The website for NASA's Eclipse information is located here.
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.htmlThe problem is that lunar eclipses happen almost every year with some years containing up to 5 total and partial eclipses. Which one was Josephus referring to? Figuring out which one's were not visible in that part of the world might be one way to eliminate some of them. But if eclipses happened every year, the way I see it, there would be no way to pin down
I happen to be one of those who doesn't believe that Yahshua was crucified on a Friday. I think he was crucified on a Wednesday, with the Passover starting the evening before, on Tuesday. His crucifixion occurs 14 days after the New Moon which is the 1st of Nissan. The only Full Moon that occurs on a Wednesday on or prior to 33 AD is in the year 27 AD. That's a full 6 years (7 years if you create a year 0) earlier then we traditionally think. BUT, it accomodates the 6 BC death of Herod. Yahshua was already between 0 and 2 years of age by that point.
He was crucified on Wednesday, placed in the tomb on Wednesday evening, then stayed in the tomb for 3 full days till Saturday evening (which is when the first day of the week starts). It was early the next morning (Sunday) that His tomb was discovered empty.
Passover was from Tuesday evening till Wednesday evening. This day was also a day of preparation (Luke 23:54) for the next day which was a Sabbath, the first day of the 7 day Feast of Unleavened Bread which immediately followed the Passover. So Joseph hurriedly entombed the body. It is not till Friday that the women can buy and prepare spices for the body. Friday is also a day of preparation for the Saturday Sabbath. The Saturday Sabbath passes and the women set out to go to the tomb on Sunday morning.
There are two Sabbaths in this scenario, not one. I believe that somehow, the church as confused this fact, assumed that there was only one sabbath so it had to be Saturday and so made the crucifixion day to be on a Friday.
But this scenario fixes a couple of problems with the gospel accounts.
1. Matthew 28:1 original Greek has "Sabbaths" plural, not one. Yet it is almost always translated as singular (Sabbath). YLT translates it properly.
2. The apparent inconsistency between Mark 16:1 which has the women buying and preparing spices after the Sabbath, which would have been the 1st day of the feast of Unleavened Bread which was treated as a Sabbath, and Luke 23:56 which has the women buying and preparing spices before the Sabbath, the Saturday Sabbath. They are referring to two different Sabbaths.
So, what this means is that the 3 Apr 33 AD won't work.
Gord