[3]. Does this necessarily mean that Phlegon was referencing the seismic activity, if you dare to call it that, that occurred during the Crucifixion in the Gospel accounts? It corresponds approximately to April in our modern Gregorian calendar. The diagram below will help to clarify this. Assume Jesus died Friday afternoon about 3 PM as we reckon time today. I speak of the midday or Crucifixion darkness which the gospel accounts assert fell over the earth between noon and 3 pm. Edit them in the Widget section of the, Repost: The Historicity of the Crucifixion Darkness. You can use a text widget to display text, links, images, HTML, or a combination of these. This firmly connects Jesus and the gospels to Roman history. Properly working out the Jewish calendar shows this to work for AD 33 (see C. Humphreys). Though it is almost impossible to deny that this strange event truly happened, on the same day our Lord died on the Cross, I strived for years to find a natural astronomical explanation about it but in vain. Originally written in Aramaic, it was intended for a Jewish audience. Using the above information we can work out that the period of darkness occurred in 33 AD. Historical Testimony Be that as it may, and even if the dating of Phlegon is not correct, this does not diminish the case made thus far for the historicity of the Crucifixion darkness. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Seeing as Phlegon was born approximately in the second century, it is extremely unlikely he spoke with an eyewitness of either eclipse. Eusebius' records of the Olympics were considered authoritative but were lost, though they are translated and preserved some in the writings of others. (LogOut/ 1 Maier, Paul. He takes the Bible at face value rather than questioning the details in Scripture in some way, which I believe is the right approach. This example underlines the point that Matthew did not have a similar need to defend the truth of the three hour darkness, precisely because it was a well known, accepted and indisputablefact. Therefore, he relied on transcribed information; either written or oral. At the sixth hour the day was turned into the darkness of night, so that stars were seen in the heaven; and there was a . He can be contacted at StevenOReilly@AOL.com. . (Jerome) [4]. Phlegon of Tralles, a Greek historian who lived in the second century, has been referenced by Christian apologists for over a thousand years now as confirmation of the events surrounding the Crucifixion. The second quote is recorded by Philopon. Martinus Nijhoff. Another writer, a Christian historian named Sextus Julius Africanus, also commented about Phlegon's writings which connect the above event to the the crucifixion: "Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Csar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth - manifestly that one of which we speak. Roman historical sources confirm that Jesus Christ lived on Earth and died by crucifixion. From historical sources telling when these individuals were in office you can show that the possible range of years of the crucifixion to be from AD 26 to AD 36. About two weeks after the New Moon is the Full Moon, which corresponds to Passover. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of the city of Nica. And accurate. For example a time-line can be established from his famous works called The Olympiades as follows: "In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great eclipse of the Sun, greater than had ever been known before, for at the sixth hour the day was changed into night, and the stars were seen in the heavens. 3) the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad; being commonly associated with the March 19, 33 CE solar eclipse. Even if there is speculation on whether this is the correct eclipse referenced, there is only one more that would have been visible by the Persian Gulf and Rome during the Olympiad: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSEmap/0001-0100/29-11-24.gif. Thank you, Ive just been looking for information about this earthquake! Z's Blog - What Does The Prayer Really Say. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection). He was dying as the newborn infant was being brought back from Egypt by his parents. I have wondered if an astronomical body accounted for some aspects of the Deluge, such tidal effects on the waters. Thank You Father :). 