Plain Bible Truth about the Wednesday Crucifixion

By Dirk Anderson, ©2024

The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the most important event in human history. A small minority of Christians insist that Jesus died on Wednesday and arose late on Saturday before sundown. They teach that for the “Sign of Jonah” prophecy of Matthew 12:40 to be fulfilled, Christ must have died on Wednesday afternoon, remained in the grave for three full days and three full nights, and then arose late on Saturday afternoon. Advocates of this timeline claim this is a simple mathematics problem that a child should be smart enough to figure out. They insist this is the only interpretation that provides the proper amount of time needed to fulfill this prophecy. If Jesus died on Friday afternoon, and arose on Sunday morning, then Jesus failed his own prophecy about being in the tomb exactly 72 hours. Herbert W. Armstrong explains:

In order to be three days and three nights — 72 hours — in the tomb, our Lord had to be resurrected at exactly THE SAME TIME OF DAY that His body was buried in the tomb! ... And since the RESURRECTION had to occur at the SAME TIME OF DAY, three days later, THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST OCCURRED, not at sunrise, but IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, near sunset! Startling as this fact may be, it is the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH! If Jesus rose at any other time of day, He could not have been three days and three nights in His grave. If He rose at any other time of day, He failed to prove, by the only sign He gave that He was the true Messiah, the Son of the living Creator! Either He rose near the END of a day near sunset, or else He is not the Christ!¹

Armstrong assures his readers that a Saturday Resurrection is the "PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH." If that was true, then there should be Biblical evidence to prove it. So, what does the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH really say?

PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH: Jesus was Resurrected on Sunday, not Saturday

Armstrong argues for a Saturday afternoon resurrection because Jesus was already resurrected when Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb while “it was yet dark” (John 20:1). Since the KJV of Matthew 28:1 starts off with the words, “in the end of the Sabbath,” it is argued that the women came on Saturday evening after dark, after the Sabbath day had ended at sundown. According to this theory, if they arrived around sundown Saturday evening, then Jesus must have been resurrected earlier on Saturday, exactly 72-hours after his death.

Let us take a closer look at John 20:1. It says Mary arrived when it was "yet dark" (KJV) or "still dark" (NKJV) (Greek eti skotia). This wording implies Mary arrived prior to dawn while it was yet dark because the sun had not yet risen. No one says "it is yet dark" right after sundown. That would be nonsensical. If it was just after sundown, the word "yet" would make no sense. The word implies it had been dark for a time, and was still not light as of yet. If I say I awoke while it was yet dark, a child could easily understand that I awoke before dawn when it was still dark out before it got light. According to Thayer, the Greek word for "yet" (eti) means "a thing which went on formerly, whereas now a different state of things exists or has begun to exist."² Using this definition, John was telling his readers it was dark formerly, but now a different stage (dawning of the day) is beginning.

All the other gospel authors substantiate this. For example, Luke writes that the women arrived “upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning” (Luke 24:1). Mark writes the women came “very early in the morning the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2). Even Matthew writes they came “as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1). Mark explicitly writes that Jesus “was risen early the first day of the week” (Mark 16:9). Robert Odom correctly adduces, “not one Bible text says that Jesus rose on the Sabbath day!”³ That's the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH! There is not a single text in the Bible placing Jesus' resurrection on Saturday afternoon, but there is one (Mark 16:9) that explicitly states Jesus arose Sunday morning. Let's take a look at it in Greek:

anistemi de proi protos sabbaton

Here is the direct translation:

• anistemi - "to raise up from the dead" (G450) (Greek writers put the most important word first)
• de - "but" or "now" (G1161) (A conjunction)
• prio - "the fourth watch of the night, from 3 o'clock in the morning until 6 o'clock approximately" (G4404)
• protos - "first" (G4413)
• sabbaton - "sabbath" or "week" (G4521)

Now, we can put it together in English. In English, the conjunction de (but or now) joins this sentence to the previous sentence in Mark 16:8, and must be moved to the front of the sentence, as can be seen in all English translations and countless other verses in the Bible. Therefore, after moving de to the front of the sentence, here is the literal rendering:

Now, raised from the dead approximately 3 am to 6 am in the morning on the first [day after] sabbath (Thayer: "the first day after the sabbath")

Now, we can check other translations to verify:

• NKJV - Now when He rose early on the first day of the week
• NIV - When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week
• ESV - Now when he rose early on the first day of the week
• NASB - Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week
• RSV - Now when he rose early on the first day of the week
• HNV - Now when he had risen very early, the first day of the week
• AB - Now Jesus, having risen [from death] early on the first day of the week
• ABPE- But at dawn, on the first day of the week, he arose
• DRB - But he rising early the first day of the week
• GWT - After Jesus came back to life early on Sunday
• GNT - After Jesus rose from death early on Sunday
• ISV - After Jesus had risen early on the first day of that week
• LSV - And He, having risen in the morning of the first of the week
• NRSV- Now after he rose early on the first day of the week
• NHEB- Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week
• WNT - But He rose to life early on the first day of the week

Thus, Mark 16:9 explicitly states Jesus arose on Sunday morning, during the fourth watch of the night, which is approximately between 3 am and 6 am. That is the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH!

What about Matthew 28:1? Doesn't it talk about late Saturday afternoon? It states the women came “in the end (Greek opse) of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week.” The verse states the women came to the sepulcher at “as it began to dawn.” “Began to dawn” is an accurate translation of the Greek word epiphosko, which Thayer’s lexicon defines as “to grow light, to dawn.” However, infrequently the word can also be used for evening time at the end of the day (Luke 23:54). Therefore, the question arises, what does “in the end of the Sabbath” mean? Does it mean as the Sabbath day was ending? Or does it mean after the Sabbath day had ended?

The answer lies in the Greek word opse. Matthew writes: opse sabbaton epiphosko "In the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn." Why does the KJV Bible translate opse as "in the end of"? Samuele Bacchiocchi explains that older translations, such as the KJV and RSV, used the classical Greek rendering of opse which is “late” or “late on.”⁴ Hence, the RSV says, “now late on the Sabbath day.” In classical Greek, a language which was used up the 4th century BC, the word could mean "in the end" or "late on" which is how the KJV, ASV, and RSV translators mistakenly translated it. However, the authors of the New Testament did not write in classical Greek. Classical Greek was a language that ceased to be used hundreds of years before the New Testament was even written! The New Testament authors wrote in koine Greek which was the lingua franca during the first century. The koine Greek indicates the women came long after the Sabbath. Thayer informs us opse means "after a long time, long after, late" (G3796). This indicates the women did not come immediately after the Sabbath but a substantial time after the end of the sabbath. This word is consistent with the women coming at dawn, which is "long after" the end of the Sabbath. It is not consistent with the women arriving around sunset on Sabbath. In fact, Matthew uses a different koine Greek word (opsios, translated as "late" or "evening" G3790) just a few sentences earlier when he talks about Joseph of Arimathea going to Pilot "late on" Friday to ask for the body of Jesus (Matt. 27:57). Therefore, if Matthew intended to imply the women came late on Sabbath or Sabbath evening, he would have used opsios not opse. His choice to use opse demonstrates that Matthew was referring to a time long after the Sabbath ended. The PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH is that Matthew 28:1 cannot be used to justify a Saturday afternoon resurrection.

