Eclipse of the sun

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The phrase in question is translated in the Revised Standard Version as, “the sun’s light failed.” However, a footnote at this place also says, "Or the sun was eclipsed. Other ancient authorities read the sun was darkened."
 
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bentecson:
At the time of Jesus Christ crucifixion was there an eclipse of the sun? I dont think there was as stated in Luke 23:45 of NAB (refer to: usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke23.htm)).
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😃 Didn’t like our answers first time around? 😃
nianka
 
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bentecson:
At the time of Jesus Christ crucifixion was there an eclipse of the sun? I dont think there was as stated in Luke 23:45 of NAB (refer to: usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke23.htm).
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Bentecson,

Given that Christ was crucified at the time of the Passover, and given that the Passover takes place at the full moon, the answer is a definitive “no.”
  • Liberian
 
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Liberian:
Bentecson,
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Given that Christ was crucified at the time of the Passover, and given that the Passover takes place at the full moon, the answer is a definitive “no.”
  • Liberian
While astronomically it is true that there can be no eclipse of the sun at full moon, the verbal form used in many of the ancient Greek manuscripts (and the standard Greek critical editions, e.g. NA27) in Luke 23:45 to describe the sun is eklipontos, fairly easily seen as a cognate of “eclipse”. This probably the basis of the NAB wording.

Edward Pothier
 
could it be very dense clouds? those can darken the sky sugnifficantly.
or maybe God can do anything and so he miraculously eclipsed the sun.
 
First of all, don’t doubt the scirptures. why would you care about whether there was a solar eclipse or not, that’s almost as bad as worrying about who begat who! Are you going to convert because of that? If you doubt the Bible, it leads to doubting Christianity, which leads to becoming an atheist, which leads to a one way trip to Hell. You don’t want that to happen know do you?
 
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Chazemataz:
First of all, don’t doubt the scirptures. why would you care about whether there was a solar eclipse or not, that’s almost as bad as worrying about who begat who! Are you going to convert because of that? If you doubt the Bible, it leads to doubting Christianity, which leads to becoming an atheist, which leads to a one way trip to Hell. You don’t want that to happen know do you?
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Wow! Rock solid logic! 👍

If only ex-Christians gave more thought to what they were leaving. Pray for their souls.
 
About the eclipse of the Sun, I think this is one of those times in Scripture where the medium of the message is more important than an actual historical fact. What was the Gospel Author(s) trying to express by this passage. I think it was a way of expressing the cosmic event that was taking place (Christ Paschal Sacrifice) using a way of writing that would be familiar and understood by first century Mediterranian cultures. This not to say that something didn’t happened but it’s not that important if we cannot prove it scientifically. Also, I once read one of the Church Fathers (I can’t remember who) explained this passage saying that the “Sun” hid from Christ nakedness on the cross (a fact brought out by the figure on the shroud of Turin and other extra biblical sources - the Romans crucified their victims naked).
One more thing, Begat/begotten is an important term because in
the metaphysics of the Greek world, begotten indicates the sharing of Nature.Only Begotten expresses the sharing of the One Divine Nature between Father & Son.
 
I recall a section of The Case for Christ where Strobel cites an exchange between two non-Christian 1st century writers in which they discuss this mysterious darkening event that occurred c AD 33. One thought it must have been an eclipse and the other disagreed because there could not have been an eclipse at that time.

This is an unclear memory. Check the book. I recommend it for its general content.
 
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bentecson:
At the time of Jesus Christ crucifixion was there an eclipse of the sun? I dont think there was as stated in Luke 23:45 of NAB (refer to: usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke23.htm)..)
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See my brillant post on the subject here :D:​

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=62674

As others have pointed out, the short answer is: “no” - and it doesn’t matter that there was not, because the evangelist is not giving a weather report, but applying OT imagery to the Death of Christ, to bring out the meaning of the Crucifixion. ##
 
Racer X:
I recall a section of The Case for Christ where Strobel cites an exchange between two non-Christian 1st century writers in which they discuss this mysterious darkening event that occurred c AD 33. One thought it must have been an eclipse and the other disagreed because there could not have been an eclipse at that time.

This is an unclear memory. Check the book. I recommend it for its general content.
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Is this relevant: light-of-life.com/eng/answer/a4360et2.htm ? ##
 
Well, as we are talking about **GOD **here, does he have to follow the laws of this world? If he wants the sun to darken, it will darken and there doesn’t have to be an astronomical reason behind it.
 
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deb1:
Well, as we are talking about **GOD **here, does he have to follow the laws of this world? If he wants the sun to darken, it will darken and there doesn’t have to be an astronomical reason behind it./QUOT

My thoughts exactly.
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deb1:
Well, as we are talking about **GOD **here, does he have to follow the laws of this world? If he wants the sun to darken, it will darken and there doesn’t have to be an astronomical reason behind it.
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This creates the difficulty that if God can do any old thing for no reason whatever, He could give a piece of cheese the power of speech, or make a feather weigh a hundred tons. 🙂​

This would make the world very unpredictable - because one would not know whether cheese was edible, or hard as stone, or poisonous, or electrifying, or explosive when touched. If the world is made up of objects which might have any physical or chemical properties at all, it would be nightmarishly unpredictable, even more dangerous than it is now, and impossible to learn about. A predictable world in which certain things can happen, and certain things cannot, is a much safer world: it is a world which, because it has certain stable & constant properties, is a world in which we can live, and from which we can learn about its Creator & ours - a world in which any thing could have any properties, would not be a world which would tell us about its Creator - if anything, it would conceal God ##
 
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