Gospels agree on the date of the crucifixion as Nisan 14 [a Friday] in the official
Jewish calendar, with Jesus, ‘our Passover lamb’, dying on the Cross at 3 pm, the
time when, as John notes the Passover lambs were traditionally slaughtered.
Using an astrophysicist to calculate the dates using both calendars, we find
that not only was Passover in the pre-exilic Jewish calendar throughout the 1st
century AD always a few days before the official Passover, but also that the calendar
reconstructions give the date of the crucifixion as Friday, 3 April, AD 33, and the
date of the Last Supper as Wednesday, 1 April, AD 33.
A Wednesday Last Supper solves the four mysteries through resolving the
apparent Synoptic/John discrepancy on the date and the nature of the Last Supper,
while it also allows sufficient time for all the events recorded in all the Gospels
between the Last Supper and the Crucifixion in allowing the Jewish trials to follow
due process with the arrest of Jesus in the early hours of Thursday, the main trial
on Thursday and the confirmation of the death sentence on Friday at sunrise [5.45
am], followed by the trial before Pontius Pilate at 6 am [Julian calendar], then
followed by the trial before Herod, with all sources agreeing that Jesus’ crucifixion
was at 9 am and his death at 3 pm.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John give ‘a coherent and detailed factual account
of the last days of Jesus’, as they intended; the intention of Dan Brown was to write
a work of fiction. The Gospels were not written so that one Richard Dawkins could
parade his lack of forensic skills. The Gospels rather show Jesus’ last parable. Jesus
chose to commemorate the Passover of the Red Sea of the Israelite slaves led by
Moses on the exact anniversary according to the Egyptian pre-exilic calendar, so
as to emphasise that he, Jesus, was the New Moses, proclaiming a new Covenant
with God and leading God’s people out of captivity.
Richard Newbury
Louisa Boyce
Who would have thought that it was possible for one small European
Protestant Church to have two significant English benefactors during the 19th
century? Strange, but true! Our regular readers will be familiar with the name
(John) Charles Beckwith – especially if they have been to the Valleys and Torre
Pellice. His contribution to the Waldensian Church is legendary – financing
the building of 100+ little schools throughout the valleys and he also played
a large role in the building of the Churches in Torre Pellice and Turin. But
how many have heard of Louisa Boyce? This courageous lady, widowed at an
early age, dedicated the last 25 years of her life and most of her considerable
fortune to make sure that orphans in Vallecrosia (Liguria) were kept from
destitution and were educated. She also contributed significantly to the
founding and staffing of the Church there. She could have led a life of luxury
in London, amongst the nobility, but instead she chose to spend her time far
from family and friends in North West Italy – which in the 19th century was
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