By Roger Gilligan
Sunrise Publishing. 223 pages. £16.00
ISBN 0 9535771 0 4
I have never been easily interested in dates (other than with my wife!). It was, therefore, with some considerable measure of effort that I began to tackle this book, which seeks to establish, according to the sub-title, 'the exact date Jesus Christ was put to death'. Rather than attempt a blow-by-blow account of the argument, let me give you some impressions of the book.
On the positive side, it is clearly laid out in readable type, and tables are used frequently to present information. The author devotes himself to explaining the biblical text, and clearly does so with reverence, concluding with an evangelistic appeal. However, a number of cautionary remarks are necessary also.
First, the book claims to turn received wisdom on its head (Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday in AD 31). Now it is certainly possible that it does so, but such grand claims require very strong arguments to support them, and I was not convinced by his literal approach to the phrase 'three days and three nights' in Matthew 12.40.
Secondly, there is little opportunity to compare Gilligan's views with those of other authors. He does refer to three or four works by other authors, but these references are very brief and are the exceptions to the rule. The independence of Gilligan's book means that the reader has difficulty in assessing how his arguments would stand up to counter-arguments.
Thirdly, some of Gilligan's theological views are questionable. For instance, in his discussion of the death of Jesus as a sacrifice for sins, Gilligan cites Isaiah 53.10 in the KJV ('when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin . . .') and comments 'God therefore wants us to offer the soul of Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins' (p. 219). Gilligan immediately goes on to indicate that this means 'to acknowledge before God that the death of Jesus is the only sacrifice by which our sins can be forgiven', but this seems, at the very least, an unhelpful expression. Elsewhere Gilligan writes: 'However, if you have turned to God through Jesus but are not certain that the Holy Spirit has come into your life, it is quite possible that God has not yet accepted you. You should therefore look again at Jesus' teaching and obey it more carefully until God gives you the assurance that he has accepted you.' (p. 220). This statement firstly encourages one to believe that 'turning to God through Jesus' may not result in salvation as Scripture says it will, and secondly urges more careful obedience as the method of receiving assurance, thus placing the emphasis on human effort rather than faith in the promises of God in Scripture.
Enthusiasts for dates may find it useful to interact with Gilligan's argument. However, I am unable to recommend this book unequivocally and would instead point readers towards Paul W. Barnett's recent book Jesus and the rise of early Christianity (Downers Grove: IVP, 1999), for discussion of issues relating to New Testament chronology.
Alistair I. Wilson,
Highland Theological College,
Dingwall, Scotland
