Was Jesus Crucified on a Friday

[CadyandZoe]

Hi all,
I created a video to explain what day in the week Christ was crucified. Please watch and enjoy.

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday.

If you are wondering, the day of the week doesn't matter in the ultimate. But a study of this question helped me gain a bit more confidence in the veracity of the scriptures.

[ProDeo]

Good job.

Personally I never trusted the chosen memorial chosen days by people in the past, Christmas being the best example, 25 December was a compromise between the new Roman state religion (Christianity) and the old one.

[CadyandZoe]

I'm glad you liked the video.

[Fenris]

7 minute mark

The Passover sacrifice was brought on the day before the Holiday. It was consumed at the Seder that night, bringing in the first day of the holiday.

Removing leavening is not "work". It's not about "being busy, doing something".  The Exodus took place on that day and so it is from that day forward celebrated as a holiday. But it wasn't a holiday on the year of the Exodus.

The animal is sacrificed on the 14th, not the 13th as you have it. The holiday begins on the eve of the 15th, not the 14th as you have it.

[Aijalon]

It's not called good Friday for nothing.  So yes, it was a Friday.  If long standing historical church tradition were not enough, we also know that the day following crucifixion was a Sabbath day, hence, crucifixion was Friday.   We also can date the Passion week from Palm Sunday, the day he departed Bethany and first arrived in Jerusalem, such that it is impossible for the crucifixion to be a Wednesday with daily travel to and from Bethany in between Palm Sunday and Last Supper.

[Athanasius]

Historically it's Wednesday or Friday. Does it matter if we know exactly which day specifically? Probably not. We know it happened, we remember it as we should, and short of definitive knowledge that's about the best we can do.

[RabbiKnife]

We tithe mint and cumin and forget the weightier matters of the law

[CadyandZoe]

Historically it's Wednesday or Friday. Does it matter if we know exactly which day specifically? Probably not. We know it happened, we remember it as we should, and short of definitive knowledge that's about the best we can do.

I agree with your overall assessment in that the day isn't that important. At the same time, after I studied the issue I gained more confidence in the New Testament. I decided to make the video after "Jesus Interrupted" was published.

"Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them)"
by Bart D. Ehrman Feb 2, 2010

[CadyandZoe]

7 minute mark

The Passover sacrifice was brought on the day before the Holiday. It was consumed at the Seder that night, bringing in the first day of the holiday.

Removing leavening is not "work". It's not about "being busy, doing something".  The Exodus took place on that day and so it is from that day forward celebrated as a holiday. But it wasn't a holiday on the year of the Exodus.

The animal is sacrificed on the 14th, not the 13th as you have it. The holiday begins on the eve of the 15th, not the 14th as you have it.

Thanks for the correction, though I'm not sure where I went wrong. As I understand it, the twilight of the 13th is actually the beginning of the 14th, but I could be wrong. My brain is unaccustomed to starting the next day right after dinner.

I want to make a new video much shorter for next year. Your corrections will end up in the next one. Thanks for your help.

[CadyandZoe]

It's not called good Friday for nothing.  So yes, it was a Friday.  If long standing historical church tradition were not enough, we also know that the day following crucifixion was a Sabbath day, hence, crucifixion was Friday.   We also can date the Passion week from Palm Sunday, the day he departed Bethany and first arrived in Jerusalem, such that it is impossible for the crucifixion to be a Wednesday with daily travel to and from Bethany in between Palm Sunday and Last Supper.

Agreed, the day after the crucifixion was a Sabbath day. But was that particular Sabbath day on a Saturday?

[Athanasius]

Historically it's Wednesday or Friday. Does it matter if we know exactly which day specifically? Probably not. We know it happened, we remember it as we should, and short of definitive knowledge that's about the best we can do.

I agree with your overall assessment in that the day isn't that important. At the same time, after I studied the issue I gained more confidence in the New Testament. I decided to make the video after "Jesus Interrupted" was published.

"Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them)"
by Bart D. Ehrman Feb 2, 2010

Ehrman, what a guy. I don't think I've ever seen someone argue so clearly in one direction, only to happen upon the opposite conclusion.

[RabbiKnife]

Ehrmann

A solution in search of a problem

[Aijalon]

It's not called good Friday for nothing.  So yes, it was a Friday.  If long standing historical church tradition were not enough, we also know that the day following crucifixion was a Sabbath day, hence, crucifixion was Friday.   We also can date the Passion week from Palm Sunday, the day he departed Bethany and first arrived in Jerusalem, such that it is impossible for the crucifixion to be a Wednesday with daily travel to and from Bethany in between Palm Sunday and Last Supper.

Agreed, the day after the crucifixion was a Sabbath day. But was that particular Sabbath day on a Saturday?

Yes, the weekly sabaath, Saturday.   I believe some have argued that special holidays were also called sabbaths, but I don't think that holds water.  I believe that it makes the most sense that a "high sabbath" is a Sabbath that falls on a special day.  Hence, the only work allowed to be done was the work required for that holiday.   It would have been the second day of the feast of unleavened bread.   

To me there are other indicators with the weekly cycle that point to a Friday crucifixion.   Friday is day 6, mans number.   The Son of Man was in the grave at "rest" from his labor on day 7.  He rose again on day 1 of the week, the dawn of new creation.  Palm Sunday through Resurrection Sunday would wrap up a 7 day cycle to complete the passion week.   4 days in Bethany (4 days with Pascal Lamb) 3 days / 3 nights in the heart of the earth (Jerusalem).

[Quantrill]

Hi all,
I created a video to explain what day in the week Christ was crucified. Please watch and enjoy.

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday.

If you are wondering, the day of the week doesn't matter in the ultimate. But a study of this question helped me gain a bit more confidence in the veracity of the scriptures.

This is my first post, so hello to all.  I want to reply to this because I am not new to forums, and have encountered a persistant argument by atheists that Scripture is unreliable due to Jesus not being in the tomb for three days and nights as Jesus proclaims He will be in (Matt. 12:40).

So, I do disagree that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday.  And, I believe this does matter to show the reliability of Scripture. 

Jesus was crucified the day before the Sabbath, Friday.  (Mark 15:42)

Jesus was raised on the third day.  (Matt. 16:21) (Mark 8:31) (Luke 9:22)

Jesus was raised on the first day of the week, Sunday.  (Luke 24:1)

The argument comes for the atheist's side, in using (Matt. 12:40, that Jesus could not have been crucified on Friday because there are not 3 days and nights accounted for if He was resurrected on the first day of the week. 

More to say, and I think this is important.

Quantrill

[RabbiKnife]

Remember:  Jews counted nights and days, with the calendar day starting at sundown.  When Jesus described his burial, he talked about being in the heart of the earth 3 DAYS and 3 NIGHTS.  So we went into the grave during daylight hours before the Passover started.

Jesus was crucified during the day on Thursday, the day of preparation for Passover.  "Day 1"  before 3 pm

He was in the tomb that night, the start of passover.  What we would call "Thursday night"  Night 1

The next day was Passover, a High Sabbath "  (Day 2)  Friday daylight hours, as we would call it.

That night until the next morning was Night 2 what we would call Friday night

The morning of the next day was Saturday daylight hours and the normal Sabbath  (Day 3)
That night, Saturday night, was actually the start of what the Jews would call the first day of the week, prior to sunrise (Night 3)

Woman came to the tomb early before daylight on Sunday morning.