The mystery of the last supper : reconstructing the final days of Jesus

For hundreds of years, we thought we knew what happened during Jesus' last days. Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are not only observed by Christians around the world, but are also recognized in calendars and by non-practitioners as commemorating the true timeline of events in the life of Christ. But apparent inconsistencies in the gospel accounts of Jesus' final week have puzzled Bible scholars for centuries. In The Mystery of the Last Supper, Colin Humphreys uses science to reveal the truth about Jesus' final days. Reconciling conflicting Gospel accounts and scientific evidence, Humphreys reveals the exact date of the Last Supper in a definitive new timeline of Holy Week. Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Illustrations......Page 8 Foreword......Page 11 Acknowledgements......Page 14 1 Four mysteries of the last week of Jesus......Page 17 2 The problem of the last supper......Page 20 3 No time for the trials of Jesus......Page 22 4 The legality of the trials......Page 26 My approach to interpreting the gospels......Page 27 A road map of this book......Page 28 2 Dating the crucifixion – the first clues......Page 30 The clue of Tiberius......Page 31 Understanding ancient calendars......Page 32 The clue of Pilate......Page 35 The clue of the day Jesus died......Page 36 The time between the crucifixion and the resurrection......Page 38 Summary......Page 41 The last supper in John......Page 42 The last supper in the synoptic gospels......Page 44 1 The synoptics are right and John is wrong......Page 45 2 John can be interpreted to fit the synoptics......Page 46 3 The last supper was a Passover-like meal......Page 47 4 The different calendar theory......Page 48 A preliminary assessment......Page 50 The last supper and the date of the crucifixion......Page 52 Summary......Page 53 4 Can we reconstruct the Jewish calendar at the time of Christ?......Page 55 Astronomy and the Jewish calendar......Page 56 Reconstructing the first-century ad Jewish calendar......Page 61 Fotheringham’s calculations......Page 64 Waddington’s computations......Page 65 Transferring dates from the Jewish to the Julian calendar......Page 67 The scepticism of biblical scholars......Page 68 The problem of a cloudy sky......Page 69 The problem of leap years......Page 72 Summary......Page 75 Determining the date of the crucifixion......Page 77 The clue of John the Baptist......Page 79 John’s crucifixion chronology is correct......Page 82 The symbolic significance of Jesus dying on Nisan 14 and rising on Nisan 16......Page 84 Can we pinpoint the date of the crucifixion?......Page 87 How old was Jesus when he started his ministry?......Page 88 ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple’......Page 89 The cleansing of the temple......Page 92 The curious behaviour of Pilate at the crucifixion......Page 94 Summary......Page 95 6 The moon will be turned to blood......Page 96 How should we interpret Peter’s Pentecost speech?......Page 97 The sun will be turned to darkness......Page 99 The moon will be turned to blood......Page 101 The meaning of the moon was turned to blood......Page 102 ‘The moon turned to blood’ in ancient texts......Page 103 Lunar eclipses visible from Jerusalem in ad 26–36......Page 105 The lunar eclipse on April 3, ad 33......Page 106 Summary......Page 109 7 Did Jesus use the solar calendar of.Qumran for his last supper Passover?......Page 111 The Qumran solar calendar......Page 113 Did Jesus use the Qumran solar calendar for his last Passover?......Page 116 The Qumran solar calendar revisited......Page 117 The gates of heaven......Page 119 Summary......Page 124 8 Does ancient Egypt hold a key to unlocking the problem of the last supper?......Page 126 The origin of the official Jewish calendar at the time of Christ......Page 127 The pre-exilic Jewish calendar......Page 129 The Egyptian lunar calendar......Page 131 The Egyptian solar calendar......Page 135 Summary......Page 136 9 Discovering the lost calendar of ancient Israel......Page 137 The Hebrew words for month and moon......Page 139 Old Testament evidence for the prexilic day starting at sunrise......Page 140 Transferring the Passover meal between calendars......Page 143 The transition from the pre-exilic to the post-exilic Jewish calendar......Page 144 The different dates for the Passover meal and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the Old Testament......Page 146 The reason for the different Passover calendars of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Ezekiel......Page 148 Summary......Page 149 The Samaritans......Page 151 The Samaritan calendar......Page 154 The Samaritan calendar and the lunar calendar of ancient Egypt......Page 155 The Samaritan calendar and the pre-exilic Jewish calendar......Page 156 The Samaritan Passover......Page 159 The lunar calendar of the Qumran community......Page 160 What calendar did Galilean Jews use to celebrate Passover?......Page 162 The Galilean Passover at the time of Christ......Page 163 Summary......Page 164 11 The date of the last supper:the hidden clues in the gospels......Page 167 The date of the last supper in the synoptic gospels......Page 168 The natural interpretation of Mark 14:12......Page 170 2 The solar calendar of ancient Egypt......Page 171 4 The pre-exilic calendar of ancient Israel......Page 172 The clue of the man carrying a jar of water......Page 173 Jesus the new Moses......Page 176 The Passover calendar in John’s gospel......Page 178 The date of the last supper......Page 179 Was there a Passover lamb at the last supper?......Page 181 Summary......Page 182 The condensed nature of the gospels......Page 185 Background to the trials of Jesus......Page 186 The