The Exact Date of Jesus' Crucifixion
The True Black Friday
Is it possible, with the
data available to us, to calculate the exact date of the crucifixion of Jesus?
Here is what we know from scripture. Jesus was crucified during the tenure of
Pontius Pilate. From the historical records, we know Pilate was in the position
of procurator from 26 A.D. to 36 A.D. We also know that Jesus’ crucifixion
coincided with Passover since the Last Supper was a Passover Meal held just
before Jesus was arrested. Passover always begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew
month of Nisan, which falls on the first full moon after the spring equinox. We
also know Jesus was crucified on a Friday because the officials wanted His body
removed before the next day, because it was the sabbath (Saturday).
These are the details we
have concerning the timing of the crucifixion. Broadly speaking, it occurred on
a Friday between the years of 26 A.D. and 36 A.D. However, using historical data, it is
possible to determine when each Passover took place during this period. This
has allowed experts to calculate the single Friday-Passover combination that
took place within Pilate’s tenure. These calculations determined the most probable
date for the crucifixion of Jesus was on Friday, April 3rd in the year 33 A.D. This
would mean that Jesus rose from the dead on the morning of Sunday, April 5th,
33 A.D.
(So why is Easter not
on April 5th each year? Church leaders wanted Easter to fall on a
Sunday and to follow a full moon, just as described in scripture. Based on this
desire, the date for Easter is set on the first Sunday after the Paschal
Full Moon, which is the first full moon on or after the
ecclesiastical spring equinox.)
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