The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1911-08-03
FIXES DATE OF
The CRUCIFIxION
Dutch Scientist Places Il as
March rs In the Year 29.
REASONS FOR HIS DEDUCTIONS

fll-HOUNO ] VII lilo uLUUUIlU
Or. Veen Arrived at His Conclusions
After Many Years Study of Biblical
Lore, and Also the Various Methods
of Determining Time That Have Pre-
vailed.
d. j. Veen. a Dutch scientist, claims
10 have ascertained the true date Of
the actual crucifixIon Of Christ Ac-
cording to him, Christ was crucified
March %. in the year 20 Of our reckon
ing. To prove this DR.. Yeen has
searched thoroughly not only Biblical
lore, but also the various methods OF
determining time which have been in
use throughout the ages. DR.. Eeen
shows that the common belief up until
the middle of the second century was
that Christ ate the Passover with his
disciples Thursday. the 18th Of Nissan.
or the first Jewish month of the year.
About the middle of the second cen
fury, however the great argument be-
gan between the eastern and western
branches of the church as to the true
date of the celebration of the Pass
over and the death of Christ.
Then. as now" says DR.. Veen. 'the
main point of dispute was as TO the
exact date of Christ's death. whether
this came on the 18th or 10Th of the
month Nissan. One party maintained
that the first three or synOptic gospels
make it clear that Christ ate the Pass
over with his disciples the 18th and
was crucified the 10Th of Nissan. Ac-
cording to the other party. it appears
from the gospel Of John that Christ
was crucified the afternoon of the 18th
of Nissan and that the Passover was
to be eaten the evening thereon follow
ing after sunset"
Fixing the Dates.
Then after going deep into the va
rious methods of reckoning time that
have been used in finding the dates
connected with the Christian era. DR..
Veen goes on 70 say:
1.-THE dates for the celebration Of the
Jewish and Christian Passover depend
upon the date of the full moon after
March 81. and thus after the spring
equinox. This is called the spring full
moon. Now. as soon as'the full moon
appears on the evening of the 18th
of Nissan at sunset. and thus. according
to the Jewish reckoning. at the begin
ming of the 10th Of Nissan. the Celehra-
ton of the Jewish Passover begins.
The early Christians celebrated this
feast. as that of the resurrection Of
the Lord. on the first day of the week
following upon the 18th of Nisan. and
it was about this that the difference of
opinion arose in the second century
tween the eastern and western branch
es of the church.
THE former maintained that Christ,
the true Passover Lamb. had died on
the 14th of Nissan. and they ceebrat-
ed the Lords supper as n Passover
feast on the evening of that day. and
on the 18th of Nissan they celebrated
the resurrection Passover. The west
ern branch rejected this Jewish chro-
nology entirely and celebrated the
Passover of Christ on Friday after
the spring full moon and his reSurrec-
ton on the succeeding first day of the
week"
Dr.. Veen's Deductions.
1t is at this point that DR.. Neen
makes the deductions which lead him
to declare that Christ was crucifed
March % of the year %. He shows
that there are eight yearS-from the
year 81 TO the year Sin which the
event might have occurred. But. he
argues, Christ was crucifed on Fri
day and buried toward evening or that
same day. the beginning of the Jewish
Passover. as is shown by the goSpe :,
But of those eight years there are only
two in which the 18th of Nissan. or
beginning Of the Jewish Passover. falls /
on Thursday. Those two years are /
the twenty-ninth and thirty-third. or |
the two he claims that the twenty
ninth should be given the preference. |
first because Christ was born in 100 /
and not T54 years after the founding |
of Rome. and thus four years before |
the beginning Of our era.
His second reason for claiming that /
the correct year is the twenty-ninth Is
that the Passover came early that year.
while in the year SO it was fully two
weeks later. In the book OF John IL
is told that on the night when Christ
was apprehended il was cold and that
Il fire was burning In the outer court
of the high priest. Or. Neen claims
that in the year SO the Passover would
have occurred In April and declares
that in Palestine the nights are then
no longer cold DR.. Veen also claims
that Christ ate the Passover with his
disciples Thursday evening at sun
set. which would be the beginning or
the 18th Of Nisan and therefore of the
Jewish Passover, according TO Jewish