal, so it took place on Thursday, Nisan 14, which places Christ’s crucifixion on Friday, Nisan 15. John, however, never calls the last supper a Passover meal, so it took place on Thursday, Nisan 13, which places Christ’s crucifixion on Friday, Nisan  14.  The solution to this dilemma requires examining how the Jews measured their days.



Passover could be reckoned from sunset to sunset or sunrise to sunrise. . . . Josephus   . . . seems to indicate a sunrise to sunrise reckoning. The Mishnah states that the Passover lamb must be eaten by midnight which would seem to indicate that the new day began . . . at sunrise. . . . Since there were two systems of reckoning the day . . . this would be a solution to the disagreement between the synoptics and John. . . . The Galileans and Pharisees used the sunrise to sunrise reckoning whereas the Judeans and Sadducees used the sunset to sunset reckoning. Thus, according to the synoptics, the Last Supper was a Passover meal. Since the day is to be reckoned from sunrise, the Galileans, and with them Jesus and His disciples, had the Paschal lamb slaughtered in the late afternoon of Thursday, Nisan 14, and later that evening they ate the Passover with the unleavened bread. On the other hand, the Judean Jews who reckoned from sunset to sunset would slay the lamb on Friday afternoon which marked the end of Nisan 14 and ate the Passover lamb with the unleavened bread that night which had become Nisan 15. Thus, Jesus had consumed the Passover meal when His enemies, who had not as yet had the Passover, arrested Him. This gives good sense to John 18:28 that the Jews did not want to enter the Praetorium so as not to be defiled since later that day they would slay the victims for those who reckoned from sunset to sunset. After Jesus’ trial, He was crucified when the Paschal lambs were slain in the temple precincts. This fits well with the Gospel of John. . . . This solution would mean that there were two days of slaughter. This would solve the problem of having to slaughter all of the lambs for all of those participants at the Passover season. . . . Although one cannot be overly dogmatic, it does fit well with the data at hand. It is simple and makes good sense.

This eliminates Nisan 15 and thereby A.D. 34 as a possible crucifixion date, reducing the options to A.D. 30 and A.D. 33.

The third step requires eliminating A.D. 30. Christ’s ministry began, as stated previously, between his baptism in the summer or fall A.D. 29 and his first ministry Passover in A.D. 30. Jesus celebrated Passover at least three times during his ministry (John 2:13, 23, 6:4, 11:55). Christ’s crucifixion, therefore, took place in at least A.D. 32. That leaves A.D. 33 as the only viable option to list as the crucifixion year, or as Finegan states: “According to
the foregoing analysis . . . the crucifixion of Jesus was most probably on Friday, Apr 3, A.D. 33, corresponding to Nisan 14.” 15

The history data surrounding Lucius Sejanus favors the AD 33 date

James M. Rochford (2022): If the AD 27 is too soon and the AD 36 date was too late, this leaves us with only AD 30 and AD 33. Scholars have pointed to a historical figure to solve our dilemma: Lucius Sejanus.

Pontius Pilate (the Roman governor of Judea) was appointed by Lucius Sejanus. Sejanus was arguably the most powerful man in the Roman Empire—second only to emperor Tiberius. Sejanus commanded the imperial guard, and he had almost complete control of the Roman military. Emperor Tiberius had retired to the island of Capri, and for all intents and purposes, he was politically out-of-commission. He had given stewardship of the military over to Sejanus—his first in command.

Sejanus was a horrid anti-Semite, and Pilate implemented his anti-Jewish policies in Judea. Pilate raised up embossed statues of the Emperor in Jerusalem; he seized money from the Temple treasury (the Corbanus); he put down Jewish protests with covert Roman soldiers, who wore plain clothes and wielded clubs. Pilate killed or oppressed many Jews under his reign. Together, Sejanus and Pilate ran an anti-Semitic regime.

By Roman law, the Jews had a right to appeal to the emperor for this injustice, but Emperor Tiberius was isolated, gallivanting on the island of Capri. He never heard any of these complaints, because Sejanus interrupted any attempt to appeal to him. Hoehner writes:

How could all these insults continue without the protest of the Jews to the Roman government? This was not a problem as Sejanus was in full control. Any complaint sent to Tiberius would be destroyed by Sejanus before reaching the island of Capri.[6]

All was going well for Pilate until Sejanus finally overstepped himself with the Emperor. Sejanus sought to displace Emperor Tiberius, slowly killing off all of the heirs to the royal throne before he tried a coup d’état on the Emperor himself. Eventually, Tiberius pieced together the fact that Sejanus was responsible for the insurrection, and he realized that he was positioning for an assassination. On October 18th, AD 31, Emperor Tiberius executed Sejanus for the capital crime of treason, beheading him on the spot. After this insurrection was put down, Tiberius became incredibly suspicious of all of Sejanus’ friends, cynical that anyone could be a part of Sejanus’ treason.

Remember, one of Sejanus’ close friends was Pontius Pilate.

Because Sejanus (a traitor to the Emperor) had appointed Pilate, Emperor Tiberius became incredibly suspicious of Pilate. Anyone connected with Sejanus was viewed as another potential assassin or insurrectionist.

Paranoid that the Emperor would execute him next, Pilate pledged his allegiance to the throne by placing shields with Tiberius’ name on them in the former palace of Herod the Great. The Jews complained about this, probably because these shields referenced the Emperor’s divinity, and they complained to Tiberius. When Tiberius heard about this act, he suspected that Pilate still held anti-Semitic (and thus, pro-Sejanus!) directives, and it made him even more suspicious of Pilate’s loyalty.

Herod Antipas reported Pilate’s anti-Semitic attitude to Tiberius, ratting him out and making him look like a pro-Sejanus traitor. These two men were enemies, because of Pilate’s history of persecuting the Jews, and Herod Antipas held severe leverage over him with the emperor. 22

How does this historical information about Sejanus explain the biblical account?

Knowing all of this history, consider how this resolves the difficulties in several biblical texts.

(Lk. 23:6-12) “When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.  Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.  And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.”

For years, commentators wondered why Pilate—a man of such horrific anti-Semitism—would bend to the Jews in such a way.

This whole event makes sense in light of an AD 33 date for the crucifixion. If Christ was executed in AD 30, Sejanus would’ve still been in power. Pilate would’ve still been an aggressive tyrant against the Jews, and he would’ve spit in their face, when they tried to push him around politically.

But, if Christ was killed in AD 33, then Pilate would’ve been terrified of offending the Jews! Remember, Pilate was already in hot water with Tiberius, because his anti-Semitism appeared to be pro-Sejanus loyalty, and Pilate was trying to distance himself from Sejanus’ failed insurrection. This would make sense why Pilate was trying to be friendly with Herod: he was trying to get on his good side. Pilate didn’t want to make another wrong move that would give Herod the opportunity to rat him out again.

(Jn. 19:12) As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

Before the death of Sejanus, Pilate probably would’ve scoffed at the Jewish religious leaders’ political posturing. But, if Sejanus had been killed already, then Pilate would not have wanted any more accusations getting back to Caesar; therefore, he succumbs to their demands. Hoehner writes:

The phrase “friend of Caesar” is a technical phrase which meant that such a one was among the elite in the Roman government who were loyal to the emperor. To lose the status of “amici Caesaris” meant political doom. Pilate realized that he had overstepped himself in the shields episode and could not afford to get into more trouble with Tiberius.

This threat would have been completely null and void, if it was given in AD 30. Sejanus would’ve intercepted any potential petition to Tiberius, and Pilate could’ve quelled any disobedience, as he had in the past (Luke 13:1). But, if this threat came in 33 AD, quickly on the heels of Sejanus’ squashed treason, it would’ve held tremendous weight to Pilate’s already paranoid demeanor. Again, Hoehner writes:

If the crucifixion occurred in AD 30 the Jews’ threat would be empty indeed since Tiberius could not be reached except through Sejanus. However, in AD 33 this is a loaded threat… After the death of Sejanus, Tiberius’ new policy was not to disturb the Jewish customs and institutions. Without the historical data about Sejanus, we are left with a question as to why Pilate would be so passive toward the Jewish religious leaders. On the other hand, given the data, the picture of Pilate in the NT makes perfect sense if these events occurred in AD 33. 16

Oxford Scholars Consult the Stars to Date Crucifixion to 33 A.D.

Four dates have been proposed by scholars as the historical date of the Crucifixion of Christ, but only one--Friday, April 3, in the year 33 A.D.--is backed up by astronomical history, two Oxford University scientists say.

Colin J. Humphreys and W.G. Waddington, writing in the prestigious British journal Nature, present fresh evidence that the Crucifixion took place on the first Friday of April, 33, based on a calculation that a partial eclipse of the moon could be seen in Jerusalem on that date. Humphreys and Waddington say that this eclipse appeared to be "blood red" and followed a dust storm that "darkened the sun," just as the apostles said in the Gospels.

"Presumably, this eclipse was considered irrelevant to the date of the Crucifixion since it was believed to be invisible from Jerusalem," the two Oxford scientists declare. "However, the more accurate calculations presented here prove that this eclipse was visible." For centuries, scholars have argued whether Christ was crucified on one of four April Fridays in the first century: April 11, in the year 27; April 7, in the year 30; April 3, in the year 33, and April 23, in the year 34. The Oxford scientists use Biblical history to dismiss 27 as being too soon and 34 as being too late.