We must understand that the meaning of words in languages changes over time. A good example is the word "gay." In the 1960s, "gay" meant joyful or happy. Today it refers to a male homosexual. Likewise, many words in the KJV are unrecognizable to English readers today, and some have very different meanings in modern English versus old English. Opse is one of the words that changed in meaning between the classical Greek (400 years earlier) and koine Greek. This mistranslation was discovered by Greek scholars in the early 20th century who corrected it. Thus, nearly all modern translations correctly translate this verse as “after the Sabbath”:

• After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week (NIV)
• Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week (ESV)
• After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week (Berean)
• Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn (NKJV)
• Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week (NASB)
• Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week (LSB)
• Now after the Sabbath, near dawn of the first day of the week (AB)
• After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning (CSB)
• After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning (HCSB)
• The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday (CEV)
• After the Sabbath, as Sunday morning was dawning (GNT)
• After the Sabbaths, around dawn on the first day of the week (ISV)
• Now after [the] Sabbaths, it being dawn, toward the first [day] of the weeks (LSV)
• After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week (MSB)
• After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning (NAB)
• Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week (NET)
• After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning (NRSV)
• Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week (NHEB)
• After the Sabbath, in the early dawn of the first day of the week (WNT)
• Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week (WEB)

Any child reading the words "after the Sabbath as it began to dawn" would understand this is describing events taking place early on Sunday morning. Any ambiguity as to whether the women came to the tomb on Saturday evening or Sunday morning can be resolved by looking at the parallel accounts in the synoptic gospels. As noted above, both Mark and Luke state the women came “very early in the morning.” Therefore, to be consistent with the other synoptics, the phrase “as it began to dawn” should be understood as very early on Sunday morning, just before dawn.

Mark’s account proves that the women visited upon Sunday morning “at the rising of the sun” (Mark 16:2). The very same women are named in both Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts. In Mark’s account, as the women neared the tomb, they asked: “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?” (Mark 16:3). If they had already been there Saturday around sundown and found the tomb empty, then they would have already known that the stone was rolled away from the door! This is proof they had not been to an empty tomb Saturday evening.

A further objection to a Saturday resurrection is raised by Bacchiocchi:

More decisive still is the instruction given to the soldiers by the chief priests: “Tell people, His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep” (v. 13). In view of the fact that the soldiers had been stationed at the sepulcher during the light hours of the Sabbath day (Matt 27:62-66), they could hardly have told the people on Saturday evening that the disciples stole Christ’s body by night, when no night had yet intervened between the beginning of their vigil and the Resurrection.⁵

The PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH is that any Greek person reading Matthew and Mark in the first century would understand that Jesus arose a long while after Sabbath ended, sometime between 3 am and 6 am. This thoroughly refutes the Wednesday timeline. Since Jesus arose on Sunday morning, a 72-hour timeline would require Him to have been crucified on Thursday morning, which contradicts all Scriptures. Finally, since Christ arose on Sunday, a Wednesday crucifixion would mean that Christ was raised on the fifth day which also contradicts all Scriptures. This fact alone proves beyond any doubt that Jesus did not die on Wednesday and was not raised on Saturday. That is the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH!

Sign of Jonah - Simple Mathematics?

According to the “sign of Jonah” prophecy of Matthew 12:40, Jesus prophesied that he was going to remain in the tomb for three days and three nights. According to Armstrong, if he did not stay that entire time, then one could charge Him with being a false prophet. The traditional position (Friday crucifixion, Sunday resurrection) is ridiculed for failing to fulfill the “sign of Jonah” because if Jesus was entombed late Friday afternoon, and then resurrected on Sunday morning, then he was only in the tomb around 36 hours. That would be two nights and less than one-and-a-half days. Thus, it is argued the traditional timeline cannot mathematically fulfill the “sign of Jonah” prophecy. The Gospel of Mark lends some support to this position, because Mark states three times that Jesus said he would rise to life “after three days” (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). If Wednesday was the first day, Thursday the second, and Friday the third, then Saturday would be the fourth day from the crucifixion. This would seem to corroborate Mark’s statements that Jesus would rise “after three days.”

Inclusive Reckoning of Jewish Time

How can Jesus' prophecy of the “Sign of Jonah” being “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” be reconciled with a Friday-Sunday timeline (Matthew 12:40)? In order to reconcile this substantial difference, it is important to understand how the Hebrews reckoned time. In Jewish reckoning a part of a day could be counted as a whole day, or even as a whole day and night. This is called inclusive reckoning.

One example of inclusive reckoning is found in Esther. Esther told the Jews to not eat for “three days, night or day” (Esther 4:16). She said that she would do the same, and afterwards she would “go in unto the king” (Esther 4:16). The modern reader would logically conclude that if the Jews were planning to fast day and night for three days, then one would expect Esther to wait to go into the king until after this 72-hour period of fasting had completed, which would be upon the fourth day. However, the Bible states she went into the king “on the third day” (Esther 5:1). While this may seem odd to the modern reader, it correlates with how the Jews reckoned days. The Jewish Encyclopedia explains inclusive reckoning:

In Jewish communal life part of a day is at times reckoned as one day; e.g., the day of the funeral, even when the latter takes place late in the afternoon, is counted as the first of the seven days of mourning; a short time in the morning of the seventh day is counted as the seventh day; circumcision takes place on the eighth day, even though of the first day only a few minutes remained after the birth of the child, these being counted as one day. Again, a man who hears of a vow made by his wife or his daughter, and desires to cancel the vow, must do so on the same day on which he hears of it, as otherwise the protest has no effect; even if the hearing takes place a little time before night, the annulment must be done within that little time.

In Jewish reckoning, “day” does not always equate to a 24-hour period of time. Based on this, when reckoning events such as days of mourning for a funeral, even a few minutes of a 24-hour period would count as one day. Thus, we have established that any part of a day constitutes a “day” in Jewish reckoning. But what about the phrase “day and night”? Doesn't that mean a full 24-hour period? The truth is that the phrase “day and night” is interchangeable with the word “day.” For example, Matthew says Jesus fasted “forty days and forty nights” whereas Mark and Luke write that Jesus fasted “forty days” (Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2). Was it 40 days? Or 40 days and nights? The truth is that it does not matter. Any part of a “day” or “day and night” would have been interpreted by the Jews whom Matthew was writing to as any part of a 24-hour period, including only a small part of the day (or night).

Colin Humphreys appeals to the Jewish Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah for support of this. Humphreys confirms, “a portion of a twenty-four-hour period of a day and a night counts as a whole day and a night.”⁶ Therefore, if Jesus died on Friday afternoon...

