Date Messiah Resurrection

Establishment
of the Correct Date and Timeline

for the Last Passover, Death,
Burial and Resurrection
of Messiah
Restoring an Hebraic Understanding

to the Concluding Events of Messiah's Ministry
David Ison and Gilit Bock
Copyright 2007, Shma-Israel.org. First Released 2007-12-03

ABSTRACT
Using reliable astronomical models, appealing to all the relevant Hebraic
cultural norms applicable to this period in history, and giving faithful
attention to the details of the Biblical calendar, we unveil a detailed
reconstruction of the chronology of events, show the precise day of
week, and provide proof that the actual date in history of the last
Passover, followed by the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua was
Tuesday, 27 March, year AD 31 of the Julian calendar.
© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 2

NAMES AND TERMINOLOGY
Due to the Hebraic frame of reference necessary to comprehend the vital points of this report, we have employed a
number of terms in their original, pre-anglicised spelling or a form that is more historically accurate.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Elohim ~ the Hebrew word translated as God in English
Mashiach ~ Hebrew for Messiah (ha Mashiach, the Messiah)
Miryam ~ Mary
Sanhedrin ~ Assembly of Jewish judges who constituted the supreme court and legislative body of
ancient Israel.
Yehuda ~ Judas
Yeshua ~ Jesus
Yochanan Ben Zacharyah ~ John, son of Zecharias ( John the Baptist)
EVENTS, THINGS AND PLACES

Aviv ~ First month of the Biblical calendar (Nisan); also means ripe barley
Bible ~ rough the end the 4th century, the Hebrew Tenach. e New Testament was added by decree
in the early 5th century.
Chag ha Matzot ~ Feast of Unleavened Bread
Haggadah ~ “a retelling”; a narrative of the Exodus from Egypt done on Passover
New Testament ~ e collection of apostolic writings given final approval by the ird Council of
Catholic Bishops at Carthage, AD 397, and confirmed as being canonical in Consulenti Tibi by Pope
Innocent I, AD 405. Upon approval by the Pope, this collection was deemed to be the inspired, in-errant
word of God. e Canon of Hebrew scriptures was afterward designated as the Old Testament, and this
collection began to be known as the the New Testament. ¹ (Our purpose here is to give an historically-
authentic definition.)
Rosh haShana ~ literally “head of the year”; the first day of the New Year
Seder ~ Passover meal
Shabbat ~ Sabbath
Sukkot ~ Feast of Tabernacles
Tenach ~ the Hebrew Scriptures (Torah, Prophets, and Writings)
Tishri ~ Seventh month of the Biblical Calendar
Torah ~ e books of Moses; the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. In Hebrew, Torah means “e
Instruction(s) of Elohim”. (e word Pentateuch is often used to refer to these books, but lacks the
Hebraic sense of instruction.)
Because it has gained widespread acceptance in modern usage, the more familiar term Passover shall be utilised.
Similarly, we employ the term Gospel instead of Besorah; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the designated,
traditional names of the Gospels; and English names for the books of the Tenach and the New Testament. Finally,
due to grammatical constraints, we shall call upon the traditional English form, rather than the Hebrew, when
forming plurals and adjectives.
1. Bruce, F. F. e Canon of Scripture. InterVarsity Press, 1988; Graham, Right Rev. Henry G. Where We Got the Bible:
Our Debt to the Catholic Church, Tan Books & Publishers,1994. Concerning the New Testament canon, Consulenti Tibi
does not mention the book of Hebrews; however, the Church’s decision to include it is not disputed.

Establishment of the Correct Date for the Last Passover
INTRODUCTION
THE EARTHLY MINISTRY of Yeshua concluded in a series of events that, in their broadest details, are most
familiar to every Christian. e portrayal begins at evening of the last Passover meal ², and moves to the
night in the Garden of Gethsemane where also he is betrayed by Yehuda. It unfolds as he is condemned
before the Priests and Rulers, and the following day he stands before Pilate the Roman governor. It
concludes in his execution by the Romans, his burial, the prophesied three days and three nights that he
was in the grave, and with his resurrection.
For a long time, many centuries indeed, it has been taught that these events started on Friday (Good
Friday, as it is called) and concluded on Sunday; thus, the Christian disposition to worship on Sunday and
to celebrate Easter. e problem with this commonly accepted view is that in several critical points it
cannot be reconciled to historical facts. As we shall see, the gospel writers, more conspicuously in the
Greek than in translation, recorded numerous details which are in conflict with this idea. ese details
form an intricate mosaic of calendar and culture, of the life and times of people, and of events that are all
inextricably woven into the deeply Hebraic perspective and frame of reference of a covenant nation.
Turning for a moment to those texts, we ask, why is it that Yeshua and his disciples are noted as observing
Passover a day earlier than the Jewish leaders and the rest of the people? Alternatively, if it were possi-
ble by some means to explain that they did observe Passover at the same time as Mashiach, then that
places the moment of Yeshua's arrest into the unsettling status of being on a Sabbath day. Of course, this
is problematic because the Pharisees had made their doctrine perfectly clear that a Sabbath day is to be
uniformly and strictly observed. ³ How could it be that the women have sufficient time to perform the
laborious task of preparing oils to anoint his body during the dark hours following the Saturday Shabbat
and before dawn on Sunday morning? e process of extracting essential oils or ointments from spices
would have taken a minimum of eight hours. ⁴ Are there in fact three days and three nights in the grave
between Friday afternoon and Sunday sunrise? is is not so. ere are with the most flexible of defini-
tions at most three days and two nights.
Many hypotheses have been developed over the years to overcome these objections. Regrettably, most of
these proposed scenarios have only solved certain problems, while producing other, equally disconcerting,
difficulties. Nevertheless, a correct date must exist: one that, if all the events are placed into a proper
timeline, would result in all of the following conditions to be met.
2. Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:16, Luke 22:15, John 13:1.

3. Matthew 12:2, 12:10; Mark 2:24, 3:2, Luke 6:2, 6:7, 13:14; John 5:10, 5:16, 5:18, 9:16. For clarification, refer to the section
“e Sabbaths of Passover”.
4. Concerning the ancient process of making ointments and essential oils, see www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/useful/
essentialoils.php and www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Perfume.html

1. Characteristics of the Proper Date

• It will fulfil completely the Prophecy of Jonah 1:17 ⁵
• It will commence on the proper Biblical calendar date for Passover, which is 14 Aviv, as defined
by the commandment of Elohim. ⁶
• e reconstructed date will be supported by sound astronomical reckoning.
• It will affirm that Yeshua followed the Torah precisely as it is written.
• It will reconcile a known peculiarity of the New Testament, namely that the Passover meal
Yeshua shared with the twelve and others is observed on a different day than that of the religious
authorities.
• It will correlate with all the events as recounted in the four gospels.
TO DETERMINE this date has been the quest of many great minds throughout the centuries. We know
Isaac Newton did considerable work on this, and him we credit in part for our finding. What we have
done would not be possible without his work in using the laws of astronomy and physics to reconstruct
the first century calendar with precise dates for Passover in a range of years that he considered most likely.
is enables us to establish with confidence the day of the week on which Passover occurred. ⁷ Others
have attempted to ascertain the date as well, but thus far no one has been able to go back into time and
identify exactly the calendar dates on which these events took place, meeting all these requirements.
Doctrine typically follows theological premise, and the impact of a presumed Friday crucifixion upon our
culture is both indisputable and pervasive. e principal difficulty we see with the efforts of those intend-
ing to solve this problem in the past is this presumption, coupled with only a superficial degree of under-
standing of Hebraic culture together with its Biblical calendar and annual cycle of appointed times. We
see this as being primarily due to this erroneous, yet prevalent theological premise: that the basis of the
Christian faith is viewed through mainly Hellenistic, or Greek-centric thought, and consequently operates
independently of the Hebraic. is unfortunate disseverance is not difficult to explain when we consider
that Hebraic thought is relegated to the “Old” Testament, whereas the part which is designated as “New” ⁸,
being all written in Greek, suggests to us that western culture should now prevail because the former is
passed away.
By contrast, we have approached the problem assuming none of these inherited traditions, but have
instead taken the gospel accounts at face value, or literally, and reconstructed the event chronology from
them. We have also been careful to maintain faithful harmony with the Hebrew scriptures, in fulfilment
of which these events glean their very purpose. In this communication, we give a clear representation that
fits all the eyewitness and historical accounts and, at the same time, possesses an elegant simplicity of
detail. We respectfully present the correct date in history and show the timeline of events that meets all
the aforementioned conditions.
5. Matthew 12:39-41, 16:4, Luke 11:29-32.

