Passover chronology — one possible timeline
The dispute is whether the Last Supper was the initial Passover meal and whether Friday crucifixion falls on Nisan 14 or 15. A coherent harmonization reads John 13:1 as an introduction, John 18:28 as continued festival participation, and John 19:14 as Friday during Passover. This is a defended reading, not unanimous scholarship.
Key points
- Both readings retain Friday crucifixion. They differ over whether the Last Supper was the opening Passover meal and whether that Friday was Nisan 14 or 15.
- The harmonization depends on three disclosed interpretations: an introduction in John 13:1, continued festival participation in John 18:28, and Friday during Passover in John 19:14. Each requires a contextual argument; a possible reconciliation is not demonstrated historical certainty.
- A reading with the opening Passover meal after the crucifixion leaves a disagreement with the Synoptic description of Jesus’ supper as Passover.
Scripture
- Matthew 26:17–30 — Preparation and the supper are explicitly described in Passover terms; bread and cup precede departure.
- Mark 14:12–26 — The disciples prepare Passover; supper, betrayal warning, bread and cup precede departure.
- Luke 22:1 — Luke calls Unleavened Bread Passover, demonstrating a broader festival name.
- Luke 22:7–20 — Peter and John prepare; Jesus identifies the meal as this Passover before his suffering.
Sources and further reading
Related records
- Eucharist and the Lord's Supper
- Crucifixion and Resurrection
- John 13 — before the feast, during supper
- One night — garden, arrest, hearings
- John 18:28 — eat the Passover
- Preparation Day — John’s Sabbath context
- Sacrifice, supper, and the festival clock
- Passover theology is not a calendar timestamp
- Early Paschal witnesses: chronology, custom, and peace