Introduction

Many books have been written pointing out all the many contradictions and absurdities plaguing the passion stories of the New Testament gospels. This fact at least acknowledges that there are severe credibility problems therein. In this paper I will examine the crucifixion accounts and the events leading up to it by comparing statements made in each of the four canonical gospels. Since the gospel accounts differ, sometimes widely, it is not always easy to determine the exact order in which these events allegedly occurred. For example, the three synoptic gospels, Mark, the eldest, followed by Matthew and Luke, associate the crucifixion with Passover while John, the fourth and latest¹ of the canonical gospels, connects the crucifixion with the slaughtering of the Paschal Lamb.

Passover, known also as the festival of Unleavened Bread², is a commemoration of the Hebrews' legendary liberation from slavery in Egypt. It especially celebrates the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites when, according to the legend, the Lord "smote the land of Egypt" on the eve of the Exodus³. The festival thus marks the first and most momentous event in Jewish history. Passover begins at sundown on the 14th and ends at sundown on the 21st of the Hebrew month of Nissan (March or April).

Like the Christian Easter, Passover generally coincides with the vernal equinox. The festival begins with a special meal called Seder. In Christianity it is celebrated as the Last Supper marking inauguration of the Eucharist⁴.

This paper is arranged according to the actual chronology of the gospels. The Gospel of Mark, written between 70⁵ and 75, is recognized as the oldest of the four canonicals. For that reason it is listed first. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke were written between 80 and 90 placing them in the middle, chronologically speaking. The Gospel of John was written around 100 and is, therefore, the most recent. We begin with an examination of the Old Testament sources.

The Source

Almost all of the content used by the writer of Mark to develop his story of how Jesus died comes not from eyewitness accounts as might be expected but mainly from two Old Testament sources, Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. From Psalm 22:1, Mark draws the words, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." He described the crowd at the cross using the words of this Psalm (v. 7 ,8). Next he tells the story of Jesus' thirst again using the words of this Psalm (v. 14,15). Psalm 22:16 provides the inspiration for nailing of Jesus to the cross. Then he relates the account of the soldiers dividing his garments also based on this Psalm (v.18). This is clearly not remembered history.

In Isaiah 53 a portrait is drawn from one called the "Suffering Servant of the Lord." Isaiah says this Servant "was numbered with the transgressors" (v. 12). From that line, Mark created the story of the two thieves crucified one on each side of him. Isaiah says that the Servant was "with a rich man in his death" (v.9 ), so Mark created the story of a ruler of the Jews, Joseph of Arimathea, who made his new tomb in a garden available to receive the body of Jesus. Isaiah notes that the Servant made intercession for the transgressors (v. 12), so the stage is set for Luke to expand Mark's narrative by supplying the words of Jesus' intercession for the soldiers, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!" (Luke 23:34). Mark has noted earlier (15:50) that when Jesus was arrested, "all of his disciples forsook him and fled," which means that Jesus died alone; There were no eyewitnesses to record the details of Jesus' final hours so Mark's biblical account cannot be historical. It is interpretive material, highly stylized and presented in a liturgical format. Once we open this door, the possibility that the entire story of the Jesus' Passion is fictional, not historical, becomes clear.

Additional data supporting this conclusion, is that in Mark, Matthew and Luke we do not have three separate accounts of the passion story. The writers of Matthew and Luke obviously had Mark's gospel in front of them as they wrote and drew liberally form it. While they edited Mark to some extent, they accepted Mark's basic framework and time line. Matthew’s author copied into his gospel about 90% of Mark's content while Luke’s author copied about 50%. It was the writer of Mark who put the crucifixion and the Passover together. Matthew and Luke apparently accepted that placement without question. Although the Fourth Gospel, John, refers to a final meal, it is clearly not the Passover meal. The writer of John connects the crucifixion with the slaughtering of the Paschal Lamb.

