Waldensian Review No. 122 Summer 2013 | Page 15

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 not just a two-hour fli ??????Q???????????????????????????????????(??((0