They were not myths or literary devicesas skeptics or modernist biblical scholars might now suggest. Created With Love By Bright Mark Media LLC. Christ still changes lives like he did in the first century. Every person needs to deal with the questions of who Jesus is and what his death means. It does however, place Phlegons writing, transposed hundreds of years later by Christian writers, as a scientifically-accurate writing. Pratt, John, webpage by astronomer John Pratt on Isaac Newtons approach to determining the date of the crucifixion. How could the science not possibly confirm this level of coincidence? By the time he wrote hisNatural History(73 A.D.), the Christians had already been claiming for the prior forty years that the Crucifixion darkness was a sign worked by their God. 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. 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad. These historians even mention the darkening of the sky and the earthquake which the gospels describe at the time of the crucifixion. Last Olympiad: Next Olympiad: 1st year: Begins 29-07-01/02: Hekatombaion 29 Metageitnion 29 Boedromion 30 Puanepsion 29 Maimakterion 30 Poseideon . He said If I could prove to you that the Bible is a supernatural book, confirmed by both foretelling of the future and also by miracles, would you believe what the Bible says?. 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. Phlegons 13th book quoted in Jeromes translation of Eusebius Chronicle, 202 Olympad. "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." Thus geological data seem to confirm the 33 AD date. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (Luke 23:44-45 ). This would include the April 33 AD date I have used above for the crucifixion. Donations to this ministry aretax-deductible. I wonder too, hypothetically, what might a natural cause include. Those who were not aware that this had been predicted about Christ, no doubt thought it an eclipse. And with regard to the eclipse in the time of Tiberius Caesar, in whose reign Jesus appears to have been crucified, and the great earthquakes which then took place . Using the above information we can work out that the period of darkness occurred in 33 AD. . Properly working out the Jewish calendar shows this to work for AD 33 (see C. Humphreys). The Bible is Gods book of love and redemption. However, unlike the New Testament, of which there are 25,366 early copies, many of these ancient writer's manuscripts are fragmented. There is little doubt that this information was passed from ancient source to ancient source before it reached Phlegon; however; its place in historical writings is scientifically confirmed nearly 2 millenia later. Next, let us consider the argument with regard to theGospel of Mark. Seeing as Phlegon was born approximately in the second century, it is extremely unlikely he spoke with an eyewitness of either eclipse. Bursa is approximately 600 miles from Jerusalem. Next, we consider the Gospel of Matthew. 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." The above said, we may venture still further in suggesting another reason for theseemingsilence. I will address that below as well. As several of the early Fathers quoted Phlegon, there seems no reason to doubt his word. Jerome (4th century) is quoting Phlegon's 13th book which is a translation of a historical chronicle on the 202nd Olympiad by Eusebius. Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that he should be holden by it. (Acts 2: 14-24)[Emphasis and formatting added]. (below) says it took place in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, which was 33 A.D. - which can be verified by clicking on the link following Phlegon's quote in red below. Such is the difficulty of the argument from silence. EARTHQUAKE AND DARKNESS THAT OCCURRED AT JESUS DEATH WAS RECORDED IN SECULAR HISTORY. However, what concerning the bottom line? This one too is during the 202ndOlympiad, although in the first year, not the fourth. We only have fragments left to us of this monumental work and quotations of it from other writers. He lived up to the death of the emperor Augustus in 14CE and we know from Luke that his ministry began in the 15th year of Augustus successor, Tiberius. Have you ever heard of Phlegon of Karia? All rights reserved. However, this is scientifically impossible. AD 33 is a generally accepted year of His crucifixion. So the daylight part of a day (or any part thereof) is an onah and the evening is an onah and the entire dark period of the night is also an onah. 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. "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." 776 BC = Olympiad 1, not 0. April 3 would be the Julian Calendar date; the same day on today's Gregorian calendar is April 1, 33 A.D. Julian dates are usually used by historians and Bible scholars for events in this time in history. The gospel references where Jesus predicted he would rise in three days are Matt. The 202nd Olympiad has been calculated to run from July AD 29 to June AD 33. This is the first of the gospels, written some time between38 and 45 A.D. This information augments Phlegons credibility as a historian; citing sources that preceded his lifetime and were thus out of his control, as they would have recorded the event about a century before he was writing. The 202nd Olympiad. 2. These historians attempt to interpret the darkness as a direct effect of a solar eclipse which we know is scientifically not possible - but they wouldn't have known that in their time. Are you sure that you will enter heaven to be with God in the afterlife? The first quote below is unique to Origen. At the sixth hour the day was turned into the darkness of night, so that stars were seen in the heaven; and there was a . The time from Friday 3 PM to sunset was counted as one day. It is believed to be an 8.2-magnitude earthquake. Unfortunately for the skepticand a sign of his desperation as wellthe argument from silence is, perhaps, one of the most difficult types of arguments to make. For the Hebrews celebrate the passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our Saviour fails on the day before the passover; but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. The astronomical science tells us there was no solar eclipse over Bithynia in that year. Pure speculation. We also know from the New Testament that at that time Caiaphas was the Jewish High Priest (Caiaphas is mentioned in Jewish writings) and Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea. The fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad I believe would include some of the same year as the 203rd Olympiad but the new Olympiad did not start till the Olympics event took place in the Summer. Does this necessarily mean that Phlegon was referencing the seismic activity, if you dare to call it that, that occurred during the Crucifixion in the Gospel accounts? 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. earthquake! In his book Chronicle of the Olympiad he records a miracle mentioned in the New Testament. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord come. Well, for starters, it places a high degree of scientific precision for a writing that could considered to be hearsay or speculative because of its inference from another source. The earthquake on the other hand was a natural process miraculously timed to occur at the crucifixion. Christians claim this corroborates the Gospels; opponents say it has nothing to do with the events described during the Passion and only perpetuates a false conclusion. Tertullians statement certainly suggests he himself had seen the account of this world-portent. Otherwise, it would have been foolhardy of him to have made such a bold challenge to such sticklers for record keeping as the Romans, who could have proven him wrong. 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. The speaker continued The 53rd chapter of Isaiah, written over 700 years before the birth of Christ, describes the most important aspect of the ministry of Jesus Christ!! He inadvertently dated the darkness at noon on the day of Crucifixion in his work, The Olympiades. The facts were recorded in a historical account of Tiberius. On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. While the actual words used by Thallus no longer survive, the response of Africanus (below) give us a sense of what he must have said: As to His (i.e., Jesus Christ) works severally, and His cures effected upon body and soul, and the mysteries of His doctrine, and the resurrection from the dead, these have been most authoritatively set forth by His disciples and apostles before us. That is a nearly impossible standard to meet. Rome had a Jewish community, and it is probable that word of the darkness would have reached and been known within it. 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). Volume 2 contains the quotes on this webpage. Last month: Next month: new 11:37 32/06/26 UTC : 1: 32-06-27/28: Noumenia kata Selene : 2: 32-06-28/29: Agathos Daimon : 3: 32-06-29/30: Athene : 4: 32- . II 21 [2], Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Csar, at full moon, there was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth manifestly that one of which we speak. /*