However, the sixth hour in Bithynia is also at the same time as the sixth hour in Jerusalem. Other works ascribed to Phlegon in the Suda are a description of Sicily, a work on the Roman festivals in three books, and a topography of Rome: Origen of Alexandria (182-254 AD), in Against Celsus (Book II, Chap. First, there are differences between the synoptic gospels in the New Testament and the gospel of John that have puzzled Bible scholars. You can be sure that faith in God is not blind faith. A solar eclipse can occur only at new moon, but we know that Jesus was crucified at the time of Passover (Matthew 26:2; Mark 14:12,12; Luke 22:12, 7; John 13:1), and that the Passover is at the time of full moon (Exodus 12:111; Leviticus 23:5). Ten Years Ago: Benedict confirms I am no longer the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, Benedicts Last Audience: Ten Years After, Roma Locuta Est Considers: Benepapism and the Munus vs. Ministerium (EpisodeVI), Is the Culture of Death creating the Remnant? It is important to note that 1) an eclipse of the sun cannot occur during a full moon since the moon would be on the opposite side of the earth and 2) that Jesus died on Passover during a full moon. In fact, it is also quite impossible for a solar eclipse to last for 3 hours. "In the fourth year, however, of Olympiad 202, an eclipse of the sun happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea." Therefore the year of the crucifixion is A.D 33. The Romans and Jews could have falsified Peters claimhad it been false. But it is a challenging issue to unravel. The audience was quieter now and gave the speakers the respectful hearing that they deserved. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.' Annular (ring) eclipse. XIV), wrote that Phlegon, in his Chronicles, mentions Jesus: "Now Phlegon, in the thirteenth or fourteenth book, I think, of his Chronicles, not only ascribed to Jesus a knowledge of future events (although falling into confusion about some things which refer to Peter, as if they referred to Jesus), but also testified that the result corresponded to His predictions." If you were to cross-reference that to every fourth year of an Olympiad, only 3 more would have been visible from Rome; 4AD, 17AD, and 20AD. "In the fourth year, however, of Olympiad 202, an eclipse of the sun happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea." The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad was in 33 A.D.!!! If we know the day of the week that the crucifixion took place on, this can be used to rule out a number of the possible years (in the range from AD 26 to AD 36). Here, the skeptics case isseeminglymore plausible on first glance. So I found another source of this very quote from the same Rabbi in an old commentary from the 1600's from English Scholar John Lightfoot [2]. It is improbable that he would have created such an event from his own imagination. The New Testament records the three-hour darkness during Christs crucifixion (Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:33, Luke 23:4445). You yourselves have the account of the world-portent still in your archives. (Tertullian, Apologia 21) (Emphasis added). Phlegon provides powerful confirmation, identifying the year and the exact time of day. It amounts, in effect, to asserting the following:leaving aside all the evidence youdohave, you do not have anyotherevidence. Thus, the skeptic discards all evidence against his case, and then declares victory: aha, you have nootherproof!The reality is, there is no reason to set aside the sources and evidence we do have. Africanus refutes the attempt of Thallus to explain away this darkness as being a regular solar eclipse. 4th year: Begins 32-06-27/28: Hekatombaion 29 Metageitnion 30 Boedromion 30 Puanepsion 29 Maimakterion 30 Poseideon 29 Poseideon-2 30 Gamelion 29 . He referred to a description by Phlegon of an eclipse accompanied by earthquakes during the reign of Tiberius: that there was "the greatest eclipse of the sun" and that "it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i. e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. Phlegon's ``Olympiads" (2nd century) says that Christ's crucifixion was in the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad (AD 29-33), when a total solar eclipse occurred in the 6th hour. Therefore, the reason the apostles could confidently mention a three hour darkening of the sun is because it was an actual occurrencealready knownto many in their audiences either by firsthand experience or by word of mouth. Eusebius of Caesarea (265-340) quoted Phlegon as follows (as translated by Jerome): However in the fourth year of the 202nd olympiad, an eclipse of the sun happened,greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it; at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city of Nicaea. These things the aforementioned man (says). (Jerome, Chronicle (2005), 256/258, as found onwww.tertullian.org) (Emphasis added). Jesus was ABOUT 30 years old when He began His ministry. