One of the most loved facts of our faith is the fact that Christ died on the Cross for us. This fact stands out as the fundamental of fundamentals. The atoning, substitutionary death of Christ is the very pivot on which all of Christianity hinges. It is the warp and woof of the gospel. Christ and Him crucified stands out on every page of this blessed old Book.

The Cross of Christ is also the pivot of history. It is the central point of time and eternity. It is the greatest fact of history. All history leads up to it, is affected by it, and the destiny of all humanity is decided by it.

The Cross is central in God's plan. It is central to history. It is central to Christianity and the gospel message. It is central to Christian experience. It is the heart of the evangelical position and proclamation. The Wonders of the Cross never cease. It was done in a day but it is wondered at forever.

The most remarkable event in connection with Christ's death was the three hours darkness. This event is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels:

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour (Matt. 27:45). And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (Mark 15:33).

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the vail of the temple was rent in the midst" (Luke 23:45-46).

The darkness was over all the land, according to Matthew and Mark. According to Luke, it was over all the earth. A great earthquake is also said to have taken place. No statements of God's Word are more clearly established than these. God has seen fit that there should be preserved an abundance of evidence to this fact — evidence that is incontestable and incontrovertible. It is enough to silence infidels and skeptics. It is sufficient to shut the mouths of objectors and cavillers in silence. The testimony is uniform and satisfying.

THE TESTIMONY OF PHLEGON

The first witness is Phlegon, a heathen writer who lived at the beginning of the second century.¹ He was a Greek historian and chronologer. He gave himself to putting down the most remarkable things that ever happened. These were recorded in sixteen books called the "Olympiads." His second book dealt with such things as were extraordinary, or out of the common course of nature. The third book is a treatise on the longevity of man, giving a list of persons whose lives extended 100 years or more in length. In Phlegon's 13th book, which is a chronicle; in his 202nd Olympiad, he states: " In the fourth or last year of that Olympiad there was a greater eclipse of the sun than was ever known before. There was night at the sixth hour of the day, inasmuch as the stars were seen in the heavens. There was also a mighty earthquake which caused a great overthrow at Nice in Bithynia." The last year of Phlegon's 202nd Olympiad answers to the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, which was the year of Christ's crucifixion.

THE TESTIMONY OF THALLUS

The second testimony comes from Thallus, a Grecian, who lived in the first century, and who wrote a history of Syria in five volumes. He is quoted frequently by the church fathers, who also quote Phlegon. The testimony of Thallus is joined with that of Phlegon. In his "Third Book of Syriac Histories," he speaks in a particular manner of the miraculous darkness at noonday, and of it so happening in the eighteenth year of Tiberius' reign. Let it be understood that both Phlegon and Thallus did not claim to be Christians. This makes their testimony all the more remarkable.

THE TESTIMONY OF JULIUS AFRICANUS

A third testimony is given by Julius Africanus, a Christian historian who flourished in the second century. He wrote a chronology of events and in it he remarks in the same manner as Phlegon and Thallus. He says that at the very time our Saviour suffered there was a universal darkness, putting the whole world under the greatest consternation. He goes on to quote both authors. Said he, quoting from Phlegon:

Phlegon tells us that in the reign of Tiberius Caesar, at the time of full moon, there was a total eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth.

Again, Africanus quotes from the works of Thallus, saying:

There was a most dreadful darkness all over the world; the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other parts of the earth were thrown down. This darkness, Thallus, in the third book of history, calls an eclipse of the sun: without reason, as I think; for the Jews celebrate the passover on the fourteenth day of the moon.

It will be noticed that this is called an eclipse "without reason" — that is, on the fourteenth day of the moon.

TESTIMONY FROM CHINA

A fourth testimony comes from China, that great record-keeping nation and famous for astronomy. Greston in his history of China relates it. Couplet, Intorcetat and Rougemont say the same thing. Greston says:

That under the reign of their sage prince, Quam-vuti, there was a total eclipse of the sun in the month of April; with which the king was exceedingly surprised, for (say those annals) it happened contrary to the regular course of nature, putting their astronomers into the utmost confusion, and their year assigned . . . . answers precisely to the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad of Phlegon, and the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar.