The Plot

Mark 14:1-2 says that two days before Passover, the chief priests and the scribes agreed that Jesus must be put to death, but it should not be done on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Matthew 26:2-5 repeats most of Mark but disagrees as to the identity of the plotters. According to Matthew they included the chief priests and the elders with no mention of the scribes. Luke 22:1-2 and John 11:47-55 say only that the plot occurred when Passover was near. As in Mark, the plotters in Luke's version include the chief priests and the scribes. In John's account, however, it was the chief priests and the Pharisees who were doing the plotting. Although neither Mark nor Matthew gives the reason for the plot, the implication is that Jesus was suspected of being a rabble rouser and a trouble maker. The reason for killing Jesus, according to Luke and John, was that he was becoming too popular thereby potentially a threat to the ruling authorities.

The Anointing

The story of the anointing of Jesus appears in all four gospels. In Mark, Matthew and John it follows immediately after the account of the plot. In Luke, however, in appears in 11:36-50, well before the plot.

Mark 14:3-9 tells of a woman anointing Jesus' head while he was visiting in the house of Simon the leper in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem. The disciples rebuked the woman for wasting her money on the expensive ointment when she could have used it to help the poor. Jesus tells the disciples not to trouble her because she did it for his burial. "The poor," Jesus reminds them, "are always with us, but you only have me for a little while." Jesus goes on to say that whersoever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, there also shall be told what this woman did as a memorial to her. The reference to "preaching the gospel throughout the whole world" obviously belongs to the missionary vocabulary of a much later gentile church. It smacks of forgery.

Matthew 26:6-13 repeats Mark's version almost verbatim. But Luke's and John's versions contradict those of Mark and Matthew as well as each other. In Luke 7:36-50 the setting is Nain not Bethany. Luke agrees that Jesus was visiting in the house of Simon but never refers to him as a leper. Luke calls Simon a Pharisee. This is strange indeed because according to Matthew 23 the Pharisees were the sworn enemies of Jesus. Luke says that the ointment was applied to Jesus' feet, not to his head as is said in Mark and Matthew. In fact, in verse 46 Luke has Jesus mildly rebuke the host for not anointing his head. No mention was made of the disciples being present, and no one complained about wasting the ointment. Nothing is said in Luke's version about giving to the poor, and Jesus never refers to his burial. Also, there is no call by Jesus for a memorial to the woman doing the anointing. To the contrary, she is described in Luke as a miserable sinner seeking forgiveness.

In John 12:1-8 the anointing of Jesus took place six days before Passover, not two days prior as is stated in Mark and Matthew. John's setting is Bethany which agrees with Mark and Matthew, but the host, according to John, is Lazarus, not Simon thus contradicting Mark, Matthew and Luke. Also, John does not mention a leper or the Pharisees. In John the woman anoints Jesus' feet thereby agreeing with Luke but contradicting Mark and Matthew. According to John the one who complained about wasting the ointment was none other than Judas Iscariot who, it seems, had been caught skimming from the money box. Also, John's Jesus neglects to direct the disciples to memorialize the anointer every time the gospel is preached as he does in Mark and Matthew.

The Last Supper

In Mark 14:12 we learn that it was on the first day of Passover that the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus began to unfold. Verses 16 through 18 of chapter 14 confirm that Jesus met with his apostles in the evening to eat the Seder meal thus marking the beginning of Passover. Matthew agrees (Mt 26:17) as does Luke (Lk 22:13.) But the writer(s) of John disagree. In John 13:1 we are told that the supper took place before the Passover festival. According to John 13:29 some of the apostles thought that Jesus had sent Judas to purchase supplies for the upcoming Passover feast.

In John, Jesus is portrayed as the sacrificial Passover lamb (John 1:29,36). Therefore he had to have Jesus crucified not on Passover as the synoptic gospels do but on the eve of Passover (Nissan 14), the traditional day for slaughtering the lamb.

The Betrayal and Arrest

Mark 14:10-11 tells how Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' twelve apostles, went to the chief priests and offered to identify Jesus for money. They were pleased, so Judas sought an opportunity which was not long in coming.