They add: "The only eminent advocate of 23 April, 34, is Sir Isaac Newton, whose chief reason seems to have been that 23 April is St. George's Day," a high Anglican holiday. Between the remaining two dates--April 7, 30, and April 3, 33--Humphreys and Waddington come out for the latter because it is the only Friday in April (at Passover time) when the moon was eclipsed by the Earth in any year from 26 to 36, the years Pontius Pilate served as Roman governor of Jerusalem and could have ordered the execution of Jesus.

Time after time in Biblical history, scholars wrote that the "sun turned to darkness" while Jesus died on the cross and the "moon to blood" just after He died. The Oxford scientists say the sun turned to darkness April 3, 33, because, according to accounts in Roman literature, a massive dust storm occurred that day. So much dust was spewed into the air from the storm that it caused the moon to look blood-red when it became visible to Jerusalem residents late in the day.

"Our calculations show that this eclipse was visible from Jerusalem at moonrise," Humphreys and Waddington write, contradicting scholars who thought the eclipse occurred out of sight of Jerusalem. "The moon rose above the Jerusalem horizon at about 6:20 p.m. (the start of the Jewish Sabbath and of Passover in 33) with about 20 percent of its disc eclipsed, and the eclipse finished some 30 minutes later at 6:50 p.m." Importantly, the scientists say, the Earth's shadow was near the top of the rising moon, making 65 percent of it to appear to be in eclipse. The color of the rising lunar eclipse would have been enhanced by the dust particles suspended in the atmosphere over Jerusalem by the storm.

"It might be thought curious that a crucifixion lunar eclipse is not mentioned in the Gospels," Humphreys and Waddington conclude. "In retrospect, this lunar eclipse would have seemed insignificant to the Gospel writers compared with the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Gospel writers were not primarily interested in providing clues for chronologists." 17


21

Andreas Köstenberger (2014): We conclude that Jesus was most likely crucified on April 3, a.d. 33. 18
Colin Humphreys (2011): What I believe is conclusive is that we can rule out AD 30 as the year of the crucifixion, leaving April 3, AD 33 as the only possible date 19
Wikipedia: Recent astronomical research uses the contrast between the synoptic date of Jesus' last Passover on the one hand, with John's date of the subsequent "Jewish Passover" on the other hand, to propose Jesus' Last Supper to have been on Wednesday, 1 April AD 33 and the crucifixion on Friday 3 April AD 33 and the Resurrection on the third day. 20

The end date corresponds to the date the Messiah the Prince is cut-off.  End Date of The Prophecy — April 3, A.D. 33

Neverthirsty:  Jesus died on April 1, A.D. 33 in the Gregorian calendar. In the Julian calendar the date is April 3, A.D. 33 and in the Jewish calendar it is Nisan 14, 3793. 6

Jesus died, therefore, on Friday, April 3, AD 33 at about 3 p.m., a few hours before the beginning of Passover day and the Sabbath. This is the date in the Julian calendar, which had been introduced in 46 BC, and follows the convention that historical dates adhere to the calendar in use at the time.24

Jesus died, on Friday, April 3, AD 33 at about 3 p.m

While I do not give much weight to Biblical numerology, the following is noteworthy. Jesus dies on 3 April 33 AD, 3 pm. Lots of 3s there. What symbolic meaning does the number 3 have in the Bible?

In the Bible, the number 333 is not specifically mentioned or given any symbolic meaning. However, the number 3 is a significant number in the Bible and is often associated with divine completeness or perfection. For example, the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is a central doctrine of Christianity and represents the completeness of God's nature.

Additionally, some biblical events occurred on the third day, such as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In some instances, the repetition of a number may be seen as emphasizing its symbolic meaning. So, while the number 333 is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, some people may interpret it as a repetition of the number 3 and associate it with divine completeness or perfection. For example, in the Old Testament, God is referred to as "holy, holy, holy" in Isaiah 6:3, which is a triple repetition of the word "holy," emphasizing the completeness and perfection of God's holiness. In the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day is seen as a symbol of his completeness and victory over death, and the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit represents the completeness of God's nature.

Yes, the last words of Jesus on the cross, as recorded in the New Testament, are often translated as "It is finished" or "It is accomplished." These words are recorded in John 19:30 and are seen by many Christians as an expression of the completion of Jesus' mission on earth, which was to provide salvation for humanity through his sacrifice. The Greek word used in the original text is "tetelestai," which can also be translated as "It is paid" or "It is accomplished." The word was used in various contexts in ancient Greek, including to indicate the completion of a task or the full payment of a debt. The idea of completion or fulfillment is a recurring theme in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, where Jesus is seen as the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation for humanity. The words spoken by Jesus on the cross are seen as a powerful expression of this idea of completion and fulfillment.

There are numerous examples in the Bible where God is portrayed as starting and finishing what He decided to do. Here are two examples:

The Creation: In the book of Genesis, God is depicted as creating the world and everything in it in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. At the end of each day of creation, it is said that God saw that it was good, indicating that He had completed His work for that day and was satisfied with the result.

The Exodus: In the book of Exodus, God is depicted as leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land. Despite various setbacks and challenges along the way, God is portrayed as fulfilling His promise to bring the Israelites to a land flowing with milk and honey.

Archeological Evidence For The Crucifixion Of Jesus Christ

The Romans practiced crucifixion – literally, “fixed to a cross” – for nearly a thousand years. It was a public, painful, and sluggish form of execution, and used as a method to discourage future crimes and embarrass the dying person. Considering that it was done to thousands of individuals and involved nails, you’d most likely presume we have skeletal evidence of crucifixion. However there’s only one, single bony archeological evidence of Roman crucifixion!

Crucifixion appears to have actually originated in Persia, however the Romans developed the practice as we know of it today, utilizing either a crux immissa (similar to the Christian cross) or a crux commissa (a T-shaped cross) comprised of an upright post and a crossbar. Generally, the upright post was erected first, and the victim was connected or nailed to the crossbar and after that raised up. There was generally an inscription nailed above the victim, noting his specific criminal offense, and in some cases victims got a wooden support to sit or stand on.

The only previously discovered archaeological evidence comes from a 1968 Jerusalem excavation performed by Vassilios Tzaferis of tombs from a huge Second Temple Jewish cemetery (2nd century BCE to 70 CE) in the Giv’ at HaMivtar area. Inside a typical rock-hewn tomb of the era, Tzaferis found, among other items, a number of bone receptacles. Inside one ossuary lay the bones from 2 generations of males, one 20-24 year old, and the other a mere 3 or 4 year old.

On the heel bone of the older male was discerned an 18 cm (7-inch) nail, upon which was discovered some 1-2 cm of olive wood– remnants of the cross from which he was hung, researchers concluded. Upon publication, the world heralded this unique evidence of the historicity of crucifixion.

When nails were involved, they were long and square (about 15cm long and 1cm thick) and were driven into the victim’s wrists or lower arms to fix him to the crossbar. Once the crossbar remained in place, the feet might be nailed to either side of the upright or crossed. In the first case, nails would have been driven through the heel bones, and in the 2nd case, one nail would have been hammered through the metatarsals in the middle of the foot. To hasten death, the victim often had his legs broken (crurifragium); the resulting compound fracture of the shin bones might have resulted in hemorrhage and fat embolisms, not to mention substantial pain, triggering earlier death.

Like death by guillotine in early contemporary times, crucifixion was a public act, but unlike the speedy action of the guillotine, crucifixion involved a long and painful – literally, excruciating – death. The Roman orator Cicero documented that “of all punishments, it is the most cruel and most terrifying,” and Jewish historian Josephus called it “the most wretched of deaths.”

So crucifixion was both a deterrent of further crimes and a humiliation of the dying person, who had to spend the last days of his life naked, in full view of any passersby, up until he passed away of dehydration, asphyxiation, infection, or other causes.

Since the Romans crucified individuals from at least the 3rd century BC up until the emperor Constantine banned the practice in 337 AD out of respect for Jesus and the cross’ powerful symbolism for Christianity, it would follow that archaeological evidence of crucifixion would have been discovered all over the Empire.

And yet only one bioarchaeological example of crucifixion has actually ever been discovered.

How Jesus died: Extremely rare evidence of Roman crucifixion uncovered in Italy
https://www.timesofisrael.com/extremely-rare-archaeological-evidence-of-roman-crucifixion-uncovered-in-italy/

A lesion on the foot of a 2,000-year-old skeleton discovered in a Roman burial site in northern Italy appears to constitute rare tangible evidence of execution by crucifixion, according to an interdisciplinary team of Italian researchers.

Although broadly attested to in historical writings — including the New Testament — it is only the second known archaeological proof of the particularly cruel form of capital punishment practiced by the Romans against criminals, as well as revolutionaries such as Jesus.

The findings — published in the April 2018 edition of the peer-reviewed journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences under the title “A multidisciplinary study of calcaneal trauma in Roman Italy: a possible case of crucifixion?” — are based on new analysis of a skeleton that was discovered in 2007 during a salvage excavation of an isolated tomb.