• Friday from 3pm to sundown would count as “one day and one night.”
• Saturday would count as the second “day and night.”
• Sunday from sundown on Sabbath to the fourth watch of the night would count as the third “day and night.”

  

  Therefore, a strict 72-hour period is not required in order to fulfill the “sign of Jonah” prophecy. Hank Hanegraaf explains:

  In Jewish idiom any part of a day counted as a day—night unit. Thus, there is no need to literalistically [sic] demand that seventy-two hours be accounted for.⁷

  Harold Hoehner concurs, writing, “the three days and three nights in Matthew 12:40 is an idiomatic expression…rather than a literal seventy-two hour period.”⁸ It is important to stop here and understand what an idiom is. An idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal definition of the words. A great example is when someone tells you "I have butterflies in the stomach." Someone familiar with the English language will know you are saying you feel nervous. Someone unfamiliar with the language will take the words literally. They will think either you swallowed butterflies or you are crazy! The Hebrew expression for "days and nights" is an idiom meaning days, which could mean any part of a day.

  An example is found in Genesis 7:4, where God said it would rain "forty days and forty nights." However, in verse 17 of the same chapter, it says the flood lasted "forty days." Was it 40 days and 40 nights (960 hours)? Or was it just 40 days (948 hours)? It does not matter to the Hebrew reader because they consider "days and nights" to be the same as "days." To a Hebrew, "day and night" does not suggest a 24-hour period that must include both a day and a night, just like butterflies in the stomach does not imply actual butterflies are in the stomach. To a Hebrew reader, "day and night" means any part of a 24-hour period, ranging anywhere from 1 minute to 24 hours.

  Craig Keener agrees, writing, “‘three days and three nights’ need not imply complete days; parts of a twenty-four-hour day counted as representing the whole day.”⁹ In fact, all of the world's most knowledgeable Hebrew and Greek scholars are in agreement on this point. The overwhelming scholarly consensus concludes there is no discrepancy between the “sign of Jonah” prophecy and the traditional time frame of Jesus’ entombment.

  As further proof, after the death of Christ, Jewish rabbis did not attack Jesus for failing to fulfill his own prophecy of three days and three nights, even though they knew he died on Friday. The ancient Jewish Talmud states: "on Sabbath even and the eve of Passover they hanged Jesus the Nazarene" (Florence Manuscript of the Talmud, Firenze II.1.8-9). In the Talmud, when the word Sabbath appears without a preceding participle it always refers to the seventh day Sabbath. Therefore, there is no doubt the Jewish authors of the Talmud understood that Jesus died on Friday evening before the weekly Sabbath. But here is an even more important point: They never criticized Jesus for failing the Sign of Jonah prophecy, even though the book of Matthew was accessible to them when the Talmud was written. They cast doubt on Jesus for several other reasons, but not for a prophetic failure. Why not? That would be the easiest way to prove Jesus false. If Jesus said he was going to be entombed for 72 hours, and yet he died on Friday and was raised on Sunday, as all the Christians of that era taught, then they could have easily proven He was a false prophet. Why did they let pass this perfect opportunity? Because they understood Jewish reckoning of time. His death on Friday and resurrection on Sunday was seen as a fulfillment of the Sign of Jonah, so they never dared to bring it up.

  “After Three Days” Versus “On the Third Day”

  Critics of the traditional timeline will point out that there are two verses in the Gospels which say that Jesus would rise “after three days” (Matthew 27:63, Mark 8:31). This would seem to support the theory of a full 72-hour entombment, followed by the resurrection. If Jesus died on Friday, “after three days” would require a Monday afternoon resurrection. This would present a problem for the traditional time line. Once again, this line of reasoning does not consider Jewish inclusive reckoning of days. If any part of a day equals a whole day, then the problem disappears.

  The problem with the Wednesday timeline is that the vast weight of Biblical evidence states that Jesus rose “on the third day” rather than after the completion of a 72-hour period. If Jesus was crucified on Wednesday and arose on the third day, then he would have arisen on Friday! Once again, the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH does NOT support a Wednesday crucifixion. Let us examine the Bible evidence.

  Jesus prophesied if the temple was destroyed, he would raise it up "within three days" (Mark 14:58). Jesus was speaking “of the temple of his body” (John 2:21). To build a temple “within three days” would mean in less than 72-hours. When Pilate sent a guard to the tomb of Jesus, he ordered it secured “until the third day” (Matthew 27:64). Again, this indicates the Jews understood Jesus to mean that he would arise within a three-day time period not after a three-day period. There are numerous verses indicating Jesus would rise sometime on the “third day” after his death:

  • Matthew 16:21 – “…and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”
  • Matthew 17:23 – “…they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again.”
  • Matthew 20:19 – “…and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.”
  • Mark 9:31 – “…and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.”
  • Mark 10:34 – “…and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”
  • Luke 9:22 – “…and be slain, and be raised the third day.”
  • Luke 18:33 – “…and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.”
  • Luke 24:7 – “…and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
  • Luke 24:21 – “…to day is the third day since these things were done.”
  • Luke 24:46 – “…to rise from the dead the third day.”
  • Acts 10:40 – “Him God raised up the third day…”
  • 1 Corinthians 15:4 – “…he was buried, and that he rose again the third day…”

  If Jesus was raised up on the third day, as the vast majority of Scriptures indicate, then he could not possibly have died on Wednesday and arisen on Saturday because Saturday would be the fourth day since Wednesday.

  

  The Biblical evidence is heavily weighted in favor of Jesus rising “in three days” or “on the third day.” In fact, in Jewish reckoning, all these phrases are synonymous with “after three days.” This can be verified by examining other biblical passages. For example, King Rehoboam told the people: “Depart for three days, then return to me” (1 Kings 12:5). Afterwards, the people returned “on the third day” (1 Kings 12:12). Similar interchangeability can be seen in the parallel passages of the synoptic gospels. In two instances, Matthew and Luke both use the words “on the third day” while the parallel passage in Mark uses “after three days.”¹⁰ This shows the Biblical authors considered “on the third day” and “after three days” to be interchangeable.

  If Jesus had died on Wednesday, the Gospel authors should have written that Jesus was raised “on the fourth day,” not the third. Luke’s rendition of Peter’s vision and subsequent visit to Cornelius provides a good example demonstrating how inclusive time was calculated by Jews.

  • On day one Cornelius of Caesarea saw a vision around the “ninth hour of the day” (Acts 10:3).
  • Cornelius sent men to find Peter, which they did at around the sixth hour “on the morrow,” which was day two (Acts 10:9).
  • Peter then started out with the men to Cornelius’ house “on the morrow,” which was day three (Acts 10:23).
  • The men arrived in Caesarea “the morrow after,” which was the fourth day (Acts 10:24).