After eating the Passover meal Jesus and his disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray and meditate. There, according to Mark 14:44-47, they were confronted by the chief priests, the scribes and the elders. Judas identifies Jesus by kissing him. In a fit of pique, one of Jesus' followers draws his sword and proceeds to whacks off an ear of the chief priest's slave. Jesus is then placed under arrest and taken to the high priest.

Mark 14:50-52 tells how following his arrest Jesus' disciples forsook him and fled except for a certain unidentified young man who, having only a linen cloth cast about his naked body, laid hold on him. The young man then shed the linen cloth and fled naked.

The writer of Matthew (26:14-16, 47-56) essentially repeats the story as given in Mark except there is no naked young man. Also, in verses 3 and 57 Caiaphas is named as the high priest to whom Jesus was led.

Luke differs from Mark and Matthew in that the nocturnal prayer vigil, during which Jesus was betrayed and arrested, was on the Mount of Olives, not the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39). In Luke 22:50-51 we learn that it was the slave's right ear which was cut off but that Jesus miraculously reattached it. Why didn't Mark and Matthew mention such a noteworthy miracle? Also, Luke's version makes no mention of a naked young man pursuing Jesus. In Luke 3:2 we learn that Annas and Caiaphas are both high priests.

John 18:3-11 tells a radically different story. The writer(s) of John never mentions either the garden of Gethsemane nor the Mount of Olives. According to John 18:1 Jesus and his disciples went across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a (unnamed) garden. Judas, whom we learned in John 13:27 was possessed by Satan, met him there with a detachment of soldiers and police from the chief priests and the Pharisees. There was no identifying kiss from Judas. Jesus asked them who they were looking for. They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus replied, "I am he." At that point, for some unexplained reason, the soldiers and police all fell to the ground. Then Jesus asked them again, "Who are you looking for?" Again they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said. "I told you I am he. So, take me and let the others go."

At this point in the story we learn who did the dastardly ear cutting. It was none other than Simon Peter. We also learn that the slave's name was Malchus. There is no account in John of Jesus reattaching the severed ear as he did in Luke 22:51. However, he does admonish Peter by saying to him, "Put up thy sword into the sheath. The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" In John there is no naked young man. The authorities then bound Jesus and led him away under arrest. But, he is not taken directly to the chief priest, Caiaphas, as in Mark, Matthew and Luke, but to Annas who is Caiaphas' father in law. But, much to our amazement we are told in Acts 4:6 that Annas, not Caiaphas, is the high priest.

For an in depth analysis of the story of Judas Iscariot see "The Betrayal of Jesus" in New Testament Forgeries and Judas vs Peter on this web site.

The Trial

According to Mark 14:53-62 when the Council gave Jesus the opportunity to answer the charges against him he remained silent. But when asked by the high priest, "Are you the Messiah, the son of the blessed one?", Jesus answered, "I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." This statement implies that the chief priest will still be alive at the second coming. When asked by Pontius Pilate (Mark 15:2-5) if he is king of the Jews, Jesus gave an evasive answer, "You say so." But, when Pilot confronted him with the accusations against him, he made no reply.

In Matthew 26:62-64 when the high priest confronted Jesus with the accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. But when he was asked if he was the Messiah, the son of God, the writer of Matthew repeated Mark's version with a slight difference, "Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Matthew's writer leaves in tact the implication that the chief priest will still be alive when the second coming occurs. When questioned by Pilate, as in Mark, Jesus did not answer (27:13-14).

According to Luke 22:66-70 when Jesus was asked if he was the Messiah. He gave a completely different answer from that recorded in Mark and Matthew. He replied, "If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." When asked by Pilate if he was the king of the Jews, Jesus replied curtly, "You say so." According to Luke 23:8 Jesus was next brought before King Herod (Antipas) for questioning where he refused to answer. An appearance before King Herod is recorded nowhere else.

John's version differs radically from those of the synoptic gospels. According to John 18:19-24 the high priest asked Jesus about his teachings. In contrast to the accounts given in the synoptic gospels, Jesus gave a rather lengthy and eloquent reply. He said, "I spake openly to the world; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? Ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said." Pilate asked him if he was king of the Jews to which Jesus, again contradicting the synoptic gospels, waxes eloquent, "Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."