6. Leviticus 23:5, Numbers 9:5, 28:16 Deuteronomy 16:1, Joshua 5:10, 2 Chronicles 35:1, Ezra 6:19, Ezekiel 45:18.
7. is can be ascertained in the general case when a second month of Adar (Adar II) is not required. See Section: Hebraic
Reckoning of Time.
8. New Testament

2. e Biblical Calendar and the Hebraic Reckoning of Time
IN ORDER TO fully appreciate the dynamics of these recorded events, one must comprehend an entirely
different method of perceiving and measuring time. As westerners, owing to the universal acceptance of
the Gregorian calendar, we are accustomed to its seamless, silent and transparent operation as it
systematically counts each moment and each day that passes. By it, we are able to plan many months, or
even years ahead and know that the days we are thinking of will fall right into place with no further
involvement on our part. In effect, the calendar runs on a sort of “auto-pilot”. And, this happens because
it was designed to be that way.
By way of contrast, the Biblical calendar, being based on lunar cycles instead of solar years that are pre-
determined, works exclusively by observation of lunar phase ⁹, and lacks this “auto-pilot” feature. e
difference is far-reaching. e characteristic that puts nearly a universe of difference between them is that
it relies upon direct human observation to advance the months. is means that, on the Biblical calendar, the
month does not advance until there is an observation of the lunar phase as it changes from darkness
during the new moon to the smallest reflected light at the beginning of its next cycle. Of course, there
was imposed a limit of 30 days per month, so that the month would by default advance if the count
reached 30. (e actual lunar month is 29.53 days on the average.) Another characteristic of the Biblical
calendar is that it contained a mechanism to realign to the solar year because there are fewer days on the
lunar calendar than the earth's orbit around the sun. On the Biblical calendar, the year end was during
the springtime. is way, an observation of the fields could be made to determine if the crop maturity
corresponded properly to the month. ¹⁰ If not, an additional month was appended to the year. is would
be the month called Adar II ¹¹.
As a result, there is a particular variability to ascertaining any historical Passover date because, although
the astronomically calculated dates for the month in which Passover takes place are known, what is not
known is the condition of the barley crop in the fields, localised to this proximity, and the possibility exists
that the real the date of Passover did not take place on the astronomical date, but rather 29-30 days later,
in the next lunar cycle, due to the added month of Adar II. For certain years, this would happen and
result in a relatively late Passover date. We have accounted for this uncertainty.
3. Sanhedrin Oversight of Calendar

BY THE Second Temple period, it had become the practice of the Sanhedrin and the Jewish leaders to
oversee the monthly formality of observing the moon's phase change, then to record it and to administrate
its announcement. In his calculations, Newton makes note of this historical practice. ¹² According to a
strictly Biblical interpretation, the start of the month begins upon initial observation. However, there
9. e term lunar phase refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer.
10. According to Exodus 9:31-32, during the plagues, the barley and flax crops were destroyed. e state of the barley crop is
given as ‫( אביב‬aviv), meaning mature, whereas the crops not destroyed, wheat and rye, are said to be not ripe. us the
meaning of Aviv (the name of the first month) corresponds to mature, harvestable. Likewise we know that the barley must
be in a harvestable condition prior to Passover. (Exodus 23:14-19, Deuteronomy 16:16) In these passages, the men are
commanded to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem, as it indicates, not “empty”. ey were to bring with them the ‫תנופה‬
(tenufah, or wave offering, Leviticus 23:10-14) that corresponded to that festival. In spring this was barley. erefore, in
terms of the calendar, the fields would be inspected in the last month of the year (Adar) and if the barley was not harvestable,
then the month Adar II was added to the end of the year.
11. e historical name of this month is uncertain.
12. Pratt, John P. Newton's Date for the Crucifixion. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1991), 32, p. 303.

were circumstances under which the leaders deemed it expedient to disregard what was visible of the new
lunar phase, and to delay the start of the month until the following day. ey reasoned that even though
someone could physically see it, if it were near the threshold of perception or if in their judgement it was
faint enough that perhaps the average person did not see it, or weather factors impeded visibility, then
they believed it was at their discretion to delay the month by a day. e important thing to note is that
they maintained control over whether the announcement was immediate or delayed by a day.
CALCULATING THE DATE

In this section, we analyse various indicators of date and season of year given in the four gospels, and correlate with known
dates in history to arrive at the best possible candidate year in which the last Passover took place.
1. Determining the Start of Yeshua’s Ministry
A. Deductive Proof
THE YEAR Yeshua’s ministry began can be objectively determined; however, it requires a bit of deduction to
do this, and there are factors which obfuscate the otherwise simple process of arithmetic that one would
like to employ. While we are told clearly by Luke's gospel the year of the beginning of Yochanan's ¹³
ministry, the exact month remains unspecified. Further complicating this is that the counting of years
depends upon which calendar system one uses. We shall examine both of these in detail and show how
the correct year can be deduced.
e Year Yochanan’s Ministry Began

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of
Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of
the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the
high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he
came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of
sins; ... Now when all the people were baptised, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptised,
and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a
dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, ou art my beloved Son; in thee I
am well pleased.” (Luke 3:1,2,21,22; KJV)
Here we have several dating clues, all of which can be objectively determined. To deduce the year in
which Yeshua’s ministry started, we will apply the historical dates mentioned in this passage, in considera-
tion of the separate calendars (Hebrew and Julian) that are known to have been utilised during this period,
to calculate the theoretical upper and lower range of dates in which Yochanan’s ministry would have
begun.
Historians place the starting date of the reign of Tiberias Caesar at 19 August, AD 14, as he was successor
to Augustus Caesar. Although this ascertains the first year of his reign, what constitutes the second, and
successive years depends upon one’s frame of reference in calculating the passage of time. Western minds
calculate years based on anniversary dates; therefore, calculating the 15th year of Tiberius would produce a
range of dates between August, AD 28 and August, AD 29 (see Table 1, page 9). In contrast, by Hebraic
thinking, years are based strictly upon the Biblical calendar, measured from the month of Aviv (or, in
13. Yochanan ben Zacharyah ( John the Baptist)

modern nomenclature, Nisan), which occurs in the Spring of the year. erefore, calculating the 15th year
of Tiberius would produce a range of dates between Aviv, AD 28 and Aviv, AD 29. (On this calendar, a
partial year is still called a year.)
Accounting for both of these calendar systems, we have now determined that Yochanan’s ministry must
have begun between the Spring of AD 28 (1 Aviv) and, at the latest, 19 August, AD 29. At this point, to
validate our claim, we compare our dates to the known periods of the historical figures mentioned in Luke
3:1. e reign of Herod (4 BC to AD 39), Philip (4 BC to AD 34) and Lysanias (AD 14-29) ¹⁴ all corre-
late to our range of dates, and both Roman and Jewish history place Caiaphas ¹⁵ as high priest during this
period (AD 18-37).
e Season Yochanan’s Ministry Began

AS STATED earlier, we are not told explicitly the beginning month of Yochanan’s ministry. However, there
is sufficient mention of points in time, together with certain events of known duration given in John’s
gospel, that enables us to determine when these events took place. In the first chapter, verses 19-28, John
presents Yochanan’s ministry and his testimony concerning Yeshua. It can be established from the other
three gospels that this took place after Yeshua’s return from the 40 days in the wilderness, following his
baptism. ¹⁶ The next day (1:29) he sees Yeshua coming toward him and says “Behold, the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world!”. The next day (1:35), he sees Yeshua again and repeats the declaration,
“Behold the Lamb of God!” The next day (1:43), Yeshua purposes to go into Galilee. On the third day (2:1),
there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. After this (2:12), he went to Capernaum and stayed there “not many
days”. en, in the subsequent verse (2:13) we read, “the Passover of the Jews was near, and Yeshua went up to
Jerusalem”. e account of these days is consecutive. Hence, it is clear that the ministry of Yochanan
14. Archaeological evidence supports the existence of a younger Lysanias who was Tetrarch of Abila, near Damascus, in AD 29.
(Wikipedia. “Lysanias”)
15. ere was a nexus during this period between the Jewish religious hierarchy and the Roman political jurisdiction, because
the high priests were appointed by the Roman government. (is inevitably produced a torpidity of service owing to their
compliant deference to Rome with only feigned obedience to Elohim.) Annas was high priest from AD 6 or 7 until
deposed in AD 15 by the procurator Valerius Gratus (Josephus, Antiquities. XVIII, ii, 1,2, in Hastings, James; Selbie, Davidson
Driver, and Swete. Dictionary of the Bible: Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents, Including the Biblical eology,
Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.) Caiaphas was high-priest AD 18-36 (Freedman, David N., Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.
Grand Rapids: 1990., p. 208) Annas still exercised paramount influence during the high priesthood of his son-in-law,
Caiaphas (Wright, Arthur. e Biblical World, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct., 1893), pp. 275-282.); thus, the reference to “Annas and
Caiaphas” as high priests.
16. Yochanan ben Zacharyah recognises Yeshua from a distance ( John 1:29, 35) and then testifies (vs. 31-34) that he had not
known him until the moment that Yeshua was baptised. erefore the events of verses 1:29-51 necessarily must take place
after the baptism of Yeshua. In the other gospels, we are told that after his baptism, “immediately the Spirit impelled him to
go out into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12; see also Matt 4:1) for the 40 days of testing. us, he would not have been walking
for these two days in the vicinity of Yochanan ben Zacharyah until after the 40 days of testing. We are told in verse 43 that
the next day he purposed to go to Galilee, and in verse 2:1 (the third day) that he had arrived in that region. Luke tells us
that after his testing, Yeshua “returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). Taken together, these serve to
place this account in John 1:19-28 within the period just after Yeshua’s baptism and testing in the wilderness, and just prior
to his departure to Galilee, which took place shortly before the first Passover of his ministry.

began in the early Spring. ¹⁷ Indeed, the proximity of the beginning of his ministry to the baptism of
Yeshua is corroborated by the other three gospels. ¹⁸
e conclusion to all these facts is thus: Yochanan started his ministry at least 40 days prior to Passover.
is rules out the lower boundary of our date range, 1 Aviv, AD 28, because that is only 13 days before
Passover, not allowing enough time for Yeshua's baptism and testing in the wilderness. erefore the only
eligible point in time for the start of Yochanan's ministry is the period immediately before Passover of the
following year, in the early Spring of year 29.
Table 1. Calculation of the Year of the First Passover of Yeshua’s Ministry
Hebraic Reckoning Western Reckoning

