According to the Biblical historians, the lunar eclipse identified by NASA was the same mentioned in the Bible which coincided with Jesus’s crucifixion. The Christian community across the world commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus on Good Friday.
In what comes as a surprising development, the researchers from Oxford University say that a discovery by NASA may confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ crucifixion. According to researchers, the Biblical account, “the sun turning into darkness and the moon into blood” referenced events following Christ’s death. NASA’s models, which trace the positions of the sun, Earth, and moon through history, hint towards a lunar eclipse that occurred on April 3 (Friday), 33 AD, the year which is linked to Jesus’ death, the Daily Mail reports.
What happened in Jerusalem that day?
It is being speculated that the cosmic event, in line with what the Biblical account says, would have been visible in Jerusalem just after the sunset, with the position of the moon offering the overall scenario a reddish hue.
The Biblical historians are of the view that the lunar eclipse identified by NASA was the same mentioned in the Bible.
Notably, while NASA discovered it in the 1990s, it has now gone viral on the Chinese social media platform on the occasion of Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified.
NASA stated, “Christian texts mention that the Moon turned to blood after Jesus’s crucifixion—potentially referring to a lunar eclipse, during which the Moon takes on a reddish hue.”
NASA reveals ‘April 3, 33 AD’ as the date
The American space agency says that researchers narrowed it down to April 3, 33 AD, because of the occurrence of a lunar eclipse.
According to the Bible, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”
Good Friday to Easter Sunday: All you need to know
The Christian community across the world commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus on Good Friday. It always falls two days before Easter Sunday, which is recognised as the first full moon day after the first day of spring. This Sunday, thus, is the first one following that full moon.
Based on the Hebrew lunar calendar, Jesus is believed to have been crucified around Passover. According to the Gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the Sunday which followed the Passover.