The death of Jesus Christ is one of the most intriguing narrations in the Bible. According to John 3:17, Jesus died to save the world. By sacrificing His life on the cross, he took the punishment for all our sins. But what many Christians do not know is, how many years has it been since Jesus died?
About 1,995 years have elapsed since Jesus died. Although the Bible does not give the specific dates for His death, it contains substantial clues. According to Luke 3:1, John’s ministry began in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius of Caesar. After Baptism, Jesus began his ministry about AD 29. Jesus’ ministry lasted for three and a half years, after which he was crucified. Therefore, it is estimated that Jesus died at around 3 pm on Friday, April 3, AD 33.
So, does the Bible hint at the year that Jesus died? When did Jesus die according to historical timelines? What year did Jesus die? Read on to learn the answers to these questions and more.
Does the Bible Hint the Year That Jesus Died?
According to the Gospels of John 19:42, Matthew 27:62, Mark 15:42, and Luke 23:54, Jesus died during Passover on a Friday. It was the day when the Jews prepared for Sabbath. After sharing the last supper with His disciples, he was crucified. The Gospels state that this happened during the reign of Tiberius. Pontius Pilate was the presiding governor of Judea.
However, there seems to be a contradiction between the Gospels on whether Jesus died before or after the last supper. According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred after the Passover meal. On the contrary, the Gospel of John implies that He did not partake in the Passover meal. He died on the day of its preparation.
As per Mark 14: 12, Matthew 26:17, and Luke 22:15, Jesus said to His disciples that he had yearned to share the Passover with them before He suffered death. Later on, preparations are made, and in the evening, Jesus shares the meal with them. It was when they went into the garden of Gethsemane to pray that Jesus was captured, arrested, and crucified the following day.
On the contrary, according to John 13:1, Jesus died before the Passover feast. He knew his time to depart to the Father had come. In this scripture, we don’t see the preparation of the Passover feast. After supper, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and instructed them to love one another. That same night, He was arrested and taken to the Pilate (18:28). After judgment, he was taken for crucifixion. The Gospel of John 19:14 states that this happened during the preparation of the Passover, about the sixth hour.
The Gospels are clear on the day that Jesus died. However, the year is not mentioned.
When Did Jesus Die According to Historical Timeline?
According to the Gospels, Jesus died during the reign of Pontius Pilate. Based on astronomical data, Pontius Pilate is believed to have reigned over Judea between AD 26 and 36. Also, we know that John began his ministry a few years before Jesus did. John must have begun his ministry in AD 29, according to Luke 3:1, which states that he appeared during the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius. According to history, Tiberius was made emperor in 14 AD.
Based on this information, Jesus is thought to have begun His ministry in AD 29, after His baptism by John. His ministry lasted for about three and a half years, after which He was crucified. Therefore, He must have died in AD 33.
According to Mark 14:12, Jesus’ crucifixion and death occurred during the Passover. It was during the Passover that lambs were slaughtered and sacrificed. According to John 1:29, 26, John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sins.
According to this information, Jesus must have died around the same time the lambs were slaughtered. According to Jewish history, this occurred between the 9th and 11th hour. That would be between 3 pm and 5 pm in today’s time. This information implies that Jesus was crucified and died on a Friday at 3 pm in 33 AD.
What Year Did Jesus Die
It is estimated that Jesus died in the year 33 AD. However, there is disputing information that He may have died at an earlier date, April 7, AD 30. Although the Gospels state that John’s ministry began during the 15th year of Tiberius’s reign, there is a historical dispute on when this was. It is believed that Tiberius and Augustus may have reigned together before Tiberius became the only ruler.
Also, the Friday Passover could be celebrated on April 7, AD 30, or April 3, AD 33. According to the Gospel of John, there is evidence of Jesus having celebrated 3 Passovers during his entire ministry. Knowing that Jesus’s ministry began in AD 29, it is hard to conclude that He was crucified in AD 30. This could not have been possible since he witnessed three Passovers.
Due to the conflicting information provided by the Gospel books of the Bible, an attempt to reconcile the information was made. The estimated date and year of His death are obtained in reference to the Gospel of John, which is assumed to be the most accurate of the four Gospel accounts. It was concluded that Jesus did not partake in the Passover meal but had his last supper the night before His death. The authors must have used different calendars hence the conflicting information.
According to the Jewish calendar, Jesus died in Nisan 14, 3793. When translated into the Julian calendar, it translates to the year AD 33. This was a few hours before Passover and Sabbath. This date has been obtained using the Julian calendar, which aligns the most with historical dates.
References
- https://www.gotquestions.org/what-year-did-Jesus-die.html
- https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/jesus.html#:~:text=Jesus%20died%2C%20therefore%2C%20on%20Friday,in%20use%20at%20the%20time.
- https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_246.cfm
- https://cbs.mbts.edu/2020/04/08/april-3-ad-33-why-we-believe-we-can-know-the-exact-date-jesus-died/
- https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/matthew/jesus-death-and-resurrection-matthew-27-28
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