ANN026

The hour of the crucifixion

The article explores the discrepancies in the Gospels' timing of Jesus' crucifixion. The Synoptic Gospels and John give different hours, prompting debate about the consistency of the accounts. The article offers an analysis of the time-reckoning systems of the period in order to reconcile these accounts.

90 min Crucifixion Gospels Jesus Times 144 verses 6 books

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Introduction

The four Gospels report the crucifixion of Jesus with remarkable precision for the period. Yet an apparent contradiction concerning the exact hour of the events has stirred much debate since antiquity. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) indicate that Jesus was crucified at the third hour, whereas John mentions the sixth hour at the trial before Pilate (John 19.14).

Does this discrepancy deserve to shake the reliability of the Gospel testimonies? Or is there a coherent explanation that reconciles these data?

To answer this question, we need to examine the systems of time measurement in use in the first century, the Jewish cultural and liturgical context, and the editorial intentions of each author. Our analysis will show that these accounts, far from contradicting one another, complement each other harmoniously.

I. The data of the Synoptic Gospels

1 - The hour of the crucifixion

Mark gives the most explicit indication of the start of the crucifixion:

Mark 15.25 (King James Version) :
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Look at the Darby translation!

In the Jewish time system, the day begins at sunrise, around 6 a.m. The third hour therefore corresponds to 9 a.m. This indication marks the moment when the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross.

2 - The supernatural darkness

The three Synoptic Gospels report an extraordinary phenomenon that occurred during the crucifixion:

Matthew 27.45 (King James Version) :
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Look at the Darby translation! (Mark 15.33, Luke 23.44-45)

According to the Jewish system:

  • The sixth hour corresponds to noon
  • The ninth hour corresponds to 3 p.m.

This darkness in broad daylight is a major cosmic sign. Luke specifies that “the sun was darkened” (Luke 23.45), pointing to a supernatural event and not a mere eclipse, which is astronomically impossible at the Passover full moon.

3 - The hour of death

The death of Jesus occurred at the ninth hour, around 3 p.m.:

“At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice: ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ [...] And Jesus, having uttered a loud cry, breathed his last.” (Mark 15.34-37; Matthew 27.46-50; Luke 23.44-46). Look at the Darby translation!

4 - Chronological summary of the Synoptics

Event Jewish hour Modern time
Crucifixion 3rd hour ~9h00
Start of the darkness 6th hour ~12h00
Death of Jesus 9th hour ~15h00

II. Comparison of the information in the Gospels

Crucifixion recap

III. The difficulty posed by John

1 - The problematic verse

John introduces a datum that seems to contradict the Synoptics:

John 19.14 (King James Version) :
And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Look at the Darby or NEG translation!

If John were using the Jewish system, the sixth hour would correspond to noon. Yet according to the Synoptics, Jesus had already been on the cross for three hours by then, and the darkness was beginning to cover the land. How could Pilate have pronounced his sentence when the crucifixion had already been under way for a long time?

2 - The proposed solutions

Several hypotheses have been put forward to resolve this difficulty:

a - The copyist's error

From the second century onward, some manuscripts have “third hour” instead of “sixth hour” in John 19.14. This variant is explained by the similarity between the Greek letters gamma (Γ = 3) and digamma/stigma (ϛ = 6). Eusebius of Caesarea mentions this possibility in his writings.

However, the majority of ancient manuscripts keep “sixth hour,” which makes this solution insufficient.

b - The system of day quarters

Some commentators propose that the Gospels use a system of “watches” or day quarters, each period covering three hours:

1st watch: 6–9 a.m.

2nd watch: 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

3rd watch: 12–3 p.m.

4th watch: 3–6 p.m.

In this system, any event occurring between 6 and 9 a.m. would be dated to the “third hour,” and any event between 9 a.m. and noon to the “sixth hour.” The two indications (Mark and John) could then refer to moments close to each other.

This hypothesis explains the use of the term “about” (ὡς/hōs), which indicates an approximation rather than clockwork precision.

c - John's use of the Roman system (preferred hypothesis)

The most satisfactory solution rests on the fact that John uses the Roman time system, which differs from the Jewish system.

IV. John uses the Roman system

1 - The two systems of time measurement

System Start of the day 6ᵉ hour =
Jew Sunrise (~6 a.m.) Noon
Romans Midnight 6 a.m.

The Roman system counted the hours from midnight, as we do today. The Roman sixth hour therefore corresponds to 6 a.m.