“In the specific case, despite the poorly preserved conditions, we could demonstrate the presence of signs on the skeleton that indicate a violence similar to crucifixion,” co-author Emanuela Gualdi from the University of Ferrara told the Italian-language paper Estense.

“The importance of the discovery lies in the fact that it is the second case documented in the world,” co-author Ursula Thun Hohenstein told Estense.

“Although this brutal type of execution has been perfected and practiced for a long time by the Romans, the difficulties in preserving damaged bones and, subsequently, in interpreting traumas, hinder the recognition of crucifixion victims, making this testimony even more precious,” Thun Hohenstein said.

The only previously discovered archaeological evidence comes from a 1968 Jerusalem excavation performed by Vassilios Tzaferis of tombs from a massive Second Temple Jewish cemetery (2nd century BCE to 70 CE) in the Giv’at HaMivtar neighborhood. Inside a typical rock-hewn tomb of the era, Tzaferis discovered, among other items, several bone receptacles. Inside one ossuary lay the bones from two generations of males, one 20-24 year old, and the other a mere 3 or 4.



On the heel bone of the older male was discerned a 18 cm (7-inch) nail, upon which was found some 1-2 cm of olive wood — remnants of the cross from which he was hung, researchers concluded. Upon publication, the world heralded this unique proof of the historicity of crucifixion.

According to a 1985 Biblical Archaeology Review article written by Tzaferis titled, “Crucifixion — The Archaeological Evidence,” the Romans were not the creative force behind this painfully punishing form of death.

“Many people erroneously assume that crucifixion was a Roman invention. In fact, Assyrians, Phoenicians and Persians all practiced crucifixion during the first millennium BCE,” wrote Tzaferis.

These newly analyzed Italian remains of the 30- to 34-year-old crucified male are not as entirely unambiguous, however. Their interpretation is complicated by the poor preservation of the bone surfaces. Radiocarbon dating was not possible, but the remains were dated to the Roman era due to their context: archaeologists discovered fragments of typical Roman bricks and tiles.

According to the authors, the skeleton was uncovered during a 2006-2007 infrastructure operation in northern Italy’s Gavello municipality, found about 60 km from Venice in the Po Valley. The individual was found lying on his back, “with the upper limbs at his side and the lower limbs outstretched.” It was, strangely for the time period, buried directly in the ground and without grave goods.

Upon closer examination of the bones, researchers noted “particular lesions” on the right heel.

“To better understand the trauma, we analyzed this bone in detail to determine the time of occurrence and to give an interpretation,” they write. The interdisciplinary team decided to use anthropological and genetic methods to create a “biological profile of the individual.”

Through studying the bones and archaeological data, including the skeleton’s burial context, the researchers believe they were able to more deeply understand the “social role of the victim and the violence pattern in past populations.”

“The results provide evidence of a possible brutal mode of death,” they write.

On the trail of an execution
Initially, the skeleton was given to the University of Ferrara for anthropological analyses, write the researchers. Later, at the University of Siena, 3D images of the hole in the heel were generated with a sophisticated hi-tech digital microscope. Additionally, at the University of Florence’s Molecular Anthropology laboratory, exclusively dedicated to ancient DNA analysis, three pieces from the vertebrae were chosen for genetic analysis.

Evidence of a potential crucifixion is found only on the right heel. The researchers write that they observed a lesion that passed through the “entire width” of the heel bone, penetrating under a horizontal shelf-like portion in the mid-back section of the heel.

‘Christ of Saint John of the Cross,’ by Salvador Dalí, 1951. (public domain)
“The perforation (length 24 mm) shows a regular round hole passing from the medial side (diameter 9 mm) to the lateral one (diameter 6.5 mm). The pattern of the cross-sectional lesion is linear in the first part, turning slightly downward in the last part,” they write.

“The presence of an ellipsoidal depressed fracture on the medial side, but not on the lateral, suggests that the injury was inflicted peri-mortem and the blow was inflicted from medial to lateral, causing a breakthrough in the impact area (entry point),” they conclude.

In other words, the heel was potentially nailed to a hard surface prior to the death of the victim.

The authors are the first to admit that on the face of it, the findings are not entirely conclusive. With only one other example of crucifixion for comparison, it is difficult to understand what are normative practices.

“The position, section and direction of the perforation are only partly consistent with the other case of crucifixion described previously. We observed a circular hole in the Gavello calcaneus unlike that from Giv’at HaMivtar in which a nail with a square section was used. Although the latter type of nail was more frequent in Roman times, nails with a circular section were also used, as reported in the literature,” they write.

The researchers hypothesize that “the upper limbs were fixed to the cross by nails through the wrist, as per ancient historical sources.” However, here again, the paucity of proof means the arms could just as easily have been tied to the cross, as is thought to possibly be the case in the Jerusalem example.

Social reject?
Based on archaeological and anthropological data, the researchers also draw potential conclusions about the victim. They note that in the Roman world, crucifixion was historically meted out to marginalized populations: slaves (even after their freedom), revolutionaries, foreigners, criminals and other non-Roman citizens, with the exception of soldiers who deserted.

“The irregular burial context, lack of grave goods, short adult stature and possible evidence of torture (Martin and Harrod 2015) suggest a condition of captivity or slavery for the Gavello individual,” they write.

The lone, sole burial in particular gave the researchers pause.

“Isolation of the burial site, as at Gavello, may have been a consequence of the community’s refusal of the individual in death as in life,” they write.

“This kind of execution,” co-author Thun Hohenstein told Estense, “was generally reserved for slaves. The same topographical marginalization of the burial induces us to think that it was an individual considered dangerous and neglected by the society in which he lived that he was rejected by it even after death.”

A multidisciplinary study of calcaneal trauma in Roman Italy: a possible case of crucifixion?
https://sci-hub.ren/10.1007/s12520-018-0631-9
Crucifixion is a cruel method of execution. This capital punishment was perfected during the Roman Empire. Despite being a frequent practice, there is only one well-documented anthropological case of crucifixion in the world at the Jerusalem burial cave (Giv’at ha-Mivtar, first century AD). We found a particular lesion on the foot of a skeleton from an isolated Roman burial discovered by excavation in 2007 in northern Italy.

Crucifixion was a brutal form of execution practiced for almost a thousand years (Retief and Cilliers 2003). The Romans learnt the crucifixion procedure from the Carthaginians and used it until it was abolished by Constantine the first (fourth century AD). The Romans perfected crucifixion as a form of torture to produce a slow death with maximal pain. The method preferred by the Romans did not involve tying the condemned person to the beam, but rather the use of nails. This is reported by Latin writers and by a Roman inscription indicating the legal rules to crucify delinquent slaves with the use of ropes to whip them and nails to attach them to the cross. Before the victim was hung from a cross until he died, he had to be scourged with wooden staves or a short whip (flagrum or flagellum). The cross consisted of an upright post (stipes) and a horizontal crossbar (patibulum). After the condemned man had carried the patibulum on his shoulders to the site of crucifixion, his arms were fixed by iron nails driven through the wrists (as the hands could not support the body weight). At this point, the patibulum and the victim were lifted onto the stipes and the feet were nailed to the stipes or to a wooden footrest (suppedaneum). Different methods were described for the last procedure: the feet could be nailed separately to the two sides of the stipes or both to the front of the stipes using a single nail. The victims usually died after a few days on the cross from various physiological causes (Tenney 1964; Maslen and Mitchell 2006). Death could be expedited in different ways: by breaking the bones of the legs below the knees (crucifragium) or by a blow to the sternal region with a club or stabbing the heart with a spear. After the victim’s death, the corpse was left on the cross to be devoured by predators, although it could be removed later for burial by the family if permission was granted. Despite the high number of crucifixions during the Roman period, crucifixion evidence has probably been overlooked by anthropologists because the nails were commonly salvaged after death and the bones with lesions were more easily fractured and destroyed. To date, the calcaneus with the nail still lodged in it from a Jerusalem burial cave (Giv’at ha-Mivtar, first century AD) represents the only case described in the international literature (Haas 1970), as another case from the Mendes harbor on the Nile was reported only indirectly. 

April 3, AD 33: Why We Believe We Can Know the Exact Date Jesus Died

We conclude that Jesus was most likely crucified on April 3, AD 33. While other dates are possible, believers can take great assurance from the fact that the most important historical events in Jesus’s life, such as the crucifixion, are firmly anchored in human history.

https://cbs.mbts.edu/2020/04/08/april-3-ad-33-why-we-believe-we-can-know-the-exact-date-jesus-died/

The history data surrounding Lucius Sejanus favors the AD 33 date

If the AD 27 is too soon and the AD 36 date was too late, this leaves us with only AD 30 and AD 33. Scholars have pointed to a historical figure to solve our dilemma: Lucius Sejanus.

Pontius Pilate (the Roman governor of Judea) was appointed by Lucius Sejanus. Sejanus was arguably the most powerful man in the Roman Empire—second only to emperor Tiberius. Sejanus commanded the imperial guard, and he had almost complete control of the Roman military. Emperor Tiberius had retired to the island of Capri, and for all intents and purposes, he was politically out-of-commission. He had given stewardship of the military over to Sejanus—his first in command.