(Rosh haShana based) (Anniversary based)
1st year of Tiberias’ Reign August, AD 14 – 1 Aviv, AD 15 August, AD 14 – August, AD 15
2nd year of Tiberias’ Reign 1 Aviv, AD 15 – 1 Aviv, AD 16 August, AD 15 – August, AD 16
15th year of Tiberias’ Reign 1 Aviv, AD 28 – 1 Aviv, AD 29 August, AD 28 – August, AD 29

(start of Ministry of Yochanan
ben Zecharyah)
First Passover of (confirmed) 14 Aviv, AD 29 April, AD 29 (14 Aviv)

Yeshua’s Ministry (ruled out) 14 Aviv, AD 28
e First Passover of Yeshua’s Ministry

CONCERNING THIS chronology, it is an elementary point among theological authorities, and one with
which we concur, that Yeshua started his ministry immediately after having returned from the temptation
in the wilderness. e events of John 1:29–2:12 follow one another in close succession and reach their
climax as Yeshua travels up to Jerusalem for the Passover ( John 2:13). e events which unfold there give
vibrant testimony to the ministry of Mashiach. He overturns the tables of the moneychangers, displaying
his zeal for the Beit ha Mikdash ¹⁹, which John interprets as fulfilment of the Messianic prophecy of Psalm
69:9 ( John 2:14–17). He teaches Nicodemus there the hallowed words, “Except a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God.” ( John 3:3, KJV), and he follows his teaching with many signs and wonders ( John
2:23). We conclude, therefore, by means of this narrative that the Passover of John 2:13 is the Passover in
which Yeshua commences his ministry, 14 Aviv, AD 29.
17. e tradition of Teshuvah (repentance) at Rosh haShana is long-standing. e Mikveh, or immersion for cleansing and
purification purposes, in Christian parlance is called baptism. ose being immersed by Yochanan were in fact undergoing
purification rituals associated with the Rosh haShana period. is is also because no one unclean is permitted to participate
in the Passover (Numbers 9:1-14, 2 Chronicles 30:18, John 18:28) Note that on the Biblical calendar, Rosh haShana takes
place 13 days prior to Passover, easily identifying the precise time of year these baptisms would have taken place. After this,
final selection of the Passover lamb is done four days prior to Passover, on the 10th of Aviv. During this seasonal context
Yochanan is announcing on multiple occasions, “Behold the Lamb of God”, hence this announcement should be seen as
happening during a season of repentance, as well as in anticipation of the high feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread.
18. Matthew 3:1-17, Mark 1:1-12, Luke 3:1-38
19. e House of Elohim in Jerusalem (also known as the Temple).

B. Empirical Proof
THERE EXISTS an independent confirmation, chronicled in the gospel of John, that fixes the starting point
of Yeshua’s ministry. During this first recorded Passover of Yeshua’s ministry, the Jewish leaders question
him, saying, “Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?” ( John 2:20,
KJV). ey were referring to the Beit ha Mikdash, known also as the Second, or Herod’s Temple. Histori-
cal records place the beginning of construction of this Temple in the year 19 BC. Given that the 46th
year from 19 BC is the year 28 (there is no year zero); it follows that, only in the year 29 could it be said
that the temple was forty-six years in the making.
Our deductive proof eliminated the year 28, and, if this had been the Passover of AD 30, these leaders
would have needed to say that the temple was forty and seven years in construction. erefore, the start
of Yeshua’s ministry is precisely identified as the Passover of AD 29.
2. e Length of Yeshua’s Ministry

JOHN’S GOSPEL clearly indicates three Passovers within the time span of Yeshua’s ministry. Having taken
care to indicate these, an omission of a third or subsequent Passover scarcely seems possible. erefore, a
literal interpretation establishes a ministry duration of two years, beginning with Passover of the year 29,
including an interim Passover of year 30, and concluding with the final Passover of year 31.
3. On What Day Did the Passover Occur in AD 31 ?

NOW THAT we have reckoned 14 Aviv, AD 31 as the third and final Passover of Yeshua’s ministry, we must
prove that the day of the week entirely accords with the material events of the gospels, and remains true to
the Biblical calendar of appointed times (high feast days) as prescribed by the Mosaic Law, or Torah. In
reference to which precise date this Passover took place, modern astronomy provides us the necessary tools
to reconstruct it. is is because the lunar cycles on which the Biblical calendar is based are known and
predictable, and it is a fundamental tenant of science that the natural laws governing the moon's orbit and
its phases are unchanging.
One of the most notable astronomers and scientists to address this problem was Isaac Newton, who is
credited with the invention of the scientific laws of motion and gravity, the branch of mathematics known
as calculus, and the reflecting telescope; as well as having authored many important books and articles
concerning physics and science. Drawing upon these extraordinary talents, he made mathematical calcu-
lations to reconstruct the lunar phases, adjusting for astronomical and human factors affecting the actual
sightings of them, and also taking into account the Hebraic definition of a day, to determine the Roman
calendar dates on which the Biblically-defined Passover would have occurred each year. ese are given in
the Table below, which indicates Tuesday, March 27 as the scientifically-calculated date of 14 Aviv
(Passover) for the year 31.
In order to ascertain the actual date for Passover of AD 31, all that remains is to determine whether or not
the thirteenth month of Adar II was added to the end of the previous year before the announcement of
1 Aviv. If Adar II was not appended this year, then March 27 is the actual date. Alternatively, if it was
appended, then Passover occurred 29-30 days later. What follows is an unambiguous elimination of that
possibility.

Table 2. Newtonian Calculation of the Julian Calendar Dates of 14 Aviv for Years 31 – 36 ²⁰
Year AD According to Biblical Commandment Postponement Date due to

Rabbinical Accommodation
31 Tuesday, March 27 Wednesday, March 28
32 Sunday, April 13 Monday, April 14
33 Friday, April 3 N/A
34 Wednesday, March 24
(or, assuming Adar II) Thursday, April 22 Friday, April 23
35 Tuesday, April 12 Wed, April 13
36 Saturday, March 31 N/A
During the year of Yeshua’s crucifixion, a significant indicator is related by the gospel of Mark that places
the Passover relatively early in the Spring, meaning that no additional month was added. e fig tree is
described in Mark 11:13 as having leaves only, but no figs, because the time of the figs was not yet. In
Israel, green figs appear on the trees about the second week of April. erefore, it is determined that in
the year 31 the Passover fell prior to mid-April, much too soon to accommodate an Adar II month,
confirming the scientifically-calculated date of March 27.
In summary, we have demonstrated that the chronological indicators in the gospel accounts and the
historical, astronomical data establish Tuesday, 27 March, AD 31 as the date of the last Passover of Yeshua
ha Mashiach.
TESTING THE DATE

To test the date, we analyse all the details recorded in the Gospel accounts, proceeding in view of the cultural
framework in which they occurred, and note the important rôle played by the interaction and conflict of two dis-
tinct standards for following the Biblical calendar.
1. Postponement Accommodation
AS WE RELATED in the section entitled “Sanhedrin Oversight of Calendar”, there were certain circum-
stances under which the Jewish leaders chose to delay the announcement of the new month by one or
more days. Of particular interest to our study are the special Sabbath days associated with both Passover
and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). e mechanics of these postponements are complex, but in their
simplest terms, if the first day of Tishri, the seventh month, fell on the first, fourth, or sixth day of the
week, it was necessary to delay one day because falling on those days produced a month that contained
20. Pratt, John P. Newton's Date for the Crucifixion. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1991), 32, p. 303.
Excerpts from Newton’s text are found in the Appendix to this paper.

double Sabbaths. ²¹ is was seen as an inconvenience, presumably arising from their imposing strict rules
for Sabbath observance and, again, the leaders believed they had the right to prevent this from occurring.
Likewise, this accommodation also necessitated delaying by a full day the official announcement of 1 Aviv,
even if the sighting of the lunar phase clearly corresponded to the day prior. e practice of delaying a day
to avoid double Sabbaths was known as Postponement Accommodation. ²²
Newton fully accounts for these Rabbinical adjustments. His calculations show that the year in question,
AD 31, was in fact a year in which these Accommodation Rules did alter the date of Passover, making it
one day later than that which was determined by sighting of the moon. is explains why Yeshua and his
disciples, all of whom would have upheld the purity of following the actual sightings of nature as preferable to the
arbitrary dictates of the Sanhedrin, ²³ and who, it is sure, would have known how to observe the first of the
month Biblically, ²⁴ ate their Passover with Yeshua a full day sooner than the leaders and the rest of the
people.
2. Passover and Chag ha Matzot