2 - Evidence of John's use of the Roman system

a - The mention of “the evening of Sunday”

In John 20.19, the author writes: “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week...” For a strict Jew, the “first day of the week” would already have begun the previous evening at sunset (Saturday evening). By describing Sunday evening as still belonging to the first day, John adopts the Roman convention.

b - The intended audience

John writes from Ephesus, in Asia Minor, for a predominantly Hellenistic-Roman audience. Using the local time system makes it easier for his readers to understand.

c - Narrative coherence

If John indicates 6 a.m. for the final appearance before Pilate, this fits perfectly with the Synoptics:

~6h00 : Pilate's sentence (John)

~9h00 : Crucifixion (Mark)

The three-hour interval allows for the intervening events: the flogging, the soldiers' mockery, the road to Golgotha, and the preparations for the crucifixion.

V. The parenthesis in John 19.14

The grammatical structure of the verse deserves attention. Several translations, including Darby's, place the time indication in parentheses:

“(Now it was the Preparation of the Passover, it was about the sixth hour;) and he said to the Jews: ‘Behold your king!’” (John 19.14, Darby)

This parenthesis suggests that John is inserting a contextual note rather than a chronological indication strictly tied to the following sentence. He specifies the time when Pilate began to sit in judgment that day, not the exact hour of each word.

VI. The liturgical context: the hours of prayer

1 - The three daily prayers

Jewish tradition establishes three daily times of prayer:

  • Shacharit (morning prayer): around the 3rd hour (9 a.m.)
  • Min'ha (afternoon prayer): around the 9th hour (3 p.m.)
  • Ma'ariv (evening prayer): after sunset

These hours structured religious life in Jerusalem. The shofar sounded from the Temple to call the faithful to prayer.

2 - Correspondence with the events of the Passion

Hour of prayer Corresponding event
3rd hour (9 a.m.) - Shacharit Crucifixion
6th hour (12 p.m.) Start of the darkness
9th hour (3 p.m.) - Min'ha Death of Jesus

This correspondence is probably not accidental. Matthew, an eyewitness and a devout Jew, naturally associated the events with the time markers that gave rhythm to his day. The sound of the shofar calling to the Min'ha prayer may have coincided with the last cry of Jesus.

3 - Confirmation in the Acts of the Apostles

The book of Acts confirms the importance of these hours:

Acts 3.1 (King James Version) :
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Acts 10.9 (King James Version) :
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Acts 10.30 (King James Version) :
And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

VII. The meaning of “Preparation of the Passover”

1 - Terminological clarification

The expression “Preparation of the Passover” (John 19.14) has sometimes been interpreted as referring to Thursday, the eve of the Passover meal. This reading would place the crucifixion a day earlier than in the Synoptics.

However, this interpretation overlooks first-century linguistic usage. In the time of Jesus, the term “Passover” often encompassed the whole festival week, including the seven days of Unleavened Bread that immediately followed the Passover meal (Luke 22.1; Exodus 12.15-20).

2 - Friday as the day of preparation

The Greek word paraskeuē (παρασκευή), translated “preparation,” technically refers to Friday, the day before the . Mark confirms this explicitly:

Mark 15.42 (King James Version) :
And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

John himself uses this terminology:

John 19.31 (King James Version) :
The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
)

The “Preparation of the Passover” therefore designates the Friday of Passover week, not the Thursday before the meal.

VIII. Time precision in antiquity

1 - Approximation as the norm

It would be anachronistic to demand of ancient authors the clockwork precision of our own time. Measuring instruments — sundials, water clocks — were rare and imprecise. Most people took their bearings from the position of the sun, from meals, from the hours of prayer, or from the night watches.

The term “about” (ὡς or ὡσεί in Greek) appears frequently in the time indications of the Gospels, signaling an estimate rather than an exact measurement (John 19.14, Luke 23.44).

2 - The value of the time indications

Despite this approximation, the time data of the Gospels show remarkable coherence. They make it possible to reconstruct the course of events over a period of about twelve hours, from the arrest by night to the burial before the .

IX. Chronological reconstruction of Friday, April 1, AD 33

1 - From dawn to the crucifixion

Estimated time Event References
~3h00-4h00 Arrest in the garden of Gethsemane Matthew 26.47-56 ; Mark 14.43-52 ; John 18.2-12
~4h00-4h30 Appearance before Annas John 18.12-14,19-24
~4h30-6h00 Trial before Caiaphas and the Matthew 26.57-68 ; Mark 14.53-65
~6h00-6h15 Rooster's crow, Peter's denial Matthew 26.74-75 ; Mark 14.72 ; Luke 22.60-62
~6h00-6h30 Official condemnation at daybreak Matthew 27.1 ; Mark 15.1 ; Luke 22.66-71
~6h00 Appearance before Pilate (6ᵉ Roman hour) John 19.14
~7h00-7h30 Sent to Herod Antipas Luke 23.6-12
~7h30-8h30 Return to Pilate, flogging Matthew 27.15-30 ; John 19.1-16
~8h30-9h00 Road to Golgotha Matthew 27.32 ; Mark 15.21 ; Luke 23.26

