{"id":14643,"date":"2014-04-05T18:06:38","date_gmt":"2014-04-05T23:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/luisapiccarreta.co\/?page_id=14643"},"modified":"2014-04-05T18:06:38","modified_gmt":"2014-04-05T23:06:38","slug":"april-3-ad-33","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/luisapiccarreta.co\/?page_id=14643","title":{"rendered":"APRIL 3, AD 33"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0WHY WE BELIEVE WE CAN KNOW THE EXACT DATE JESUS DIED
\nby Andreas J. K\u00f6stenberger and Justin Taylor<\/a> 4 . 3 . 14<\/p>\n

Click here<\/strong><\/a> for link to original website<\/p>\n

In our new book,\u00a0The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0we assume but do not argue for a precise date of Jesus\u2019s crucifixion. Virtually all scholars believe, for various reasons, that Jesus was crucified in the spring of either\u00a0a.d.\u00a030 or\u00a0a.d. 33, with the majority opting for the former. (The evidence from astronomy\u00a0narrows the possibilities to\u00a0a.d. 27, 30, 33, or 34). However, we want to set forth our case for the date of Friday, April 3,\u00a0a.d. 33 as the exact day that Christ died for our sins.<\/p>\n

To be clear, the Bible does not explicitly specify the precise date of Jesus\u2019s crucifixion and it is not an essential salvation truth. But that does not make it unknowable or unimportant. Because Christianity is a historical religion and the events of Christ\u2019s life did take place in human history alongside other known events, it is helpful to locate Jesus\u2019s death\u2014as precisely as the available evidence allows\u2014within the larger context of human history.<\/p>\n

Among the Gospel writers, no one makes this point more strongly than Luke, the Gentile physician turned historian and inspired chronicler of early Christianity.<\/p>\n

The Year John the Baptist\u2019s Ministry Began<\/p>\n

Luke implies that John the Baptist began his public ministry shortly before Jesus did, and he gives us a historical reference point for when the Baptist\u2019s ministry began: \u201cIn\u00a0the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar<\/em>\u00a0. . .\u201d (Luke 3:1).<\/p>\n

We know from Roman historians that Tiberius succeeded Augustus as emperor and was confirmed by the Roman Senate on August 19,\u00a0a.d. 14. He ruled until\u00a0a.d. 37. \u201cThe fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar\u201d sounds like a straightforward date, but there are some ambiguities, beginning with when one starts the calculation. Most likely, Tiberius\u2019s reign was counted either from the day he took office in\u00a0a.d. 14 or from January 1 of the following year,\u00a0a.d. 15. The earliest possible date at which Tiberius\u2019s \u201cfifteenth year\u201d began is August 19,\u00a0a.d. 28, and the latest possible date at which his \u201cfifteenth year\u201d ended is December 31,\u00a0a.d. 29. So\u00a0John the Baptist\u2019s ministry began anywhere from mid-a.d. 28 until sometime in\u00a0a.d. 29<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Year Jesus\u2019s Ministry Began<\/p>\n

If Jesus, as the Gospels seem to indicate, began his ministry not long after John, then based on the calculations above, the earliest date for Jesus\u2019s baptism would be in late\u00a0a.d. 28 at the very earliest. However, it is more probable to place it sometime in the first half of the year\u00a0a.d. 29, because a few months probably elapsed between the beginning of John\u2019s ministry and that of Jesus (and the year\u00a0a.d. 30 is the latest possible date). So\u00a0Jesus\u2019s ministry must have begun between the end of\u00a0a.d. 28 at the earliest and\u00a0a.d.\u00a030 at the latest.<\/em><\/p>\n

This coheres with Luke\u2019s mention that \u201cJesus, when he began his ministry, wasabout thirty years of age<\/em>\u201d (Luke 3:23). If he was born in 6 or 5\u00a0b.c.,\u00a0as is most likely, Jesus would have been\u00a0approximately thirty-two to thirty-four years old<\/em>\u00a0in late\u00a0a.d. 28 until\u00a0a.d. 30, which falls well within the range of him being \u201cabout thirty years of age.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Length of Jesus\u2019s Ministry<\/p>\n

Now we need to know how long Jesus\u2019s public ministry lasted, because if it went on for two or more years, this would seem to rule out spring of\u00a0a.d.\u00a030 as a possible date for the crucifixion.<\/p>\n

John\u2019s Gospel mentions that Jesus attended at least three Passovers (possibly four), which took place once a year in the spring:<\/p>\n