To appreciate the dynamics of these events, one must understand the Passover. Passover, together with its
accompanying observation, Chag ha Matzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread) is an eight day event in total.
Four days prior to the observance, a lamb is selected to be eaten by the extended family and is kept until
the day of slaughter. ²⁵ If we turn our attention to what was taking place at the moment Yochanan said,
“Behold the Lamb of God”, we see he is prophesying concerning the ministry of Messiah in terms that
were pertinent to the upcoming eight-day festival, because during that time all would have been thinking
about the lamb to be selected and the upcoming Passover.
e day of the preparation (14 Aviv) is spent in anticipation of the Passover event, which draws families
together for a festive meal that starts in the late afternoon.²⁶ A unique blend of gala yet sober reflection
surrounds the celebration as the invitation to the Passover meal is extended to relatives, friends and,
21. ese postponements are said to be “ritually convenient”. In addition to preventing these double Sabbaths, the Talmud
states that excluding Wednesday and Friday for the first of Tishri is to prevent Yom Kippur from occurring on either side of
Shabbat and that excluding Sunday also prevents Hoshannah Rabbah (the “last great day” of Sukkot) from occurring on
Shabbat (See Talmud Bavli Rosh HaShanah 20a, Talmud Bavli Sukkah 43a, and Talmud Yerushalmi Sukkah 4:5).
22. Although it is technically an oversimplification to limit our discussion of Rabbinical influences on the calendar to
Postponement Accommodation rules alone, this is the only subset of those rules affecting the calendar for the date in question. In
the second temple period there existed an undocumented system of calendar calculations whereby the Jewish leaders altered
the Biblical calendar for the sake of convenience. (References to Talmud are given above in note #21) In the fourth century,
Hillel II made public this system of calendar calculation, which is the basis of the modern Jewish calendar. (Spier, Arthur.
e Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar (1982); quoted in “Historical Remarks on the Jewish Calendar”, http://www.judaism.com/
calendar/history.asp). We emphasise that, although superficially similar to the Biblical Calendar, the modern Jewish calendar
is not the same as the ancient Hebrew calendar as described in the section entitled “e Biblical Calendar and the Hebraic
Reckoning of Time”.
23. e heavenly endorsement for individual utilisation of the moon and celestial bodies for chronometrical purposes is first
given in Genesis 1:14. It is implied as having been used by Noah in Genesis 7:11, 8:4, 5, 13, & 14; by the children of Israel
in Egypt, Exodus 12:2, 3, 6 & 18; as well as several other instances before there ever was a Sanhedrin body ruling over the
calendar. One instance appears in Deuteronomy 4:19, wherein Moses proclaims that Elohim has allocated these heavenly
bodies to all nations under heaven (i.e., even those without a Sanhedrin) for their intended purposes given in Genesis 1:14.
Moses' declaration further suggests that the involvement of the Sanhedrin was not only spurious, but also counter to the
Divine plan. Accordingly, Messiah frequently reprimanded these leaders for their hypocrisy (Matt 15:1-9; 16:12; 21:42-45;
23:2-7, 13-28, 29-32, 33-36; Mark 2:24-27; 7:5-13; 8:15; Luke 11:42-53; 12:1; 13:14-16).
24. It is notable that in two of the three gospel accounts that mention it, the disciples approach Yeshua and announce the
Passover without being directed to do so. Due to the one-day difference in the start of the month, they would have had two
weeks notice that their Passover was to be a day earlier than that of the rest of the community.
25. Exodus 12:3-6
26. Leviticus 23:5; ‫ בֵּ ין הָ עַ ְרבָּ יִ ם‬means literally “between the evenings”; at dusk, between sunset and darkness.

according to tradition, the poor and needy. During this meal, an informal program is followed which is
known as the ‫( הגדה‬Haggadah), meaning ‘the recounting’. It is a re-telling of the Exodus from Egypt
and slavery, a remarkably Messianic experience for those who have had the happy occasion of participat-
ing in one. At a high point during the Haggadah, some moments before the meal is served, it is
proclaimed, ‫( אבדים היינו לפרה במצרים‬avadim hayinu le paroh ba mitzrayim), “Slaves we were for Pharaoh in
Egypt, but Adonai by his strength and mighty power delivered us”. We have included this discussion as
further elucidation of the vital rôle that Passover played in the ministry of Messiah.
3. e Sabbaths of Passover
AFTER THE Passover meal has concluded (after dark), the observance of the Chag ha Matzot ²⁷ begins. As
stated above, the Torah defines an additional type of Shabbat aside from the normal end-of-week Shab-
bat. During the seven-day Chag ha Matzot, the Torah indicates that the first day (after the Passover meal)
is a Shabbat. ²⁸ And, exactly six days later another Shabbat occurs. ²⁹ e Sabbaths associated with the
seven-day Chag ha Matzot can occur on any day of the week.
ere are two points to note concerning this. First, the occurrence of a mid-week Shabbat was a principle
reason for the Postponement Accommodation, i.e., to prevent two Sabbaths from occurring consecutively,
one corresponding to Chag ha Matzot, the other being the normal end-of-week Shabbat. ³⁰ Secondly, the
Shabbat mentioned as the reason for bringing the bodies down from the cross was actually a Shabbat
associated with Chag ha Matzot, not an end-of-week Shabbat.
At this point, we have sufficient understanding of historical calendar irregularities and the relevant local
customs and practices to reconstruct the chronology of these events, beginning at the day of preparation
for Passover (14 Aviv) and concluding with the resurrection. is chronology maintains perfect harmony
with all the gospel accounts. (Please refer also to Figures 1 and 2, page 20)
27. Feast of Unleavened Bread

28. Leviticus 23:7
29. Leviticus 23:8
30. On the Rabbinical Calendar (i.e. not the Hebraic, Biblical Calendar), the first day of the seventh month (Tishri) and the
third day of the first month (Aviv) fall on the same day of the week, because the leaders preferred, or rather engineered, a set
number of days between Passover and Shemini Atzeret (22 Tishri). (e Constant Annual Period, Hebrew Calendar Science
and Myths, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1584). at is why, even though this Accommodation does not resolve any
double-sabbaths during Passover of this year, it would have been implemented to avoid double-sabbaths in the seventh month.

4. Reconstruction of the Chronology of Events, Passover of AD 31
14 Aviv (Tuesday, March 27) ~ e Daylight Hours
Event Comments References
Disciples e disciples make the announcement to Yeshua that the time for Passover Matt
Prepare the had arrived, although we see later that it was not the day that the rest of the 26:17–19;
nation was observing it. Mark
Passover
is year, by sighting, the day of Passover was March 27, but due to Rabbinical 14:12–16;
Accommodation it had been delayed to March 28 for the religious leaders and Luke
all who followed them. In sum, we have a postponement year, delaying 22:7–13
Passover one day, but the disciples are using the real dates. is explains why
there are literally two different Passover and Chag ha Matzot observances
taking place concurrently.
14-15 Aviv (Tuesday-Wednesday, March 27-28) ~ Evening to Night-time Hours
Passover – Yeshua, his disciples and guests commence the Passover seder (meal) beginning Matt
Yeshua & at evening on the 14th, as specified in Torah. Further affirming that this meal 26:20–30;
is in fact a Passover, and not some ordinary meal, is the presence of several spe- Mark
Disciples
cific intimations to elements of a Passover hagadah. During the hagadah, the 14:17–26;
head of the household breaks the matzah ³¹, speaks the blessings and distrib- Luke
utes it to all present. is is exactly the picture we are given in the gospel 22:14–38
accounts. e sharing of the cup of (traditionally red) wine takes place four
distinct times during the meal. At the seder's conclusion there is a recitation or
singing of the Hallel (psalms of praise, Psalm 113-118). Despite centuries of
tradition that has mischaracterised this meal as a ‘last supper’, i.e. holy commu-
nion, Yeshua plainly states that it is a Passover in his words,
“... I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15, KJV)
31. A piece of unleavened bread.

Appearance We find in these passages the first, albeit indirect, indication that there is an Matt
before Chief actual difference between the calendar that Yeshua and the disciples are fol- 26:57–75;
lowing and that of the Jewish rulers and general population. Yeshua is brought Mark
Priests
before the chief priests, where the scribes and elders are assembled. Addition- 14:53–72;
ally, there are false witnesses that testify against him, other onlookers, and offi- Luke
cers and servant girls, who are apparently on duty. If it is, in fact, the case that 22:54–65;
all these people are observing Passover this night, they would instead be home
John
with their families; and the Jewish officers and servant girls would certainly not
18:13–27
be on duty. is is because of the Shabbat of 15 Aviv, which commenced at
sundown. It is also not possible that the Sadducees and Pharisees would con-
duct a trial on this day in violation of Shabbat. erefore, we conclude that
they are not observing Passover this night in favour of the next night, that
being according to the Postponement Accommodation rules.
15 Aviv (Wednesday, March 28) ~ e Daylight Hours
Trial Before In John’s gospel we are told that the priests and leaders declined to enter the Matt
the Romans Praetorium to avoid being defiled, so that they could eat the Passover at 27:1–32;
evening. (18:28). Although we have shown ample evidence already that they Mark
will observe their Passover exactly one day (24 hours) after Yeshua did, this is 15:1–21;
given to us as plain indication that Wednesday, 28 March was their Passover. Luke
Finally, to remove any remaining uncertainty, we are told that this day is the 22:66–
preparation day of the Delayed Rabbinic Passover. ( John 19:14)
23:32;
John
18:28–
19:15

Crucifixion, Yeshua dies at the ninth hour (about 3 pm), and Yosef of Arimathea buries Matt
Death, & Yeshua in the evening. In the Greek original, the word here is οψιος 27:33–61;
(opsios), meaning late in the day, or between 3 and 6 pm. is, coupled with Mark
Burial
the fact that there was an urgency to get the bodies removed from the crosses 15:22–47;
because it was the preparation, means that Yeshua was in the grave well before Luke
sundown. Applying the informal definition of ‫( יום‬yom, meaning day)³², as 23:33–
used by the prophet Yonah, this constitutes day one in the grave.
23:55;
Mark (15:42), Luke (23:54), and John (19:14, 31, 42) tell us that for those John
other than Yeshua and his disciples it was the preparation day before the 19:16–
Shabbat, meaning it was the day of preparing the Passover, before the Shabbat 19:42
of day one of Chag ha Matzot. Also, John tells us (19:31) that this upcoming
Shabbat was a major or high Shabbat, a reference to the fact that it was not a
weekly Shabbat, but the Shabbat corresponding to the Feast.
Mark tells us that Miryam ha Magdalit (Mary Magdalene) and Miryam the
mother of Ya’akov (Mary the mother of Joses) lingered at the tomb, while the
others had all departed. Interpreting this, it is clear that while the others were
diligently hurrying to be home for Passover by late afternoon, these women had
already observed their Passover with Yeshua the prior evening. eir Shabbat was
now in progress. Having no responsibility to be at any place special, they were
free to remain and mourn.
Day One in the Grave
16 Aviv (Wednesday-ursday, March 28-29) ~ Night-time Hours
Night One in the Grave
32. As in common usage, the word yom, day, can mean either daylight hours, or an entire 24 hour period. e former, informal
definition, can refer to just a portion of the day (e.g. when someone asks in the afternoon, “How was your day?”). (Compare
Genesis 1:4 and 1:5)