27:39-40, Matt. Solar eclipses during this time frame that were visible to that part of the world were rare, which puts obvious delimiters on when they occurred. /**/ Christian Evidence. There are no surviving records after this date. Again, modern science has corroborated that not only is the Persian Gulf was a seismically-active area, but that a major earthquake did hit the region between 26-36AD: source :http://www.deadseaquake.info/was-there-really-an-earthquake-on-the-day-that-jesus-died/. We can therefore calculate with great accuracy that the three hour period of darkness, and also the Crucifixion, had to be in the Spring of A.D. 33. [citation needed]. But what has an eclipse in common with an earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so great a perturbation throughout the universe? The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!! Die Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker. (The Olympics began in 776 B.C., and by counting every fourth year you come to the 202 nd Olympiad, and the fourth year of same is 33 A.D.) Most Julius Africanus elsewhere makes the point that what was sometimes referred to as an eclipse of the Sun by Roman writers could not possibly be a solar eclipse because it happened at the wrong time of the month [5]. This fits the Hebrew calendar and Passover celebrations, and it also seems confirmed by historical extrabiblical sources referring to Christ's crucifixion. On this day, Christians recall especially that part of the Creed in which we affirm of Jesus Christ: for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered, died and was buried. These things we affirm to be historical facts. On Marvels consists of "anecdotes culled from sources as diverse as the Greek poet Hesiod and the Roman natural historian Pliny the Elder. Phlegon's greatest work was the writing of a history book, called The Olympiades. Furthermore, the greatest number of Christian scholars through history have held to AD 33 as the year of the crucifixion, though they may have had various views on the exact date and day of week on which it happened. I will go into more detail about this process below. However, the sixth hour in Bithynia is also at the same time as the sixth hour in Jerusalem. (Mark 15: 33), And it was almost the sixth hour; and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. It is improbable that he would have created such an event from his own imagination. It is believed to be an 8.2-magnitude earthquake. No one has ever met a literary device walking down the street or stubbed their toe on one, thus we should not expect that any early Christian would have suffered martyrdom for one. Los Angeles is approximately 380 miles from San Francisco, by comparison. If your sunset occurs later than sunset in Athens, the event may occur on . These historians even mention the darkening of the sky and the earthquake which the gospels describe at the time of the crucifixion. Next, we consider the Gospel of Matthew. by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973), vol. We have no need to be dogmatic about precise numbers regarding His age at the time of His crucifixion. Zero as a mathematical number in the Greco-Roman world was a later invention. I would say there are a couple oflines of argument that can be used to date the crucifixion. In Rome,Peter spokeas he had to the Jews of Jerusalem (cf Acts 2:14-24)to an audience that hadpriorknowledge of the three hour darkness. Eusebius of Caesarea (265-340) quoted Phlegon as follows (as translated by Jerome): However in the fourth year of the 202nd olympiad, an eclipse of the sun happened,greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea. These things the aforementioned man (says). (Jerome, Chronicle (2005), 256/258, as found onwww.tertullian.org) (Emphasis added). He inadvertently dated the darkness at noon on the day of Crucifixion in his work, The Olympiades. The earthquake on the other hand was a natural process miraculously timed to occur at the crucifixion. Phlegon Darkness occurred when Christ was crucified, an eclipse of the sun cannot occur during a full moon since the moon would be on the opposite side of the earth. What Was Achieved By Jesus At The Crucifixion? Some of the students had come just to harass the speakers. Now you may be asking yourself, why is this even relevant? Therefore, it is possible Phlegons source witnessed the Crucifixion darkness from there at the same hoursuggesting the darkness and earthquakes reached far beyond the region around Jerusalem. It is impossible to have the Moon block the Sun at Full Moon, which is when Passover took place. Felix Jacoby. Now let us consider how he might have categorized the Crucifixion darkness. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviours Passion and His Life-Giving Resurrection, The Wheels of the Formal Correction turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Age of Isaiah Scroll Scientifically Predates Jesus, Earliest Records of the Gospel Accounts of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Corroborate the Modern Text, http://www.numachi.com/~ccount/hmepa/calendars/202.html, http://www.deadseaquake.info/was-there-really-an-earthquake-on-the-day-that-jesus-died/, Mara Bar Serapion Confirms Early Reference to Jesus, Rome Confirms the Existence of Christianity, Phlegon of Tralles Scientifically Established as a Credible Source on Jesus. . Between 3 PM and sunset the Jews had to prepare the body and get it into the tomb, because the Sabbath started Friday evening around sunset. AD 33 is a generally accepted year of His crucifixion. 2005 ), 256/258, as it was intended for a Jewish audience speak of the darkness! 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