Jim Bramlett re October 18 posting:
 

The USNO (US Naval Observatory) at their website indicate that in 30 A.D. the new moon occurred at 6pm GMT on Wednesday March 22. That would be at 8pm Jerusalem time. As you know it is impossible to actually see a new moon since there is zero light. The earliest siting by a trained observer would be the following evening at sundown approx 6pm (Starry Night software indicates 5:51:18pm for sunset with 6:32:29 for moonset that night for Jerusalem in 30 A.D.) Since this is around 22 hours after the new moon it is reasonable and likely that the new moon was sited. Note that the record of siting a new moon to an unassisted eye is 15.5 hours. Okay, so this means that Nisan 1 would be declared to start that evening Thursday March 23 at sundown. By simply counting forward we get Nisan 14 starting at sundown on Wednesday April 5. This means that most of Nisan 14 would be on our Thursday April 6 in 30 A.D. I happen to believe that Jesus celebrated Passover according to the Temple system controlled by the Saduccees. He and his disciples would have had the Passover lamb slaughtered at sundown starting Nisan 14, then roasted and eaten that evening. In the middle of the night he was taken into custody, subsequently tried and executed the following afternoon around 3pm (when the Pharisee Passover slaughter of lambs occurred. He was in the grave Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night, resurrected by dawn on the first day of the week when the Firstfruits dedication was being made in the Temple.

I share this as a different opinion from the author of the “year of perfect order”. He claims that Nisan 10 fell on a Saturday (not Sunday) in the year 30 A.D. Clearly it would have been possible for this day to be delayed 24 hours if the new moon had not been sited to start Nisan 1, but impossible to move it ahead suggesting that Nisan 1 started at the exact time of the new moon which could not be seen in the sky.

I think there is more solid evidence that Yeshua celebrated Passover with his disciples at the start of Nisan 14 in the year 30 A.D., then was crucified and died the next afternoon as the “Passover lamb” according to the Pharisee calendar. That is why Paul does not refer to the Last Supper as a Passover meal in 1 Corinthians. Rather he says “On the night he was betrayed….” For Pharisees, the Passover is actually eaten early on the evening of Nisan 15 and is tied directly to the Feast of Unleaven bread. In ancient times these two things were separate.


Regards, Hal