16 Aviv (ursday, March 29) ~ e Daylight Hours
Jewish e events of this day are quiet, because it is the observed Shabbat, according Matt
Rulers to the delayed calendar. However, on this Sabbath day the Jewish rulers do 27:62–66
schedule a private meeting with Pilate and petition him for a guard, as it says,
petition for
“until the third day”.
a Guard
is tells us they knew that Yeshua had said he would manifest to them the
sign of the Prophet Yonah – three days and three nights in the grave. Notice
that they could not have made this request of the governor on the prior
evening because, according to their rules, which were stricter than the Torah
itself, by going in to approach him they would have become tameh (unclean)
and thus not be permitted to eat the Passover.
After Yeshua’s burial the previous day, “en [the women] returned...”. Although Luke
this is not a Shabbat for the disciples, it is for the remainder of the community 23:56a
who are following the delayed calendar, so the women are unable to obtain
spices to prepare the oils to anoint Yeshua’s body.
Day Two in the Grave
17 Aviv (ursday - Friday, March 29-30) ~ Night-time Hours
Night Two in the Grave

17 Aviv (Friday, March 30) ~ e Daylight Hours
e Women “When the Sabbath was past, [the women] bought spices, so that they might come Mark 16:1
Disciples and anoint him.”
Prepare the “... and [the women] prepared spices and ointments ...” Luke
Oils to 23:56b
e detailed timing of these events is of paramount importance:
Anoint the As stated above, the women had to wait until the end of the delayed Shabbat
Body to purchase the spices needed to prepare the ointments and perfumes (essential
oils) to anoint the body. is day, until sunset when the weekly Shabbat
begins, they go about that arduous task.
According to the traditional view of a Friday crucifixion, followed by the
weekly Shabbat, and then by a Sunday resurrection, there is no time for this
buying and preparing of spices to have occurred. We know that before they
left the tomb the evening of his burial, the others were already hurrying home
for their Passover (because they were following the delayed calendar). ere-
fore, the shops would have already been closed by that time. If the resurrection
happened the morning after this Shabbat (i.e., the first day of the week after a
Friday crucifixion), it would not have been possible that the procuring and
preparation of these could have been carried out as Mark and Luke recount.
Day Three in the Grave
18 Aviv (Friday - Saturday, March 30-31) ~ Night-time Hours
Women Rest We know the women managed to finish their labour before sunset because it Luke
says, “...and on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” e 23:56b
Shabbat begins at sunset and they rest from their physical labours (e.g., prepa-
ration of spices).
Night Three in the Grave

18 Aviv (Saturday, March 30) ~ e Daylight Hours
Women come It is a popular misconception that because it was the Shabbat, the women Matt
to Anoint the were not permitted to use the spices they had prepared. However, the Torah 28:1–7;
makes no such prohibition. In addition, even the perennially strict Jewish Mark
Body
sages permitted it for, according to the Mishna, it was permissible for them to 16:2–8
do this on Shabbat. ³³ Luke
“While yet evening of the Shabbat, as it grew light toward the oneness of the 24:1–12
Resurrection Shabbat ³⁴, Miryam ha Magdalit and the other Miryam came to see the tomb.” John
(Matt 28:1, SHMA, literal from Greek) 20:1–18
“And exceedingly early to the oneness of the Shabbat, they came to the grave at the
rising of the sun.” (Mark 16:2, SHMA, literal from Greek)
“When not yet the oneness of the Shabbat, in the depths of earliness, they came to the
tomb carrying the spices which they had prepared.” (Luke 24:1, SHMA, literal
from Greek)
“When not yet the oneness of the Shabbat, Miryam ha Magdalit came in the dark-
ness of the morning to the tomb...” ( John 20:1, SHMA, literal from Greek)
e literal reading of these verses tells us three important things that are dis-
tinct from what is commonly taught. Yeshua rose from the grave on the
morning of Shabbat; not the first day of the week. Also, he rose before the
sunrise, negating the basis for sun adoration that has been associated with this
event for centuries. (We refer in particular to sunrise services and the unman-
dated change of day of rest from the seventh day to the first day ³⁵.) Finally,
the pre-dawn resurrection results in a complete fulfilment of Yonah 1:7,
which could not be accomplished if it had occurred during any other time
period.
Yeshua “Being then late the self-same day, the oneness of Shabbat, and the doors having John
appears to been locked, ... Yeshua came and stood in the midst and said, ‘Peace to you’.” ( John 20:19
20:19, SHMA, literal from Greek)
disciples
e verse reiterates that the day of the resurrection is indeed Shabbat. e
representation here is that, although it is later in the afternoon, it is still
during the daylight portion of the day, and therefore the ‘oneness of the
Shabbat’.³⁴
33. “MISHNA: One may do all that is necessary for a corpse (on Sabbath), anoint and wash it, provided he does not dislocate
its limbs. e pillow may be moved from under its head; the corpse may be put on sand, in order to keep it (from putrefying)
the longer; its jaws may be tied, not for the sake of bringing them together more closely, but to prevent them from dropping
lower. In like manner, a beam that had been broken may be upheld by a stool or bedstead, not in order to make it erect again,
but to keep it from breaking still more.” Talmud Bavli, Tractate Shabbat, Chapter 23 (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org)
34. “On the first day of the week” is an unfortunate mistranslation. Oneness of the Shabbat (literally “one” of the Shabbat in the
Greek) is an Hebraic expression to refer to the daylight hours portion of the day. See the section entitled “ Yom Echad and
e Importance of Day and Night” and the section “Does Shabbat Mean Week?”.
35. A curious admission concerning the change from Shabbat to Sunday was made by the Bishop of the Archdiocese of
Baltimore, James Cardinal Gibbons. (Gibbons, James Cardinal. e Faith of Our Fathers: Being a Plain Exposition and
Vindication of e Church Founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, London: John Murphy & Co., 1891.) See the Appendix for
excerpted text.

Figure 1. Days of Passover and Chag ha Matzot Showing the One Day Delay of Rabbinic Postponement
different starting days for Chag ha Matzot
© 2007 Shma-Israel.org
Rabbinic 15 Aviv – Shabbat 17 Aviv
Observance —Delayed One Day— 14 Aviv – Passover Day 1 Chag ha Matzot 16 Aviv Weekly Shabbat
Yeshua’s 15 Aviv – Shabbat 18 Aviv

Observance 14 Aviv – Passover Day 1 Chag ha Matzot 16 Aviv 17 Aviv Weekly Shabbat
Hebrew Days --------- Shabbat --------
Roman Days
27 Mar – Tuesday 28 Mar – Wednesday 29 Mar – Thursday 30 Mar – Friday 31 Mar – Saturday
Figure 2. The Event Timeline

The Sign of Yonah
Hebrew Days Day 1 Night 1 Day 2 Night 2 Day 3 Night 3
Roman Days --------- Shabbat --------
Passover Preparation –
Yeshua and Disciples Passover –
Jewish Rulers Women Disciples
Women Disciples
& the People Go to Tomb with

Buy Spices and
Passover – Prepare Oils & Spices to Anoint
Yeshua and Disciples Yeshua’s Death
about 3 pm Ointments Yeshua’s Body &
& Burial Jewish Rulers Ask Discover That He
Yeshua’s for a Guard at Women Disciples Women Disciples Has Risen
Arrest & Appearance the Tomb Can Not Buy Spices Rest from the
Before Chief Priests Trial Before the due to Civil Shabbat Labor of Preparation
Romans (15 Aviv of Sanhedrin) and Await Morning
page 20
CONCLUDING REMARKS
WE HAVE at every point during this report been meticulous in reference to both data and logic, in such a
way as to minimise the distractions brought about by uncertainty and ambiguity, in order bring to bear the
full impact of this finding upon the mind of the reader. We did not set forth from the beginning to prove
that the Sabbath day was and is in fact the day in which Messiah resurrected. It began, rather, as a quest
for understanding and knowledge borne out of simple curiosity, combined with a probing desire to know
the inspiration of the pages of these gospel accounts. We reasoned that the date should be discernible,
and that with prayer, humble petition for divine aid, as well as sufficient inclusion of the proper Hebraic
context into the solution, that this long standing uncertainty, and almost mystery, could be solved. We
leave the reader with the responsibility to determine for himself or herself what are the proper conclusions
to be drawn from this finding.
We could naturally point out, as has been the object of our study for years, that the Feast days, as they are
called in English, will be in full operation during the days that have been prophesied to be ahead of us.
Isaiah chapter 66 indicates that the calendar will once again measure new moons. Zechariah 14 tells us
that the nations go, as once did Yeshua, up to Jerusalem, and this time to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot
(Tabernacles) with the Lord. So we see this as a summoning of our attention to God's celestial calendar,
in the sense of his plan for all time. To us it is clear, and beyond any doubt, that He has chosen this
generation to be the one in which this date and time are revealed. It is with great awe and a distinct sense
of Divine Providence that we submit this report.

