P08-Dating Christ's Death

Dating Christ’s Death and Resurrection
Written by Darrell Genzlinger in February 1999
Last revised in Summer 2003

Background
The day, as we think of it, starts at 12:00 o’clock midnight and runs to the following 12:00 o’clock midnight. The Jewish day starts approx. 6 hours earlier than our day; i.e., at sundown and runs until sundown the following day. Since Christ’s resurrection occurred shortly after the vernal equinox, sundown was approx. at 6:00 o’clock PM and sunrise was approx. at 6:00 o’clock AM. The Jewish night time and day time were from sundown until sunrise and from sunrise until sundown, respectfully. Our night time and day time are the same as the Jews.

The Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle along with the solar cycle. The Jewish year consists of 12 or 13 lunar months. They are: 1) Nisan, 2) Iyyar, 3) Sivan, 4) Tammuz, 5) Av, 6) Elul, 7) Tishri, 8) Heshvan, 9) Kislev, 10) Tevet, 11) Shevat, 12) Adar I and sometimes 13) Adar II. Every month has its beginning when the moon is in conjunction with the sun, or another way of saying it, when the moon goes through the New Moon phase. The Jewish ceremonial year begins with the Nisan New Moon which occurs around the Spring or Vernal Equinox. Adar II is added after Adar I seven times in a nineteen-year cycle to keep the lunar time period approximately equal to the solar time period. The mean synodic month, called a lunation, is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds. The 1900 solar or tropical year is 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. ((19x12) +7) x 29.530588 = 6939.68818 is approximately equal to 19 x 365.24220 = 6939.6018. Therefore, the lunar time period exceeds the solar time period by less than a day in 200 years.

Christ’s resurrection was on Sunday morning, either before sunrise or shortly after sunrise.

Matthew 28:1,2
1) Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

2) And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

Mark 16:1 - 4
1) Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

2) Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

3) And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

4) But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away --for it was very large. [These passages leave the door open for a possibility of the resurrection occurring very shortly after sunrise. In any case, Christ’s resurrection on the Sunday, first day of the week.]

Luke 24:1,2
1) Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

John 20:1
1) On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. [This would indicate that the resurrection had already occurred when it was still night or before the sun was up.]

Matthew 12:40
40) “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." [Spoken by Jesus.]

Jonah 1:17
17) Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Sabbaths were a day of solemn rest, a holy convocation, where the Israelites were commanded by God to do no customary work.

Leviticus 23:3
3) Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

Leviticus 23:5 - 8
5) On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. [Passover starts with the killing of the lamb at the end of Nisan 14. Nisan 14 is not a day of solemn rest. It was called the Day of Preparation. The Jews were to kill the Passover lamb late in the day time - - “at twilight” or evening is about the ninth hour or 3:00 o’clock PM and before sunset.]

6) And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. [Nisan 15 - 21]

7) On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. [Nisan 15]

8) But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. [Nisan 21]

Day of Preparation (Nisan 14) is the day the Jews were to purge their home of all leaven.

Matthew 27:62, 63
62) On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,
63) saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’

Mark 15:42
42) Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, [Evening or twilight had already come and it still was Nisan 14.]

Luke 23:53, 54
53) Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.
54) That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. [The phrase ‘the Sabbath drew near’ could be referring to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or to the seventh day of the week, or to both.]

John 19:14
14) Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” [Pilate said this about noon on Nisan 14.]

John 19:31
31) Therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. [‘that Sabbath was a high day’ could mean the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a high day, or that the seventh day of the week is a high day, or simply a Sabbath period which is 48 hours long.]

John 19:42
42) So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

Assuming that Christ was in the tomb for three days and three nights, the calculations are as follows:

What year was Christ’s death? Since this question has not been answered definitively, a period of 10 years will be looked at -- from A.D. 27 to A.D. 36.

Nisan is the first month of the Jewish ceremonial calendar and is determined by the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. The Vernal Equinox and the Nisan New Moon phase were calculated using Astronomical Tables of the Sun, Moon, and Planets by Jean Meeus and published by Willmann-Bell, Inc. These are provided in a table (columns 2 and 3) below. The time is given in h for hours and in m for minutes. UT is Universal Time or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and JT is Jerusalem Time. Since Jerusalem time is two hours ahead of Greenwich, England, the Jewish day starts approx. 8 hours earlier than Universal Time. Therefore, any UT greater than 16 h would be the next day in Jerusalem by the Jews method of logging days.