The exact nature of the charge against Jesus is never clearly spelled out in the gospels or indeed anywhere in the Bible. Judging from the various inscriptions put above his head as he was being crucified, it was sedition. He was apparently suspected of conspiring to foment some kind of a people's revolution whereby he could usurp the thrown. But John 19:7 contradicts this when it says the charge was blasphemy because he claimed to be the son of God. So, we remain unsure as to exactly what his crime was.

Pontius Pilate is a real historical figure. He served as the chief Roman official in Judea from 26 to 36. So, at this point history clearly enters the picture. Yet when one reads the dramatic accounts of the trial and execution of Jesus, they have the ring not of history but of fiction. For example, in all four gospels Pilate turns Jesus over the the Jews to do with as they see fit (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, Luke 23:25, John 19:6). If this was true, Jesus would not have been crucified because that was the Roman's method. He would have been stoned to death, the customary method of executing criminals in the Jewish culture of that day.

The Crucifixion

In Mark 15:21-38 we read how a bystander, Simon of Cyrene, was made to carry Jesus' cross to a place outside Jerusalem called Golgotha where the crucifixion was to take place. Here it is interesting to note that according to Jesus it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem (Luke 13:33.) There may be a connection here to Simon Magus of Gitta (Acts 8:9-24,) a notorious first or second century Gnostic mystagogue⁶

The inscription, THE KING OF THE JEWS, was written over his head. The crucifixion began at the third hour (9am). Along with Jesus they crucified two thieves; the one on his right, and the other on his left. Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh which he refused. The soldiers cast lots for his clothing. By the sixth hour (12 noon) there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (3pm). The only two things that could cause "darkness at noon" are an exceedingly thick cloud cover, of which there is no mention, or a solar eclipse. It is impossible for a full solar eclipse to last more that three minutes let alone for three hours. Also, Passover is at the time of the full moon when the earth is between the sun and the moon thereby making an eclipse impossible.

At the ninth hour Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Then he died. At the moment of his death the veil in the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.

Matthew's version (27:32-51) generally agrees with that of Mark but with a few notable exceptions. First, according to Matthew the overhead inscription read: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Also, when Jesus died there was an earthquake in addition to the torn temple veil and darkness from noon to 3pm. Matthew agrees with Mark that Jesus' last words were, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" which was taken directly from Psalm 22:1. But most intriguing of all is Matthew's account in verses 52 and 53 of the resurrection of the dead saints. This astounding event is reported nowhere else either in the Bible or, for that matter, in any record of history. For more on the alleged resurrection of the saints see New Testament Forgeries on this web site.

Luke 23:26-44 agrees with Mark and Matthew that a bystander whom he identified as  Simon of Cyrene was made to carry the cross but disagrees as to the place. Verse 33 says that the place of crucifixion was Calvary not Golgotha. Also in Luke the overhead inscription is different. It reads, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Luke says that there was a large crowd of people following Jesus among which there were a number of distraught women. Jesus, on his way to his execution, stopped and preached them a little sermon, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, cover us. For if they do these things when wood is green tree, what will happen when it's dry?"

In Luke, as in Mark, Matthew and John, Jesus was crucified between two criminals. According to Luke 23:43 one of them was sympathetic to Jesus and asked for his forgiveness whereupon Jesus assured him, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." This appears in no other gospel. In fact, in Mark 15:32 and Matthew 27:44 we are told that both criminals taunted him. For a more in depth analysis of this problem see "The Two Thieves" in New Testament Forgeries on this web site.

Luke agrees with Mark and Matthew that there was darkness from noon to 3 pm, but disagrees with them about the torn temple veil. According to Luke it was torn before, not after, Jesus' death. Also, there is no report of either an earthquake or resurrected saints.

At one point in his ordeal, as recorded only in Luke 23:34, Jesus utters the famous words, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." These are noble words, indeed. But, If Jesus did speak these words of forgiveness, Christians failed to heed them. For almost 2000 years the Jews have endured vilification, hatred and outright slaughter as "Christ killers," an epithet they did not disserve.

