Cause of crucifixion darkness given & divergent time zones explain different crucifixion timing at 9 AM (Mark's gospel) & 12 Noon John

The crucifixion darkness is an episode in three of the canonical gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke in which the sky becomes dark in daytime during the crucifixion of Jesus for roughly three hours. It was known that an eclipse was impossible during Passover, for Passover occurs during a full moon whereas a solar eclipse occurs during a new moon. Furthermore, a total solar eclipse provides darkness at one location during totality for a maximum of seven and a half minutes, whereas the gospel texts state that the darkness covered the land for roughly three hours.

Unexpected darkening of the sun has been recorded many years before Christ’s crucifixion, so this phenomenon is nothing new. And there were 2 such instances described the following way by the Indian epic the Mahabharata.

According to Mark, the mysterious darkness lasted for 3 hours, but he also said that the darkness started at 12 noon and not 3 in the afternoon. However, if we compare Mark’s account of the crucifixion with John’s we can see that Mark’s timing is 3 hours earlier of John’s:

Mark 15: 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.
John 19: 14 & 16 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon… Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

So why is Mark’s timing 3 hours earlier than John’s? Does that mean Mark’s timing of events was wrong? Not necessary, it really depends on the targeted audience Mark was writing his gospel for. And Mark’s targeted audience must be staying in a location where the time zone is lagging behind by 3 hours compared to Jerusalem’s time zone. And this will make it appear that Mark’s recorded timing of the same event was 3 hours earlier than John’s.

Christ’s crucifixion is a solemn event that must be commemorated every year on the exact day of the year that it happened. And for some 1st century Christians, even the exact time of Christ’s death was important to them so that they wanted to know what local time the crucifixion of Christ took place. So who were the people Mark wrote his gospel for?

Most likely Mark -- written first -- was correct if anything.


No need to make them agree.


John -- written much later could be WRONG.

You are right, it is believed Mark's gospel was written before John's, but it is not necessary that John's or Mark's is wrong, as my video explains.

I'll listen to it, but I don't assume any text -- even the bible or NT are perfect.

Mark the Evangelist became the first bishop of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Egypt and in east-central Africa in about the year 43 AD. Christianity also eventually grew towards northwestern Africa (known today as the Maghreb). Most scholars date the gospel of Mark to about 66–74 AD, either shortly before or after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD.

After Jawish defeat in the First Jawish-Roman War in 70 AD, Roman General Titus deported many Jaws to Mauretania, which roughly corresponds to the modern Maghreb also known as Northwest Africa. This region includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

Jeru-salem's longitude position is 35° east, Mauritania is 12° W, and Morocco 6° W. The globe is divided into 360° and 24 hours so that there is 15° per hour of time zone in the globe. This means the time zone that is 3 hours lagging behind Jeru-salem’s time zone should be located somewhere near 45° west of Jeru-salem or 10° W longitude, and Mauritania, where many Jaws were deported by Titus after 70 AD, belongs to this time zone.

Mark the Evangelist became the first bishop of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria in Egypt and Africa in about the year 43 AD. By 70 AD, Christianity should have spread as far as Mauritania already. So it is not unreasonable for me to say that Mark wrote his gospel with the Christians and Jaws in Mauritania in mind, and therefore used Mauritania’s time zone which is 3 hours lagging behind Jerusalem’s time zone, in timing Christ’s crucifixion and the darkness that happened on that same day.

In the 19th century, the gospel of Mark came to be seen as the earliest of the four gospels, and as a source used by both Matthew and Luke. So it is not surprising that the gospels of Matthew and Luke both used Mark’s timing when discussing the crucifixion darkness.

Unexpected darkening of the sun has been recorded many years before Christ’s crucifixion, so this phenomenon is nothing new. And there were 2 such instances described the following way by the Indian epic the Mahabharata:

Book 2: Sabha Parva, section 79. flashes of lightning appeared in the sky though without clouds and the earth itself began to tremble. And Rahu came to devour the Sun, although it was not the day of conjunction and meteors began to fall…

Book 9, Shalya Parva, section 56: All the points of the compass became enveloped in a thick gloom. Thunderbolts of loud peal (or reverberating sound) fell on all sides... Hundreds of meteors fell, bursting with a loud noise from the welkin (or sky). Rahu swallowed the Sun most untimely!

A very ancient way of describing solar eclipses in the past whether natural or unnatural was to say that a shadow entity (which the Mahabharata calls Rahu) devoured the Sun. The flashes of lightning appearing in the sky though without clouds were likely bolides, or extremely bright meteors, especially ones that explode in the atmosphere.

The thick gloom that enveloped the sky in all directions was likely comet dust. When the Earth passes through a comet dust trail by passing through its tail, it can produce a meteor shower that comes by the hundreds.