POSTLUDE
In these two sections entitled Does Sabbath Mean Week?, and, Yom Echad and the Importance of Day
and Night, we review the doctrinal implications of our findings and introduce some of the questions that arise from the fact
that most Bible translations plainly state the resurrection took place on the first day of the week, Sunday.
Does Shabbat Mean Week?

IT IS OF incalculable importance that we should examine the elemental conflict produced by this report
with the most cardinal doctrine retained by nearly every denomination on earth and taught as essential
truth nearly every place on the globe. How, you may wonder, could this report be reliable if my Bible tells
me that the resurrection occurred on the first day of the week? We have been observing Sunday for
centuries, nearly two millennia in fact, and it is abundantly clear that Christians have from the earliest of
times revered this first day of the week, all in special recognition of that glorious moment in time: the
resurrection.
If this reflects what you feel, then you are certainly not alone, and to an extent we can sympathise. Or, said
another way, we can understand why you could feel a sense of discomfort or uneasiness with the findings
of this report. We can, however reverse the question, just as legitimately. We know that all Bibles nowa-
days are just translations. Suppose we ask, “how could the translation of these verses be correct if they are
in conflict with all the other facts concerning this narrative, and also internally inconsistent with the
calendar and appointed times of Elohim?” It changes things, doesn't it? Now we need to present to you
the following facts concerning the ‘first day of the week’.
e Koine Greek words that have been translated, in nearly every language, including even modern
Greek, to mean ‘first day of the week’ are actually words that say, literally, ‘one’ of the ‘Sabbath’. Indeed,
the word day is inserted, for there is no word in the texts that correlates to it; this is noted in italics by the
translators of the KJV. It is true that a legacy has been handed down for generations which teaches that
these words form the sense, ‘first day of the week’. However, as we attempted to trace this contended
meaning back to its original, historical foundation, we were astonished to learn that there was, in fact, a
complete dearth of external evidence to support the semantic construction, ‘first day of the week’. e
absence of proof and the failure to give citations were to us troublesome, to say the least, as we marvelled
that each and every instance of the claim was unaccompanied by reference to a dictionary or any other
objective source. In effect, we saw nothing that could definitively confirm this meaning and place the
legacy teaching out of the category of pure hearsay.
In the context of definitive and lexicographical sources, we must point out that biblical lexicons are merely
a compilation of translational motifs. In that sense, all a biblical lexicon does is simply aggregate how
translators expressed certain terms; it does not carry with it the authoritative objectivity of a dictionary. By
way of illustration, and one bearing eminent importance, Strong’s lexicon lists the word, another, as a trans-
lation of the Hebrew word Shabbat, because it is used as an aid to comprehension in the translation of
Isaiah 66:23 (one Sabbath to another, instead of the literal Hebrew “as often as Sabbath is in it’s Sabbath”).
erefore, it is axiomatic that connotative devices employed by translators cannot be extrapolated to
general usage, nor can they be relied upon as if they were authentic definitions. Otherwise, that would make
completely absurd meanings to be binding on these terms (such as “give me another banana’’ could
become “give me Shabbat banana”). is is without question a matter that takes one rapidly to utter confu-
sion. Consequently, one must resist the temptation to declare unqualifiedly that words have “certain
meanings” merely because translators said that is what they mean. is is why it is actually a form of circular
argumentation if one refers to Strong's or any other biblical lexicon as a “proof ” of the meaning of the
Greek word σάββατον (Sabbaton), which is a transliteration of the Hebrew ‫( שבת‬Shabbat). Regrettably,

it can be shown by these examples that the usage of a lexicon in the pulpit to expound a passage is, by
definition, fallacious. is is because translation is, at the end of the day, an art form subject to the same
limitations of hue and shade as the painter whose brush assays to convey a visual panorama. ings are
not perfect in translation, and we can therefore not rely on the translators' sentiments which appear in
Biblical lexicons to provide us objective definitions.
Accordingly, we sought to find external evidence to prove the Greek word Sabbaton ‘means’ week. To have
been accurately translated as week presupposes that, during this period, a type of colloquialism was used to
refer to week. We reasoned, then, that if the word Sabbaton had become a generalised designation for week,
it would be available in a classical Greek dictionary; or, failing that, we should be able to document its
usage as such in other contemporaneous Greek literature. e findings, however, were shocking. What
will come as a surprise to most modern readers is that even the concept of week, as a seven-day period of
time, is almost indiscernible within ancient Greek writings. is is because the delineation of time into
periods of seven days is entirely Hebraic and consequently foreign to the Greek culture we were research-
ing, explaining the concept’s absence from generalised use.
e Perseus Project ³⁶ at Tufts University enables the search of thousands of Greek texts from the ages. In
these, the word Sabbaton is used only in the New Testament itself and in the works of the Jewish histo-
rian, Josephus, including his reference collection entitled Antiquities of the Jews. Sabbaton is rendered as
week in the New Testament nine times ³⁷, yet there is not a single instance appearing in Antiquities that is
intended as week. And even in the New Testament, Sabbaton appears an additional 59 times, each of
these being translated as Sabbath or Sabbath day. ³⁷
What bears immense significance here is that, with the single exception of Sabbaton that appears in Luke
18:12, each of these instances of Sabbaton as week serves to join by artificial means the concept of ‘first day’
with week. For these eight verses thusly translated, the correspondence is plenary, that is, from a total of
68 appearances of Sabbaton in the entire New Testament, these instances that are related in some way to
'first day' are the same eight passages that have been reshaped to project the dubitable sense of week.
Such a correlation can occur whenever there is a valid multiplicity of meaning for a particular word. We
have shown, however, that there is no historical nor dictionary basis to a week sense for Sabbaton. Where,
then, did they get this meaning? e point of this question is statistically weighty because, while a
random occasion of linguistic variation can and does occur, a consistent pattern of eight instances, which
in turn affect a ninth that we have mentioned (Luke 18:12), and has unarguably vast doctrinal conse-
quences, can NOT be attributable to chance alone, but instead must be understood to have taken place
from the translator's sentiments, i.e., predisposition of dogma or bias.
Further evidence of translators favouring bias over objectivity can be found in this phrase, first day.
Whenever Sabbaton is translated as week, it is also joined semantically to first day, as we have discussed.
Relevant to this is the supposed meaning of the Greek word mia as first. While first is certainly justifiable
in Mark 16:9 due to the presence of the Greek prote (πρώτῃ σαββάτου, first Shabbat), a different word
is chosen by the New Testament authors in the remaining seven cases, mia, which according to the dictio-
nary means one. One is an Hebraic idea. erefore, a situation arises that is comparable to our discussion
that Shabbat is not week, because in each of the cases where Sabbaton is said to mean week, mia is
purported to mean first. e difficulty with this is that we could not find any instance of a dictionary
giving a definition of first to this word. Moreover, and particularly incommodious to this election to join
first day with week is that the word for day, ἡμέρα (hemera) does not occur in any of these verses. We
36. Crane, Gregory R. (ed.) e Perseus Project, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, August, 2007.

37. See Appendix C for listing of verses.

conclude, therefore, that these verses containing the words mia and Sabbaton (one of the Shabbat) have been
significantly reshaped to convey the sentiments of the translators.
We are at a loss to explain the widespread acceptance of this translation. To imply that ‘one of the Shab-
bat’ equates to ‘first day of the week’ depends upon a strict presumption that there was a need, semanti-
cally, on the part of the authors to employ an obscure idiom in order to express three simple ideas, ‘first’,
‘day’ and ‘of the week’. Our investigation reveals, however, that if such an idiom ever existed, it was
certainly not in use in any of the other Greek writings during this time period. Furthermore, the Greek
texts of Mark 14:12, Acts 20:18, and Philippians 1:5 demonstrate that these writers had the ability to say
‘first day’ using generally accepted, common Greek words (πρωτη ημερα, prote hemera; or πρωτης
ημερας, protes hemeras). ese witnesses, together with the existence of an ordinary Greek word that
expresses the idea of week ³⁸, affirm our conclusion that, had the writers intended to express ‘first day of
the week’, there were readily available phrases in the Greek language to do so. It was not necessary to use
the words μια (mia) and σάββατον (Sabbaton) in a mysterious, and indeed unnatural manner to express
the plain idea, ‘first day of the week’.
Having given plausible justification that the Greek phrase μια των σαββατων does not mean ‘first day of
the week’, we turn our attention to what this enigmatic phrase ‘one of the Shabbat’ does mean, within the
Hebraic context of the gospel writers and the early disciples of Yeshua.
Yom Echad and the Importance of Day and Night

THE GOSPEL writers were all first-century Hebrews (either native-born Israelites or converts) whose
culture and point of reference were Biblical and Hebraic. erefore, to understand what the phrase ‘one of
the Shabbat’ meant to them, we must turn our attention to Hebrew. In the same way that μια (mia) in
Greek means one, ‫( אחד‬echad), in Hebrew, means one. In fact, in the premier instance of this word in all
the Bible, Genesis 1:5, the Septuagint translators used mia for echad, attesting to this semantic identity.
Although some translations say the ‘first day’ here, in Hebraic thought both terms mean one, not first, as we
shall see. Like Greek, Hebrew has a separate word, ‫( רישון‬rishon) that means first. e word rishon is
related to rosh, meaning head. It is used in the phrase Rosh haShana, meaning ‘new year’ (literally, head of the
year). Rishon, analogously, conveys the idea of being ‘at the head’ or first. Echad is different. Echad means one.
In Hebrew, Echad has four definitions, all pertaining to one:
(1) One of a set.
In this, the simplest of all the senses for echad, it means one item from a collection of like items: one man,
one train, one mountain. For example, “Two persons encountered a fork in the road; one took the way to
the left, the other took the right.” or, “ere were three brothers, and one of them studied to be a
scientist.”
(2) The one and only, unique
is idea is succinctly expressed by the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4,
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD (KJV)
It is self-evident that the God of the Hebrews is the one God, not one of the gods.
38. For more than two centuries prior to when the Eastern Magi beheld the star that led them to Bethlehem and the shepherds
nearby heard the voice of the angel proclaim that Messiah had come, the term ἑbdoμάdoV (hebdomados) had an
established precedent of meaning, in Biblical writings, to express the Hebraic idea of week. See Appendix D.

