THALLUS' STATEMENT: "For the Hebrews celebrate the passover on the 14th day according to the moon . . . but an eclipse of the sun takes place only when the moon comes under the sun."       CONSIDERATION: If we look for natural events to explain this event, this can only happen when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. This is called a solar eclipse. But this could not have occurred because the Bible also tells us that Jesus died on a Friday just before Passover (Luke 22:13-15). This is important because the Jews scheduled Passover during a full moon. A solar eclipse cannot occur during a full moon. There is a second reason a solar eclipse cannot explain the darkness. Astronomical records show that no solar eclipse occurred on that date anywhere near the city of Jerusalem.      Solar Eclipse. A solar eclipse can only occur when the moon passes between the sun and the earth as shown in the figure below (graphic was modified from one created by Ian Cameron Smith, [email protected]). When this happens, the moon is referred to as a new moon. When the moon passes between the sun and the earth as shown in the figure, the sun's rays are blocked and part of the earth is darkened.     Ian also provides a detailed discussion of other types of solar eclipses at his website. This is a great website for study.      Full Moon. A full moon only occurs when the moon is behind the earth. The expression full moon means that it appears in the night sky as fully illuminated and completely round. This means the moon must be behind the earth, otherwise the light reflected off the moon would not be seen on earth.         CONCLUSION: No eclipse was possible due to the alignment of the celestial bodies. Darkness over the face of the earth with no eclipse - what a supernatural event! Consider the following:       1) The Jewish Passover occurs during the full moon.   2) Full moon occurs when the moon is behind the earth. 3) This means a supernatural darkness occurred over the earth. 4) The darkness occurred during Christ's death. 5) The universe responded to the Creator's death.
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