Sejanus was a horrid anti-Semite, and Pilate implemented his anti-Jewish policies in Judea. Pilate raised up embossed statues of the Emperor in Jerusalem; he seized money from the Temple treasury (the Corbanus); he put down Jewish protests with covert Roman soldiers, who wore plain clothes and wielded clubs. Pilate killed or oppressed many Jews under his reign. Together, Sejanus and Pilate ran an anti-Semitic regime.

By Roman law, the Jews had a right to appeal to the emperor for this injustice, but Emperor Tiberius was isolated, gallivanting on the island of Capri. He never heard any of these complaints, because Sejanus interrupted any attempt to appeal to him. Hoehner writes:

How could all these insults continue without the protest of the Jews to the Roman government? This was not a problem as Sejanus was in full control. Any complaint sent to Tiberius would be destroyed by Sejanus before reaching the island of Capri.[6]

All was going well for Pilate until Sejanus finally overstepped himself with the Emperor. Sejanus sought to displace Emperor Tiberius, slowly killing off all of the heirs to the royal throne before he tried a coup d’état on the Emperor himself. Eventually, Tiberius pieced together the fact that Sejanus was responsible for the insurrection, and he realized that he was positioning for an assassination. On October 18th, AD 31, Emperor Tiberius executed Sejanus for the capital crime of treason, beheading him on the spot. After this insurrection was put down, Tiberius became incredibly suspicious of all of Sejanus’ friends, cynical that anyone could be a part of Sejanus’ treason.

Remember, one of Sejanus’ close friends was Pontius Pilate.

Because Sejanus (a traitor to the Emperor) had appointed Pilate, Emperor Tiberius became incredibly suspicious of Pilate. Anyone connected with Sejanus was viewed as another potential assassin or insurrectionist.

Paranoid that the Emperor would execute him next, Pilate pledged his allegiance to the throne by placing shields with Tiberius’ name on them in the former palace of Herod the Great. The Jews complained about this, probably because these shields referenced the Emperor’s divinity, and they complained to Tiberius. When Tiberius heard about this act, he suspected that Pilate still held anti-Semitic (and thus, pro-Sejanus!) directives, and it made him even more suspicious of Pilate’s loyalty.

Herod Antipas reported Pilate’s anti-Semitic attitude to Tiberius, ratting him out and making him look like a pro-Sejanus traitor. These two men were enemies, because of Pilate’s history of persecuting the Jews, and Herod Antipas held severe leverage over him with the emperor.

How does this historical information about Sejanus explain the biblical account?

Knowing all of this history, consider how this resolves the difficulties in several biblical texts.

(Lk. 23:6-12) “When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.  Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.  And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.”

For years, commentators wondered why Pilate—a man of such horrific anti-Semitism—would bend to the Jews in such a way.

This whole event makes sense in light of an AD 33 date for the crucifixion. If Christ was executed in AD 30, Sejanus would’ve still been in power. Pilate would’ve still been an aggressive tyrant against the Jews, and he would’ve spit in their face, when they tried to push him around politically.

But, if Christ was killed in AD 33, then Pilate would’ve been terrified of offending the Jews! Remember, Pilate was already in hot water with Tiberius, because his anti-Semitism appeared to be pro-Sejanus loyalty, and Pilate was trying to distance himself from Sejanus’ failed insurrection. This would make sense why Pilate was trying to be friendly with Herod: he was trying to get on his good side. Pilate didn’t want to make another wrong move that would give Herod the opportunity to rat him out again.

(Jn. 19:12) As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

Before the death of Sejanus, Pilate probably would’ve scoffed at the Jewish religious leaders’ political posturing. But, if Sejanus had been killed already, then Pilate would not have wanted any more accusations getting back to Caesar; therefore, he succumbs to their demands. Hoehner writes:

The phrase “friend of Caesar” is a technical phrase which meant that such a one was among the elite in the Roman government who were loyal to the emperor. To lose the status of “amici Caesaris” meant political doom. Pilate realized that he had overstepped himself in the shields episode and could not afford to get into more trouble with Tiberius.

This threat would have been completely null and void, if it was given in AD 30. Sejanus would’ve intercepted any potential petition to Tiberius, and Pilate could’ve quelled any disobedience, as he had in the past (Luke 13:1). But, if this threat came in 33 AD, quickly on the heels of Sejanus’ squashed treason, it would’ve held tremendous weight to Pilate’s already paranoid demeanor. Again, Hoehner writes:

If the crucifixion occurred in AD 30 the Jews’ threat would be empty indeed since Tiberius could not be reached except through Sejanus. However, in AD 33 this is a loaded threat… After the death of Sejanus, Tiberius’ new policy was not to disturb the Jewish customs and institutions.

Conclusion

Without the historical data about Sejanus, we are left with a question as to why Pilate would be so passive toward the Jewish religious leaders. On the other hand, given the data, the picture of Pilate in the NT makes perfect sense if these events occurred in AD 33.


https://www.evidenceunseen.com/theology/historical-theology/dating-jesus-death-april-3-ad-33/

Oxford Scholars Consult the Stars to Date Crucifixion to 33 A.D.

Four dates have been proposed by scholars as the historical date of the Crucifixion of Christ, but only one--Friday, April 3, in the year 33 A.D.--is backed up by astronomical history, two Oxford University scientists say.

Colin J. Humphreys and W.G. Waddington, writing in the prestigious British journal Nature, present fresh evidence that the Crucifixion took place on the first Friday of April, 33, based on a calculation that a partial eclipse of the moon could be seen in Jerusalem on that date. Humphreys and Waddington say that this eclipse appeared to be "blood red" and followed a dust storm that "darkened the sun," just as the apostles said in the Gospels.

"Presumably, this eclipse was considered irrelevant to the date of the Crucifixion since it was believed to be invisible from Jerusalem," the two Oxford scientists declare. "However, the more accurate calculations presented here prove that this eclipse was visible." For centuries, scholars have argued whether Christ was crucified on one of four April Fridays in the first century: April 11, in the year 27; April 7, in the year 30; April 3, in the year 33, and April 23, in the year 34. The Oxford scientists use Biblical history to dismiss 27 as being too soon and 34 as being too late.

They add: "The only eminent advocate of 23 April, 34, is Sir Isaac Newton, whose chief reason seems to have been that 23 April is St. George's Day," a high Anglican holiday. Between the remaining two dates--April 7, 30, and April 3, 33--Humphreys and Waddington come out for the latter because it is the only Friday in April (at Passover time) when the moon was eclipsed by the Earth in any year from 26 to 36, the years Pontius Pilate served as Roman governor of Jerusalem and could have ordered the execution of Jesus.

Time after time in Biblical history, scholars wrote that the "sun turned to darkness" while Jesus died on the cross and the "moon to blood" just after He died. The Oxford scientists say the sun turned to darkness April 3, 33, because, according to accounts in Roman literature, a massive dust storm occurred that day. So much dust was spewed into the air from the storm that it caused the moon to look blood-red when it became visible to Jerusalem residents late in the day.

"Our calculations show that this eclipse was visible from Jerusalem at moonrise," Humphreys and Waddington write, contradicting scholars who thought the eclipse occurred out of sight of Jerusalem. "The moon rose above the Jerusalem horizon at about 6:20 p.m. (the start of the Jewish Sabbath and of Passover in 33) with about 20 percent of its disc eclipsed, and the eclipse finished some 30 minutes later at 6:50 p.m." Importantly, the scientists say, the Earth's shadow was near the top of the rising moon, making 65 percent of it to appear to be in eclipse. The color of the rising lunar eclipse would have been enhanced by the dust particles suspended in the atmosphere over Jerusalem by the storm.

"It might be thought curious that a crucifixion lunar eclipse is not mentioned in the Gospels," Humphreys and Waddington conclude. "In retrospect, this lunar eclipse would have seemed insignificant to the Gospel writers compared with the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Gospel writers were not primarily interested in providing clues for chronologists."

Thomas O'Toole: Oxford Scholars Consult the Stars to Date Crucifixion to 33 A.D. April 20, 1984

Did the Moon Appear as Blood on the Night of the Crucifixion?

Conclusion

It has become common in Christian (and especially in creationist) circles to claim that the Crucifixion was on April 3, AD 33, and that the lunar eclipse that evening was a fulfillment of the Joel 2:31 prophecy of the moon being turned to blood. However, the large body of information concerning the appearance of lunar eclipses makes it very doubtful that the partial lunar eclipse that evening could have had an appearance that anyone would have described as a blood moon. It is questionable that Joel’s prophecy refers to the appearance of the moon that particular evening. But assuming that it does refer to the moon on the evening that Jesus was crucified, is there another explanation for a blood moon that evening? Yes. If the darkness the afternoon of the Crucifixion was caused by unusual atmospheric conditions, then it is likely that those atmospheric conditions did not totally clear by that evening and thus could have been responsible for a blood moon that evening, assuming that this is what Peter was referring to in his address at Pentecost. Of course, this would not require a lunar eclipse, so any other year would have worked as well.