(3) Creating one out of many or multiples

is is the idea expressed in Genesis 2:24,
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
is is also the familiar sense, used in reference to the United States, of the Latin phrase E Pluribus Unum
(out of many, one); one nation of many (States).
(4) Coming into existence, becoming an entity, ‘one’ or complete
is is the most abstract of the four definitions. Before something is formed, or comes into existence, it is
nothing, ‘not a thing’. But, at the moment it begins to exist, you have one of that thing. is is Hebraic
thought, and Genesis 1:5 expresses this idea.
And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (NASB)
Most translations say ‘first day’, but the Hebrew would have to be modified to ‫( יום הריאשון‬yom ha rishon)
to express that idea. It says ‫( יום אחד‬yom echad), one day, or, applying this definition, a day has now been
formed; the day is now a complete entity.
e use of the word μια in the Septuagint (Greek) translation of this verse perfectly recreates the Hebraic
idiom, because in reference to a day, it is definition #3 and #4 of one that apply. is is something that
becomes evident when the passage is read in Hebrew, but is not readily apparent to the reader of a transla-
tion. e Hebrew text uses an expression in Genesis 1:4
@ ֶ‫ֱ<הים בֵּ ין הָ אוֹר וּבֵ ין הַ חֹשׁ‬
ִ ‫ַויּ ְַב ֵדּל א‬
(literally: and Elohim drew a distinction between the light and between the darkness)
It is clear to the Hebraic reader that Elohim has created two parts; analogous to the picture an English
reader receives when we say that something was bisected. It is these two parts that are combined together
in verse 1:5 into a complete day, yom echad, or One Day. In essence, it gives the formula, or recipe, for an
element of time. It is as if the time-clock has been set in motion and the events are playing out before our
eyes: and it was evening (the first piece of the two, the darkness, has come; this stage passes until...) and it was
morning (the second piece, the light portion, has dawned), one day (it is now complete). At this point the
periodicity that we name as day has come into being. e two parts are now unified into a complete entity
at the fullness of the morning. e day is thought of as being one throughout the daylight hours, until the
evening falls, which marks the end of that day and the beginning of another.
Now, prepared with an understanding of what one of a day means hebraically, we turn to the Greek text of
Matthew 28:1,
οψε δε σαββατων τη επιφωσκουση εις μιαν σαββατων ηλθεν μαρια η μαγδαληνη και η αλλη
μαρια θεωρησαι τον ταφον Westcott-Hort New Testament, 1881
e organisation of the sentence structure is remarkably close to the Hebraic pattern in Genesis chapter 1,
Matthew 28:1 οψε δε σαββατων Evening of the Shabbat
Genesis 1:5 ‫וַיְ ִהי־עֶ ֶרב‬ And it was evening
and it was evening of the Shabbat (referring to the point beginning at nightfall)

Matthew 28:1 τη επιφωσκουση Light rays - at the first morning light

Genesis 1:5 ‫וַיְ ִהי־בֹקֶ ר‬ And it was morning
and it was morning at the dawn's early light (pinpoints the moment)
Matthew 28:1 εις μιαν σαββατων One of the Shabbat ³⁹

Genesis 1:5 ‫יוֹם אֶ חָ ד‬ One day
Fully a day, completed. Yom echad. Daylight portion of the day (of Shabbat)
FULFILMENT OF THE PROPHESIED THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS

Concerning the word of Yonah the prophet, it is evident that each of the Gospel authors intended for us to
know that the resurrection took place not later than dawn of the Shabbat. Attention to detail is requisite
to determining whether or not Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled. e timing of the womens’ arrival at
the tomb is precisely conveyed by the Greek words when understood with Hebraic meaning. If it had
been even moments later, then uncertainty would have been introduced in relation to this prophecy.
However, by denoting with consummate precision the exact point in time, all the gospel authors affirm
this sign as given by the prophet Yonah: that Messiah would be in the grave three days and three nights.
e historical and biblical record affirm that this prophecy was perfectly fulfilled.
FINAL COMMENTS
IT IS PARAMOUNT that we, as believers, comprehend and begin to remedy the consequences of the mischar-
acterisation of the events surrounding the resurrection of the Messiah. As our Lord and Saviour, when he
was operating in the office of Teacher, Yeshua always placed the Torah and the Prophets in the position of
pre-eminence. But, in opposition to this, the scriptures that he treasured and from which he taught have
come to be regarded as weak, ineffective, and passed away. is happened by means of anti-Hebraic
doctrines, lofty presentations shrouded by innuendo, and most notably, we think, by calling them the
“Old” Testament. In relation to the resurrection, this anti-Semitic direction has been reinforced by a
misrepresentation that presumes to herald a new day of worship, supplanting the day set apart as holy by
Elohim. is has effectively transformed the resurrection, which was intended as a sign, into an object of
adoration itself. Instead of affirming the words that were meant to be supreme, that is, the Torah, this
doctrine has made the resurrection itself transcendent. But there was never a directive that it should be
commemorated with such curious pomp and festive celebration as is summarily practised at Easter; with
litany and cantata and exquisite apparel. And, this memorial is rehearsed each Sunday because, in the
words of one pre-eminent theologian, Sunday maintains a “close connection with the very core of the
39. Second century Latin manuscripts (Vetus Latina) render this as in primam sabbati. Sabbati is the genitive singular, unlike the
Greek, which is plural. However, the ultra-early witness provided by the Vetus Latina text implies a Greek source text that
contained the singular form, and such a text would have predated even the earliest fragments of our Greek texts by at least
one century. erefore, it is probable that the plural forms in these Greek texts are due to copy errors. (Metzger, Bruce M.
e Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration. Oxford University Press, 1964. Chapter VII,
The Causes of Error in the Transmission of the Text of the New Testament.) Finally, there is a point concerning the grammarians who
might look with disdain at our use of the singular here. It must be conceded that if the plural were correctly indicated here
in the Greek, these translators wanting to express the insupportable 'first day of ' sense have, if held to the same standard,
effectively ignored the Greek grammar by not saying weeks'.

Christian mystery” for it “recalls the day of Christ's Resurrection”. ⁴⁰ His denomination's influence on the
shaping of this doctrine and guiding its impact on the landscape of Christian history are unarguably
prodigious.
Although we did not plan it to be this way from the outset, we see the establishment of the proper day of
the resurrection as directing a vital imperative to restore the Tenach to prominence. is resurrection,
which we have endeavoured to present in its right historical context, affirms the Biblical calendar and the
annual cycle of Elohim’s appointed times as given in Leviticus 23. And the precision with which the
gospel writers depict the fulfilment of the prophecy of Yonah serves to point us to those scriptures that
foretold, under the inspiration of the Spirit, that a Prophet, like Moshe, would come ⁴¹ to once again
elevate the word of Elohim, the Tenach, to the highest place of authority.
40. John Paul II. Dies Domini: Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father John Paul II to the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of the
Catholic Church on Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 5 July 1998. www.vatican.va/holy_father/
john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_05071998_dies-domini_en.html
41. Deuteronomy 18:15

APPENDIX A: EXCERPT FROM NEWTON’S PUBLISHED REPORT

(italics and capitalisation are as in the original)
“I take it for granted that the passion was on friday the 14th day of the month Nisan, the great
feast of the Passover on saturday the 15th day of Nisan, and the resurrection on the day following.
Now the 14th day of Nisan always fell on the full moon next after the vernal Equinox; and the
month began at the new moon before, not at the true conjunction, but at the first appearance of
the new moon; for the Jews referred all the time of the silent moon, as they phrased it, that is, of
the moon's disappearing, to the old moon; and because the first appearance might usually be
about 18 h after the true conjunction, they therefore began their month from the sixth hour at
evening, that is, at sun set, next after the eighteenth hour from the conjunction. And this rule they
called Jah, designing by the letters and the number 18.
I know that Epiphanius tells us, if some interpret his words rightly, that the Jews used a vicious cy-
cle, and thereby anticipated the legal new moons by two days. But this surely he spake not as a
witness, for he neither understood Astronomy nor Rabbinical learning, but as arguing from his erro-
neous hypothesis about the time of the passion. For the Jews did not anticipate, but postpone
their months: they thought it lawful to begin their months a day later than the first appearance of
the new moon, because the new moon continued for more days than one; but not a day sooner,
lest they should celebrate the new moon before there was any. And the Jews still keep a tradition
in their books, that the Sanhedrin used diligently to define the new moons by sight: sending wit-
nesses into mountainous places, and examining them about the moon's appearing, and translating
the new moon from the day they had agreed on to the day before, as often as witnesses came from
distant regions, who had seen it a day sooner than it was seen at Jerusalem....
Computing therefore the new moons of the first month according to the course of the moon and
the rule Jah, and thence counting 14 days, I find that the 14th day of this month in the year of
Christ 31, fell on tuesday March 27; in the year 32, on sunday Apr. 13; in the year 33, on friday Apr.
3; in the year 34, on wednesday March 24, or rather, for avoiding the Equinox which fell on the
same day, and for having a fitter time for harvest, on thursday Apr. 22, also in the year 35, on tues-
day Apr. 12, and in the year 36, on saturday March 31.
But because the 15th and 21st days of Nisan, and a day or two of Pentecost, and the 10th, 15th, and
22nd of Tisri, were always sabbatical days or days of rest, and it was inconvenient on two sabbaths
together to be prohibited burying their dead and making ready fresh meat, for in that hot region
their meat would be apt in two days to corrupt: to avoid these and such like inconveniences, the
Jews postponed their months a day, as often as the first day of the month Tisri, or which is all one,
the third of the month Nisan was sunday, wednesday, or friday: and this rule they called Adu, by the
letters aleph, daleth, waw, signifying the numbers 1, 4, 6, that is, the 1st, 4th, and 6th days of the
week, which days we call sunday, wednesday, and friday. Postponing therefore by this rule the
months found above; the 14th day of the month Nisan will fall in the year of Christ 31 on wednes-
day March 28; in the year 32 on monday Apr. 14; in the year 33 on friday Apr. 3; in the year 34, on
friday Apr. 23; in the year 35, on wednesday Apr. 13; and in the year 36, on saturday March 31.
By this computation therefore the year 32 is absolutely excluded, because the Passion cannot fall
on friday without making it five days after the full moon, or two days before it; whereas it ought
to be upon the day of the full moon, or the next day. For the same reasons the years 31 and 35 are
excluded, because in them the Passion cannot fall on friday, without making it three days after the
full moon or four days before it: errors so enormous, that they would be very conspicuous in the