  

  These events span a period of four days, which matches the length of time a Wednesday crucifixion would require. Cornelius tells Peter that he received a vision, “four days ago…” (Acts 10:30). This demonstrates that if Jesus had died on Wednesday and been raised on Saturday, the Biblical authors would have recognized it as being four days. However, they never once mentioned that Jesus was raised on the fourth day. The PLAIN BIBLE MATHEMATICS shows that Jesus could not possibly have been crucified on Wednesday.

  Not Enough Time?

  Another argument in favor of a Wednesday crucifixion is that a Friday afternoon crucifixion does not allow much time for all of the activities that took place after Jesus’ death. William Scroggie argues there simply was not enough time between the time when Jesus died (after 3 pm) and sundown (around 6 pm) for all of the events recorded in the Gospels. He provides a list of nineteen events that transpired during this period:¹¹

  1. A deputation of Jews goes before Pilate (John 19:31).
  2. Pilate sent someone from Jerusalem to Golgotha (John 19:31).
  3. Soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves and pierced Jesus (John 19:32,34).
  4. Joseph asked Pilate for Jesus’ body (John 19:39; Mark 15:43).
  5. Pilate summoned a centurion to ask him if Jesus was dead (Mark 15:44).
  6. The centurion confirmed Jesus was dead (Mark 15:45).
  7. Joseph went to the market and purchased linen burial garments (Mark 15:46).
  8. Joseph went to Golgotha to get Jesus’ body (Mark 15:46).
  9. Joseph took Jesus’ body to his tomb (Matthew 27:59,60; Mark 15:46).
  10. Women from Galilee followed (Luke 23:55).
  11. Joseph prepared the body (Matthew 27:59; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53).11
  12. Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb (Matthew 27:60; Mark 15:46).
  13. The women watched (Matthew 27:61).
  14. A stone was placed over the tomb entrance (Matthew 27:60; Mark 16:4).
  15. The women returned to the city (Luke 23:56).
  16. Nicodemus brought a great quantity of spices (John 19:39).
  17. The women who had returned from the tomb prepared (cooked) spices (Luke 23:56).
  18. The men returned to the tomb and wrapped the body with spices (John 19:40).
  19. The stone was put back on the tomb, and the men went home (John 20:7).

  Admittedly, much activity occurred, including transits between Jerusalem, Golgotha, and Joseph’s tomb, wherever that was located. While it is true that Jerusalem was much smaller in that era than it is today, walking through crowded streets carrying items took time. For example, the distance between the location of Pilate in Herod’s palace and Golgotha is roughly two kilometers. At a brisk pace, this could be a twenty- to thirty-minute walk. Scroggie solves this time dilemma by proposing Jesus died on Wednesday afternoon and many of the activities mentioned in these verses could have taken place “on the whole of Friday.”¹²

  The weakness in Scroggie’s logic is that the traditional timeline only seems improbable if most of these events transpired sequentially. In reality, some of the activities almost certainly happened in parallel or overlapped. For example, Joseph may have learned of Jesus’ death and come to Pilate while Pilate was sending centurions to confirm his death. The women may have been buying and preparing spices while the men were preparing the body. Since many of the activities likely unfolded simultaneously, the three-hour times span is not a barrier to believing the traditional timeline.

  The Spices and Two Sabbaths

  A third argument for the Wednesday crucifixion involves the buying and preparation of the spices. It is assumed the spices were purchased in a raw state and required some cooking in order to properly prepare them. Luke writes the women “prepared spices” on Friday before the Sabbath started at around 6 pm (Luke 23:56). However, Mark writes that some women “bought sweet spices” after “the sabbath was past” (Mark 16:1). Assuming the buying and preparing of spices by the women was a single process by a single group of women, then the buying would have had to have happened prior to the preparing.

  Mark 16:1 says “when the sabbath was past” they “bought sweet spices.” According to the Wednesday timeline, this activity took place after the sun set on Thursday (Passover). Then, Luke 23:56 says they “prepared spices and ointments” and then “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.” Thus, on Friday the women prepared the spices that had been purchased either Thursday evening after sunset or on Friday morning. The argument maintains that it would not be possible for the women to have bought spices after the Sabbath, and also prepared spices and rested before the same Sabbath unless there were two sabbaths involved, with a day in between them.

  Support for two sabbaths is also derived from Matthew 28:1, where the women came to the tomb at the “end of the Sabbath.” The Greek word for “Sabbath” is sabbaton, which is a plural form of the word Sabbath. It is argued that this plural word indicates the presence of two sabbaths during the week, the annual sabbath on Thursday followed by the weekly Sabbath. While it is true that the Greek word is plural, in New Testament usage sabbaton often refers to a single sabbath (Luke 4:16, Acts 13:14, 16:13, Colossians 2:16). Further, there are multiple Old Testament references to the singular Sabbath which are translated in the plural sabbaton in the Greek Septuagint (5 Exodus 20:8, 35:3, Deuteronomy 5:12, Jeremiah 17:21). Thayer notes that the plural form of the word can be used in the New Testament to denote “a single sabbath.”¹³ One could even argue that Matthew used the plural because the Sabbath and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread both occurred on the same day (Saturday). Therefore, there is no compelling reason to believe Matthew is hinting to the existence of a sabbath on Thursday.

  One solution to the spice dilemma is that the women already had some spices on hand Friday afternoon, possibly purchased by themselves or Nicodemus. Since it was Friday afternoon, the women likely knew the Jews would not permit Jesus to “remain upon the cross on the sabbath day,” so they possibly reasoned He would be killed within the next few hours (John 19:31). Therefore, it is plausible they went to purchase spices in the early afternoon, even before the death of Christ. Also, Jesus had predicted his death on multiple occasions, so it is possible spices were procured ahead of time for this expected event (Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23; Mark 8:31; Luke 13:13, 18:31-33). Mark 16:1 says the women “bought sweet spices” after the Sabbath. Since these spices are specifically called out as “sweet spices,” this could refer to spices that were different from the ones on-hand earlier. Thus, one could surmise the women prepared what spices they had on-hand before the Sabbath, and since there was insufficient time to go to the market and purchase more spices before the Sabbath commenced, they waited until Sabbath was over before purchasing additional spices. If the sweet spices required preparation, they could have been prepared afterwards on Saturday night. Thus, the spice problem is not an insurmountable obstacle for the traditional timeline.¹⁴

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  Friday-Sunday Timeline is PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH

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  There are a number of compelling arguments supporting the traditional timeline of Jesus being crucified on Friday afternoon and resurrected on Sunday morning.

  Mark's Timeline

  In order to establish the integrity of this traditional timeline, the beginning and ending days must be anchored to specific days of the week. Mark not only anchors both the beginning and ending days, but mentions every day in the crucifixion week. The traditional timeline can be established from Mark as follows:¹⁵

  • Nisan 9: Palm Sunday, as “they were approaching Jerusalem” (Mark 11:1).
  • Nisan 10: Monday, on “the following day” (Mark 11:12).
  • Nisan 11: Tuesday, in “the morning” of the day after Monday (Mark 11:20).
  • Nisan 12: Wednesday, “two days before the Passover” (Mark 14:1).
  • Nisan 13: Thursday, on “the first day of Unleavened Bread” (Mark 14:12).¹⁶
  • Nisan 14: Friday, as “soon as it was morning” on Passover (Mark 15:1).
  • Nisan 15: Saturday, the “Sabbath” (Mark 15:42; 16:1).
  • Nisan 16: Sunday, “very early on the first day of the week” (Mark 16:2).