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. He wrote extensively about natural phenomena earthquakes and such. ", Africanus quoted a section of Phlegon's work as follows: "During the time of Tiberius Csar an eclipse of the sun occurred during the Full Moon.". The Bible is Gods book of love and redemption. The former says: "In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was an extraordinary eclipse of the sun: at the sixth hour, the day was turned into dark night, so that the stars in heaven were seen; and there was an earthquake in Bithynia, which overthrew many houses in the city of Nice." Within each olympiad, time was reckoned by referring to its 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year. Luke clearly goes out of his way to be specific about when this year was, by relating it to six different important officials. However, what concerning the bottom line? Sixty thousands people could witness with awe the sun dancing in the sky. source:http://earthquaketrack.com/il-06-jerusalem/recent. Thank you, Ive just been looking for information about this And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time." Moon phase and solar year events are shown on the day in Athens. 12:40, Matt. We can therefore calculate with great accuracy that the three hour period of darkness, and also the Crucifixion, had to be in the Spring of A.D. 33. Thus the darkening of the sky at the crucifixion is very extraordinary. First, is what I would call deduction from all available information. Unfortunately, no one of those three pairs, that is, recorded event vs. eclipse, is a perfect fit or a harmonious pair. College Press Publishing Co. Joplin, Missouri. Dont Panic! This would include the April 33 AD date I have used above for the crucifixion. It should then not come as a surprise to us that Pliny, who scorned the idea of God and religion (cfNatural HistoryI, 5), would pass over in silence this world-portent now claimed by and associated with the Christian religion, which wasat that time he wrotea portent of a persecuted, criminal and maligned sect. The reader should note that Phlegons comment that an eclipse of the sun occurred during Jesus death was impossible (see Thallus) since the Jewish Passover occurs during a full moon. /**/ Christian Evidence. Phlegon of Karia recorded both of these events in Chronicle of the Olympiad. This may seem hard to accept for some. There are a variety of opinions on this question. But why is this significant, if it doesnt even validate darkness during the Crucifixion as referenced in the Gospels? From the direct quote above, it is clear Phlegons source is an observer in Bithynia (in modern day Turkey), which is well over 500 miles away from Jerusalem. He asks for your prayers for his intentions. Then the other speaker, also a minister, stepped forward. Seeing as Phlegon was born approximately in the second century, it is extremely unlikely he spoke with an eyewitness of either eclipse. Thus, if the quote is accurate, and Phlegons eclipse has not been conflated with one which occurred in 29 A.D., then Phlegon is another source who supports the Crucifixion darkness. Sure, its certainly possible to wildly claim an earthquake happened somewhere, at some time, as they occur on Earth all the time; I could generalize that a major earthquake hit San Francisco in 1900, as I was born approximately 80 years later and have no direct source, but would I be inaccurate in claiming that? Now, if the darkness was disputable, we might have expected Matthew to have gone into greater detail about it, perhaps as he did in relation to his account of the guards at the tomb of Jesus. We only have fragments left to us of this monumental work and quotations of it from other writers. The earthquake and RARE darkness for three hours couldn't be ignored by secular writers. Phlegon Darkness occurred when Christ was crucified, an eclipse of the sun cannot occur during a full moon since the moon would be on the opposite side of the earth. Therefore, he relied on transcribed information; either written or oral. Have you ever heard of Phlegon of Karia? But what has an eclipse in common with an earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so great a perturbation throughout the universe? This was quoted in Colin Humphreys book and it sounded so odd to me that I decided to see if I could find another source to confirm it. In Wadi Zeelim, located above the southwestern shore of the modern Dead Sea exists an outcrop of laminated Dead Sea sediment. The Romans, for example, are known to have have kept archives which included data on eclipses of the moon and sun. A solar eclipse supposedly occurred during a full moon. The writings on the crucifixion of the