Good Thursday or Good Friday

[Ben_Ives]

Hello,

I would assume this topic has been raised somewhere previously, however it’s just come up again for me as its contained in a book, "Bethlehem to Patmos" by Paul W Barnett, which is required pre-reading for a degree in Theology I'm starting in January.

Barnett states that Christ would have been born about 6 BC, and commenced His public ministry at 30 AD, and would have been crucified in 33 AD.

He bases a lot of his thinking on the assumption that the crucifixion was on Friday. I can understand that Sunday would then be, "the third day" if part of Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning are to all be considered days, yet this to me seems to conflict with Matthew 12:40 (KJV):

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.


I also struggle with Christ not commencing his public ministry until he was 36, as Jewish priests commenced at the age of 30, and Christ was a priest offering himself.

So [2] issues, is it possible for Christ to have actually been born on 0 AD if the crucifixion was on Thursday? And why do people insist that He had to have been crucified on a Friday, if it seems to conflict with the scriptures in several areas?

I'd expect people to be fairly dogmatic about this, I'm open to the possibility of both views being correct, but I'd like an explanation of, "3 days and 3 nights" being violated, and I'd also like to hear both views from people who actually hold to each view if possible please.

Many thanks in advance

 

[Manuel]

The evidence from the Bible is that the crucifixion took place on a Friday and the resurrection on a Sunday. Matthew 12:40, therefore must not be understood from a modern, occidental way of thinking as necessarily meaning 72 hours no more and no less; rather as a manner of speech or idiom that was common in those days according to the way they counted the days in that time and culture. I suggest you read John Gill on Mat 12:40, he offers a really good explanation.

 

[jambo]

I would go for a Thursday crucifixion. Jn 19.31 speaks of a special high sabbath. Thus you have the weekly sabbath and the special sabbath for the Passover, always on 14th Nissan. If the 14th day of Nissan was a Friday (as it was in 33ad) then this would indicate a Thursday crucifixion. Some would even advocate a Wednesday crucifixion.

 

[Jack K]

I also struggle with Christ not commencing his public ministry until he was 36, as Jewish priests commenced at the age of 30, and Christ was a priest offering himself.

And 36 seems a bit too old to fit with Luke's report that Jesus was "about 30" when he began his ministry (Luke 3:23).

 

[Edm]

The Friday crucifixion and Sunday resurrection has always seemed to be a forced fit to me. I believe in 3 days and 3 nights. Like the Bible says.