I'm simply not an expert on this topic, Rosangela, and am looking for the answers. Some websites claim Nisan 15 was the Passover, not 14. I simply do not know, I guess.

What I am still convinced of is that Jesus died on a Friday, and that said Friday was Passover. That much I know. I also know that it was either in 30 AD or 31 AD as we would count it now. It is not possible for it to have been 33 AD as many are now trying to say, because it would not fulfill the messianic prophecies, nor those of Daniel.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

This book examines in detail the 2300-day prophecy in its starting and finishing date, as well as in the date of Christ's death (middle of the 70th week):

http://www.iasdcentralfortaleza.com.br/Cronological_Studies_Daniel_9.pdf

The Bible says:

"Take care of them [the Passover lambs] until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight" (Exod. 12: 6).

What does the expression “at twilight” (Exod. 12: 6) mean?

Deut. 6: 5, 6 also says: "You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you except in the place He will choose as a dwelling for His name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt."

The expression “in the evening, when the sun goes down” in Deut. 16: 6 is sometimes interpreted to mean or to state that the Passover lamb was killed after sunset, and the expression “at twilight” (“between the two evenings”) is understood to mean the short period of time between sunset and nightfall. However, this is not the case.

How are these expressions understood by Jewish writers?
A Jewish commentary says:

At twilight. Hebrew bein ha-`arbayim, literally means “between the two settings.” Rabbinic sources take this to mean “from noon on.” [Mish. Pes. 5:1 and Pes 58a imply that the slaughtering took place from 2:30 p.m.] According to Radak, the first “setting” occurs when the sun passes its zenith just after noon and the shadows begin to lengthen, and the second “setting” is the actual sunset. Josephus testifies that the paschal lamb was slaughtered in the Temple between 3 and 5 P. M. [Wars 6.9.3].

"The Lord's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work" (Leviticus 23:5-7).

It must be borne in mind that “at twilight” in verse 5 must necessarily mean some time before sunset, since at sunset the fifteenth day of the month, that is, the first day of Unleavened Bread, began.

As can be seen from 2 Chron. 35:1-19, in the Passover celebrated at the time of Josiah the levites and priests sacrificed and roasted thousands of animals till nightfall, therefore they must have begun doing that some hours before sunset. This confirms that the Passover lamb was really sacrificed on the fourteenth, before sunset.

But we don't even know when the year starts.

Which "Passover"? In Jesus' day, how many "Passovers" were being celebrated?

They began the month with the first sighting of the new crescent moon and they began the year with the ripeness of the barley crop in Israel (called in the Bible “abib”). They used the checking of the barley crops in Israel to determine if it was necessary or not to add an intercalary month before the first month, so that the barley was ripe enough for the sheaf to be waved during the Passover week (Lev. 23:10-14).

I don't see any evidence that there were many "Passovers" being celebrated.
The Passover and the other appointed feasts of the Lord were proclaimed feasts, that is, they should be proclaimed in their seasons to the people (see Lev. 23:2, 4, 21, 37). And this was done by the Sanhedrin. Jesus told the Jews: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not” (Matt. 23: 1-3). In spite of their hypocrisy, they did have authority from God, and the religious calendar is a good example of that authority.

I really don't understand your point Rosangela. Could you clarify?

Let's compare the NASA data of 33 CE with the data of 31 CE with your proposed first crescent sighting and Roy Hoffman's.

Data for 33 CE.

a) Moon Conjuction -- Thu Mar 19, 33 CE: the conjunction of the moon is on Thursday, Mar 19th at 10:38 Universal Time(UT) according to NASA.

b) First Crescent Visibility -- Fri 20 Mar : Roy Hoffman's software with his complex algorithm produced as data that the first crescent should be visible on the night of Friday the 20th(the beginning of the 21st day according to Jewish recognition of a day).

c) Nisan 1 -- Sat 21st Mar : Therefore Nisan 1 start to be counted on March 21st.

d) Nisan 14 -- Fri 3rd Apl 33 CE:

e) Full moon -- Fri 3rd Apl 33 CE (NASA) : Therefore Roy Hoffman’s Data correlate with NASA’s data as Nisan 14 fall on the Full moon date that NASA reported.

Data for 31 CE.

a) Moon Conjunction -- Tue Apr 10 , 31 CE at 11:32 (UT) : According to NASA.

b) First Crescent Visibility -- Thu Apl 12 (Rosangela) and Wed Apr 11, 31 CE(Hoffman) : You suggest that according to Schaefer that the R = 0.9 (less than 1 equal hard to see) for the night of the 11th. Therefore you propose that it was spotted the next evening Thu Apr 12.

c) Nisan 1 -- Fri Apl 13th (Rosangela) or Thu Apl 12th (Hoffman)

d) Nisan 14 -- Thu Apl 26th (Rosangela) or Wed Apl 25th (Hoffman) : first of all your data still doesn’t produce a Nisan 14 on a Friday. You are a day short.

e) Full Moon -- Wed Apl 25th 31 CE (NASA): NASA’s data correlates with Hoffman’s first crescent sighting probability and not Schaefer’s.

The problem with your desperate attempt to make 31CE fulfill prophesy is :

1. The astronomical reality is that Nisan 14th and the Full Moon(NASA) was on Wednesday and not on a Thursday as you suggest.

2. The prophetic Type and Law was that Christ was to die on Nisan 14th and not on a Nisan 15th.

Obvious Conclusion : Friday Apl 3, 33 CE is the only date between 30 CE and 33 CE that Nisan 14th fall on a Friday. See my table on page 2 Jesus Potential Crucifixion dates Table for the year between 30-33 CE and NASA's DATA that I published here

This is not the only data(astronomical and historical) that points to a 33 CE crucifixion date. There was a lunar eclipse that happened during apl 3rd, 33 CE after 3pm reported by NASA. But nothing is reported in 31 CE on the day or anywhere close by that Rosangela propose. Plus, the data around Jesus' Birth, and beginning of ministry also harmonizes with a 33 CE crcifixion date and does not support31 CE.

Elle,

I still think you may be looking in the wrong place or at the wrong data. When I examine closely NASA's data, I find that 30 AD does indeed have a valid spot on the timeline.

Take a closer look. Especially, examine the time for the full moon. According to one online sunset calculator, for the year AD 30, the sun set at the exact hour of 18:00 (6 pm) on Thursday, April 6, in Israel. Now compare to the date of the full moon. According to NASA, the full moon is at: Apr 6, 19:42. In other words, the full moon is rising on the night of Thursday, which equals the Biblical "sixth day" of the week, i.e. Friday. If Nisan 14 is supposed to be Friday, then in AD 30 there was just such a day. The full moon would have risen over an hour and a half past sundown, probably just about the time Jesus was walking to the Garden of Gethsemane, having already eaten the Last Supper in the upper room.

As I was saying earlier on, the distinction between Biblical days and our modern reckoning can easily throw us off the track of truth. Such seems the case here, where the full moon was on "Friday."

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Ok I see what your saying GC. It appears to be a valid point. Let's take 6 April 30 CE as a possibility for now.

We can proceed with other data if you, or anyone else, feel comfortable with that. We can get back to your other post about Tiberius, and I also wanted to get back to Rosangela about the passover meal, but I think I won't have time until Sabbath.