--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Watkins, Charles F. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 3 number: 2 published: 1899-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Watkins, Charles F., "On What Day Was Christ Crucified," *Improvement Era* 3, no. 2 (December 1899): 89–94.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera32unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera32unse start_page: 89 end_page: 94 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1899-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera32unse publication_year: 1899 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1899, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # On What Day Was Christ Crucified WHAT DAY WAS CHRIST CRUCIFIED? BY ELDER CHARLES F. WATKINS. "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, say- ing, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas; For as Jonas was three days and three nights is the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."— Matt. 12: 38-40. Critics of the Bible have denied that this sign of the divine character and mission of the Savior was ever given, for, as he was crucified on Friday and rose from the dead on Sunday morning, he had not lain three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The purpose of this article is to show conclusively that the sign was given, and that in this as in all other prophecies made by the Savior, "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."— Mark 13: 31. All the evangelists agree that he arose on the first day of the week, Sunday. Matt, 28: 1-16; Mark 16: 1-6; Luke 24: 1-6, John 20: 1-18. As this weight of authority definitely settles the time of his resurrection, in order to prove that he layihree days and nights in the earth, the day of his crucifixion and burial must of necessity be as definitely fixed. Popular tradition has taught us that he was cru- cified on Friday, but to literally fulfill the sign promised the scribes' the death and burial must have occurred on Thursday. To estab- lish this as the correct day, scripture passages will be quoted to show that Jesus never partook of the passover, that he had been 90 IMPROVEMENT ERA. crucified before the day of the passover, and that the day of the passover began on Thursday at the close of day and ended on Fri- day evening at the same hour. Further, it will be shown from authorities on Jewish laws and customs that no trial or execution would be permitted on the day of the passover. These points once proven, the only conclusion that can be reached will be that he was crucified on Thursday. We have been taught that he ate the passover before his betrayal and crucifixion, but this is plainly erroneous.The Savior said: "Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified." Matt. 26: 2. If he were to be crucified on the day of the passover, he certainly could not have partaken of the passover supper. Again: "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father^ having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, * * *." John 13: 1, 2. This was the last supper he ate with his disciples, and, as is seen from the beginning of the quotation, it was eaten before the feast of the passover. The context in this chapter informs us that he washed his disciples' feet, and after giving instructions foretold his betrayal by one of his disciples. "Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him^ Lord, who is it? Jesus answered. He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop, Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him. That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him. Buy those things that we have need of against the feast." This passage shows clearly that the supper which was just ended was not the passover supper, we have been taught to believe, the for if it had been such, as thought would not have occurred to the other eleven disciples that Judas was instructed to go out and buy the things needed for the feast. After the departure of Judas, Jesus continued to instruct ON WHAT DAY WAS CHRIST CRUCIFIED? 91 his disciples and to encourage them with words of kindness and love. John, chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17. The objector may quote the following: "And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you that I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Luke 22: 15, 16. What was this passover? It was the passover he was to administer to his disciples, the passover of the Lamb of God, of which the paschal lamb was a type, for we read: "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you : this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Luke 22: 19, 20. This was the passover he had such great desire to institute before he suffered. After his instructions, he and the disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane. John 18: 1. He knew that his hour was come- He knew that on the morrow the paschal lamb would be slain; he knew that lamb was a type of himself, and that he himself was the Lamb of God slain from before the foundation of the world. The paschal lamb had been separated from the flocks on the tenth day of the first month (Nisan) or second of April. (Smith's Dic- tionary of the Bible.) Jesus also was separated on the same day when he rode into Jerusalem amid the shouts of the people, "Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." John 12: 13. As he was thus chosen and honored on the same day, so also would he be crucified on the same day that the paschal lamb was to be slain. Judas, with a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came to the garden late in the night, with lanterns torches and weapons. Although they there witnessed the power of God, which should have been a warning to