As in Mark and Matthew, Luke tells how the soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothing, and that he refused the wine offered to him. However, in Luke 22:46 Jesus' last words were quite different from those recorded in Mark and Matthew or John. According to Luke they were, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

John's version of the crucifixion (19:17-34) contradicts that of the synoptic gospels on just about every point. In John there is no account of darkness at noon, no earthquake, no torn temple veil, nor resurrected saints. Also, Jesus carries the cross, and there is no mention of Simon of Cyrene. The overhead inscription reads, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS in three languages - Hebrew, Latin and Greek. According to John 19:14 the crucifixion took place at the sixth hour, noon but, according to Mark 15:25 it was at the third hour, nine am. However, John does agrees with the Mark and Matthew that the place of execution was called Golgotha and that two others were crucified along with him.

It should be noted that, as in the case of Nazareth, there is no evidence that such a place as Golgotha existed outside Jerusalem at the alleged time of the crucifixion⁷.

Jesus cloths, according to John, were divided into four lots, one for each soldier. Because his tunic was seamless (woven in one piece from the top down) the soldiers agreed not to cut it but to cast lots for it. Jesus' last words according to John were simply, "It is finished." But John goes on to tell how the soldiers pierced Jesus side and out flowed blood and water. This claim appears nowhere else and was obviously included to make it appear that the prophecies of Isiah 53:5 and Zechariah 12:10 were fulfilled by Jesus.

According to the synoptic gospels Jesus was arrested during the night following the Seder meal marking the beginning of Passover. His trial and execution took place later that same day. This clearly contradicts Mark 14:1-2 and Matthew 26:5 where we are told that the decision was made not to kill Jesus on a feast day. When and why the change was made is never explained.

The Witnesses

In Mark 15:40 we are told that there were some women witnessing the crucifixion from afar off. Included were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and Joses, and Salome. In Matthew 27:55-56, as in Mark, the women watched from afar off. Except for Mary Magdalene, however, they were not the same women. Matthew says the other two women were Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Luke never mentions it. But in John 19:25 we are told that the women were standing near the cross, not afar off as in Mark and Matthew. With the exception of Mary Magdalene, John's women were different than those in either Mark or Matthew. They included Mary the mother of Jesus, her sister, and Mary the wife of Cleophas.

I find it truly astonishing to learn that the virgin Mary, a.k.a, the mother of God, was present at the crucifixion yet the other gospel writers deemed it unworthy of mention. Also, if she attended the crucifixion, why did she not also visit the tomb with the other ladies on the following Sunday morning? The presence of the virgin Mary at the crucifixion presents another and even bigger problem for John's gospel. According to 6:38 Jesus never had a mother. In fact, he was never "born" in the human sense. He descended directly from heaven apparently as an adult. It is curious indeed that nowhere is there any indication that the resurrected Jesus ever tried to contact his mother, Joseph, his surrogate father, nor any of the members of his immediate family. In fact, he was estranged from his family, according to Matthew 12:46-50. He openly rejected them all including his mother.

The Burial

The gospels all agree that following his death Jesus was placed in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea, one of his followers. They also agree that the entrance to the tomb was sealed with a large stone. But there the agreement ends. The synoptic gospels say that some women stood by watching the burial proceedings. Who were they? The writer of Mark says they included Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses. According to Matthew they were Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Luke does not name them saying only that they were the women who came with him from Galilee. The writer of John never mentions women at the burial but says that Nicodemus the Pharisee came bring about 100 pounds of myrrh mixed with aloes. He and Joseph of Arimathea proceeded to anoint Jesus' body with the spices and wrap it in a linen cloth.

The Timing

Time and place, treated so cavalierly elsewhere in the gospels, are given in great detail here. Each gospel narrates in great detail the events surrounding Jesus' death. Two of them, Mark, the earliest, and John, the latest, even provide a precise dating of the event. The only problem is they don’t agree. Mark 14:12-17 tells us that it took place on the first day of Passover? However, John's gospel contradicts Mark. According to John 19:13 it took place not on the first day of Passover but on the day before known as the day of preparation for Passover.