I want to emphasize that I have no real quarrel with AD 33 date of the Crucifixion, though belief in it generally relies upon the late death of Herod, and most historians have yet to change their position on this. Most people assume that Jesus was crucified on Friday, with Passover on Saturday. There are only two years in the AD 26–36 window in which Friday immediately preceded the Passover, AD 30 and AD 33, and these are the two most popular dates for the Crucifixion. However, it is possible that Friday immediately preceded the Passover in AD 27 as well. Depending upon atmospheric conditions at the start of the month, Passover in AD 27 was either on a Friday or Saturday that year. And some people subscribe to the theory that the Crucifixion was on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Passover immediately following the next day. If this was the case, then the Crucifixion could have been in AD 27 (assuming a Friday Passover) or AD 34 (assuming a Thursday Passover). Thus it would appear that we have four possible years that the Crucifixion occurred.

Those who propose that the partial lunar eclipse on the evening of April 3, AD 33 was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy mean well, but there is a downside. Many Christians find significance and meaning in that astronomy may offer some evidence of events surrounding the Crucifixion. However, lunar eclipses are not that rare and a partial eclipse fails to qualify as a blood moon. If a lunar eclipse is what Peter was referring to when he quoted the prophet Joel at Pentecost, then that hardly was a remarkable fulfillment of prophecy. The skeptic can just as easily respond that early Christian leaders merely wove current natural events (such as a lunar eclipse) into their narrative, and thus this proves nothing. Either approach conforms to a particular worldview. Ultimately this appeal to a partial lunar eclipse fails to explain the blood moon anyway, so I urge Christians to avoid this argument.

https://answersresearchjournal.org/moon-appear-as-blood-crucifixion/

Overview of the options for the date of the Crucifixion

Conclusions

It is time to wrap this up. We have seen that Old Testament passages about the Passover shed tremendous light on understanding otherwise confusing mentions of it in the Gospels. The Bible is truly a book that explains itself, a sure sign of the hand of God superintending over its writing that covered centuries. There are no conflicts between any of the Gospel accounts of the Crucifixion week, and the timeline of events taking place on Nisan 14 in particular is quite clear when the Old Testament passages cited are allowed to guide how we interpret things.

Despite this edification, however, I must confess some disappointment. I had entered into this study with the expectation that all researchers would work from a common calendar, and in my search for a calendar for 30 AD I settled upon one offered by the website http://www.cgsf.org/. Only after I had done a considerable amount of work did I realize, in a state of shock, that the calendars used there did not match up with those used for 30 AD by most of the evangelical world! The Church of God website gives the Passover of 30 AD on Wednesday, April 5. In contrast, the usual scholarly sources in the evangelical world uniformly place the Passover of 30 AD on Friday, April 7. So, too, does the United States Naval Observatory data at chart at http://www.judaismvschristianity.com/passover_dates.htm.

This difference in calendars has a tremendous impact on the research done so far. I had hoped to be able to show, from Scripture alone, that April 3, 33 AD was the only viable option for the date of the Crucifixion, because having the high Sabbath of the Passover week coincide with the regular Sabbath on Saturday that year makes everything “click.” If Nisan 14 in 30 AD corresponded with April 5, taking account of inclusive dating would rule that year out, leaving April 3, 33 AD as the only viable choice.

Now, however, I am a bit wiser, if not much closer to my goal. When Nisan 14 of 30 AD is assigned not to April 5 but to April 7, we also have a combined high/regular Sabbath day on Saturday, April 8. Most of the arguments covered in this study that favor April 3, 33 AD thus apply equally well to April 7, 30 AD. The only real difference that I can see at this time is the impact of the lunar eclipse argument of Humphreys and Waddington. It would seem to rule out 30 AD as a possible Crucifixion date if it was strong. However, I am satisfied from my study so far that it is a weak argument that gives us no firm basis for choosing 33 AD over 30 AD for the Crucifixion. I wish it did, but in the face of the research by Schaefer I am not prepared to accept it.

So, the work continues in search of a better basis for making a choice between those two years. I am actually rather pleased that I can still view 30 AD as a candidate for the Crucifixion date, because it works much better with other conclusions that have come out of my eschatology research! But that is a story for another day.

https://biblearchaeology.org/research/the-daniel-9-24-27-project/4360-how-the-passover-illuminates-the-date-of-the-crucifixion?highlight=WyJhY3RzIl0=

https://www.nature.com/articles/306743a0

https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1990QJRAS..31...53S

The exact date of Christ’s crucifixion and death

Neverthirsty: Our first clue as to the time of Jesus’ death comes from John 2:20 where we are told that construction of the temple had already been in process for 46 years. Since the construction of the temple started in 20/19 B.C. which means Jesus’ ministry began after A.D. 27/28. We also know from Matthew 26:3 that Jesus ministered while Caiaphas was the high priest (A.D. 18 to A.D. 37) and Pontius Pilate was governor (Luke 3:1) from A.D. 26 to A.D. 36. Consequently, we conclude that Jesus’ ministry and death occurred between A.D. 30 and A.D. 36. However, it is highly doubtful that Christ lived past A.D. 34 given the year of His birth and the length of His ministry. Now we have the range of years in which Jesus died, but not the exact day.6







Evidence-for-the-bible: Christians commemorate Good Friday and Easter, the yearly events of Jesus’ death (the Day of Crucifixion), and resurrection. All of us understand that this occurred in Jerusalem in the 1st century. That separates Jesus from mythological pagan gods, who were expected to reside in areas or times that none can define. Exactly how certain can we be about the death of Jesus? Can we figure out the precise day? With some mathematical and scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion, we can.

Here’s how …

1: The High Priesthood of Caiaphas
The gospels suggest that Jesus was crucified at the instigation of the 1st-century high priest called Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3 -4, John 11:49 -53).
We understand from other sources that he functioned as high priest from A.D. 18 to 36, so that puts Jesus’ death during that timespan.
However, we can get more certain with scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion. A lot more.

2: The Governorship of Pontius Pilate
All 4 gospels concur that Jesus was crucified on the orders of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:24 -26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24, John 19:15 -16).
We understand from other sources when he functioned as governor of Judea – A.D. 26 to A.D. 36 – so we can narrow the time span by a number of years.
However, how are we going to get it down to a precise day and year?

3: After “the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Caesar”
The Gospel of Luke informs us when the ministry of John the Baptist started:
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar … the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness [Luke 3 -2]
This identifies a particular year: A.D. 29.
Considering that all 4 gospels portray the ministry of Christ starting after that of John the Baptist had actually kicked off (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1), this indicates that we can shave a couple of more years off our time span. The death of Christ needed to remain in a range of 7 years: in between A.D. 29 and 36.

4: Crucified on a Friday
All 4 gospels concur that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42; Luke23:54; John 19:42), right before a Sabbath, which was right before the 1st day of the week (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). We understand that it was a Friday due to the fact that it is described as “the day of preparation”– that is, the day on which Jews made the preparations they required for the Sabbath, given that they might refrain from doing any work on that day. Therefore they prepared food ahead of time and made other needed preparations. That gets rid of 6 of the days of the week, however there were still many Fridays in between A.D. 29 and 36.
Can we find out which one? Again, with more scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion, we definitely can!

5: A Friday at Passover
The gospels likewise concur that Jesus was crucified in conjunction with the yearly feast of Passover (Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1, John 18:39).
Here we come across a small problem, due to the fact that Matthew, Mark, and Luke talk about the Last Supper on Holy Thursday as a Passover meal (Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:15). That would indicate that Good Friday was the day after Passover. Nevertheless, when explaining the early morning of Good Friday, John reveals that the Jewish authorities had actually not yet consumed the Passover meal:
Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium [i.e., Pilate’s palace] It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. So Pilate went out to them [John 18:28 -29 That proposes that the Passover would have started on sundown Friday. Referring to John’s declaration about Jesus’ captors as an indicator of what the Jewish authorities or the mainstream Jewish practice was: They were commemorating a Passover that started on what we would call Friday night. That lets us shorten the range of possible dates to simply a handful. Here is a total list of the days around A.D. 29 and 36 on whose evenings Passover started:.

Monday, April 18, A.D. 29.
Friday, April 7, A.D. 30.
Tuesday, March 27, A.D. 31.
Monday, April 14, A.D. 32.
Friday, April 3, A.D. 33.
Wednesday, March 24, A.D. 34.
Tuesday, April 12, A.D. 35.
Saturday, March 31, A.D. 36.

As you can see, we have simply 2 prospects left: Jesus was either crucified on April 7 of A.D. 30 or April 3 of A.D. 33 Which was it? The conventional date is that of A.D. 33. You will discover quite a variety of individuals today promoting the A.D. 30 date. Do the gospels let us choose among the two?

6: John’s Three Passovers.
The Gospel of John records 3 various Passovers throughout the ministry of Jesus:

Passover # 1: This is captured in John 2:13, near the start of Jesus’ ministry.
Passover # 2: This is captured in John 6:4, in the middle of Jesus’ ministry.
Passover # 3: This is captured in John 11:55 (and often talked about later on), at the end of Jesus’ ministry.

