4/24/2008

Passion Chronology Uncensored

I tried to post this at FFOZ blog (Good Friday Revisited) but was edited. Pouncing on my “counting error,” Toby chose only to publish my first sentence. I will post my full contribution to the discussion here and answer Toby’s question.

My censored/edited post:

One problem with the Friday crucifixion is that it has Yeshua traveling a long distance on Sabbath six days previously (John 12:1). Another is that He is in the tomb less than 30 hours!

I believe the Biblical evidence shows that Yeshua died on Wednesday and rose three days/three nights later on Sabbath, just before dawn. Most, if not all, of the difficulties can be resolved with this Chronology, including...

In three days
After three days
The third day
Avoidance of Road to Emmaus falling on 4th day

Fulfillment of three days/three nights types, shadows, hints including:

Sign of Jonah
Binding of Isaac
Baker (Bread) and Cupbearer (Wine) in Genesis 40
Egyptian (1 Samuel 30)

It also takes into consideration parallels, prophecies, and history including:

First of Firstfruits Wave Offering on 16th
Giving of Torah on Sabbath at Mt. Sinai
Pharisaic reckoning to Shavuot
Hosea 5 prophecy

Key to the Chronology is reckoning by overlapping Temple/Pharisaic calendars. I would be happy to discuss details on the forum.

The following is the portion of my post that was published....and the response.....

One problem with the Friday crucifixion is that it has Yeshua traveling a long distance on Sabbath six days previously (John 12:1).

**Toby's Response:** Can you explain why we would have to reckon it like this with a Friday crucifixion? Six days before Passover would be Sunday.

Posted by: Maureen (Renah) | April 22, 2008 1:29 PM


My answer:

Maybe I was counting with a midrashic flavor? : )

Six days could mean “any number of days.” Why take the number of days literally here and not in your midrashic-flavored Good Friday to Saturday night scenario?

If you are trying to find a way to preserve one Church tradition (Good Friday) why not be consistent and preserve the other (Palm Sunday). In doing so, Wednesday, the TRUE Crucifixion day, could be conveniently eliminated from the Passion week in order to count those six days! Now there’s a solution!

Ah, yes, “Silent Wednesday”....that pesky, enigmatic day that is ignored in the Catholic/Traditional Passion Week chronology. Could it be that Yeshua really was delivered up and crucified on that day? A day the devil would like to blot out by creating unresolved confusion in our calendars? You can not have “Palm Sunday” be the tenth of Aviv (when the lambs were selected) and still have “Good Friday” be the Crucifixion day without eliminating the TRUE Crucifixion day, the fourth day of the week!

I find the prejudice against the fourth day very interesting and another sign that the truth is indeed being suppressed, as referenced even in the confusion of the account in the Didascalia Apostolorum:.

Around the year 200, a document purporting to pass on apostolic instruction, called the Didascalia Apostolorum, mentions that the last Passover of Jesus Christ and His disciples was on a Tuesday night. It should be noted that the timing mentioned in the document corresponds to the biblical method of counting time—i.e., the week started with Sunday as the first day and the days began at sunset.

This document states: "For when we had eaten the Passover on the third day of the week at even [Tuesday evening], we went forth to the Mount of Olives ; and in the night they seized our Lord Jesus. And the next day, which was the fourth of the week [Wednesday], He remained in ward in the house of Caiaphas the high priest."

Paradoxically, the text goes on to mention that Jesus was crucified on a Friday—showing great confusion about the dates, for the biblical account clearly states that Christ was crucified on the day following that Passover meal. Nonetheless, the document demonstrates that Passover was then understood by some to have been on Tuesday evening, which would place the crucifixion on the next day, Wednesday.


I advocate a Chronology in which all the puzzle pieces fit together without contradiction, Wednesday-Sabbath. The women came to the tomb with the spices on Mia Sabbaton, the first (or one) of the Sabbaths after the Passover High Sabbath, during the count of seven weekly Sabbaths to Shavuot. This Mia Sabbaton was Resurrection Day.

The fatal flaw with Toby’s midrashic-flavored proposal is Yeshua’s words, “three days AND THREE NIGHTS.” If only Yeshua had not added those problematic “three nights” to His words in Matt. 12:40 maybe we could get away with not taking Him literally! Or should we go with the spurious “Gospel According to the Hebrews” version that Toby cites, that leaves out these words?

Distinctive to the apocryphal Gospel According to the Hebrews is this oddity (according to Wikipedia):

Among the most distinctive traditions is the depiction of Mary, like the Johannine logos, as divine— in fact, that she was the incarnation of Michael, who was the personification of the Holy Spirit. Also, Jesus first appears to his brother James following the resurrection.

According to Biblical Chronology, as well as Jewish tradition, the Torah was given on Shabbat. How fitting that the Living Torah would rise on Shabbat as well! The Sabbath is the sign of God’s covenant relationship with Israel, not Sunday!

Original article/discussion available here:

FFOZ Blogs : Good Friday Revisited

For further study of Passion Chronology and the Sabbath Resurrection, see the writings of Daniel Gregg at

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