Now notice how it says the earth began to tremble? This is probably due to a comet’s interaction with the earth when its atmosphere touches earth’s atmosphere due to extreme close contact. This means it was not only the comet’s tail that entered earth’s atmosphere that time, but also the comet’s coma! Needless to say, the darkening of the sun recorded by the Mahabharata although it was not the day of conjunction between the sun and the moon, was caused by a disintegrating comet that sent its exploding debris and dust violently towards earth.

And if the disintegration of a comet was indeed the cause of the untimely darkening of the sun during Christ‘s crucifixion, then one should see evidence of a meteor shower occuring on the exact day and hours mentioned by the gospels. And I will be showing this evidence in this video.

Using Stellarium and setting the location at Jeru-salem for this day, the time zone to Asia - Jeru-salem, the time correction to JPL Horizons, and the time to 3 in the afternoon, we see the radiant of the meteor shower Pi Virginids barely entering the Northeastern sky to be followed closely by Theta Virginids about 1 hour later. These 2 meteor shower radiants with accompanying thick and gloomy comet dust remained in the sky until about 5 AM the following day. However, since the sun set at 5:53 in the afternoon that day, it appeared that the darkness caused by these 2 meteor showers lasted only for about 3 hours since the darkness caused by the comet dust was barely distinguishable from the darkness of the night.

There’s really no need to explain away the darkness scientifically. God’s only begotten Son was crucified.

Looking at Mark’s account of the crucifixion darkness, we read the following:

Mark 15: 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

According to Mark, the mysterious darkness lasted for 3 hours, but he also said that the darkness started at 12 noon and not 3 in the afternoon. However, if we compare Mark’s account of the crucifixion with John’s we can see that Mark’s timing is 3 hours earlier of John’s:

Mark 15: 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.

John 19: 14 & 16 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon… Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

So why is Mark’s timing 3 hours earlier than John’s? Note also that according to Mark, the unexpected darkening of the sun happened 3 hours after Christ was crucified, so that using John’s timing, this darkness should have happened 3 hours after noon, which totally agrees with the time the Pi Virginids meteor shower radiant started to appear that day. So I believe John’s timing is the correct timing in Jeru-salem.

Darkness can occur by Volcanic ash or Cloud cover.

But it can be so I did.

Or by comet dust.

roman time vs ewish time

Why worry about the time the crucifixion was supposed to have happened, when it didn’t?

Because it did!

Nope, the difference in their time reckoning is 6 hours, not 3!

When did the Roman day start? Roman civil society defined the day as beginning at midnight. While the Jaws start their day at sundown, a difference of about 6 hours.

I agree - but it should be noted that
Matthew and John were both witnesses
and Apostles.

Luke - definitely collected info from witnesses.

Mark? Who was he really? An early disciple?
Mark the Evangelist, or the companion of the Apostle Peter?
Was he a witness - or just intervied folks like Luke did?

Differences in the Gospels show that neirher God,
Jesus or the Holy Spirit "dictated" what was written -
with the exception of the quotes of what Jesus and
other folks actually said at various times.

The four writers tell what they know / heard from
their OWN perspective.

Bump

It can also be caused by nightfall.

Not based on the timing specified in the Bible, it was far from sundown.

Only John was eyewitness to the crucifixion, the rest of the apostles were hiding in their bunkers out of fear that time.

Scientists found evidence of an earthquake on 33 AD, if there was a volcanic eruption on the same year, they would have found evidence for it, but they have found none.
[link to www.livescience.com (secure)]

Trying to come up with convoluted explanations for the contradictions in the gospels is a fool's errand.

The obvious explanation is that these are second hand accounts written decades after the events they supposedly describe, and none of them are likely to be 100% historically accurate.

3 hours for a different audience is unlikely unless they determine time differently.

London isn't far enough for 3 hours. You would have to go to China for 3 hours. Just who do you think the audience would be?

Wrong, the gospels are anonymous. We have no idea who wrote them. This is indisputable, it is even placed in the footnotes of most Bibles.

The better explanation is that the gospels are just made up stories, and we have no reason to believe that they are actually historical or true.

NONSENSE.
Purely speculative.
"Footnotes" are by translators.
NOT the writers.
Conclusion based on AZZumption by
"scholars" who think too much of
their own "abilities".

Last Edited by Servant-of-the-LORD on 07/09/2021 02:37 PM

Just because their names aren't mentioned?
Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence.
Concluseion based on assumption.

Mark was written last of all! focossing on the beginning of the good news! fistly that Christ died for our sins as according to the scriptures. Mark HAS 15 CHAPTERS ONLY. JOHN MARK WORKED FOR ST PAUL.