THALLUS' STATEMENT:
"For
the Hebrews celebrate the passover on the 14th day according to the
moon . . . but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon
comes under the sun."

CONSIDERATION:
If we look
for natural events to explain this event, this can only happen when
the moon passes between the sun and the earth. This is called a
solar eclipse. But this could not have occurred because the Bible
also tells us that Jesus died on a Friday just before Passover (Luke
22:13-15). This is important because the Jews scheduled Passover
during a full moon. A solar eclipse cannot occur during a full moon.
There is a second reason a solar eclipse cannot explain the
darkness. Astronomical records show that no solar eclipse occurred
on that date anywhere near the city of
Jerusalem.
Solar Eclipse. A
solar eclipse can only occur when the moon passes between the sun
and the earth as shown in the figure below (graphic was modified
from one created by Ian Cameron Smith, [email-masked]). When this
happens, the moon is referred to as a new moon. When the moon passes
between the sun and the earth as shown in the figure, the sun's rays
are blocked and part of the earth is
darkened.

Ian also provides a detailed
discussion of other types of solar eclipses at his website. This
is a great website for
study.
Full Moon. A full
moon only occurs when the moon is behind the earth. The expression
full moon means that it appears in the night sky as fully
illuminated and completely round. This means the moon must be behind
the earth, otherwise the light reflected off the moon would not be
seen on earth.

CONCLUSION:
No
eclipse was possible due to the alignment of the celestial bodies.
Darkness over the face of the earth with no eclipse - what a
supernatural event! Consider the following:

1)
The Jewish Passover occurs during the full
moon.

2)
Full moon occurs when the moon is behind the
earth.

3)
This means a supernatural darkness occurred over the
earth.

4)
The darkness occurred during Christ's death.

5)
The universe responded to the Creator's
death.

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