The 4th column is the start (6 PM) of the Day of Preparation which is Nisan 14. This would be about the time, or a few hours later, when Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover meal, better known as the Lord’s Supper. They celebrated the Passover meal the evening before the rest of the Jews celebrated it.

From this table you can see there are only 3 years (A.D. 27, 30, and 33) that the crucifixion could have occurred on Thursday. Luke 3:1 would rule out A.D. 27 on the basis of being too early.

Luke 3:1
1) Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,....

The phrase ‘in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar’ is the beginning of John the Baptist ministry. John was 6 months older than Jesus. John had to be at least 30 years old to enter the service of the Lord (Num. 4:3). So, John had already been baptizing people for at least 6 months when Jesus’ began His ministry. For simplicity, assume it is still during the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar when Jesus began His ministry.

Tiberius Caesar’s reign began August 19, A.D. 14. (Re: 15th edition of Britannia, Vol. 11, p. 755) Pontius Pilate reigned for 10 years from A.D. 26 to A.D. 36. The fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar was between August 19, A.D. 28 and August 19, A.D. 29. Therefore, Jesus’ crucifixion would have had to occur in A.D. 30 or A.D. 33. Unlike the Babylonians, the regal year for the Grecian and Roman governments began when they took the throne. The regal year of the Babylonians started the following Nisan 1.

Partial Conclusion:
The conjunction of the moon with the sun for the start of Nisan in A.D. 30 occurred at 5:42 p.m. on March 22 UT, but because Jerusalem was two hours ahead of England's time it was too late to start Nisan that evening. The conjunction occurs at 12:37 p.m. Jerusalem Time in A.D. 33, so Nisan 1 would have started that evening. Nisan 14 would be the Preparation Day, and it would have started the day before on Wednesday evening around 6 o'clock. Jesus’ death was either on Thursday, April 6, A.D. 30 or Thursday, April 2, A.D. 33 at approximately 3 PM Jerusalem time. And Jesus’ resurrection was either on Sunday, April 9, A.D. 30 or Sunday, April 5, A.D. 33 just before sunrise.

How many years was Jesus’ ministry on earth? Even though tradition tells us that his ministry was three and a half years, it is only, at best, an educated estimate. It could have been as short as a little over two years by John’s gospel, if it started February 19, A.D. 29, or as much as five years.

The gospel according to John is the only book that one can deduce a minimum time period for His ministry. There are at least three separate Passovers that Jesus attended. They are as follows:

Passover 1 - John 2
Verses 1 - 12 is traditionally Jesus’ first miracle - changing water into wine at the wedding of Cana.

19) Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20) Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple , and you will raise it up in three days?”

The phrase ‘forty-six years to build this temple’ can be used to approximate the year when Herod the Great began his reign. Josephus tells us in his 15th Book, Chapter 11, Section 1 of the Antiquities of the Jews that Herod started remodeling the temple in the eighteenth year of his reign. If Josephus and the Jews who said this are correct, then Herod began his reign in 36 B.C. Most historians state that Herod began his reign in 37 B.C.
Verses 23 - 25 is where Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover.

Passover 2 - John 6
Verses 1 - 14 is the narrative telling of feeding five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish by the Sea of Galilee.

4) Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. In John 7:2 the Feast of Tabernacles was near, and in John 10:22 it was the Feast of Dedication.

Passover 3 - John 12 - 19
John 12:1 to John 19:42 tells of the activity around the Passover at which Jesus was crucified.

Conclusion:
The gospel according to John tends to rule out A.D. 30 as the year of Christ’s death and resurrection. The year A.D. 30 could only be the year of Christ’s death and resurrection if Tiberius Caesar began his reign in A.D. 13 instead of 14. It is unlikely that historians are wrong about this date.

The following is additional supportive evidence that Jesus’ death and resurrection occurred in A.D. 33.

