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Setting the Time of Jesus’ MinistryThe Watchtower—1959 | August 15
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Astronomy comes to our aid supplying the figures for the following chart.13
Year Passover Full Moon Julian Day Day of
Number Week
AD. Julian Gregorian
Calendar Calendar
28 Mar. 29 Mar. 27 1,731,373 Monday
29 Apr. 18 Apr. 16 1,731,758 Monday
30 Apr. 7 Apr. 5 1,732,112 Friday
31 Mar. 27 Mar. 25 1,732,466 Tuesday
32 Apr. 14 Apr. 12 1,732,850 Monday
33 Apr. 3 Apr. 1 1,733,204 Friday
34 Mar. 24 Mar. 22 1,733,559 Wednesday
All the possible date-years mentioned above must be eliminated except A.D. 30 and 33, as they do not have Nisan 14 falling on a Friday. Though A.D. 30 has Nisan 14 on a Friday, it too will have to be rejected because this would mean only a six months’ ministry for Jesus, which is too short to fit the Bible record. As we have already considered, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry was firmly set by Luke as being what we know to be in the autumn of 29 (A.D.). This leaves only A.D. 33 with Nisan 14 on a Friday that meets all the factors in connection with Jesus’ sacrificial death on the tree. In confirmation of the above in The Works of Flavius Josephus, by Whiston, a footnote on Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3, appears giving April 3, A.D. 33 (Julian Calendar), as the date of Jesus’ impalement, also April 5 of that year as the date of his resurrection. So A.D. 33 wins out as the only probable year.
In conclusion we see that the position of Jehovah’s witnesses is strong for believing not only that Jesus’ ministry was three and a half years in duration but that it started in the autumn of 29 (A.D.) and concluded in the spring of 33 (A.D.).
REFERENCES CITED
1 The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1908, Vol. III, p. 736.
2 The International Standard Bible Encyclopædia, 1957, Vol. III, pp. 1628, 1629.
3 Biblical Cyclopædia, 1894, by M’Clintock and Strong, Vol. IV, pp. 874, 875, 877.
4 The International Standard Bible Encyclopædia, 1957, Vol. I, p. 538.
5 Ibid., Vol. I, p. 137.
6 Light from the Ancient Past, 1946, by Finegan, page 219.
7 Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus, XVII, viii, 1.
8 Webster’s Biographical Dictionary, 1943, pp. 701, 1178.
9 Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus, XVIII, iv, 2.
10 The International Standard Bible Encyclopædia, 1957, Vol. IV, p. 2396.
11 Ibid., Vol. V, p. 2979.
12 Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus, XVIII, ii, 2.
13 Babylonian Chronology 626 B.C. – A.D. 45, 1942, by Parker and Dubberstein, p. 46, also Canon der Mondfinsternisse, 1887, by Oppolzer, Vol. II, p. 344.
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Clergy and the United NationsThe Watchtower—1959 | August 15
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Clergy and the United Nations
An editorial in the Houston (Texas) Chronicle was reprinted, because of its unusual nature, in the Graham (Texas) Leader of November 6, 1958, under the heading “Government No Affair of Church”: “In the constitution of the state of Maryland, there is a provision which reads: ‘No minister or preacher of the gospel or of any religious creed or denomination shall be eligible as senator or delegate.’ This was very wisely designed to preserve separation of church and state. Precedent for this attitude is to be found in the Bible itself where Christ is quoted as admonishing the Pharisees when they tried to trick him: ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.’ Those clergymen, members of the International Convention of Christian Churches, who met in St. Louis last week would have done well to keep these things in mind. While some at this convention voiced sturdy disagreement, the overwhelming majority passed a resolution proposing that Congress enact legislation to permit the individual taxpayer to give up to 2 percent of his income tax to the United Nations instead of paying it to the United States.”
Another Scripture that could have been quoted is James 4:4: “Do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God.”
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