How Does the Book of Mormon Help Date Christ’s Death?

The Know

The Book of Mormon records the precise day the Nephites witnessed the prophesied sign of Christ’s death (3 Nephi 8:5).1 This exceptional diligence on the part of Nephite record-keepers may help resolve at least two questions that New Testament scholars debate regarding the timing of Christ’s death.

What Year Did Christ Die?

The first question relates to the year Christ was crucified. The New Testament accounts tie Christ’s crucifixion to a Passover festival during the governorship of Pontius Pilate (AD 26–36).2 Using astronomical data to calculate the timing of the Passover, scholars have determined that the years AD 27, 30, and 33 “are the only years during the administration of Pontius Pilate when the eve of Passover, and Passover itself, fell within a three-day window of time prior to Sunday,” the day of the Resurrection.3

Of these three years, based on additional factors involved in correlating the Gospel accounts to confirmable historical details, “Most scholars … believe that Jesus was killed in [AD] 30.”4 The issue is not definitively settled, however, and some scholars still “believe that he died in [AD] 33.”5

The Crucifixion of Christ via lds.org

Thanks to the diligence of Nephite record-keepers, the Book of Mormon helps to narrow down the length of Christ’s life even further. Since Christ must have been born ca. 5–4 BC, this effectively rules out AD 27 as too short and AD 33 as too long to accommodate for Christ’s death happening in the first month of the 34th year in the Nephite calendar (3 Nephi 8:5).6 Thus, in the view of LDS archaeologist Jeffrey Chadwick, combining the Book of Mormon with the additional evidence from the New Testament, archaeology, astronomy, and history makes AD 30 the correct year, “beyond any reasonable doubt.”7

On What Day of the Week Did Christ Die?

The second question relates to the day of the week Christ was crucified. Long-standing tradition holds that Christ died on a Friday, and most New Testament scholars support this tradition.8 A few scholars, however, have suggested that Christ actually died on a Thursday.9 These scholars argue that a Thursday can better account for passages in the New Testament which speak of “three days and three nights” in the tomb (Matthew 12:40), and of the resurrection occurring after three days (Matthew 27:63; Mark 8:31), and Sunday being three days since the crucifixion (Luke 24:21).10

An important clue is John’s description of the upcoming Sabbath as “an high day” (John 19:31), meaning it was the first day of the Passover.11 Since certain festival days, such as Passover, were regarded as “Sabbaths,” no matter what day of the week they occurred (Leviticus 23: 7–8, 11, 15, 21, 24, 39),12 this allows for the possibility that the Sabbath after the crucifixion was not Saturday (the regular Jewish Sabbath), but the first day of Passover (a special “Sabbath,” or “high day”), which most likely fell on Friday in AD 30.13

While the New Testament data does not decisively favor Thursday, the Book of Mormon adds some important information. Nephite prophets predicted that there would be three days of darkness coinciding with the time of Christ’s death until his resurrection (1 Nephi 19:10; Helaman 14:20–27). Nephite historians documented the fulfillment of this prophecy (3 Nephi 8:19–23; 10:9).

Due to the time difference between Jerusalem and the New World, “a Friday crucifixion leads to only two days of darkness in the New World” before Christ rose on Sunday morning.14 A Thursday crucifixion, however, “exactly fits the timing necessary for three days of darkness to have occurred in America prior to Jesus’s resurrection” (see table).15

Chart by Book of Mormon Central. Jerusalem and New World Timelines reflect an eight hour time difference, and the Jewish tradition of beginning a new day at sunset.

The Why

As a second witness of Jesus Christ, readers should not be surprised that the Book of Mormon adds clarity to the timing of events in the Savior’s life. All who embrace the Book of Mormon should appreciate the ways this sacred volume can illuminate the timing of an event as important as the death and entombment of Jesus Christ. Jeffrey R. Chadwick reflected this point of view when he wrote:

As a Latter-day Saint, I am not only duty-bound but personally grateful to accept and present data from the Book of Mormon, the genuine historical reliability of which I am both spiritually and materially convinced, to corroborate the evidence of the New Testament and the other avenues explored.16

The Bible and the Book of Mormon Testify of Christ by Greg K. Olsen

Openness and flexibility to new evidence and alternative interpretations should always be maintained, but the dating strongly supported by the Book of Mormon deserves serious consideration by all Latter-day Saints. If both the day and the year are correct, then the Savior died on Thursday, April 6, AD 30.17 This gives profound significance to the timing of the Restoration of His church, exactly 1800 years later.

Whatever the particulars in the timing of the Savior’s death, no detail is more important, or inspiring, than the fact that by Sunday morning, the tomb was found empty, with angels declaring “He is not here: for he is risen” (Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6). As President Monson taught, “No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. … Our Savior lived again.”18

President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “The abject sorrow that comes with death, the bereavement that follows the passing of a loved one are mitigated only by the certainty of the Resurrection of the Son of God that first Easter morning. … In the hour of deepest sorrow we draw hope and peace and certitude from the words of the angel that Easter morning.”19

He would show Himself to His disciples in Jerusalem, and then later that year, He appeared in glory to the Nephites as well (3 Nephi 11). Together, the Bible and the Book of Mormon forcefully testify that Jesus Christ lives! Modern prophets continue to testify “that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God.”20 No truth could be more beautiful, nor of greater eternal significance than this. Latter-day Saints should appreciate and cherish these added scriptural and prophetic witnesses of the Risen Lord.