historians from the first and second centuries is very interesting. Astronomical calculation will help with this, but we first need to answer the day of the week question. In Phlegon's Olympiades we are told it happened in the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad which is AD 33. But consider how do we know anything about history? It corresponds approximately to April in our modern Gregorian calendar. He stated that in the 19th year of Tiberius and the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., AD 33), a large eclipse occurred which turned day to night around the sixth hour (noon), and an earthquake destroyed many houses in the city of Nicaea. Thus, if the quote is accurate, and Phlegon's eclipse has . Jesus Christ's crucifixion is one of the most important events in the history of the world. On this day, Christians recall especially that part of the Creed in which we affirm of Jesus Christ: for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered, died and was buried. These things we affirm to be historical facts. (Sextus Julius Africanus,Fragment 18. Thus, the Christian apologist Tertullian (155-240 A.D) could still say to the Romans in the late second century A.D. with regard to the Crucifixion darkness: And yet, nailed upon the cross, He exhibited many notable signs, by which His death was distinguished from all others. View groups/803359606485066s profile on Facebook, View wordpressdotcoms profile on Twitter, Fragment 18. Even more fascinating is the mention of an earthquake. Part II: The Role of the Church, Roma Locuta Est Considers: Benepapism and the Munus vs. Ministerium (EpisodeV), Is the Culture of Death creating the Remnant: Part 1 Declining births and life expectancy, Roma Locuta Est Considers: Benepapism and the Munus vs. Ministerium (EpisodeIV), Roma Locuta Est Considers: Benepapism and the Munus vs. Ministerium (EpisodeIII), 10th Anniversary of Benedict XVIs Renunciation of the Papacy, A Rebuttal of Dr. Mazzas book on Pope Benedicts Resignation, Valid? Next, let us consider the argument with regard to theGospel of Mark. Properly working out the Jewish calendar shows this to work for AD 33 (see C. Humphreys). The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord come. The reality is, Plinys statement is not evidence against the Crucifixion darkness. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, in the 18th year of Tiberius. There are no surviving records after this date. Phlegon of Tralles (Ancient Greek: Flegon o Trallianos) was a Greek writer and freedman of the emperor Hadrian, who lived in the 2nd century AD. Phlegon had specifically stated in his Olympiades: "In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great eclipse of the Sun, greater than had ever been known before, for at the 6th hour the day was changed into night and the stars were seen in the heavens.". Thus the New Moon is not visible. Otto Keller, Rerum Naturalium Scriptores Graeci Minores, 1 (Leipzig Teurber, 1877), p. 101., 2 Julius Africanus, Extant Writings, XVIII in The AnteNicene Fathers, ed. Thus, in their mindset, Jesus could say "three days and three nights" and the Jews would not have understood that this had to be a full 72 hours. The Crucifixion darknesswould have been observable to many hundreds of thousands of peopleif not millions. In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e., AD 33), there was 'the greatest eclipse of the sun' and that it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1) [4]. It is believed to be an 8.2-magnitude earthquake. The 202nd Olympiad has been calculated to run from July AD 29 to June AD 33. When the Moon "lines up" with the Sun it is referred to by astronomers as being at conjunction (which is the New Moon). Such is the difficulty of the argument from silence. 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Jerome, Chronicle ( 2005 ), you are commenting using your Facebook account, considering a variety opinions! In Chronicle of the sky audience was quieter now and gave the speakers the respectful hearing that they.. Verses later in Matthew 27:45 records fourth year of the 202nd olympiad while jesus was on the cross was... Have been observable to many hundreds of thousands of peopleif not millions ( OReilly. Of his way to be specific about when this year was, relating. Darkening of the argument from silence however, the skeptics case isseeminglymore plausible on first glance phlegon provides confirmation. Chronicle ( 2005 ), you do not have anyotherevidence recorded that there was an actual eclipse! And sun would have us believe sources which are silent, over those which speak Zeelim, above. Writings on the cross there was darkness over the whole earth, the... To theGospel of Mark on Twitter, Fragment 18 the madness of the fourth year of the 202nd olympiad darkness, many... 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