Passover, one of Judaism's most important religious observances, begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan (March or April) with a special evening meal called Seder. In Jewish culture a day is calculated from sundown to sundown, so if tonight is Passover Seder the following day is the first day of Passover.

According to Mark 14:12-17 it was on the first day of Passover that the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus began to unfold. Verses 16 through 18 of chapter 14 confirm that Jesus met with his disciples in the evening to eat the Seder meal thus marking the beginning of Passover. After the meal they all went off together to pray and meditate. During this time Jesus was arrested. Apparently he spent the night in jail because Mark 15:1 says, "And straightway in the morning Jesus was taken before Pontius Pilate who, in turn, handed him over to the Jews" He was crucified at 9am and died at 3pm. Thus, according to Mark, it all took place on Nissan 15, the first day of Passover. While Matthew and Luke may disagree with some of the details of Mark's story, they do agree with his timing. (See Matthew 26:17-20) and Luke 22:7-14.)

The writer(s) of John makes it very clear in verses 14-16, 31 and 42 of chapter 19 that the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus took place on the day of preparation for Passover. That would have been Nissan 14. This date is again confirmed in John 18:28 where it tells how the Jews escorting Jesus to Pilate's hall of judgment refused to enter because in doing so they would have been (ritually) defiled and thereby disqualified from partaking of Seder scheduled for that evening.

The question that naturally comes to mind is, "Why would John change the crucifixion date from Nissan15 to Nissan 14?" According to Rabbi Tovia Singer of Outreach Judaism, the answer is quite simple. John, one of the last books in the New Testament to be written, was trying to appeal to a second century church that had separated from its Jewish roots and was by that time predominantly gentile. Keeping this in mind, John had to appeal to the pagan influences that these non-Jews were coming from. This was accomplished by carefully integrating heathen practices with elements the Jewish faith. The notion that the lamb was to be worshiped as a god was well known and widely practiced throughout the Roman Empire. The writer(s) of John was well aware of this and cleverly fused together this pagan belief with the Jewish tradition of the Paschal lamb. It is for this reason that only John's Gospel has John the Baptist exclaim of Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God" (1:29, 36). Because the Torah requires that the Paschal lamb be slaughtered on the eve of Passover, or on the 14th day of Nissan (Exodus 12:6), John's Jesus is also slaughtered (i.e. crucified) on the eve of Passover or the 14th day of Nissan.

This contradiction remains irresolvable thereby justifying serious doubts as to the authenticity of the entire story.

The Conclusion

Not only do these Gospel contradictions preclude inerrancy, we have to ask how Christian traditions about such a key event as the crucifixion could have become so confused. The unresolved contradictions plaguing these stories from beginning to end make harmonization impossible. The Gospel writers disagree as to which day this momentous event took place, what the charges were, who was there, what Jesus said during his ordeal, and just about everything else. Under Jewish law of that time, executions could not be carried out during Passover. Also, the trial was illegal under Jewish law because the chief priest did not conduct trials, especially those possibly resulting in capital punishment. If Pontius Pilate had turned Jesus over to the Jews to be executed the method of execution would not have been crucifixion, as practiced by the Romans, it would have been stoning, the traditional Jewish method of execution. There is no geological evidence of any earthquake at that time nor is there any record of a mysterious darkness from noon to 3pm. According to Shmuel Golding of the Jerusalem Institute of Biblical Polemics, the temple veil was still there and in one piece 35 years after the alleged crucifixion. For these obvious reasons the gospel accounts of the so-called passion stories must be declared pure fiction.

For a continuation of this story see Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? on this web site. See also Are the Gospels True?

2 Encyclopaedia Britannica, CD 1998.

3 See chapter 16 of the Book of Exodus.

4 Luke 22:14-19 and parallels.

  5 All dates are Common Era (CE) unless otherwise    indicated.

      6  Price, Robert M., The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man, Prometheus Press,         2003, page 319.

       7  Acharya S., The Christ Conspiracy, Adventures Unlimited, 1999, page 206.