  

  This chronology is important because those advocating a Wednesday crucifixion argue that Jesus entered Jerusalem on the Friday before Palm Sunday. This is problematic because that would leave a two-day gap of silence for the days of Thursday and Friday in Mark’s chronology. Mark anchors the crucifixion week to days by using the preparation day (Friday) and Sabbath as the fixed points in the week. These days can be established because Mark specifically mentions those days. Mark writes that Jesus died on “the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath” (Mark 15:42).¹⁷ The Greek word for "the Sabbath" is “prosábbaton” which Strong’s defines as “day before the sabbath” (G4325). This Greek combination word is used in reference to the weekly Sabbath in Judith 8:6, but is never used in reference to an annual sabbath at any time in ancient history. It is undeniably the weekly Sabbath, and not an annual sabbath day.

  Mark calls the day upon which Jesus was crucified the “preparation” day (Greek paraskeue). Bacchiocchi explains that the Greek paraskeue was the Semitic Greek “equivalent of the Aramaic word ‘arubta-eve’ both of which were commonly used to designate ‘Friday.’”¹⁸ For example, Bacchiocchi notes that Paraskeue was used for Friday in the Didache 8:1 which advocates fasting on that day (Friday) of every week.¹⁹ The writings of Josephus support this interpretation as well. He writes that Jews were not required “to go before any judge on the Sabbath-day, nor on the day of the preparation to it, after the ninth hour.”²⁰

  Luke's gospel support's Mark's narrative that the preparation day on which Jesus died was the Friday before the weekly Sabbath. Luke writes that Jesus died on the “preparation day” as the “sabbath drew on” (Luke 23:54). Luke then adds the women returned home to prepare spices and then “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). Those proposing a Wednesday crucifixion contend that the women rested upon an annual sabbath (Unleavened Bread) and not the weekly Sabbath. According to this theory, the “commandment” refers to instructions the Israelites were given to do “no customary work” on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread (Leviticus 23:7 NKJV). The Greek word in Luke 23:56 for commandment is entole, which is a generic word used many times in the New Testament for any type of commandment.²¹ However, entole is never used in the New Testament in regards to a feast day regulation. Entole is routinely used by New Testament authors in reference to the Ten Commandments. Luke used entole when Jesus spoke to the rich young ruler about the Ten Commandments (Luke 18:20). Other New Testament authors also used entole to refer to the Ten Commandments (Matthew 15:3-6, Mark 7:9-11, 10:19, Ephesians 6:2). Another point in favor of Luke 23:56 being the weekly Sabbath is that the command to keep the Passover was an “ordinance” and not a “commandment.” Exodus 12:14 states: “Ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever” (Exodus 12:14). In his writings, Luke used a different Greek word to refer to ordinances. In Luke 1:6, Luke writes of the righteousness of John the Baptist’s parents, saying they kept both the “commandments” (entole) and “ordinances” (dikaioma). The fact that Luke uses entole instead of dikaioma in Luke 23:56 provides further evidence Luke was referring to the weekly Sabbath.Therefore, the preponderance of Biblical evidence points to the fact that Luke was referring to the Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11). That being the case, the Sabbath after the preparation day in Luke 23:56 is the weekly Sabbath upon which the Lord commanded Israel to rest.

  Advocates of a Wednesday crucifixion are aware of this evidence and some have conceded that the Sabbath mentioned by Luke was indeed the weekly Sabbath. However, they attempt to get around this dilemma by saying that after viewing where the body of the Lord was laid, the women rested upon Thursday, and then, according to Luke 23:56, they prepared spices and ointments all day on Friday, and finally rested upon the seventh day Sabbath. There are several problems with that scenario:

  • Luke 23:54 says that Jesus died on the preparation (paraskeue), which matches Mark's account of Jesus dying on Friday.
  • Luke 23:54 says Jesus died as the Sabbath (sabbaton) was approaching. Sabbaton is only used in the New Testament to refer to the weekly Sabbath.
  • Luke 23:56 says the women “returned” from viewing the body. This connects it to verses 54 and 55 in which Luke tells us that on the same day Jesus died, the women went to the sepulcher.

  Thus, we find the women returning from the sepulcher on crucifixion evening and then resting upon Sabbath according to the commandment. If the crucifixion was on Wednesday, then the women would be returning from the sepulcher late Wednesday afternoon, and then the next event we find recorded is that the women must stop preparing the spices because Friday sundown has arrived. Luke never mentions an annual feast day, nor that the women spent a whole day (Friday) preparing spices. The natural flow of the passage has the women returning late Friday afternoon after the crucifixion, starting the preparation of the spices before sundown, and then resting on the weekly Sabbath.

  Having established the crucifixion week ended upon the seventh day Sabbath which followed Friday (the preparation day), the best way to anchor the beginning date of Mark’s crucifixion week is to determine when Jesus entered Bethany. Jesus came to Bethany one day prior to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. According to John, Jesus arrived in Bethany “six days before the Passover” (John 12:1). John adds that “on the next day” the people cut “branches of palm trees” as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, “sitting on an ass’s colt” (John 12:12-14). If Passover (Nisan 14) was on a Friday, as already established, then Jesus arrived at Bethany six days prior to Nisan 14, which was likely around the start of the Sabbath on Friday evening. According to Andreas Kostenberger and Justin Taylor, after resting on Sabbath, “Jesus arose Sunday morning to enter the city of Jerusalem” on Palm Sunday.²² If Nisan 14 was on a Wednesday, then Jesus would have had to have arrived in Bethany on Thursday. While this has the advantage of alleviating the problem of Jesus dealing with Sabbath travel restrictions when travelling into Bethany upon the Sabbath, it creates a similar problem for Jesus on Mark’s second day, which would be Sabbath if Jesus died on Wednesday. On that day, Jesus traverses to and from Bethany. Bethany is two miles from Jerusalem, which is more than double a Sabbath day’s journey. The bottom line is that John’s statement that Jesus died on the Jews’ preparation day before the Sabbath establishes Friday, Nisan 14, as the day of Christ’s death (John 19:31). Six days prior to that would place Jesus’ arrival in Bethany on Saturday, thus providing too little time for a Wednesday crucifixion. Thus, the chronology of John correlates with Mark’s chronology and supports the traditional timeline.