 

2 - From the crucifixion to the burial

Estimated time Event References
~9h00 Crucifixion (3ᵉ Jewish hour) Mark 15.25
9h00-12h00 Jesus on the cross, words, mockery Matthew 27.35-44 ; Luke 23.33-43 ; John 19.18-27
~12h00 Start of the darkness (6ᵉ Jewish hour) Matthew 27:45 ; Mark 15:33
12h00-15h00 Darkness over the land Luke 23:44–45
~15h00 Death of Jesus (9ᵉ Jewish hour) Matthew 27.46-50 ; Mark 15.34-37
~15h00-17h00 Joseph of Arimathea's efforts Matthew 27.57-58 ; Mark 15.42-45
~17h00-18h00 Burial before the Matthew 27.59-60 ; John 19.38-42

X. Additional arguments for harmonization

1 - The reliability of the witnesses

The authors of the Gospels were either direct witnesses (Matthew, John) or close associates of witnesses (Mark with Peter, Luke the meticulous investigator). They wrote at a time when other witnesses could challenge their claims. A glaring contradiction about so public an event would have been noticed immediately.

Luke 1.1-3 (King James Version) :
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

2 - The complementarity of the perspectives

Each evangelist writes for a specific audience with distinct concerns:

  • Matthew addresses the Jews and naturally uses the Jewish system
  • Mark, influenced by Peter, keeps the Jewish time markers
  • Luke, a Greek physician, keeps the Jewish system out of fidelity to his sources
  • John, writing late from Asia Minor for a Hellenistic-Roman audience, adopts their conventions

This diversity enriches the testimony rather than compromising it.

3 - The absence of any attempt at harmonization

Had the authors invented their accounts or copied mechanically, they would probably have made the details uniform. The presence of these variations points to independent testimonies authentically reporting their observations.

XI. Summary of the facts

We offer a sequence of events that follows from the conclusions of our various studies, developed in the synopsis and in several appendices.

_1 The slaughter of the lambs begins on Thursday and continues on Friday. – appendix ANN027: The last Passover meal.

_2 The search for and preparation of the place for the Passover take place on Thursday afternoon. Mark 14.12-16; Matthew 26.17-19; Luke 22.7-13.

_3 The house is, in our view, that of Mary, the mother of John, surnamed Mark. Acts 12.12.

_4 The Passover meal begins on Thursday evening, after 6 p.m. It is already Friday for the Jews. Mark 14.17; Matthew 26.20; Luke 22.14-18. It is therefore not the official Seder, which will take place on the evening of Friday John 18.28.

_5 The meal ends on Friday morning before dawn, between midnight and 2:30 a.m.

_6 Judas Iscariot left before the end of this meal. John 13.30.

_7 The Messiah Jesus and the disciples leave for the Mount of Olives garden between midnight and 2:30 a.m., before dawn on Friday. The young man Mark follows them. Mark 14.26; Mark 14.32-42; Matthew 26.30; Matthew 26.36-46; Luke 22.39-46; John 18.1.

_8 They stop at the foot of the , in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26.36; Mark 14.32.

_9 They spend an hour in prayer, from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. Matthew 26.40.

_10 The troop led by Judas Iscariot arrives. It is still Thursday night, before dawn on Friday, around 3 a.m. Mark 14.43-52; Matthew 26.47-56; Luke 22.47-53; John 18.2-12.

_11 The arrest takes place at that moment, around 3:30 a.m. We are about 1 km from the Temple. Matthew 26.47; Mark 14.43; Luke 22.47; John 18.3.

_12 The appearance before the High Priest Anna, who holds this distinction as an honorary title because he is no longer in office, takes place quickly before dawn on Friday, around 4 a.m. His residence is near the Temple. John 18.12-14.

_13 Several disciples, and in particular Simon Peter and John, follow the procession from a distance. They go into the courtyard of the house of the High Priest Caiaphas. Matthew 26.58; Mark 14.54.

_14 The Messiah Jesus is led to the incumbent High Priest, Caiaphas, who also lives near the Temple, at about 4:30 a.m. Luke notes that Peter and John remained in the courtyard for more than an hour. Mark 14.53-72; Matthew 26.57-75; Luke 22.54-62; John 18.15-27.

_15 The Messiah Jesus is questioned for two hours, from 4:30 to 6:30 a.m. Matthew 26.59-68; Mark 14.55-65; Luke 22.67-71; John 18.19-24.

_16 The rooster crows at about 6:15 a.m., a little before sunrise. Matthew 26.74; Mark 14.72; Luke 22.61-62; John 18.27.