heavens even to the vulgar eye. e year 36 is contended for by few or none, and both this and the
year 35 may be thus excluded....
us there remain only the years 33 and 34 to be considered; and the year 33 I exclude by this ar-
gument. In the Passover two years before the Passion, then Christ went thro' the corn, and his dis-
ciples pluckt the ears, and rubbed them with their hands to eat; this ripeness of the corn shews
that the Passover then fell late: and so did the Passover AC 32, April 14, but the Passover AC 31,
March 28th, fell very early. It was not therefore two years after the year 31, but two years after 32
that Christ suffered.
us all the characters of the Passion agree to the year 34; and that is the only year to which they
all agree.” ⁴²
APPENDIX B: EXCERPT FROM “FAITH OF OUR FATHERS”

by James Cardinal Gibbons
(italics and capitalisation are as in the original, bold emphasis added)
“Now the Scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe, nor
do they explicitly enjoin all the duties which he is obliged to practice. Not to mention other
examples, is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday, and to abstain on that day from
unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sa-
cred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a sin-
gle line authorising the sanctification of Sunday. e Scriptures enforce the religious observance
of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.
e Catholic Church correctly teaches that our Lord and His Apostles inculcated certain impor-
tant duties of religion which are not recorded by the inspired writers. For instance, most Chris-
tians pray to the Holy Ghost, a practice which nowhere is found in the Bible.
We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures alone cannot be sufficient guide and rule of Faith,
because they cannot, at any time be within the reach of every inquirer; because they are not of
themselves clear and intelligible even in matters of the highest importance, and because they do
not contain all the truths necessary for salvation.” ⁴³
42. Newton, Sir Isaac, 1733. “Of the Times of the Birth and Passion of Christ”, chapter 11 in Observations upon the Prophecies of
Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John (London: J. Darby and T. Browne), pp. 144-168. (Quoted here from Pratt, John P.
Newton's Date for the Crucifixion. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1991), 32, p. 303.)
43. Gibbons, James Cardinal. e Faith of Our Fathers: Being a Plain Exposition and Vindication of e Church Founded by
Our Lord Jesus Christ, London: John Murphy & Co., 1891, p. 111.

APPENDIX C: UTILISATION OF SABBATON IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Sabbaton translated as week: Matthew 28:1 (but in only 1 of 2 instances); Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 18:12; 24:1;
John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2. All but one of these instances have to do with creating the
‘first day of the week’ doctrine. For an understanding of what Yeshua meant by ‘I fast twice of the shabbat’
in Lk. 18:12, please see our upcoming paper at www.Shma-Israel.org (Neither does it mean week here.).
Sabbaton translated as Sabbath or Sabbath Day: : Matthew 12:1-2, 5 (2x), 8, 10-12; 24:20; 28:1; Mark
1:21; 2:23-24, 27 (2x), 28; 3:2, 4; 6:2; 16:1; Luke 4:16, 31; 6:1-2, 5-7, 9; 13:10, 14 (2x),15-16; 14:1, 3, 5;
23:54, 56; John 5:9-10, 16, 18; 7:22, 23 (2x); 9:14, 16; 19:31 (2x); Acts 1:12; 13:14, 27, 42, 44; 15:21;
16:13; 17:2; 18:4; Col. 2:16.
Other derivatives of Sabbaton translated as Sabbath: προσάββατον (Strong’s 4315), day before the
Sabbath, Mk. 15:42; σαββατισμὸς (Strong’s 4520), “rest” (KJV) or “Sabbath rest” (NASB), Hebrews
4:9.
APPENDIX D: HEBDOMA IN THE SEPTUAGINT EXPRESSES ‘WEEK’

e Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Torah was done between 285 BC and 244 BC, thus
establishing an accepted pattern for how to translate the culturally foreign concept of week, as expressed by
the Hebrew word ‫שבוּע‬.
ַ ἕβδομα (hebdoma), together with its related forms ⁴⁴, refers to a collection of
seven and hence, by extension, was utilised to mean week. It is used in this manner by the Septuagint
translators to express week in Genesis 29:27, 28; Exodus 34:22; Numbers 28:26; and Deuteronomy 16:9
(2X), 10, 16; 2 Chronicles 8:13; and Daniel 9:27 (2X)
Accordingly, the standard was already more than 250 years old by the time the first New Testament auto-
graphs were written. It is a substantial authentication of the linguistic convention that hebdomada was
being used to express week, that Roman translators employed the Greek word literally in Latin as ebdo-
mada to translate week. is term is used in Latin translations of the Bible until well into the fifth century
AD, and extending even into the present time. ⁴⁵ is attests to the momentum that the convention must
have gained, in that the Romans did not undertake to form an equivalent meaning from the Latin word
for seven, septem.⁴⁶
44. Among the forms used are: ἕβδοµα (hebdoma), ἕβδοµας (hebdomas), ἑbdoμάdoV (hebdomados), ἑbdoμάdon
(hebdomadon)
45. Jerome, e Vulgate; also the pre-Vulgate Latin translations, Vetus Latina; and Nova Vulgata (1979)
46. e Latin language has no intrinsic word that means week.

Date Messiah Resurrection

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Establishment

of the Correct Date and Timeline

Restoring an Hebraic Understanding

David Ison and Gilit Bock

Copyright 2007, Shma-Israel.org. First Released 2007-12-03

Using reliable astronomical models, appealing to all the relevant Hebraic

cultural norms applicable to this period in history, and giving faithful

attention to the details of the Biblical calendar, we unveil a detailed

reconstruction of the chronology of events, show the precise day of

Passover, followed by the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua was

Tuesday, 27 March, year AD 31 of the Julian calendar.

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 2

EVENTS, THINGS AND PLACES

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 3

2. Matthew 26:19, Mark 14:16, Luke 22:15, John 13:1.

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 4

1. Characteristics of the Proper Date

5. Matthew 12:39-41, 16:4, Luke 11:29-32.

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 5

2. e Biblical Calendar and the Hebraic Reckoning of Time

3. Sanhedrin Oversight of Calendar

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 6

CALCULATING THE DATE

1. Determining the Start of Yeshua’s Ministry

e Year Yochanan’s Ministry Began

13. Yochanan ben Zacharyah ( John the Baptist)

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 7

e Season Yochanan’s Ministry Began

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 8

Table 1. Calculation of the Year of the First Passover of Yeshua’s Ministry

Hebraic Reckoning Western Reckoning

1st year of Tiberias’ Reign August, AD 14 – 1 Aviv, AD 15 August, AD 14 – August, AD 15

2nd year of Tiberias’ Reign 1 Aviv, AD 15 – 1 Aviv, AD 16 August, AD 15 – August, AD 16

15th year of Tiberias’ Reign 1 Aviv, AD 28 – 1 Aviv, AD 29 August, AD 28 – August, AD 29

First Passover of (confirmed) 14 Aviv, AD 29 April, AD 29 (14 Aviv)

e First Passover of Yeshua’s Ministry

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 9

2. e Length of Yeshua’s Ministry

3. On What Day Did the Passover Occur in AD 31 ?

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 10

Year AD According to Biblical Commandment Postponement Date due to

31 Tuesday, March 27 Wednesday, March 28

32 Sunday, April 13 Monday, April 14

33 Friday, April 3 N/A

35 Tuesday, April 12 Wed, April 13

36 Saturday, March 31 N/A

TESTING THE DATE

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 11

2. Passover and Chag ha Matzot

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 12

27. Feast of Unleavened Bread

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 13

4. Reconstruction of the Chronology of Events, Passover of AD 31

14 Aviv (Tuesday, March 27) ~ e Daylight Hours

Event Comments References

14-15 Aviv (Tuesday-Wednesday, March 27-28) ~ Evening to Night-time Hours

Event Comments References

31. A piece of unleavened bread.

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 14

15 Aviv (Wednesday, March 28) ~ e Daylight Hours

Event Comments References

© 2007 Shma-Israel.org page 15

Day One in the Grave