One of the things people most enjoy when I’m teaching through the Gospels are the ways in which apparent contradictions and puzzles are resolved by discoveries in secular history or even science. For instance there is no documentary evidence outside the Gospels for an earthquake in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus death, leading many to claim there could not have been one.
Earthquakes are recorded by broken layers in sediment from the Dead Sea.
Event B is known about, it is a well documented quake in 31 BC.. Roughly 60-65 years later there is another quake, Event C.. But with no secular references, just the gospel record.
But more recently scientists have found evidence in mud samples for a significant quake around Jerusalem one at some point between 27 and 34 AD. They where puzzled as to why official Jewish records didn’t mention it or its consequences.
The solution is simple of course, it was a bit embarrassing for the authorities given that Jesus’ followers used it as Testament for Jesus resurrection. Peter refers to the Earthquake as a sign of Jesus specialness while quoting Joel 2 on the day of Pentecost.
“And I will grant signs in the sky above and signs on the earth beneath” – Acts 2:19a
On start of Friday 15th of Nissan AD 33 official temple calendar, the moon rose at 6:20pm over the Mount of Olives. It was shaded dark to light red from top to bottom right.
Joel and Peter go on to describe the “sign in the sky above” too ….. “the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood”.
It was scientific research and the mathematical modelling of lunar eclipses, (when the moon turns to blood-red) by Christian astronomer Colin Humphrey’s that has locked in the death of Jesus to 33AD. On Temple Passover night, April 3rd 33 AD the moon didn’t just turn red in the middle of the night, it actually rose red over the mount of Olives as people watched for it to mark the start of when they could eat their Passover meals.
Oh and the sky turning black, that was probably a Khamsin dust storm in the upper atmosphere, they can only happen in April, but then that is the month we are thinking about.
For more on the Calendar issues related to Jesus death I highly recommend reading Colin’s book. You can order from Amazon from our recommended reading list.
Christen Forster
Christen has planted churches, been a youth worker, mission administrator and church leaders. The author of several books, Christen is now an itinerant minister, helping churches to step into a more deliberately spiritual experience of the Christian life while at the same time firmly rooting their practice in scripture.
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