The sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour: This fact is recorded.
As one confirmation of the historical truth of the crucifixion of Jesus, consider that the supernatural darkness that covered the earth while Jesus hung on the cross was recorded by several pagan historians. Matthew recorded this event:
"Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour" (Matthew 27:45).
A contemporary pagan historian named “Thallus” also wrote about this astonishing event in A.D. 52, only twenty years after the resurrection of Christ. “Thallus” wrote that the darkness totally covered the face of the earth at the time of the Passover in A.D. 32.
The writer “Julius Africanus”, writing in approximately A.D. 220, records, "This darkness”.
“Thallus”, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun."' “Julius” explained that “Thallus's” theory was unreasonable because an eclipse of the sun cannot occur at the same time there is a full moon. The moon is almost diametrically opposite the sun during full moon, making a solar eclipse impossible.
The priests of Israel carefully calculated the time of the full moon to set the date of the Passover Feast. The Gospels record that it was at the season of the Passover full moon that Christ died.
There are two important points here. First, a pagan historian who was alive at the time Jesus' death occurred has confirmed that darkness covered the earth at the very time recorded in the Gospels.
Second, the fact that there was a full moon present makes it certain that this darkness was not an eclipse but that it was a supernatural event.
Another remarkable historical reference to this darkness is found in the writings of “Phlegon”. He noted the seemingly impossible fact that this "eclipse" occurred at the time of the full moon during the reign of Tiberius Caesar as emperor of Rome. Further, “Phlegon” wrote that the darkness covered the earth for precisely three hours, from the sixth to the ninth hour, precisely the time period that is recorded in the Gospels.
There was also an earthquake that followed, which was also recorded in several other nations historical records.
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