What is the definition of 70 weeks? The 70 weeks are divided up into 7 weeks + 62 weeks + 1 week. Then the one week spoken of in verse 27 is broken down into two equal parts of one-half week where it says, “But in the middle of the week”. This is what is known as the Great Tribulation spoken of in the Old and New Testament. In Rev. 12:6, it is said to be 1260 days. In Rev. 12:14, it is said to be a time and times and half a time or 3 1/2 years and in Rev. 13:5, it is said to be 42 months. 1260 days = 42 months of 30 days per month = 3 1/2 years of 360 days per year. Therefore, 2520 days = 84 months of 30 days per month = 7 years of 360 days per year = 1 week. And, 70 weeks = 490 years of 360 days/year = 5880 months of 30 days/month = 176,400 days. Thus, Sixty-nine weeks = 173,880 days. [A 30-day month and a 360 day-year appear to be the length of a month and year at the time of the Noahic flood. The flood began on the 17th day of the second month (Gen. 7:11). The waters prevailed on the earth for 150 days (Gen. 7:24 and 8:3). The ark came to rest on Mount Ararat on the 17th day of the seventh month (Gen. 8:4). Five months of 30 days/month = 150 days.]

Nehemiah 2:1 says that it was the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes.

Nehemiah 2:8 says that King Artaxerxes granted Nehemiah’s wish to rebuild Jerusalem.

Artaxerxes began his reign April 13, 464 B.C. so his 20th year is between April 13, 445 B.C. and April 13, 444 B.C. [Re: Persia and the Bible by Edwin M. Yamauchi, page 248.]

The Julian Calendar was adopted in 44 B.C. under the reign of Julius Caesar. Prior to 44 B.C. the Romans had what is called today the original Roman calendar which consisted of 10 months or a total of 304 days. In 444 B.C. the Jews were under the control of Medo-Persian rule anyway. And after 332 B.C. they were under Grecian control. So that is why the calculations that follow use an Julian Calendar Equivalent (JCE). It shouldn’t make any difference if we do not care what Persian calendar date it falls on as long as the lunar cycle and the tropical year are predictable.The Nisan New Moon occurred on March 4, 444 B.C. JCE.

The 173,889 days is nine days more than (7 * 7 + 62 * 7) * 360 or 173,880 days spoken of in Daniel. Nisan 1, 444 B.C. to Nisan 14, A.D. 33 inclusive is 173,889 days. We don’t know the exact date when the prophecy was given during the month of Nisan. If the prophecy was given on Nisan 10, 444 B.C., it would be exactly 173,880 days before Jesus was crucified.

The prophecy in Daniel also answers another question I have had for some time. How could the wise men from the East know when the right time was for the Messiah to be born (Matthew 2:1,2) if they didn’t see the prophecy in Daniel 9:24 - 27? There are no other passages in the Old Testament which tell when the Messiah was to be born. This prophecy would give the wise men a ‘ball park’ period of time for the Messiah’s birth.

Other dates suggested for the death and resurrection of Christ:
1. The year A.D. 32 has been suggested.

1a. Preparation Day (Nisan 14) for A.D. 32 is on a Saturday. But because it would be on the Sabbath, Preparation Day would have been postponed one day until Sunday. Therefore, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or Nisan 15, would be on Monday. But, we know that Christ rose on Sunday, the first day of the week.

2a. God says that His Holy One will not see corruption (Ps. 16:10, Acts 2:27). Again, scripture is true and infallible. Lazarus was dead four days and stinking when Jesus raised him (John 11:39). People being dead for four days are decaying.

2b. A Wednesday crucifixion would mean that Thursday was a Sabbath , the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Friday was not a Sabbath. It means that the woman could have gone to the tomb on Friday, a non-Sabbath, to anoint Jesus’ body. But the proponents of a Wednesday crucifixion say that the women would be unclean and couldn’t worship in the temple the next day, the weekly Sabbath. This is true. The argument falls apart though. Anyone that touches a dead body is unclean for a period seven days. So the women would have had to miss one weekly Sabbath, including the Sabbath on Nisan 21, because of the Jewish Law of Purification (Num. 19:11).

3. People have suggested that at the time of the crucifixion, the Jews had to see the New Moon to declare it to be the first of the month. So, if it was cloudy for 5 days in Palestine during the time of the conjunction, the month wouldn’t start until the 6th day.

3a. Even if a person would accept a delay in starting the month, it doesn’t necessarily mean that those feast days during the month would also be delayed. I believe the Jews calculated the time of the conjunction similar to the way they do it today.

