April 3, 33 A.D.

In continuing with the theme of our ministry, this reflection is comprised of similar quantities of science and faith. I want to cover a subject that has been the topic of some debate and speculation. That subject is planetary modeling and the subsequent pinpointing of the exact date of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Let’s start off with an interesting fact – there aren’t actually 365 days in a year. That is to say, it takes longer than 365 days for the Earth to make a full orbit around the sun. That number is actually 365.2422 days. So, when did we figure this out, and why is it important? I was actually surprised to learn that astronomers from back in the days of ancient Greece had made close estimates to this number. I was also surprised to learn that the Julian calendar, instituted in 46 B.C., would tell us that a day was 365.25 days, differing from the exact number of days by .0078 days, or 11 minutes and 14 seconds in a year. This was improved upon with the institution of the Gregorian calendar on October 15, 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. This new calendar would average 365.2425 days per year over 400 years, with an average annual difference of only .0003 days from the actual time of 365.2422, or 25.92 seconds per year. All of this just to say that the extra .2425 days is why we have a “leap year” every four years, and that astronomers throughout history really knew their stuff. Hopefully you are still following me on this.

While it takes 365.2422 days for the Earth to orbit the sun, it takes 29.53 days for the moon to orbit the Earth, which is known as the “synodic month.” I’ll be honest, I know my numbers, but I have no idea what “synodic month” means. The point is, if given the right tools, modern astronomers and astrophysicists could use this information to create a model of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, for the purpose of determining past, and future celestial events such as solar eclipses and lunar eclipses. And in fact, they did just that. Not too long ago, they (the experts at NASA) released a model showing every possible lunar eclipse all the way back to the time of Jesus Christ. So why does this matter? Well, if we were to suppose that Jesus was born in the year 0, which delineates B.C. and A.D., then we would assume that the year of his crucifixion and death was in his early 30’s, (sometime between 30 and 34 A.D.). But could we ever know the data and time with more precise certainty than this?

Before I go into the modeling details, let’s look at the Gospel of Mark for some context on the timeline of Christ’s crucifixion and death. In Mark 15:25, we are told “It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.” Mark 15:35 tells us “at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).” In verse 37 we are told that this is the time that Jesus gave up his spirit and left this world. So according to the bible, Christ suffered on the cross in one of history’s worst forms of agonizing torture for approximately 6 hours. Let’s never forget that. In Acts 2:20, Peter at the time of Pentecost recites what the Prophet Joel said, that “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.” In other words, after Jesus’ death at approximately 3pm, there would be a time where the sky went dark and the moon turned to a blood-red color.

So let’s circle back to that model from NASA. They knew all of the right variables to account for in the movement of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. They knew how fast each celestial body moved. And they were able to build a model and essentially play “rewind” to figure out the time and date of previous lunar eclipses. They even knew the smaller details that counted, such as the fact that the Earth is not a sphere, but rather an elliptical spheroid, and that the Moon actually moves away from the Earth at a rate of approximately 1.5 inches per year. With most if not all of the variables accounted for, we have a strong model. And stunningly enough, NASA has ascertained that a lunar eclipse happened on Friday, April 3, 33 A.D., just after sunset. Most importantly, modeling shows that the eclipse was clearly visible from Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified. This eclipse would have turned the moon red, and for a simple reason. During a lunar eclipse, the Earth temporarily blocks light from the sun from reaching the moon. When this happens, the light is refracted off of Earth’s atmosphere, hitting the moon with a distorted red color. The eclipsed moon would have risen on the eastern horizon over Jerusalem as partially visible, but with an obvious red hue. This corroborates the recollection of Joel’s prophecy about the sun turning dark (the eclipse occurring right after sunset) and the moon turning to blood (refraction of red light during the lunar eclipse).  

The number of details that line up to make this complicated but beautiful combination of science and faith work so well are simply too specific and calculated to be left unacknowledged. I personally believe it to be a testament to the eternal truth that the Bible holds. But scientifically speaking we may never know with 100% certainty if the crucifixion of Jesus Christ happened at 9 a.m. on April 3, 33 A.D., concluding with his death at approximately 3 p.m. According to NASA’s model, partial lunar eclipses also occurred on April 7, 30 A.D. and September 27, 33 A.D. I was unable to determine from my research if these would have been visible from Jerusalem. In addition, NASA’s modeling indicates two solar eclipses near the April 3 date, one being March 19, 33 A.D. and the other being on March 23, 34 A.D.  

If it is in fact true that Jesus’ crucifixion occurred on Friday April 3, 33 A.D., then there is one more piece of information that should be of interest to you. This year, Good Friday also falls on April 3. Do with that information what you will. As for me and my family, we choose to believe in the complementary nature of scientific discovery and growth in our Christian faith.

Take care, God Bless, and have a wonderful holy week!