The Day of the Cross

SOME ARE OBVIOUS, SOME OBSCURE. But there are many clues to the date of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth: violent Roman history, the Jewish calendar, startling ancient prophecies, a somber night sky. Each adds data for our investigation. We can deduce an important clue from the gospel records: Jesus must have died in a year when the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan fell on a Friday...
more

IT WAS DANGEROUS to be Roman if you knew the wrong people. Tiberius Caesar ruled the Empire during the time of Christ. He was not a hesitant or forgiving man. A plot to take his throne was discovered—the plot bathed Italy in blood—and it appears to have had a role in the execution of Jesus...
more

FAR FROM JERUSALEM a Jewish exile remained true. True to his people. True to his god. True to the land of his birth. The Bible records his mysterious vision: an angel speaking of the death of Messiah. And this vision, which at first seems obscure, can be gently pressed to reveal secrets—the timing of an execution to occur centuries later...
more

PETER WAS UP—it was time to speak . He had to address the rowdy crowd. A strange scene was unfolding. It was less than two months after the crucifixion. Worshipers from dozens of nations were in Jerusalem for a Jewish holiday. Suddenly, the disciples of Jesus began praising God, but in out-of-towners' languages! Peter stood, and he used the sky as he explained...
more

STARS ARE ANCHORS for historians. Scholars dance when ancient texts describe the sky. The heavens are so predictable that a description of the sky enables precise dating of ancient events. Our last clue for the day when Jesus of Nazareth was crucified comes from the sky. And it's the clincher...
more

close