Last Supper was a day earlier, scientist claims
AFP – Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:31 pm ET
LONDON (AFP) – Christians have long celebrated Jesus Christ's Last Supper on Maundy Thursday but new research released Monday claims to show it took place on the Wednesday before the crucifixion.
Professor Colin Humphreys, a scientist at the University of Cambridge, believes it is all due to a calendar mix-up -- and asserts his findings strengthen the case for finally introducing a fixed date for Easter.Humphreys uses a combination of biblical, historical and astronomical research to try to pinpoint the precise nature and timing of Jesus's final meal with his disciples before his death.
Researchers have long been puzzled by an apparent inconsistency in the Bible.
While Matthew, Mark and Luke all say the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John claims it took place before Passover.
Humphreys has concluded in a new book, "The Mystery Of The Last Supper", that Jesus -- along with Matthew, Mark and Luke -- may have been using a different calendar to John.
"Whatever you think about the Bible, the fact is that Jewish people would never mistake the Passover meal for another meal, so for the Gospels to contradict themselves in this regard is really hard to understand," Humphreys said.
"Many biblical scholars say that, for this reason, you can't trust the Gospels at all. But if we use science and the Gospels hand in hand, we can actually prove that there was no contradiction."
In Humphreys' theory, Jesus went by an old-fashioned Jewish calendar rather than the official lunar calendar which was in widespread use at the time of his death and is still in use today.
This would put the Passover meal -- and the Last Supper -- on the Wednesday, explaining how such a large number of events took place between the meal and the crucifixion.
It would follow that Jesus' arrest, interrogation and separate trials did not all take place in the space of one night but in fact occurred over a longer period.
Humphreys believes a date could therefore be ascribed to Easter in our modern solar calendar, and working on the basis that the crucifixion took place on April 3, Easter Day would be on April 5.
Comments 1 - 10 of 10500
So Jesus, who was Jewish, was using a Jewish calendar, versus the lunar calendar... and this is a surprise to whom? And it took this long to figure that out?
I wish some scientist would figure out why Yahoo has so many servor errors and then fix it.
Doesn't matter one day early or late. It is the atonement that matters not the date.
Jesus wasn't born on December 25th it was a well known date for a pagan holiday this date was chosen by Emperor Constantine so the "paganists" would not be inconvenienced.
just like christmas, winter, who cares it is the reason why we celebrate, but many people forget the reason. Many people see as a reason to go buy new easter clothes, buy eggs and such and such. What day does not matter, it is why we celebrate what really counts.
Very interesting. However, Apostle Paul tells us not to get hung up on days, seasons and festivals, new moons and genealogies. Its Christ crucified and that's it. Paul came not only with word but with power of Holy Ghost.
Easter every year varies from one date to another so the date is never important. It's the solemnity of the Passion of Jesus Christ that's important.
And I agree, it's glad to see God made the news today.
And I agree, it's glad to see God made the news today.
It truly is not the date that is important, but the significance of the EVENT itself. We are celebrating the Resurrection and the fact that we have an eternal home because Jesus sacrificed himself for us to cleanse us of our sins.
Why do we wonder and worry about the establishment of a set day? It is NOT the day, month or year but the event of giving HIS life for our sins that makes it important. Focus on the real meaning of Easter not why it moves on the calendar....
The Apostles and the early Church never celebrated Easter. Easter was introduced by Constatine, who took it fron the pagan holiday esther, the goddess of fertility.
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Precisely, John 13:1 is where the statement, "the day before Passover", appears. We should read between the lines all the Bible narratives about the Passover to be able to see that there is a difference between the Jewish Passover meal and the new covenant meal (the Eucharist, if you like) which Jesus Christ instituted as a memorial of his imminent death. So the incident that John recorded as occurring "the day before Passover" was NOT THE NEW COVENANT MEAL properly called the "Lord's Supper" which is different from the so-called "Last Supper" - the Jewish Passover meal. And we should bear in mind that the meal that John recorded at 13:1 could NOT have been the Jewish Passover meal if it occurred "the day BEFORE" the Passover. So the professor, Colin Humphreys, appears not to properly understand the meals which "coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover."
The Passover date must always vary given the fact that 14th Nisan in the Jewish MAY NEVER be 14th of March or April in the Gregorian calendar, or 14th of the corresponding month in Muslim, Hindu, and Chinese calendars. But as far as the Jews, who may be using lunar calendar, are concerned the14th day of Nisan is a fixed date. So the Passover date elsewhere must always change because of the different calendars used in relation to the Jewish calendar wherein NISAN is one of the months.
Humphreys, certainly, is making much ado about nothing.
– C.F. Monye
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