That suggests that the ministry of Jesus needed to cover something over 2 years. A fuller treatment would uncover that it stretched over about 3 and a half years. However, even if we presume it started right away prior to Passover # 1, the addition of 2 more Passovers reveals that it lasted more than 2 years at a bare minimum. That suggests the A.D. 30 date is out. There are insufficient time anywhere between the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar– A.D. 29– and the next year’s Passover to accommodate a ministry of at minimum 2 years. The numbers do not add up. As a result, the conventional date of Jesus’ death– Friday, April 3, A.D. 33– need to be considered as the proper one. Can we be a lot more accurate with scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion?

7: “The Ninth Hour”.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record that Jesus passed away about “the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45 -50, Mark 15:34 -37, Luke 23:44 -46). “The ninth hour” is what we, today, would come to know as 3:00 p.m This enables us to shorten the time of Jesus’ death to a remarkably precise point in history: around 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33. On a final note, even the stars in heaven point exactly to the date that we have concluded here. It is highly suggested that you also view our Prophetic Evidence For The Star Of Bethlehem and have zero doubt as to the 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 date!!




Jeffrey L. Edwards (2017): One significant date used to establish Peter’s travels includes the timing attributed to Christ’s crucifixion. The best method to determine when the Romans crucified Christ requires the process of elimination. Humphreys and Waddington summarize the three main components to use to establish the correct date regarding Christ’s crucifixion:
There are three main pieces of biblical evidence for dating the Crucifixion: 

1. Jesus was crucified when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea during AD 26–36 (all four Gospels; also Tacitus, Ann. 15:44). 
2. All four Gospels agree that Jesus died a few hours before the commencement of the Jewish Sabbath, that is, he died before nightfall on a Friday. In addition, the earliest writings that explicitly state the date of the Crucifixion all have it as a Friday. 
3. All four Gospels agree to within about a day . . . that the Crucifixion was at the time of Passover.

Christ’s crucifixion took place on a Friday afternoon, between A.D. 26 and A.D. 36, and on or near Passover.  The following details utilize this and other previous research to verify the exact date for Christ’s crucifixion.
Exodus 12:6 fixed Nisan 14 as the Passover date. They killed a lamb each Nisan 14 “in the evening” (Ex 12:1–8 ). They measured a day from evening to morning, but that practiced changed to a morning reckoning.  This evening reckoning or morning reckoning calculation permits Passover to fall either on Nisan 14 or Nisan 15. Between A.D. 26 and A.D. 36 only A.D. 27, 30, 33, and 34 place Nisan 14 or 15 on a Friday. The first step to determining which date the Scriptures state as the crucifixion Passover requires a simple reason that eliminates A.D. 27. John the Baptist’s ministry began in Tiberius Caesar’s fifteenth year, or A.D. 29. Christ’s crucifixion occurred after his ministry began in A.D. 29, thereby eliminating A.D. 27. The second step means eliminating A.D. 34 as a possibility. This requires eliminating Nisan 15 as an option. The reason scholars entertain Nisan 15 relates to which weekday Christ celebrated the last supper. The Synoptic Gospels state that Christ celebrated the last supper as a Passover meal, so it took place on Thursday, Nisan 14, which places Christ’s crucifixion on Friday, Nisan 15. John, however, never calls the last supper a Passover meal, so it took place on Thursday, Nisan 13, which places Christ’s crucifixion on Friday, Nisan  14.  The solution to this dilemma requires examining how the Jews measured their days.



Passover could be reckoned from sunset to sunset or sunrise to sunrise. . . . Josephus   . . . seems to indicate a sunrise to sunrise reckoning. The Mishnah states that the Passover lamb must be eaten by midnight which would seem to indicate that the new day began . . . at sunrise. . . . Since there were two systems of reckoning the day . . . this would be a solution to the disagreement between the synoptics and John. . . . The Galileans and Pharisees used the sunrise to sunrise reckoning whereas the Judeans and Sadducees used the sunset to sunset reckoning. Thus, according to the synoptics, the Last Supper was a Passover meal. Since the day is to be reckoned from sunrise, the Galileans, and with them Jesus and His disciples, had the Paschal lamb slaughtered in the late afternoon of Thursday, Nisan 14, and later that evening they ate the Passover with the unleavened bread. On the other hand, the Judean Jews who reckoned from sunset to sunset would slay the lamb on Friday afternoon which marked the end of Nisan 14 and ate the Passover lamb with the unleavened bread that night which had become Nisan 15. Thus, Jesus had consumed the Passover meal when His enemies, who had not as yet had the Passover, arrested Him. This gives good sense to John 18:28 that the Jews did not want to enter the Praetorium so as not to be defiled since later that day they would slay the victims for those who reckoned from sunset to sunset. After Jesus’ trial, He was crucified when the Paschal lambs were slain in the temple precincts. This fits well with the Gospel of John. . . . This solution would mean that there were two days of slaughter. This would solve the problem of having to slaughter all of the lambs for all of those participants at the Passover season. . . . Although one cannot be overly dogmatic, it does fit well with the data at hand. It is simple and makes good sense.

This eliminates Nisan 15 and thereby A.D. 34 as a possible crucifixion date, reducing the options to A.D. 30 and A.D. 33.

The third step requires eliminating A.D. 30. Christ’s ministry began, as stated previously, between his baptism in the summer or fall A.D. 29 and his first ministry Passover in A.D. 30. Jesus celebrated Passover at least three times during his ministry (John 2:13, 23, 6:4, 11:55). Christ’s crucifixion, therefore, took place in at least A.D. 32. That leaves A.D. 33 as the only viable option to list as the crucifixion year, or as Finegan states: “According to
the foregoing analysis . . . the crucifixion of Jesus was most probably on Friday, Apr 3, A.D. 33, corresponding to Nisan 14.” 15

The history data surrounding Lucius Sejanus favors the AD 33 date

James M. Rochford (2022): If the AD 27 is too soon and the AD 36 date was too late, this leaves us with only AD 30 and AD 33. Scholars have pointed to a historical figure to solve our dilemma: Lucius Sejanus.

Pontius Pilate (the Roman governor of Judea) was appointed by Lucius Sejanus. Sejanus was arguably the most powerful man in the Roman Empire—second only to emperor Tiberius. Sejanus commanded the imperial guard, and he had almost complete control of the Roman military. Emperor Tiberius had retired to the island of Capri, and for all intents and purposes, he was politically out-of-commission. He had given stewardship of the military over to Sejanus—his first in command.

Sejanus was a horrid anti-Semite, and Pilate implemented his anti-Jewish policies in Judea. Pilate raised up embossed statues of the Emperor in Jerusalem; he seized money from the Temple treasury (the Corbanus); he put down Jewish protests with covert Roman soldiers, who wore plain clothes and wielded clubs. Pilate killed or oppressed many Jews under his reign. Together, Sejanus and Pilate ran an anti-Semitic regime.

By Roman law, the Jews had a right to appeal to the emperor for this injustice, but Emperor Tiberius was isolated, gallivanting on the island of Capri. He never heard any of these complaints, because Sejanus interrupted any attempt to appeal to him. Hoehner writes:

How could all these insults continue without the protest of the Jews to the Roman government? This was not a problem as Sejanus was in full control. Any complaint sent to Tiberius would be destroyed by Sejanus before reaching the island of Capri.[6]

All was going well for Pilate until Sejanus finally overstepped himself with the Emperor. Sejanus sought to displace Emperor Tiberius, slowly killing off all of the heirs to the royal throne before he tried a coup d’état on the Emperor himself. Eventually, Tiberius pieced together the fact that Sejanus was responsible for the insurrection, and he realized that he was positioning for an assassination. On October 18th, AD 31, Emperor Tiberius executed Sejanus for the capital crime of treason, beheading him on the spot. After this insurrection was put down, Tiberius became incredibly suspicious of all of Sejanus’ friends, cynical that anyone could be a part of Sejanus’ treason.

Remember, one of Sejanus’ close friends was Pontius Pilate.

Because Sejanus (a traitor to the Emperor) had appointed Pilate, Emperor Tiberius became incredibly suspicious of Pilate. Anyone connected with Sejanus was viewed as another potential assassin or insurrectionist.

Paranoid that the Emperor would execute him next, Pilate pledged his allegiance to the throne by placing shields with Tiberius’ name on them in the former palace of Herod the Great. The Jews complained about this, probably because these shields referenced the Emperor’s divinity, and they complained to Tiberius. When Tiberius heard about this act, he suspected that Pilate still held anti-Semitic (and thus, pro-Sejanus!) directives, and it made him even more suspicious of Pilate’s loyalty.

Herod Antipas reported Pilate’s anti-Semitic attitude to Tiberius, ratting him out and making him look like a pro-Sejanus traitor. These two men were enemies, because of Pilate’s history of persecuting the Jews, and Herod Antipas held severe leverage over him with the emperor. 22

How does this historical information about Sejanus explain the biblical account?

Knowing all of this history, consider how this resolves the difficulties in several biblical texts.

(Lk. 23:6-12) “When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.  Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.  And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.”

For years, commentators wondered why Pilate—a man of such horrific anti-Semitism—would bend to the Jews in such a way.

This whole event makes sense in light of an AD 33 date for the crucifixion. If Christ was executed in AD 30, Sejanus would’ve still been in power. Pilate would’ve still been an aggressive tyrant against the Jews, and he would’ve spit in their face, when they tried to push him around politically.