  On the Road to Emmaus

  Wednesday crucifixion advocates argue that their interpretation removes a large discrepancy between the “sign of Jonah” prophecy and the traditional duration of Jesus’ entombment. However, it actually opens far more discrepancies than it solves. Luke’s account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is irreconcilable with a Wednesday crucifixion. Luke writes that two disciples were traveling to Emmaus on the day Jesus was resurrected, which was the “first day of the week” (Luke 24:1,13). Jesus appears and begins walking with them. Cleopas describes the crucifixion to Jesus and then declares, “to day is the third day since these things were done” (Luke 24:21). “These things” refers to the events described in the previous verse: The rulers “condemned” Jesus to death, and they “crucified him” (Luke 24:20). If Sunday was the third day, then Saturday was the second day, and Friday was the first day or the day upon which Luke's events happened.

  

  If Jesus had been crucified on Wednesday, then Cleopas should have said, “to day is the fifth day since these things were done.” Realizing this dilemma, Wednesday crucifixion advocates have proposed that the events the disciples were referring to happened on Thursday, which is preposterous because according to their timeline, nothing of interest happened on Thursday other than resting. Their timeline shows the trial and crucifixion happened on Wednesday, not Thursday.²³ Therefore, the Wednesday crucifixion timeline cannot possibly fit the Emmaus timeline. Luke's account cannot be reconciled with a Wednesday crucifixion. This proves the Wednesday crucifixion is fictional. That is the PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH.

  The “High” Sabbath Day

  Jesus died on Nisan 14, Passover eve, also called the preparation day for the Sabbath. That Sabbath, Nisan 15, also happened to be the annual Passover. This overlap happens every seven years. Humphreys explains that when Nisan 15 fell “on the normal weekly Sabbath, it was called a special Sabbath.”²⁴ John describes that Sabbath as: “an high day” (John 19:31). During every Passover week there was always both a weekly Sabbath and an annual sabbath day on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Wednesday crucifixion advocates propose the annual sabbath day was on Thursday and the weekly Sabbath was on Saturday. The traditional timeline claims the annual sabbath fell upon a weekly Sabbath, so that both events coincided on the same day. Which is the correct interpretation of “high” Sabbath?

  The translators of the NASB Bible render the phrase: “for that Sabbath was a high day,” which indicates the feast occurred on the weekly Sabbath (John 19:31 NASB). John Owen comments on the phrase “high Sabbath” saying: “Literally: for the day of that Sabbath was great.”²⁵ Albert Barnes adds, “It was called a high day because that year the feast of the Passover commenced on the Sabbath.”²⁶ Bacchiocchi notes that Rabbinical sources indicate “the weekly Sabbath was called a ‘high day’ when it coincided with Passover.”²⁷

  There is substantial evidence to support the conclusion that the annual sabbath coincided with the weekly Sabbath. First, the annual sabbaths are never referred to as “Sabbath” outside of the Pentateuch. Dwight Pentecost confirms the Feast of Unleavened Bread is never called “sabbath” in any known ancient writing, concluding “there is no evidence for this anywhere.”²⁸ They are referred to as feasts and assemblies but not as Sabbath. Secondly, it is unlikely John would have written “that Sabbath was a high day” if it was merely the Passover. In every other instance in his writings, John refers to the Passover as “Passover” (John 2:13; 2:23; 6:4; 11:55; 12:1; 13:1; 18:28; 18:39; 19:14). It would be odd for John to call the Passover a “high day” if it was on Thursday&mdasha normal day of the week. He would have described it as he did in every other instance—it would just be the Passover. Since John called it a "high" day, he was obviously following the same tradition as the rabbis in calling a Passover coinciding with the weekly Sabbath a "high" Sabbath. The most sensible reading of John 19:31 is exactly the way the translators have written it: That Sabbath was a high day. Since an annual sabbath day is never referred to as “Sabbath” outside of the Pentateuch, it is highly unlikely John used that terminology here. The proper understanding of this verse is that the day following the crucifixion was the weekly Sabbath, and that weekly Sabbath also happened to be a “high day,” indicating it was also the first day of the Passover.

  The First Fruits

  During the Passover week, on the “morrow after the sabbath” the priest would wave the first fruits of the harvest in thanksgiving to God (Lev 23:11). According to Thomas McCall, this event occurred “on the day after the Sabbath (verse 11), which was always the Sunday of Passover week.”²⁹ Humphreys notes that both Philo and Josephus acknowledge the “first sheaf of barley was presented…on the second day of the feast, that is on Nisan 16.”³⁰ The resurrection of Jesus on Sunday morning provided a stunning fulfillment of this event. As the first fruit sheave was waved, Paul writes Jesus Christ was raised “from the dead” to become “the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Cor 15:20). It is evident that Paul understands the resurrection to be the antitype for the first fruits type. McCall writes: “As for the New Testament record, it is clear that Jesus arose from the dead on Sunday, the First Day of the Week, the day after the Sabbath, as the fulfillment of the feast of First Fruits.”³¹ Humphreys writes the “resurrection on the following Sunday was…precisely the day the priests waved the first-fruits of the barley in the temple.”³² He adds it would be “improbable” for Paul to use the “symbolism of Christ as the Passover lamb and as the first-fruits of those who rise from the dead if both events” were one day off.³³ A Saturday afternoon resurrection fails to accurately fulfill the timing of the type. The fulfillment of the first fruits by the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday lends support for the traditional understanding of the crucifixion week timeline.

  Extra Biblical Evidence

  There is substantial evidence outside of the Bible which supports a Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection. The main sources of this information are testimonies from early Christian authors and more recent discoveries regarding calendrical evidence.

  Historical Evidence

  A number of early Christian sects, particularly those of Jewish origin, originally met for weekly worship services on Sabbath.³⁴ Over time, these groups abandoned meeting upon the Sabbath and started meeting for church services on Sunday. One argument offered for the change was because Christ arose on Sunday. If Jesus had arisen on Saturday afternoon, this argument could not have been used as justification for meeting on Sunday. Furthermore, there is no record of any early Sabbath-keeping sects ever challenging the fact that the resurrection was on Sunday. If Jesus had arisen on Saturday afternoon, this would have been a strong argument for these sects to continue to meet on Sabbath. The silence in the historical record suggests a Saturday afternoon resurrection was not believed by anyone in the first centuries of Christianity.

  One of the earliest and plainest statements on this subject comes from around the year 155 A.D., when church father Justin Martyr wrote of the crucifixion: “But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because…Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday).”³⁵ The day before Saturn is Friday. Thus, Martyr affirms Jesus died on Friday and was resurrected on Sunday. This is very early for a conspiracy to develop to alter the day of the Lord's resurrection. There is no record of anyone challenging Martyr on this point.