them, they nevertheless took Jesus, bound him and led him away to Annas, who in turn sent him to Caiaphas. "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of Judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. Pilate then went out unto them and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?" The accusers of Jesus did 9^ IMPROVEMENT ERA. not go into the judgment hall lest they should be defiled and would not be able to partake of the passover, and therefore Pilate went out unto them to hear their charges. This is ample evidence that the time for the eating of the passover had not yet arrived. As Jesus did not partake of any food with his disciples from the time he was betrayed in the garden, it is evident that he had not eaten of the passover. That his betrayal occurred before the passover supper had been eaten, is also proven by the following statement: "Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barrabas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said untq. them. Whom will ye that I release unto * * * you? Barrabas, or Jesus which is called Christ? They said, Barrabas." Matt. 27: 15-17, 21. As the prisoner had not yet been released, (Matt. 27: 26; Mark 15: 15; Luke 23: 25,) the feast of the passover must still have been in the future. But if still further proof is wanted, the following passage referring to the very hour in which Christ was taken to Golgotha and crucified, should be final: "And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour; and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your king." John 19: 14. Having proven that Jesus did not partake of the passover supper, and that he was crucified prior thereto, the next question is. When did the passover begin? "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover." Lev. 23: 5. It was on the morning of this day, Thursday, with us as with the Jews, that Jesus appeared before Pilate, but the passover did not begin until even, at six, which hour marked the commencement of the Jewish Friday, though to us still Thursday. That it began on the evening of the day he was crucified is evident from the following passage: "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away." John 19: 31. The objector may say that it was on the preparation of the Sabbath, and as the Jewish Sabbath was held on Saturday, the crucifixion must have been held on Friday. No, for if that were true, the day of the passover and the Sabbath must have occurred — ON WHAT DAY WAS CHRIST CRUCIFIED? 93 on the same day. John says, "for that sabbath was an high day," Bearing in mind that Jesus was crucified on the preparation of the passover, let us read: And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them. Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein." Lev. 23: 1-8. "And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that — only may be done of you." Exodus 12: 16. From this we may understand why John calls it an high day, that is the day following the passover, because the same law was given to be observed on this day as on the regular Sabbaths, no matter on which day of the week this should occur, and those holy convocations were to be Sabbaths of rest unto the people. Here is also another evidence that it was not on the day after, but prior to, the passover that our Savior was slain. It would be unreason- able also, to suppose that the Jews, so strict to observe their Sab- baths and holy convocations, would desecrate it by holding court and condemning and even executing three prisoners in public on this holy day. Chambers' Encyclopedia, under the head of "Sabbath," declares that no case where life or death were involved could be tried in a court on a Friday. Such were the customs of the Jews. The chief priests did not want to take Jesus at the feast day lest there should be an uproar among the people; hence, Judas took opportunity to betray him before the passover. Thus Christ was crucified on Thursday. That day ended at six in the evening, when Friday, the passover day, began. At that — 94 IMPROVEMENT ERA. time Christ had given up the ghost, had been taken down from the cross, and the body given to Joseph of Arimathaea for interment. His body lay in the tomb from Thursday evening, or the beginning of the Jewish Friday, until Sunday morning, three days and three nights, and he arose from the tomb on the third day, Sunday. That Sunday was the third day, may be gathered from the account given in Luke 24: 13-21, of Jesus appearing unto two disciples, who inform him of all that has happened, concluding with these words: "And beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done." Again: If Sunday was the third day since these things were done, Saturday must have been the second day, and Friday the first day since these things were done. In other words they were done on the Thursday. In conclusion may be cited the evidence contained in the Book of Mormon. Samuel, the Lamanite prophet, prophesied: "And behold, again another sign I give unto you; yea, a sign of his death; * * * behold, in that day that he shall suffer death, the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you; and also the moon, and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the tjme that he shall rise again from the dead." Helaman 14: 14, 20. The fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded as follows: "And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch, that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen, could feel the vapor of darkness; * * * ^j^^j j^ came to pass that it did last for the space of three days, that there was no light seen."— Ill Nephi 8: 20, 23. And it came to pass that thus did the three days pass away. And it was in the morning, and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land."— Ill Nephi 10: 9.