But, if Christ was killed in AD 33, then Pilate would’ve been terrified of offending the Jews! Remember, Pilate was already in hot water with Tiberius, because his anti-Semitism appeared to be pro-Sejanus loyalty, and Pilate was trying to distance himself from Sejanus’ failed insurrection. This would make sense why Pilate was trying to be friendly with Herod: he was trying to get on his good side. Pilate didn’t want to make another wrong move that would give Herod the opportunity to rat him out again.

(Jn. 19:12) As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.”

Before the death of Sejanus, Pilate probably would’ve scoffed at the Jewish religious leaders’ political posturing. But, if Sejanus had been killed already, then Pilate would not have wanted any more accusations getting back to Caesar; therefore, he succumbs to their demands. Hoehner writes:

The phrase “friend of Caesar” is a technical phrase which meant that such a one was among the elite in the Roman government who were loyal to the emperor. To lose the status of “amici Caesaris” meant political doom. Pilate realized that he had overstepped himself in the shields episode and could not afford to get into more trouble with Tiberius.

This threat would have been completely null and void, if it was given in AD 30. Sejanus would’ve intercepted any potential petition to Tiberius, and Pilate could’ve quelled any disobedience, as he had in the past (Luke 13:1). But, if this threat came in 33 AD, quickly on the heels of Sejanus’ squashed treason, it would’ve held tremendous weight to Pilate’s already paranoid demeanor. Again, Hoehner writes:

If the crucifixion occurred in AD 30 the Jews’ threat would be empty indeed since Tiberius could not be reached except through Sejanus. However, in AD 33 this is a loaded threat… After the death of Sejanus, Tiberius’ new policy was not to disturb the Jewish customs and institutions. Without the historical data about Sejanus, we are left with a question as to why Pilate would be so passive toward the Jewish religious leaders. On the other hand, given the data, the picture of Pilate in the NT makes perfect sense if these events occurred in AD 33. 16

Oxford Scholars Consult the Stars to Date Crucifixion to 33 A.D.

Four dates have been proposed by scholars as the historical date of the Crucifixion of Christ, but only one--Friday, April 3, in the year 33 A.D.--is backed up by astronomical history, two Oxford University scientists say.

Colin J. Humphreys and W.G. Waddington, writing in the prestigious British journal Nature, present fresh evidence that the Crucifixion took place on the first Friday of April, 33, based on a calculation that a partial eclipse of the moon could be seen in Jerusalem on that date. Humphreys and Waddington say that this eclipse appeared to be "blood red" and followed a dust storm that "darkened the sun," just as the apostles said in the Gospels.

"Presumably, this eclipse was considered irrelevant to the date of the Crucifixion since it was believed to be invisible from Jerusalem," the two Oxford scientists declare. "However, the more accurate calculations presented here prove that this eclipse was visible." For centuries, scholars have argued whether Christ was crucified on one of four April Fridays in the first century: April 11, in the year 27; April 7, in the year 30; April 3, in the year 33, and April 23, in the year 34. The Oxford scientists use Biblical history to dismiss 27 as being too soon and 34 as being too late.

They add: "The only eminent advocate of 23 April, 34, is Sir Isaac Newton, whose chief reason seems to have been that 23 April is St. George's Day," a high Anglican holiday. Between the remaining two dates--April 7, 30, and April 3, 33--Humphreys and Waddington come out for the latter because it is the only Friday in April (at Passover time) when the moon was eclipsed by the Earth in any year from 26 to 36, the years Pontius Pilate served as Roman governor of Jerusalem and could have ordered the execution of Jesus.

Time after time in Biblical history, scholars wrote that the "sun turned to darkness" while Jesus died on the cross and the "moon to blood" just after He died. The Oxford scientists say the sun turned to darkness April 3, 33, because, according to accounts in Roman literature, a massive dust storm occurred that day. So much dust was spewed into the air from the storm that it caused the moon to look blood-red when it became visible to Jerusalem residents late in the day.

"Our calculations show that this eclipse was visible from Jerusalem at moonrise," Humphreys and Waddington write, contradicting scholars who thought the eclipse occurred out of sight of Jerusalem. "The moon rose above the Jerusalem horizon at about 6:20 p.m. (the start of the Jewish Sabbath and of Passover in 33) with about 20 percent of its disc eclipsed, and the eclipse finished some 30 minutes later at 6:50 p.m." Importantly, the scientists say, the Earth's shadow was near the top of the rising moon, making 65 percent of it to appear to be in eclipse. The color of the rising lunar eclipse would have been enhanced by the dust particles suspended in the atmosphere over Jerusalem by the storm.

"It might be thought curious that a crucifixion lunar eclipse is not mentioned in the Gospels," Humphreys and Waddington conclude. "In retrospect, this lunar eclipse would have seemed insignificant to the Gospel writers compared with the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Gospel writers were not primarily interested in providing clues for chronologists." 17


21

Andreas Köstenberger (2014): We conclude that Jesus was most likely crucified on April 3, a.d. 33. 18
Colin Humphreys (2011): What I believe is conclusive is that we can rule out AD 30 as the year of the crucifixion, leaving April 3, AD 33 as the only possible date 19
Wikipedia: Recent astronomical research uses the contrast between the synoptic date of Jesus' last Passover on the one hand, with John's date of the subsequent "Jewish Passover" on the other hand, to propose Jesus' Last Supper to have been on Wednesday, 1 April AD 33 and the crucifixion on Friday 3 April AD 33 and the Resurrection on the third day. 20

The end date corresponds to the date the Messiah the Prince is cut-off.  End Date of The Prophecy — April 3, A.D. 33 

Neverthirsty:  Jesus died on April 1, A.D. 33 in the Gregorian calendar. In the Julian calendar the date is April 3, A.D. 33 and in the Jewish calendar it is Nisan 14, 3793. 6

Jesus died, therefore, on Friday, April 3, AD 33 at about 3 p.m., a few hours before the beginning of Passover day and the Sabbath. This is the date in the Julian calendar, which had been introduced in 46 BC, and follows the convention that historical dates adhere to the calendar in use at the time.24

Christians commemorate Good Friday and Easter, the yearly events of Jesus’ death (the Day of Crucifixion) and resurrection. All of us understand that this occurred in Jerusalem in the 1st century. That separates Jesus from mythological pagan gods, who were expected to reside in areas or times that none can define. Exactly how certain can we be with the death of Jesus? Can we figure out the precise day? With some mathematical and scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion, we can.

Here’s how …

Key # 1: The High Priesthood of Caiaphas
The gospels suggest that Jesus was crucified at the instigation of the 1st century high priest called Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3 -4, John 11:49 -53).
We understand from other sources that he functioned as high priest from A.D. 18 to 36, so that puts Jesus’ death during that timespan.
However we can get more certain with scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion. A lot more.

Key # 2: The Governorship of Pontius Pilate
All 4 gospels concur that Jesus was crucified on the orders of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:24 -26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:24, John 19:15 -16).
We understand from other sources when he functioned as governor of Judea – A.D. 26 to A.D. 36 – so we can narrow the time span by a number of years.
However how are we going to get it down to a precise day and year?

Key # 3: After “the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Caesar”
The Gospel of Luke informs us when the ministry of John the Baptist started:
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar … the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness [Luke 3 -2]
This identifies a particular year: A.D. 29.
Considering that all 4 gospels portray the ministry of Christ starting after that of John the Baptist had actually kicked off (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1), this indicates that we can shave a couple of more years off our time span. The death of Christ needed to remain in a range of 7 years: in between A.D. 29 and 36.

Key # 4: Crucified on a Friday
All 4 gospels concur that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Matt. 27:62, Mark 15:42; Luke23:54; John 19:42), right before a Sabbath, which was right before the 1st day of the week (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). We understand that it was a Friday due to the fact that it is described as “the day of preparation”– that is, the day on which Jews made the preparations they required for the Sabbath, given that they might refrain from doing any work on that day. Therefore they prepared food ahead of time and made other needed preparations. That gets rid of 6 of the days of the week, however there were still many Fridays in between A.D. 29 and 36.
Can we find out which one? Again, with more scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion, we definitely can!

Key # 5: A Friday at Passover
The gospels likewise concur that Jesus was crucified in conjunction with the yearly feast of Passover (Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1, John 18:39).
Here we come across a small problem, due to the fact that Matthew, Mark, and Luke talk about the Last Supper on Holy Thursday as a Passover meal (Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:15). That would indicate that Good Friday was the day after Passover. Nevertheless, when explaining the early morning of Good Friday, John reveals that the Jewish authorities had actually not yet consumed the Passover meal:
Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium [i.e., Pilate’s palace] It was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. So Pilate went out to them [John 18:28 -29 That proposes that the Passover would have started on sundown Friday. Referring to John’s declaration about Jesus’ captors as an indicator of what the Jewish authorities or the mainstream Jewish practice was: They were commemorating a Passover that started on what we would call Friday night. That lets us shorten the range of possible dates to simply a handful. Here is a total list of the days around A.D. 29 and 36 on whose evenings Passover started:.