  In early Christian writings, the day of Christ’s resurrection is universally reported to be on Sunday. In the first three hundred years of Christian history, there is no evidence that any person, whether on the inside or the outside of the church, ever questioned the timeline of a Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection. Bacchiocchi argues that the lack of any discussion in the historical record of alternative timelines is convincing evidence for the traditional timeline of the crucifixion. He writes, “No early Christian writer ever disputed or doubted its occurrence on Friday” and this provides “overwhelming proof of the trustworthiness of the traditional chronology of the Crucifixion and Resurrection.”³⁶

  Prominent early Christian writers and theologians such as Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen, among others, all affirm the traditional understanding of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection occurring on a Friday and Sunday, respectively. There is no evidence to suggest that any of these early Christian figures taught or advocated for the idea that Jesus died on a Wednesday or that anyone discussed or debated it. The entire historical record of early Christian tradition and scholarship supports the traditional belief in Jesus' crucifixion on a Friday.

  Wednesday advocates point to a third or fourth century quote in the Didascalia Apostolorum as proof that Jesus ate the Passover meal on Tuesday not Thursday evening:

  For when we had eaten the Passover on the third day of the week at even, we went forth to the Mount of Olives; and in the night they seized our Lord Jesus.³⁷

  Wednesday advocates are placing a lot of faith in a document that purports to have originated from the apostolic community in Jerusalem, when in fact it was written by an anonymous Syrian author sometime during the 3rd or 4th century. How much faith can we put in a document which makes questionable claims to establish its authenticity? In fact, there are only a few fragments of the original Greek document. The earliest full document comes from the 5th century and it is written in Syriac (Codex Hierosolymitanus Syriacus 147). So, the quotation in question can only be traced back to the 5th century. Again, how accurate is it? The same document reports that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday which Wednesday advocates deny:

  The apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let there be service, and the reading of the holy scriptures, and the oblation [sacrifice of the Mass], because on the first day of the week [i.e., Sunday] our Lord rose from the place of the dead, and on the first day of the week he arose upon the world, and on the first day of the week he ascended up to heaven, and on the first day of the week he will appear at last with the angels of heaven.³⁸

  Which of these statements, if either, is true? If Jesus was raised on Sunday, as the document says, then that refutes a Wednesday crucifixion. The bottom line is that they are both irrelevant. 100% of the evidence before this document appeared in the 5th century attests that Jesus died on Friday and was raised on Sunday. If Jesus died on Wednesday and was resurrected on Saturday, one would expect a substantial number of statements to that effect amongst the 1 million written Christian letters and documents from the first three centuries of Christianity. And yet, there are none. Zero. That proves no one ever believed in a Wednesday crucifixion until at least the 5th century. Even then, the idea was only held by a few on the fringes of Christianity.

  Calendrical Evidence

  There has always been great interest in fixing the exact date upon which Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Can that date be known? Certain facts of history can help to narrow down the possibilities. The Roman emperor Tiberius, the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, and the Roman governor Pilate were all ruling at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Based on historical records, Humphreys concludes the “crucifixion must therefore have been in the period AD 26–36.”³⁹ During the time of Christ the Passover lamb was slaughtered between “three to five p.m.” on the afternoon of the fourteenth day of the seventh Jewish month, which is named Nisan.⁴⁰ John’s Gospel indicates Jesus, the “Lamb of God,” died on Passover eve, 14 Nisan, at about the time of the traditional slaughter of the Passover lamb (John 1:36; 19:31).

  During the years of 26 to 36 A.D., Oxford astronomer Graeme Waddington calculated that Nisan 14 fell on a Friday in the years 27, 30, 33, and 36 A.D.⁴¹ The year 27 A.D. can be eliminated because John the Baptist’s ministry began in 28/29 A.D. thus making it “impossible biblically.”⁴² Hoehner concludes 36 A.D. is unacceptably late, leaving “only two plausible dates for the crucifixion, namely, A.D. 30 and 33.”⁴³ Humphreys agrees, asserting the “only two possible crucifixion dates” are “Friday, April 7, AD 30 and Friday, April 3, AD 33.”⁴⁴

  

  Further evidence supporting the year 33 A.D. which helps substantiate a Friday crucifixion, is found in Peter’s sermon in Acts chapter two. He quotes from Joel and says: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood” (Acts 2:20). A lunar eclipse event where the moon appears red in color is called a "blood moon" and was thought to precede important world events. In order for Peter to point to its fulfillment, it would have to have been visible in Jerusalem on the day Jesus was crucified. Waddington used computer algorithms to calculate that there was only a single lunar eclipse visible in Jerusalem between 26 A.D. and 36 A.D., and that eclipse occurred “on Passover Eve, Friday, April 3, AD 33.”⁴⁵

  A final consideration in support of a 33 A.D. date are the earthquake and dark day events mentioned by Matthew (Matt. 27:45,51). Several studies of sediment deposits have concluded there was an earthquake in the region of Jerusalem on or about the year 33 A.D.⁴⁶ While not precise enough to pinpoint the year, this lends yet further support to the traditional timeline. Phlegon of Tralles, a Greek historian who lived in the 2nd century AD, wrote about a "Dark Day." Phlegon mentioned this event in his work titled "Chronicles" or "Olympiads," although the original text of his work is no longer extant, and we only have references to it in later writings. According to historical accounts, Phlegon described a sudden darkness that occurred during the daytime, which he attributed to a solar eclipse. This event reportedly happened during the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD) and coincided with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Phlegon mentioned the "Dark Day" event during the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, which began in the year 33 AD. Therefore, this event anchors the date to the year 33 A.D. Since Nisan 14 was on a Friday in 33 A.D., this lends further support for a Friday crucifixion.

  Conclusion

  The theory of a Wednesday crucifixion and Saturday afternoon resurrection has been shown to be lacking in Biblical evidence. It creates far more challenges than it purports to solve. The whole argument for this timeline hinges on the Gospel authors using the word "sabbath" to describe the Passover. However, no grammatical evidence has ever been produced to show the Greek word for Sabbath was ever used for a weekly sabbath after the Pentateuch was written. The theory forces Jesus to rise on “the fourth day,” and yet no Bible passage says Jesus rose on “the fourth day.” Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, and Paul provide a total of thirteen statements confirming Jesus rose on “the third day.”⁴⁷ The theory forces Jesus to rise on Saturday afternoon, and yet no Bible passage says Jesus rose on the Sabbath afternoon. Mark clearly states Jesus rose on Sunday (Mark 16:9). The theory lacks any credible support in Christian history. The single credible argument in favor of this theory is the “sign of Jonah” prophecy. However, other Biblical passages demonstrate conclusively that the Jews used inclusive reckoning to calculate time, which would dismiss Armstrong's theory that Jesus must remain entombed for exactly 72-hours in order to fulfill this prophecy. Even Jews in the first centuries of Christianity, who repeatedly attacked Christianity for various reasons, never accused Jesus of failing this prophecy because they understood how Jews reckoned time. In conclusion, it is far more important for one to believe in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus than to know the exact day of week he died! However, the traditional timeline aligns with the weight of the evidence. The PLAIN BIBLE TRUTH is that Jesus died on Passover Eve, Friday, Nisan 14, 33 AD, and was raised on Sunday, Nisan 16, 33 AD. This aligns with all Biblical, historical, calendrical, and astronomical facts.

