In the book, the Time of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, Samuele Bacchiocchi makes the claim that the crucifixion was on Friday afternoon and the resurrection was on Sunday morning.
In The Companion Bible, E.W. Bullinger makes the claim that the crucifixion was on Wednesday afternoon and the resurrection was on Saturday at about sunset.
It is quite remarkable that here we have two Protestant scholars that have come to a very different conclusion on the timing of the crucifixion and the resurrection. Not that it is uncommon for scholars to differ, for it is well known that one can find a scholar to suit his particular stripe of belief – regardless of what it may be! But that both of these men have a good understanding of the Greek and can look at the same Greek text and come to totally different conclusions about something as simple as when the Christ was put into the tomb and when He rose from the tomb is remarkable!
Dr. Bullinger lived from 1837-1913. He wrote general reference books on the Bible as well as books on topical subjects of the Bible. Here is a statement from the Foreword in his book, Great Cloud of Witnesses, by Waren W. Wiersbe: “He (Bullinger) was a careful student of the Word and a recognized scholar in the field of Biblical languages. In fact, the Archbishop of Canterbury granted him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1881 in the recognition of his Biblical scholarship.”
As we can see, Dr. Bullinger was no mean scholar. “He trained for the Anglican Church ministry at King’s College, London, showing great skill in the study and use of Biblical languages.”
Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi is currently professor of Church History and Theology at Andrews University, in Berrien Springs, Michigan. He is a graduate from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He received a gold medal from Pope Paul VI for earning the academic distinction of summa cum laude. He has authored several best sellers about various doctrinal subjects. His religious persuasion is Seventh Day Adventist.
In this paper, we will examine Dr. Bacchiocchi’s arguments in his book, the Time of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. We will look at his claims, which go contrary to Dr. Bullinger’s arguments and the Word of God.