4. People have suggested that the Jews perform an intercalation of the New Moon exactly as they do today, i.e., Rosh Ha Shanah (Tishri 1) is never allowed to fall on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday due to the way the Jews do their intercalation. (Vol. 5, p 44 of Encyclopedia Judaica)

4a. Present intercalation was put into practice under Hillel II, who lived during the 4th century of the Christian era. In fact, the present intercalation was not yet established during the 11th century of the Christian era. Quoting from the Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 5, p. 50, “There is, on the other hand, unimpeachable evidence from the works of writers with expert knowledge of the calendar that the present ordo intercalations and epochal molad were not yet intrinsic parts of the calendar of Hillel II, these being seen still side by side with other styles of ordo intercalationis and the molad as late as the 11 century.” The Jews went through several versions of adjusting their calendar, but never more than one day at the most. Even if the calendar was adjusted by a day, A.D. 31 and 32, the two most likely candidates, would not qualify.

I would be amiss if I did not tell you of another possibility. This possibility has to do with the way we interpret Scripture.

Jesus said, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matt. 12:40.) Most people think of Christ as being dead when they apply the three days and three nights, but what if it included His suffering and crucifixion also? What if the time mentioned in Matt. 12:40 was to start after the Passover Meal (the Lord's Supper) when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying? Do we have Bible passages that lead us to believe this is the case? Maybe.

Matthew 26:36-38
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me."

Mark 14:32-34
Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray." And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch."

Luke and John give no time when Jesus anguish started like Matthew and Mark. However, John records that Jesus gave His disciples a 'pep talk' in chapters 14 through 17. In chapter 17 verse 1 Jesus prays for Himself when He said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You."

The underlined words in these three passages seem to support the concept that Jesus was abandoned by God during His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion. Luke records Jesus agony as being so intense that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:44). During His crucifixion we know that Jesus was abandoned when He cried out with a loud voice, saying, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46 and Mark 15:34)

So, it is possible to conclude that Jesus was in the bowels of the earth, cut-off from God, even before His death.

Now if we assume a Thursday night arrest, a Friday trial and crucifixion, and a Sunday morning resurrection we will get the three nights and three days that Jesus prophesied.

A Friday crucifixion however would mean that the New Moon for the month of Nisan had to occur after sundown in Jerusalem on Thursday, or for some other reason, Nisan 1 was delayed a day. The idea that the sun and moon conjunction calculation is in error is most unlikely. But, it is possible that Nisan 1 was delayed one day. The Jews were possibly using an intercalation process, different, but not too dissimilar from the one they are using today. The calendar for Nisan for the year A.D. 33 would start on Saturday rather than on Friday thereby making Nisan 14 (Preparation Day) fall on Friday.

The prophecy in Daniel still works if we adjust our thinking. The New Moon on Nisan 1, 444 B.C. JCE has to be delayed by a day just as it had to be for A.D. 33. The reason for postponing the establishment of Nisan 1 is unknown, but whatever the reason was for delaying it one day in A.D. 33 is also applied to the start of Nisan 1, 444 B.C.

27 days 275 days 161,806 days 11,688 days 93 days	Mar. 5, 444 B.C. to Mar. 31, 444 B.C. inclusive Apr. 1, 444 B.C. to Dec. 31, 444 B.C. inclusive Jan. 1, 443 B.C. to Dec. 31, 1 B.C. inclusive Jan. 1, A.D. 1 to Dec. 31, A.D. 32 inclusive Jan. 1, A.D. 33 to Apr. 3, A.D. 33 (Nisan 14) inclusive
173,889 days	Total days between Mar. 5, 444 B.C. and Apr. 3, A.D. 33

The total number of days is still 173,889, if we lower the top entry to 27 days and increase the bottom entry to 93 days.

Now, supposing that Jesus' crucifixion and death did occur on Friday, the sixth day of the week. What ramifications, if any, does this have on the way we interpret or understand Scriptures?

Genesis 2:17 the Lord said, "...for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Adam did die spiritually the same day that he did eat. But, he did not die physically until hundreds of years later. But it could also mean 'in the day of the week' that you eat, you shall surely die, as some of the early Christians, such as, Ireneaus of Lyons (c.130 - c.200) believed? See Ireneaus Against Heresies, Book V, Chapter XXIII. This reference can be obtained on the Internet at <http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ANF-01/anf01-63.htm#TopOfPage>.