  ---

  NOTES

  1. Herbert W. Armstrong, The RESURRECTION was NOT on Sunday, (USA, 1972).

  2. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon. Hereafter referred to as Thayer.

  3. Robert L. Odom, Was Christ Crucified on Wednesday (Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Assn., 2012), 20.

  4. Samuele Bacchiocchi, The Time of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection (Berrien Springs, MI: Biblical Perspectives, 1985), 55.

  5. Ibid., 57-58.

  6. Colin J. Humphreys, The Mystery of the Last Supper: Reconstructing the Final Days of Jesus (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 23.

  7. Hank Hanegraaff, The Bible Answer Book vol. 2 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 33.

  8. Harold Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2010), 66.

  9. Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 81.

  10. Matthew 16:21 and 20:19, Luke 9:22 and 18:33 versus Mark 8:31 and 10:34. See also Matthew 17:23 (“on the third day”) compared to Mark 9:31 (“after three days”).

  11. William Graham Scroggie, A Guide to the Gospels (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 572.

  12. Ibid., 576.

  13. Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1887), 565.

  14. Another challenge of the Saturday evening arrival of the women at the tomb is the logistical problem of getting to the tomb after Sabbath because of Jewish restrictions on Sabbath travel (Acts 1:12). On the Sabbath during the first century, Jews were not expected to walk more than a sabbath day’s journey, which was somewhere between half a mile and three fourths of a mile. (Chad Brand, Charles W. Draper, and Archie W England, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), entry “Sabbath Day’s Journey.”) Mary Magdalene lived in Bethany, which was two miles from Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1). This was significantly longer than a Sabbath day’s journey. Since she presumably rested on the Sabbath at home in accordance with the commandment (Luke 23:56), she could not have commenced walking to the tomb before the end of the Sabbath. Therefore, the women would have waited until after the end of the Sabbath before starting out. The Sabbath day does not technically end until three astronomical objects are observable in the sky. Therefore, they could not have started their journey until well after darkness. While not impossible, a Saturday night trek to and from the sepulcher seems less viable than a Sunday morning trip in which the sky was already lit up by the sun that was soon to rise.

  15. Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The Last Week: The Day by Day Account of Jesus' Final Week in Jerusalem (Nashville, TN: HarperCollins, 2006), vi.

  16. T.A. Burkill, “The Last Supper,” Numen 3, no. 3 (1956): 162, doi:10.2307/3269479. According to Burkill, Mark’s use of “first day of Unleavened Bread” here refers to the “whole festal period” and not necessarily to the literal first day of Unleavened Bread, which is “the 15th of Nisan.”

  17. 4 The English words in the KJV “the day before the sabbath” come from a single word Mark uses— prosabbaton (Strong’s G4315), which is a combination of the Greek pro meaning “before” (Strong’s G4253), and sabbaton (Strong’s G4521), meaning “sabbath.” The word prosabbaton was used by inter-testament authors to refer to the day before the weekly Sabbath, as can be seen in Judith 8:6 and 2 Maccabees 8:26.

  18. Bacchiocchi, The Time of the Crucifixion, 40

  19. Ibid., 40-41. The Didache is the earliest non-Biblical church document, written around the end of the first century while some apostles were still living.

  20. Josephus, Antiquities, XVI 6:2. Hence, Jesus’ trial was completed before the 9th hour (Mark 15:25).

  21. Thayer, Greek Lexicon, 218.

  22. Andreas Kostenberger and Justin Taylor, Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 22. Note: On page 38 the authors surmise that crucifixion Friday was on Nisan 15, which would place the triumphal entry on Sunday, Nisan 10. Regardless of the dates, they concur that Jesus died on a Friday (p. 69) and was raised on Sunday (p. 126).

  23. Herbert W. Armstrong, The Resurrection was not on Sunday! (Radio Church of God, 1952), 10-11. Armstrong postulated that “all these things” of Luke 24:21 referred not just to the events explicitly stated by Luke, namely Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion, but to events not mentioned by Luke, such as “the setting of the seal and the watch over the tomb” on Thursday. If this expansive thinking was somehow true, then Saturday would be the third day since those events happened, not Sunday.

  24. Humphreys, The Mystery, 27.

  25. John J. Owen, A Commentary, Critical, Expository, and Practical, of the Gospel of John (New York: Leavitt and Allen, 1860), 466.

  26. Albert Barnes, Barnes' Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1962), 354.

  27. Bacchiocchi, The Time of the Crucifixion, 44.

  28. J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ: A Study of the Life of Christ (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1981), 575.

  29. Thomas S. McCall, “The Mystery of the Date of Pentecost,” Levitt Letter, July 1995, accessed March 29, 2020, https://old.levitt.com/newsletters/1995-07.

  30. Humphreys, The Mystery, 69.

  31. McCall, “The Mystery of the Date of Pentecost.”

  32. Humphreys, The Mystery, 69.

  33. Ibid., 70.

  34. Eric M. Meyers, “Early Judaism and Christianity in the Light of Archaeology,” The Biblical Archaeologist 51, no. 2 (1988): 71, Accessed April 27, 2020, doi:10.2307/3210028.

  35. Justin Martyr, “First Apology,” Ante-Nicene Christian Library: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325, Vol. 2, eds. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, trans. Marcus Dods, George Reith, and B. P. Pratten (Edinburg, UK: T. & T. Clark, 1867), 66.

  36. Bacchiocchi, The Time of the Crucifixion, 47.

  37. Didascalia Apostolorum, chapter 21, verse 14. R. Hugh Connolly, version Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1929.

  38. Ibid., chapter 2.

  39. Humphreys, The Mystery, 20.

  40. Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects, 50. Note: Jewish months begin with the appearance of the crescent moon after the new moon.

  41. Humphreys, The Mystery, 50.

  42. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects, 51.

  43. Ibid., 52. Hoehner concludes on page 55, “the A.D. 33 date for the death of Christ best explains the evidence of both sacred and secular history.”

  44. Humphreys, The Mystery, 66

  45. Humphreys, The Mystery, 90. NASA lists April 3, 33, as a confirmed lunar eclipse on “Lunar Eclipses of Historical Interest,” accessed April 19, 2020, https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEhistory/LEplot/LE0033Apr03P.pdf.

  46. 4 S.J. Thomas, “On Earthquakes, Bloody Moons, and Dating the Crucifixion,” April 13, 2017, https://christian-apologist.com/2017/04/13/on-earthquakes-bloody-moons-and-dating-the-crucifixion/. Thomas cites the 2011 research of Kagan et al. in the Dead Sea basin (33 AD +/- 2), the 2004 research on sediment cores by Migowski, Agnon, Bookman, Negendank, and Stein which “confirmed an earthquake in 33 AD with a magnitude of 5.5,” and the 2014 findings of Ben-Menahem who concluded an earthquake occurred at “Jerusalem in 33 AD.”

  47. Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Mark 9:31; 10:34; Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7; 24:21; 24:46; Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 15:4.