Re: Crucifixion Day
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● Luke 23:54-56 . . And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
● Mark 16:1-2 . . And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
This is precisely where a good many of Good Friday's defenders drop the ball. They're unaware, either innocently or by design, that the sabbath spoken of in Luke 23:54-56 commences the feast of unleavened bread; beginning that night with the Passover lamb dinner. That particular sabbath is one of the most sacred holy days in Judaism; I'd say probably even more sacred than Yom Kippur.
The sabbath in Mark 16:1-2 is the regular weekly sabbath. It's always followed by the first day of the week; which, in our day and age, is Sunday.
So then; Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, observed two sabbaths in a row that year: Passover's sabbath followed by the regular weekly sabbath.
NOTE: There's quite a bit of debate going around related to the time of the women's arrival at the cemetery.
The Greek word that speaks of the women's journey is somewhat ambiguous. It can not only mean came, but also went, i.e. it can indicate travel as well as arrival and/or coming as well as going.
Seeing as how there are no less than seven verses that clearly, conclusively, and without ambiguity testify that Jesus' dead body revived on the third day rather than during the third night-- viz: his body revived when the sun was up rather than when the sun was not yet up, --then it's safe to conclude that in the women's case "went" is the appropriate translation of the Greek word erchomai, i.e. the women left their homes during morning twilight; and by the time they met together and journeyed to the cemetery, the sun was fully up. (I cannot imagine any woman of good sense walking around a graveyard in the dark; especially when back in that day nobody as yet had access to electric lighting of any kind, not even a flashlight.)
NOTE: The original languages of the Bible contain numerous ambiguous words that translators are not always sure how best to interpret; so sometimes the onus is upon Bible students to do a little research of their own. Caveat Lector.
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