Monday, April 18, A.D. 29.
Friday, April 7, A.D. 30.
Tuesday, March 27, A.D. 31.
Monday, April 14, A.D. 32.
Friday, April 3, A.D. 33.
Wednesday, March 24, A.D. 34.
Tuesday, April 12, A.D. 35.
Saturday, March 31, A.D. 36.

As you can see, we have simply 2 prospects left: Jesus was either crucified on April 7 of A.D. 30 or April 3 of A.D. 33 Which was it? The conventional date is that of A.D. 33. You will discover quite a variety of individuals today promoting the A.D. 30 date. Do the gospels let us choose among the two?

Key # 6: John’s Three Passovers.
The Gospel of John records 3 various Passovers throughout the ministry of Jesus:

Passover # 1: This is captured in John 2:13, near the start of Jesus’ ministry.
Passover # 2: This is captured in John 6:4, in the middle of Jesus’ ministry.
Passover # 3: This is captured in John 11:55 (and often talked about later on), at the end of Jesus’ ministry.

That suggests that the ministry of Jesus needed to cover something over 2 years. A fuller treatment would uncover that it stretched over about 3 and a half years. However, even if we presume it started right away prior to Passover # 1, the addition of 2 more Passovers reveals that it lasted more than 2 years at a bare minimum. That suggests the A.D. 30 date is out. There are insufficient time anywhere between the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar– A.D. 29– and the next year’s Passover to accommodate a ministry of at minimum 2 years. The numbers do not add up. As a result, the conventional date of Jesus’ death– Friday, April 3, A.D. 33– need to be considered as the proper one. Can we be a lot more accurate with scientific evidence for the day of crucifixion?

Key # 7: “The Ninth Hour”.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke each record that Jesus passed away about “the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45 -50, Mark 15:34 -37, Luke 23:44 -46). “The ninth hour” is what we, today, would come to know as 3:00 p.m This enables us to shorten the time of Jesus’ death to a remarkably precise point in history: around 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33. On a final note, even the stars in heaven point exactly to the date that we have concluded here. It is highly suggested that you also view our Prophetic Evidence For The Star Of Bethlehem and have zero doubt as to the 3:00 p.m on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 date!!




Christ’s Crucifixion date
From: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES AND LITERARY RECORDS RELATED TO THE APOSTLE PETER

 One significant date used to establish Peter’s travels includes the timing attributed to Christ’s crucifixion. The best method to determine when the Romans crucified Christ requires the process of elimination. Humphreys and Waddington summarize the three main components to use to establish the correct date regarding Christ’s crucifixion:
There are three main pieces of biblical evidence for dating the Crucifixion: 

(i) Jesus was crucified when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea during AD 26–36 (all four Gospels; also Tacitus, Ann. 15:44). 
(ii) All four Gospels agree that Jesus died a few hours before the commencement of the Jewish Sabbath, that is, he died before nightfall on a Friday. In addition, the earliest writings that explicitly state the date of the Crucifixion all have it as a Friday. 
(iii) All four Gospels agree to within about a day . . . that the Crucifixion was at the time of Passover.

Christ’s crucifixion took place on a Friday afternoon, between A.D. 26 and A.D. 36, and on or near Passover.  The following details utilize this and other previous research to verify the exact date for Christ’s crucifixion.
Exodus 12:6 fixed Nisan 14 as the Passover date. They killed a lamb each Nisan 14 “in the evening” (Ex 12:1–. They measured a day from evening to morning, but that practiced changed to a morning reckoning.  This evening reckoning or morning reckoning calculation permits Passover to fall either on Nisan 14 or Nisan 15. Between A.D. 26 and A.D. 36 only A.D. 27, 30, 33, and 34 place Nisan 14 or 15 on a Friday. The first step to determining which date the Scriptures state as the crucifixion Passover requires a simple reason that eliminates A.D. 27. John the Baptist’s ministry began in Tiberius Caesar’s fifteenth year, or A.D. 29. Christ’s crucifixion occurred after his ministry began in A.D. 29, thereby eliminating A.D. 27.
The second step means eliminating A.D. 34 as a possibility. This requires eliminating Nisan 15 as an option. The reason scholars entertain Nisan 15 relates to which weekday Christ celebrated the last supper. The Synoptic Gospels state that Christ celebrated the last supper as a Passover meal, so it took place on Thursday, Nisan 14, which places Christ’s crucifixion on Friday, Nisan 15. John, however, never calls the last supper a Passover meal, so it took place on Thursday, Nisan 13, which places Christ’s crucifixion on Friday, Nisan  14.  The solution to this dilemma requires examining how the Jews measured their days.

Passover could be reckoned from sunset to sunset or sunrise to sunrise. . . . Josephus   . . . seems to indicate a sunrise to sunrise reckoning. The Mishnah states that the Passover lamb must be eaten by midnight which would seem to indicate that the new day began . . . at sunrise. . . . Since there were two systems of reckoning the day . . . this would be a solution to the disagreement between the synoptics and John. . . . The Galileans and Pharisees used the sunrise to sunrise reckoning whereas the Judeans and Sadducees used the sunset to sunset reckoning. Thus, according to the synoptics, the Last Supper was a Passover meal. Since the day is to be reckoned from sunrise, the Galileans, and with them Jesus and His disciples, had the Paschal lamb slaughtered in the late afternoon of Thursday, Nisan 14, and later that evening they ate the Passover with the unleavened bread. On the other hand, the Judean Jews who reckoned from sunset to sunset would slay the lamb on Friday afternoon which marked the end of Nisan 14 and ate the Passover lamb with the unleavened bread that night which had become Nisan 15. Thus, Jesus had consumed the Passover meal when His enemies, who had not as yet had the Passover, arrested Him. This gives good sense to John 18:28 that the Jews did not want to enter the Praetorium so as not to be defiled since later that day they would slay the victims for those who reckoned from sunset to sunset. After Jesus’ trial, He was crucified when the Paschal lambs were slain in the temple precincts. This fits well with the Gospel of John. . . . This solution would mean that there were two days of slaughter. This would solve the problem of having to slaughter all of the lambs for all of those participants at the Passover season. . . . Although one cannot be overly dogmatic, it does fit well with the data at hand. It is simple and makes good sense.

This eliminates Nisan 15 and thereby A.D. 34 as a possible crucifixion date, reducing the options to A.D. 30 and A.D. 33.

The third step requires eliminating A.D. 30. Christ’s ministry began, as stated previously, between his baptism in the summer or fall A.D. 29 and his first ministry Passover in A.D. 30. Jesus celebrated Passover at least three times during his ministry (John 2:13, 23, 6:4, 11:55). Christ’s crucifixion, therefore, took place in at least A.D. 32. That leaves A.D. 33 as the only viable option to list as the crucifixion year, or as Finegan states: “According to
the foregoing analysis . . . the crucifixion of Jesus was most probably on Friday, Apr 3, A.D. 33, corresponding to Nisan 14.”  

 


https://evidence-for-the-bible.com/scientific-evidence-for-the-bible/scientific-evidence-for-the-day-of-crucifixion/

Proclamations and Mockery at Golgotha: The Role of the Praeco in the Crucifixion Narrative

In Roman crucifixions, the individual who announced the charges against the condemned person to the crowd was known as the "herald" or "praeco" in Latin. The role of the praeco was an important one in Roman society, not just in the context of executions, but also in other public and legal proceedings.

The praeco would publicly proclaim the reasons for the crucifixion, which served both as a justification for the punishment and as a warning to the public. This public declaration was a part of the humiliation and punishment process inherent in crucifixion, which was designed not only to inflict physical pain but also to serve as a powerful deterrent to others by publicly shaming the condemned.

The charges against the condemned were often also written and displayed on a titulus (a small sign or plaque) that was placed above the head of the crucified individual. This was part of the Romans' method of emphasizing the crimes for which the individual was being punished, thereby reinforcing the power and authority of Roman law.

Yes, it can be imagined that the Pharisees, who were a prominent religious and political group in ancient Judea, might have aligned themselves with the actions of the Roman praeco during a crucifixion, especially in cases where the condemned individual was perceived as a threat or challenge to their authority or interpretations of Jewish law.

In the context of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as depicted in the Christian Gospels, the Pharisees are portrayed as being actively involved in the events leading up to and including the crucifixion. Their interactions with Roman authorities, like the praeco and others involved in the judicial and execution process, were part of a complex interplay of religious, political, and social factors of the time.

The Pharisees, as leaders and interpreters of Jewish law, would have had a vested interest in the public proclamation of the charges against someone like Jesus, whom they saw as a disruptor of their religious and societal norms. The chorus-like agreement with the praeco’s proclamation would have been a way for them to publicly endorse the Roman punishment and to distance themselves from the actions and teachings of the condemned.

For instance, in the Gospel of Matthew 27:41-43 (NIV), it is mentioned:

"In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 'He saved others,' they said, 'but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

In the Gospel of Luke 23:35 (NIV), it states:

"The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, 'He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.'"

These passages reflect the mocking and challenging tone directed at Jesus by various religious leaders and observers during the crucifixion

This scenario, as described in biblical narratives, reflects the tensions and dynamics of power, religion, and law in Roman-occupied Judea. The Pharisees' involvement in such events would have been driven by a complex mix of maintaining religious purity, political expediency, and social order under Roman rule.