_17 The appearance before the should take place after sunrise at 6:38 a.m. But this was not the case, because at the moment the rooster crows the Master is, according to our interpretation of Luke’s text, taken to Pilate right after the verdict of the , which therefore waited for daybreak to pronounce it. Luke 22.66-71; Mark 15.1; Matthew 27.1-2.

_18 The first appearance before Pontius Pilate begins around 6:45 a.m. Mark 15.1-5; Matthew 27.2-14; Luke 23.1-5; John 18.28-38.

_19 We place the appearance before Herod Antipas at around 7:30 a.m. Luke 23.6-12.

_20 The return to Pontius Pilate takes place around 8 a.m. Mark 15.6-19; Matthew 27.15-30; Luke 23.13-25; John 18.39-40; John 19.1-16.

_21 The crowd, gathered in front of Pontius Pilate’s palace, demands the crucifixion. Matthew 27.22 ; Mark 14.11-15 ; Luke 23.23 ; John 19.15.

_22 The departure for Mount Golgotha begins before 9 a.m. Matthew 27.32 ; Mark 15.21-22 ; Luke 23.26-33 ; John 19.17.

_23 The placing on the cross therefore takes place around 9 a.m. according to Mark's text. The imprecision of the measurement allows for the time needed to travel to Mount Golgotha. Mark 15.20-41 ; Matthew 27.31-56 ; Luke 23.26-49 ; John 18.17-30.

_24 All these members of the can now take part in the family Passover feast, rested in spirit after what they regard as a magnificent victory. But events are not going to unfold as they imagined!

_25 From about noon until 3 p.m., there is darkness over the region of Jerusalem. Matthew 27.45 ; Mark 15.33 ; Luke 23.44.

_26 Death on the cross takes place on Friday, April 1, AD 33, around 3 p.m., according to the Gospels. It occurs before the end of this extraordinary night. The three days and three nights begin with this night, as the Jewish calendar requires.

_27 The burial is thought to take place around 5 p.m., while it is still daylight. It is still Friday, which ends around 6 p.m. for the Jews. The normally begins a little earlier, around 5:50 p.m. Everything is finished by the time the begins. Matthew 27.57-61 ; Mark 15.42-47 ; Luke 23.50-56 ; John 19.31-42.

_28 In everyone’s eyes, this matter is now definitively settled and the outcome is rather positive for these leaders; there was no commotion among the crowds.

_29 One last small point remains to be dealt with: the Messiah Jesus had spoken of resurrection, so it is safer to place guards in front of the tomb. This is the request made to Pilate on the very day of the ; nothing stops these devout men. Matthew 27.62-66.

_30 The resurrection takes place on Sunday morning at dawn. We indeed have the 3 days and 3 nights according to the Jewish inclusive reckoning. Matthew 28.2-4 ; Mark 16.2-4 ; Luke 24.1-3. We take into account the night at midday.

_31 Now come the various appearances of the living Messiah Jesus, starting on Sunday, April 3, AD 33, early in the morning. John 20.11-18 ; Matthew 28.8-10 ; Mark 16.8 ; John 20.24-34 ; Mark 16.13-14 ; Luke 24.13-35 ; Mark 16.14 ; Luke 24.36-49 ; John 20.26-31 ; John 21.1-14.

This list is a brief summary of the synopsis, where we examine these events in greater depth to make them easier to understand. All the details supporting our hypothesis are set out either directly in the synopsis or in various appendices.

You can consult the appendix ANN090: The different appearances

Conclusion

The apparent contradiction between John and the Synoptics concerning the hour of the crucifixion finds a satisfying resolution in the distinction between the time systems used. John, writing for a Roman audience, uses their convention (sixth hour = 6 a.m.), whereas the Synoptics use the Jewish system (third hour = 9 a.m.).

This explanation makes it possible to establish a coherent chronology:

  • ~6h00 : Pilate's final sentence (John, Roman system)
  • ~9h00 : Actual crucifixion (Synoptics, Jewish system)
  • ~12h00-15h00 : Supernatural darkness
  • ~15h00 : Death of Jesus

Far from invalidating the reliability of the Gospels, this diversity of perspectives attests to the authenticity of accounts coming from different witnesses, each reporting the events according to his own cultural and temporal markers.

The darkness at high noon, reported unanimously by the three Synoptics, is a cosmic sign underscoring the universal significance of this event. The death of the Messiah at in the afternoon (Min'ha), at the very moment when the Passover lambs were being finished off in the Temple, reveals the deep theological coherence of these historical accounts.

The condemnation of Jesus was not the act of the Jewish people as a whole, but of religious leaders attached to their traditions and privileges. Many of them would later recognize in this “dangerous revolutionary” the Messiah announced by their prophets (Acts 6.7).