Last Supper day called into question

CHRISTIANS have long marked Jesus Christ’s Last Supper on Holy Thursday but research by a leading academic suggests they have got the wrong day.

Colin Humphreys, a scientist at the University of Cambridge, has concluded the final meal took place on the Wednesday before the crucifixion, a day earlier than previously accepted.

He believes his findings could present a case for a fixed date for Easter.

They also present a solution to apparent contradictions in the Gospels and logistical issues in the hours before the crucifixion.

In a new book, The Mystery Of The Last Supper, Prof Humphreys uses Biblical, historical and astronomical research to address the precise nature and timing of Jesus’s final meal with his disciples.

While Matthew, Mark and Luke assert that the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John claims it took place before Passover.

“But if we use science and the Gospels hand in hand, we can actually prove that there was no contradiction.”

In his theory, Jesus went by an old-fashioned Jewish calendar rather than the official lunar calendar.

This would put the Passover meal, and the Last Supper, on the Wednesday.

It would mean Jesus’ arrest, interrogation and separate trials did not all take place in the space of one night but occurred over a longer time frame.

Prof Humphreys believes ironing out discrepancies and working on the basis that the crucifixion took place on April 3, Easter Day would be on April 5.