last supper Passover meal......Page 189 Prayers in Gethsemane......Page 191 Interrogation by Annas......Page 192 The three denials by Peter and the two cock crows......Page 194 Main trial by the Sanhedrin......Page 197 Was the Sanhedrin trial by night?......Page 198 The second Sanhedrin trial......Page 201 The curious dream of the wife of Pilate......Page 203 The crucifixion......Page 204 Summary......Page 206 13 A new reconstruction of the final days of Jesus......Page 207 2 Dating the crucifixion – the first clues......Page 213 3 The problem of the last supper......Page 214 4 Can we reconstruct the Jewish calendar at the time of Christ?......Page 215 5 The date of the crucifixion......Page 218 6 The moon will be turned to blood......Page 221 7 Did Jesus use the solar calendar of.Qumran for his last supper Passover?......Page 224 8 Does ancient Egypt hold a key to unlocking the problem of the last supper?......Page 227 9 Discovering the lost calendar of ancient Israel......Page 228 10 Was the lost ancient Jewish calendar used in Israel at the time of Jesus?......Page 232 11 The date of the last supper:the hidden clues in the gospels......Page 235 12 From the last supper to the crucifixion:a new analysis of the gospel accounts......Page 237 13 A new reconstruction of the final days of Jesus......Page 242 Bibliography......Page 243 Index of biblical and other ancient sources......Page 250 General index......Page 255 For Centuries, We Thought We Knew What Happened During Jesus' Last Days. Holy Thursday, Good Friday And Easter Sunday Are Not Only Observed By Christians Around The World, But Are Also Recognized In Calendars And By Non-practitioners As Commemorating Events In The Final Week Of Jesus' Life. But Apparent Inconsistencies In The Gospel Accounts Of This Period Have Continued To Puzzle Bible Scholars -and Fuel Skeptics. In The Mystery Of The Last Supper, Colin Humphreys Uses Science To Reveal The Truth About Jesus' Final Days. Reconciling Conflicting Biblical Accounts With Scientific Evidence, Humphreys Proves That The Gospels, Correctly Interpreted, Are In Remarkable Agreement. He Reveals The Exact Date Of The Last Supper In A Groundbreaking New Timeline Of Holy Week. Colin Humphreys Is Director Of Research At The Department Of Materials Science And Metallurgy At The University Of Cambridge. He Is The Author Of The Miracles Of Exodus (2003). He Was Awarded A Knighthood In 2010 For Services To Science--provided By Publisher. This New Book Returns To This Last Theme And Offers A Detailed Study Of The Associated Puzzles Caused By The Apparent Discrepancy Between The Gospel Of John And The Other Three Gospels On The Date Of The Last Supper Of Jesus. Colin's Solution Is A New Version Of The Old Theory That Different Jewish Groups May Have Used Different Calendrical Systems Together With A Proposal That Jesus Held His Meal Not On The Thursday Immediately Preceding His Crucifixion On The Friday But On The Wednesday Evening, A View That Allows A More Adequate Period Of Time For All The Recorded Events That Have To Be Fitted In Between The Meal And The Crucifixion--provided By Publisher. Acknowledgements -- 1. Four Mysteries Of The Last Week Of Jesus -- 2. Dating The Crucifixion -- The First Clues -- 3. The Problem Of The Last Supper -- 4. Can We Reconstruct The Jewish Calendar At The Time Of Christ? -- 5. The Date Of The Crucifixion -- 6. The Moon Will Be Turned To Blood -- 7. Did Jesus Use The Solar Calendar Of Qumran For His Last Supper Passover? -- 8. Does Ancient Egypt Hold A Key To Unlocking The Problem Of The Last Supper? -- 9. Discovering The Lost Calendar Of Ancient Israel -- 10. Was The Lost Ancient Jewish Calendar Used In Israel At The Time Of Jesus? -- 11. The Date Of The Last Supper: The Hidden Clues In The Gospels -- 12. From The Last Supper To The Crucifixion: A New Analysis Of The Gospel Accouunts -- 13. A New Reconstruction Of The Final Days Of Jesus -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index Of Biblical And Other Ancient Sources -- General Index. Colin J. Humphreys. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [197]-238) And Indexes. "For centuries, we thought we knew what happened during Jesus' last days. Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are not only observed by Christians around the world, but are also recognized in calendars and by non-practitioners as commemorating events in the final week of Jesus' life. But apparent inconsistencies in the Gospel accounts of this period have continued to puzzle Bible scholars -and fuel skeptics. In The Mystery of the Last Supper, Colin Humphreys uses science to reveal the truth about Jesus' final days. Reconciling conflicting biblical accounts with scientific evidence, Humphreys proves that the Gospels, correctly interpreted, are in remarkable agreement. He reveals the exact date of the Last Supper in a groundbreaking new timeline of Holy Week. Colin Humphreys is director of research at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Miracles of Exodus (2003). He was awarded a knighthood in 2010 for services to Science"-- Provided by publisher. "This new book returns to this last theme and offers a detailed study of the associated puzzles caused by the apparent discrepancy between the Gospel of John and the other three Gospels on the date of the Last Supper of Jesus. Colin's solution is a new version of the old theory that different Jewish groups may have used different calendrical systems together with a proposal that Jesus held his meal not on the Thursday immediately preceding his crucifixion on the Friday but on the Wednesday evening, a view that allows a more adequate period of time for all the recorded events that have to be fitted in between the meal and the crucifixion"-- Provided by publisher