This project biblically and astronomically pinpoints the date of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion to the Wednesday Passover in 34 AD (0034-03-22)
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The Crucifixion happened between 26 and 36 AD
- Jesus was crucified during the governorship of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:2, Mark 15:15 and many others)
- Pontius Pilate was Roman governor of Judea from AD 26 to 36 (Pontius Pilate Wikipedia)
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The Crucifixion was on a Wednesday (here is why)
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The Crucifixion was on a Passover which is determined by observable astronomical criteria - New moon between 8 March & 5 April + 14 days
- On a Passover because direct Bible verses like "And it was the preparation of the passover..." (John 19:14)
- The Passover is commanded to occur on the 14th day of the first month at even (Leviticus 23:5)
- The first biblical month (Nisan/Abib) is lunar and begins with the new moon (Exodus 12:2, Psalm 81:3).
- Nisan occured just before the Exodus from Egypt, when "And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled." (Exodus 9:31)
- The barley is in the ear, and the flax is bolled near Jerusalem between 08.March – 05.April (Modern Searches for Aviv Barley in the Context of the Hebrew Calendar)
- If barley was not ripe, a 13th month (Adar II) was added. This was required to align the Passover with the firstfruits harvest (Leviticus 23:10-14).
So we have to check which of the Passovers between 26 and 36 AD fell on a Wednesday. Python script cru_years_astro_new_moon.py performs exactly that check, using NASA’s JPL DE astronomical model via the high-precision astronomy Python library Skyfield, and here are the results:
| Year AD | 1 Nisan (New Moon) | 14 Nisan (Passover) | Weekday (Passover) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 0026-04-04 | 0026-04-18 | Saturday |
| 27 | 0027-03-25 | 0027-04-08 | Thursday |
| 28 | 0028-03-13 | 0028-03-27 | Monday |
| 29 | 0029-04-01 | 0029-04-15 | Sunday |
| 30 | 0030-03-21 | 0030-04-04 | Thursday |
| 31 | 0031-03-10 | 0031-03-24 | Monday |
| 32 | 0032-03-28 | 0032-04-11 | Sunday |
| 33 | 0033-03-18 | 0033-04-01 | Friday |
| 34 | 0034-03-08 | 0034-03-22 | Wednesday ✅ |
| 35 | 0035-03-26 | 0035-04-09 | Monday |
| 36 | 0036-03-15 | 0036-03-29 | Saturday |
*The dates are in Gregorian (modern) calendar
- Passover in 34 AD on a Wednesday is also confirmed by these historical-astronomical data from peer-reviewed research The date of Nisan 14 in Jerusalem AD 26–36 (The table there is in Jilian dates; Julian 24.Mar.34 = Gregorian 22.Mar.34, but we are talking about the same dates)
- The simpler, but less accurate script cru_years_astr_full_moon.py also confirms the Full Moon was on a Wednesday in 34 AD, and the Passover is on a Full Moon (Full Moon is ~14 days from the New Moon), further confirming that the Moon was fully lit that day
- Isaac Newton's calculations also confirm that Passover in AD 34 fell on a Wednesday. As he writes "in the year 34, on wednesday March 24" in his work Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John (again Julian 24.Mar.34 = Gregorian 22.Mar.34).
- Julian Day Converter confirms that Gregorian 22.Mar.34 fell on Wednesday
Jesus Christ was most likely crucified exactly on the Wednesday Passover in AD 34
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