Ireneaus believed that Adam ate of the forbidden fruit on the sixth day, the same day that he and Eve were created by God. Likewise the New Adam, Christ, was crucified and died on the sixth day of the week, rested on the Sabbath, and rose on the eighth day or the first day of a new week.

The sixth day is man's day, just as the number 6 is man's number. Man took it upon himself to disobey God and brought sin into the world. Ever since man has been disobeying God by not putting Him first, by not loving God, by not keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Christ's died on man's day. The New Adam died on man's day and rested on the Sabbath. Christ kept the Sabbath for us as He did all of the commandments. Christ arose to take us into a new week and into eternity. Christ is like the phoenix bird arising out of the ashes of mankind, giving us a new beginning.

Conclusion
Jesus was crucified on Thursday, April 2 or Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 and rose again on Sunday, April 5, A.D. 33. [There was a partial lunar eclipse after sundown on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 in Jerusalem.] There is some doubt about these dates, but there is no doubt about what I am going to say now. Jesus was crucified and died because of my sins and your sins. Three days later God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus offers me, and everyone else, the free gift of eternal life if we believe this. Lord Jesus, I believe.

Day 1 Night 1 Day 2 Night 2 Day 3 Night 3 .	Nisan 14 about 3:00 PM Nisan 15 Nisan 15 Nisan 16 Nisan 16 Nisan 17 just before sunrise .	Christ died on the cross on Preparation Day Jews celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread The Feast of Unleavened Bread (day time hours) Seventh day of week begins (night time hours) The daylight hours of the seventh day of week Christ was raised on the first day of the week during the night time hours
3 days & 3 nights; a period of approx. 63 hours

Year - A.D.	Vernal Equinox (date, day, time - UT)	Nisan New Moon (date, day, time - UT)	Start of Preparation Day - Nisan 14 @ 6 PM (date, day @ 6 PM - JT)
27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36	Mar. 23, Sun., 5h, 15m Mar. 22, Mon., 11h, 3m Mar. 22, Tue., 16h, 52m Mar. 22, Wed., 22h, 41m Mar. 23, Fri., 4h, 30m Mar. 22, Sat., 10h, 19m Mar. 22, Sun., 16h, 8m Mar. 22, Mon., 21h, 57m Mar. 23, Wed., 3h, 45m Mar. 22, Thu., 9h, 34m	Mar. 26, Wed., 17h, 57m Mar. 15, Mon., 0h, 26m Apr. 2, Sat., 17h, 22m Mar. 22, Wed., 17h, 42m Apr. 10, Tue., 11h, 30m Mar. 29, Sat., 20h, 1m Mar. 19, Thu., 10h, 37m Apr. 7, Wed., 11h, 42m Mar. 28, Mon., 4h, 2m Mar. 16, Fri., 15h, 46m	Apr. 9, Wednesday Mar. 28, Sunday Apr. 16, Saturday Apr. 5, Wednesday Apr. 23, Monday Apr. 12, Saturday Apr. 1, Wednesday Apr. 20, Tuesday Apr. 10, Sunday Mar. 30, Friday

28 days 275 days 161,806 days 11,688 days 92 days	Mar. 4, 444 B.C. to Mar. 31, 444 B.C. inclusive Apr. 1, 444 B.C. to Dec. 31, 444 B.C. inclusive Jan. 1, 443 B.C. to Dec. 31, 1 B.C. inclusive Jan. 1, A.D. 1 to Dec. 31, A.D. 32 inclusive Jan. 1, A.D. 33 to Apr. 2, A.D. 33 (Nisan 14) inclusive
173,889 days	Total days between Mar. 4, 444 B.C. and Apr. 2, A.D. 33

Night 1 Day 1 Night 2 Day 2 Night 3 Day 3 .	Nisan 14 about 10:00 PM Nisan 14 Nisan 15 Nisan 15 Nisan 16 Nisan 16 just after sunrise .	Christ started to suffer the night before His death Christ trial, crucifixion, & death (Preparation Day) The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover Meal) The Feast of Unleavened Bread (daytime hours) The night time hours following the Sabbath Christ was raised on the first day of the week during the day time hours
3 nights & 3 days; a period of approx. 56 hours