Next it is found by like calculations, that the astronomical new moons nearest to the vernal equinox for the years 27 to 35, inclusive, were respectively as follows:

A. D. 27.

Wednesday, March 26, at 7 h., 47 m. A. M. 28. Sunday, March 14, at 2 h., 12 m. P. M. 29. Saturday, April 2, at 7 h., 32 m. A. M. 30. Wednesday, March 22, at 7 h., 51 m. A. M. 31. Sunday, March 11, at 0 h., 26 m. P. M. 32. Saturday, March 29, at 10 h., 2 m. A. M. 33. Thursday, March 19, at 0 h., 38 m. A. M. 34. Monday, March 8, at 5 h., 24 m. P. M.

35. Sunday, March 27, at 5 h., 53 m. P. M.

From this table it is apparent that in A. D. 27 the new moon which occurred on the 26th March was first visible (according to Selden's rule) on Thursday evening, March 27th, when the first of Nisan commenced and continued until sunset of Friday evening, March 28th. For our purpose the first of Nisan was Friday, March 28th. And in like manner, attending to the respective times of new moon in the other years contained in the table, it is equally apparent that the 1st of Nisan occurred in A. D. 28, Tuesday, March 16th; in A. D. 29, Monday, April 4th, in A. D. 30, Friday, March 24th; in A. D. 31, Tuesday, March 13th; in A. D. 32, Monday, March 31st; in A. D. 33, either Friday, March 20th, or Saturday, March 21st (uncertain which); in A. D. 34, Wednesday, March 10th and in A. D. 35, Tuesday, March 29th. The moons here taken for the month Nisan exactly agree with the cycle before referred to.

Thus we see that there were only three years from A. D. 27 to A. D. 35 inclusive, in which the first of

Nisan, and consequently the fifteenth of Nisan, happened on Friday; and these were A. D. 27, 30 and 33, the last of which is very doubtful. But we have seen that the Crucifixion could not have happened before A. D. 28, and probably not later than A. D. 31. Therefore, the year 30 is the only one which satisfies all the conditions of the problem; it does satisfy them, because it gives opportunity for Jesus to teach publicly for about three years, and to attend three Passovers during his ministry, or four, according as it commenced before or after April, A. D. 27.

Now, since in A. D. 30, the first of Nisan fell on Friday, the 24th of March, the 15th fell on Friday, the 7th of April, which, therefore, was the day of the Crucifixion.

This conclusion is adopted by the majority of writers of authority, amongst others by Dr. William Thompson, in the article "Jesus Christ" in Smith's Bible Dictionary-an article prepared with much care and learning. Some years ago I arrived at a different conclusion, in favor of the year 33; but whilst it is very doubtful whether the 15th of Nisan fell on Friday of that year, it does not agree with Christ's age and ministry. I was misled by overlooking the double reckoning of the years of Tiberius.

[New York Evangelist, October 18, 1883.]

THE DATE OF THE CRUCIFIXION.

BY HON. JOSEPH P. BRADLEY, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES.

MR. EDITOR :-Will you please insert the following correction of my article, published in your paper on the 28th of June last, on the date of Christ's Crucifixion? On re-examining my calculations of the time of New Moon in March and April, A. D. 27-35, to ascertain the first Nisan of these years, I find that I committed a slight error in not adjusting astronomical time (which begins at 12 noon) to civil time, by adding 12 hours in each case, as I should have done. This would make the true time of New Moon for the several years twelve hours later, as follows:

A. D. 27. Wednesday, March 26, at 7 h., 47 m. P. M. 28. Monday, March 15, at 2 h., 12 m. A. M. 29. Saturday, April 2, at 7 h., 32 m. P. M. 30. Wednesday, March 22, at 7 h., 51 m. P. M. 31. Monday, March 12, at 0 h., 26 m. A. M. 32. Saturday, March 29, at 10 h., 3 m. P. M. 33. Thursday, March 19, at 0 h., 38 m. P. M. 34. Tuesday, March 9, at 5 h., 24 m. A. M. 35. Monday, March 28, at 5 h., 53 m. A. M.

This correction does not alter the result, except to make it certain that the first of Nisan (and consequently the 15th) could not have happened on Friday, in the year 33, which was before stated as uncertain; so that the years 27 and 30 were the only years in Pilate's time in which the 15th of Nisan fell on Friday. I assume now, as I did then, that the moon must be at least eighteen hours old before it can be seen by the naked eye.

[New York Evangelist, November 1, 1883.]

DAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION.

BY HON. JOSEPH P. BRADLEY, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES:

MR. EDITOR :-I am constantly receiving newspaper articles to prove that the Crucifixion took place on Thursday, the 14th of Nisan instead of Friday, the 15th, and a challenge to discuss the subject. But I have neither the time nor the inclination for any controversy on the point. I assume that it occurred on Friday the 15th, in deference to the almost unanimous traditions of the Church (on which the fast of Good Friday is founded), and on what I conceive to be the plain meaning of the Gospel account. But it is indifferent to me which theory is adopted. It is as true of the one as the other, that (leaving out the year 27, which is inadmissible on historical grounds) there was only one year in Pilate's administration in which the event could occur, and that was the year 30, for it is as true that in that year only the 14th of Nisan fell on Thursday, as that the 15th fell on Friday. The astronomical argument is equally demonstrative of both hypotheses. I entered into no argument of the subject and shall enter into none. Those who are convinced that the day was Thursday the 14th, are entirely welcome to their opinion as far as I am concerned. If they could prove that it was Wednesday the 13th, it would be equally satisfactory to me. What I attempted to show was that according to the Jewish Calendar, as regulated by the New Moons and the Equinox, there was a year in Pilate's administration, consistent with all the historical dates, in which

the 15th of Nisan fell on Friday, the day commonly understood as that on which Christ was crucified, and that year was A. D. 30. This I think was proven to a demonstration. If this position is established, it follows as a corollary, that in the same year the 14th of Nisan fell on Thursday. My object in making use of astronomical data, was to bring the Jewish Calendar and the succession of weeks into co-relation with the Roman Calendar within the period in which the Crucifixion could possibly have taken place. That corelation is independent of any theories as to the particular day on which the event occurred. I do not think that any writer has attempted what seemed to me to be a very necessary work-indeed the grand work of all theories on the subject, namely, the construction of a comparative calendar for the periods embracing the possible epoch of the Crucifixion, and an explanation of the principles on which such a Calendar is to be constructed. Having this basis and ground work to go upon, any number of theories may be built upon, but no theory is of the slightest value which does not conform to it, as some which I have seen do not.

From the data already given in my previous communications such a Calendar for the middle of Nisan in each of the years 27-35 can easily be constructed; but for the convenience of those who are not familiar with such things, I give it below in proper form, from which it will be seen that those persons who maintain that Crucifixion occurred on the 14th of Nisan, may still place it on Friday by adopting the year 33 instead of 30, as the year of the Crucifixion.

This would, however, postpone that commence