PART 1: TIME ELEMENT PROBLEMS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT...1 Chapter 1: The Passover Controversy Today...3 Chapter 2: The Passover Time Element Problem...5 Pinpointing the Problem...l7 A Modern Theory Emerges...10 The Importance of this Issue...13 Chapter 3: Was There a First Century Controversy?...17 Chapter 4: The Quartodeciman Controversy...21 First Controversy: Nisan 14 Passover vs. Sunday Eucharist...23 Second Controversy: Quartodecimans vs. Quintodecimans...29 Third Controversy: Hebrew Calendar Inaccuracies...36 Jewish Calendar Disruptions in the Second Century...41 Chapter 5: Was There a Controversy among the Jews?...49 Did Jesus Follow the Essene Calendar?...56 Synopsis...57 Chapter 6: What is Passover?...59 What Happened on Passover Night?...63 The Timing of Christ s Sacrifice...67 Christ, Our Passover...69 Did Jesus Change the Time of Passover?...73 What about keeping Passover Today?...76 Chapter 7: Was the Last Supper a Passover Meal?...79 The Case for a Passover Meal...81 Why Did Jesus Tell His Disciples to Prepare for the Passover?...83 Does the Nisan 13/14 Passover Theory Solve the Problem?...90 vi
Chapter 8: The Chronology of Passion Week...93 Analyzing Passion Week Chronology...97 Sunday, Nisan 9 (Sixth Day before Nisan 14)...97 Monday, Nisan 10 (Fifth Day Before Nisan 14)...97 Tuesday, Nisan 11 (Fourth Day before Nisan 14)...98 Wednesday, Nisan 12 (Third Day Before Nisan 14)...99 Thursday, Nisan 13 (Second Day before Nisan 14)...101 Friday, Nisan 14 (Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus)...107 Saturday, Nisan 15 (Second Day of Christ s Burial)...108 Sunday, Nisan 16 (Third Day of Christ s Burial)...108 Synopsis of the Chronology...108 Analyzing Mark 14:12 and Luke 22:7...110 Chapter 9: The Day of the Week of the Crucifixion...119 Preliminary Observations...123 Hebrew Expression vs. Literal Interpretation...124 Understanding the Day/Night Formula...125 The Inclusive Principle...128 After Three Days...130 72 Hours Span Four Calendar Days...133 More Examples of Inclusive Reckoning...135 Following the Chronology...136 The Chronology of Mark...136 The Chronology of Luke...137 The Setting of the Guard...140 The Plural Sabbaths of Matthew 28:1...141 The Women and the Preparing of Spices...142 What was Jesus Doing after the Resurrection?...145 What is an Annual Sabbath?...146 The Calendar and the Year of Crucifixion...149 A Thursday Crucifixion?...151 The Testimony of History...154 Who s Interpretation Counts?...156 Conclusion...158 Chapter 10: At What Hour was Jesus Crucified?...161 John 1:35-39:...165 John 4:3-8:...166 John 4:49-52:...167 John 11:9:...168 vii
Conclusion...168 Chapter 11: Did Jesus Spend a Night in Jail?...171 The Timing of the Trial(s) of Jesus...172 The Availability of Pilate and Herod at Dawn...173 Did the Jewish Authorities Violate their own Legal Practices?...174 Conclusion...177 PART 2: TIME ELEMENT FACTORS IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES...179 Chapter 12: The Evening and Morning of Genesis 1...181 What Scholars Admit...184 Biblical Examples...187 The Day of Atonement Proves Sunrise Days...191 Why are the Days of Unleavened Bread Counted from Sunset?...194 Other Objections...196 Chapter 13: The Beginning of the Day in the New Testament...199 Chapter 14: How the Beginning of the Day Changed to Sunset...203 The Supposed Galilean versus Judean Method of Counting Days...207 Chapter 15: Analyzing Exodus 12...215 The Original Passover Instructions and the Exodus...217 No One to Go Out until Morning!...220 Did Moses Visit Pharaoh during the Night?...222 On what Day of the Month did the Exodus Occur?...224 Passover Day?...225 Plundering the Egyptians...226 Did the Israelites Assemble at the City of Rameses?...228 Three Days of Darkness...229 The Testimony of Deuteronomy 16...230 Boiled or Roasted?...232 The Two Distinct Festival Theory...233 The Chronology of the Exodus...237 Chapter 16: The Biblical Meaning of the Hebrew Word Erev...239 Biblical Examples of the Hebrew Word Erev...240 viii
1) Jeremiah 6:4-5:...240 2) Genesis 24:11:...242 3) 1 Kings 22:35-36; 2 Chronicles 18:34:...242 4) Joshua 10:26-27:...242 5) Deuteronomy 23:11:...243 6) Judges 19: 14, 16:...243 7) 1 Samuel 17:4-16:...244 Chapter 17: The Biblical Meaning of Ben ha-arbayim... 245 The Daily Burnt Offering...246 The Giving of Quail Incident...250 The Lighting of the Incense Lamps...257 Excursus: The Time of Incense and the Time of Prayer...259 The Passover Sacrifice and Logistics...261 The So-called Domestic Passover...263 Chapter 18: Ben ha-arbayim and Modern Opinion...265 Chapter 19: Ben ha-arbayim and Ancient Testimony... 271 1. The Passover Papyrus from the Letters of the Jews in Elephantine, Egypt (419 B.C.E.)...271 2. Septuagint, (ca. 275 B.C.E.)...272 3. Jubilees, Chapter 49 (before 105 B.C.E...273 4. Ezekielos, the Jewish Dramatist (ca. 90 B.C.E.)...274 5. Philo Judaeus (ca. 20-45 C.E...274 6. Flavius Josephus (ca. 37-100+C.E.)...275 7. Talmud...279 8. The Mekilta...280 9. The Siphra...281 10. Targums...281 11. The Karaites...281 12. The Samaritans...282 13. The Falashas...285 14. Early Christian Sources...285 Chapter 20: The Meaning of the Hebrew Verb Pasach...287 Who Smites the Firstborn?...290 How the Jews Understand the Word Passover...291 Chapter 21: The Population of the Exodus...293 ix
Chapter 22: Final Conclusion...301 Appendix 1: Why Did the Early Church Fast at Passover?...305 Bibliography...309 x