Topical Bible: Darkness: Miraculous: At the Crucifixion

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The miraculous darkness that occurred during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a significant event recorded in the Synoptic Gospels. This supernatural phenomenon is noted for its profound theological implications and its role in the narrative of the Passion of Christ.

Biblical Account

The event is described in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. According to these accounts, darkness fell over the land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour during the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Berean Standard Bible, Matthew 27:45 states, "From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land." Similarly, Mark 15:33 records, "At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour." Luke 23:44-45 also confirms this occurrence: "It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining."

Theological Significance

The darkness at the crucifixion is often interpreted as a divine act, symbolizing the judgment of God and the gravity of the moment when Jesus bore the sins of the world. This period of darkness is seen as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, such as Amos 8:9, which speaks of a day when the sun will go down at noon and the earth will be darkened in broad daylight. The darkness signifies the weight of sin and the separation from God that Jesus experienced on behalf of humanity.

Historical and Natural Considerations

While some have attempted to explain the darkness through natural phenomena such as a solar eclipse, these explanations fall short due to the timing of the Passover, which occurs during a full moon, making a solar eclipse impossible. The event is thus understood as a miraculous sign, emphasizing its divine origin and purpose.

Symbolism and Reflection

The darkness at the crucifixion serves as a powerful symbol of the spiritual darkness that enveloped the world due to sin. It underscores the sacrificial nature of Christ's death and the profound impact of His atoning work. This event invites believers to reflect on the cost of redemption and the love of God demonstrated through the sacrifice of His Son.

Impact on Early Christian Thought

Early Christian writers and theologians often referenced the darkness at the crucifixion as a testament to the cosmic significance of Christ's death. It was seen as a moment when creation itself responded to the suffering of the Creator. This miraculous event reinforced the belief in Jesus as the Messiah and the Savior of the world, whose death and resurrection brought light and life to those who believe.

Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 27:45
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land to the ninth hour.
Nave's Topical Index

Mark 15:33
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Sec. Ii. What Facts in the History of Our Saviour Might be Taken ...
... at the time when our Saviour died, there was a miraculous darkness, and a ... have received
a confused report of our Saviour before his crucifixion, and probably ...
/.../sec ii what facts in.htm

Taunts Turning to Testimonies
... it credible that a man who possessed miraculous power should ... word into the depth
and darkness of the ... died neither from the exhaustion of crucifixion, nor from ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/taunts turning to testimonies.htm

The Declensions of Christianity, an Argument of Its Truth. .
... happened about thirty six years after Christ's crucifixion. ... laid on the powers of
darkness, that they ... By some special, perhaps miraculous interpolation of ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon iii the declensions of.htm

Calvary
... But on the day of the crucifixion, the day of ... eclipse or other natural cause for
this darkness, which was ... It was a miraculous testimony given by God that the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 78 calvary.htm

From Persecutor to Disciple
... In terrible darkness he groped about, and his companions, in ... Saul is a striking evidence
of the miraculous power of ... He saw that at the crucifixion type had met ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 12 from persecutor to.htm

The Roman Conflagration and the Neronian Persecution.
... Darkness must have overshadowed the trembling disciples, and ... the evening of the
crucifixion, thirty-four ... ancient tradition of his miraculous preservation from ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 37 the roman conflagration.htm

Letter i. My Dear Friend, I Employed the Compelled and Most ...
... In darkness there to house unknown, Far underground, Pierced by ... in the Son of Man:-
the Crucifixion and Resurrection ... of these facts must be miraculous, that is ...
/.../coleridge/confessions of an inquiring spirit etc/letter i my dear friend.htm

The Fourth Day in Passion-Week - Jesus in his Last Sabbatic Rest ...
... possible to doubt what Jesus said of His near Crucifixion. ... of them, in whose heart
the darkness had long ... suggest some other explanation of His miraculous power ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter viii the fourth day.htm

The Life of Jesus Christ in Its Historical Connexion
... Return of the Apostles.--Miraculous Feeding of the Five Thousand ... The Arrest of
Christ.--Peter's Haste, and its Reproof.--The Power of Darkness. ... THE CRUCIFIXION. ...
/.../neander/the life of jesus christ in its historical connexion/

Fourthly; all the [Credenda, Or] Doctrines, which the True, Simple ...
... The crucifixion of Christ under Pontius Pilate, is related by Tacitus ... circumstances
attending it, such as the earthquake and miraculous darkness, were recorded ...
/.../xiii proposition xiii fourthly all.htm