Christians have long celebrated Jesus Christ’s Last Supper on the Thursday before Easter. But newly uncovered research says the Last Supper actually took place on the Wednesday before the crucifixion.
University of Cambridge professor Colin Humphreys believes the date snafu is all due to a simple calendar mix-up and that his findings could finally create a fixed date for Easter.
Humphreys used a combination of biblical, historical and astronomical research to pinpoint the precise timing of Jesus’ final meal with his disciples. While the Books of Matthew, Mark and Luke all say the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, the Book of John claims it took place before Passover. But Humphreys has concluded in his new book, “The Mystery Of The Last Supper”, that Jesus, Matthew, Mark and Luke were likely using a different calendar than John.
Using Humphreys’ theory, Jesus went by an old-fashioned Jewish calendar rather than the official lunar calendar which was widely used at the time and is still in use today. This means the Passover meal, as well as the Last Supper, occurred on the Wednesday and not the Thursday before the crucifixion. Therefore, the crucifixion took place on April 3rd, meaning Easter Day would be fixed on April 5th.