THE WITNESS OF TERTULLIAN

Among the church fathers was Tertullian, an apologist, living in the second century. H^ was a great master of history and was well versed in the Roman laws and annals. He speaks of this eclipse as being one of the greatest and most extraordinary events that ever happened, and that it was publicly proved by the Roman annals. He says:

In the same moment that He (Jesus Christ) dismissed life, the light departed from the sun, and the world was benighted at noonday, and those men who acknowledged this eclipse but were unacquainted with the prophecies that foretold it . . . . and finding impossible to be solved by the laws of nature, at last roundly denied the fact; yet this wonder of the world you have related, and the relation preserved in your archives to this day.

It seems quite evident that this darkness occurred at the time of full moon.

THE WITNESS OF FATHERS, HISTORIANS AND MARTYRS

Clement of Rome, one of the Apostolic Fathers, who suffered martyrdom about 96 A.D., wrote in his "Recognitions" saying:

When the true prophet suffered, the whole world suffered with Him, the whole world was in commotion.

Arnobius, writing in the year 203 said:

When Christ put off his body— all the elements of the world were terrified.

Dionysius the Areopagite, who lived at the time of Christ's death, relates that he and Appolonius were at Heliopolis, and that they saw the moon when it was not time for a conjunction with the sun, from the sixth hour to the evening, standing in direct opposition to the sun. Dionysius is credited with the exclamation: "Either nature suffers, or else now sympathizes with Him that does so."

Origen, a noted church father, apologist, and copious writer, in his work against the infidel Celsus, says:

But concerning the eclipse under Tiberius Caesar, in whose reign . . . . Jesus was crucified; and concerning great earthquakes which then happened; Phlegon has written in the 13th book of his chronicle.

Lucianus, a Roman martyr, dying in the year 310, said:

Look into your (Roman) annals and you will find that in the time of Pilate, when Christ suffered, that the sun had the Almighty's order to disappear, and the light of day was interrupted with darkness.

Another testimony comes from Philiponus, a historian, and evidently a Christian. This man may have had Phlegon's Olympiads before him when he wrote, for he refers to them. He says:

In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad there happened an eclipse of the sun, of that nature that nothing like it was known before.

And nothing like it has ever occured since.

Chrysostom, the Golden Mouth, the most notable preacher of the early church, says in commenting upon Matthew 27:45:

This darkness was over all the habitable earth. It came at noon, that all the inhabitants of the earth might learn by it, for it was daytime everywhere in the habitable earth.

Maximus, in the fifth century, said: Phlegon, the Grecian chronologer, in the 13th book of his chronicle, mentions this eclipse in his 202nd Olympiad; and says that it came to pass contrary to the usual course of nature.

Orosius, a Roman historian, A.D. 416, says:

Which (praeternatural darkness) is attested to not only by the authority of the Gospels, and by some books of the Grecian writers. 'Tis also true that Tiberius made those cities in Asia free from tribute . . . . which had been thrown down by this earthquake.

Alexander, 500 A.D., wrote a chronicle on the eighteenth year of Tiberius, and in his Chronicum he says:

And the sun was darkened over all the earth . . . . of which darkness, Dionisius the Areopagite makes mention in his epistle to Polycarp, as of an extraordinary eclipse of the sun this year. Other writers have likewise pointed out this same year Particularly Phlegon, who collected the Olympiads . . . . who knew and owned the extraordinary nature of this eclipse of the sun; for an eclipse of the sun when it was full moon is a thing that was never heard of, nor ever happened in any age before, fore.

These witnesses, separated by space and time, are all agreed as to this extraordinary event, as to when it happened, and that nothing like it had taken place before.

THE TESTIMONY OF PONTIUS PILATE

Perhaps the greatest testimony to the supernatural darkness comes from Pontius Pilate himself. It is contained in the "Acts Under Pontius Pilate" — it being a report of Pilate, Procureator of Judea, sent to Rome to Tiberius Caesar. It was a custom for the governors to signify to the emperors the new and extraordinary events which took place. Pilate made it his business to keep such acts and events in journals, and this particular event was mentioned to Tiberius, in the form of a letter. It reads:

And when He had been crucified there was darkness over the whole earth, the sun having been completely hidden, and the heaven appearing dark though it was day; so that the stars appeared, but had at the same time their brightness darkened as I suppose your reverance is not ignorant of, because in all the world they lighted lamps from the sixth hour until evening, and the moon being like blood did not shine the whole night, and yet she happened to be full.²

Now these "Acts Under Pontius Pilate" are genuine and authentic as is demonstrated by the way the fathers quoted and referred to them.

Justin Martyr (103-167), in his apology wrote:

And that these things were done, ye may learn from the Acts Under Pontius Pilate.³

Tertullian, a writer of the second and third centuries, says:

All these things concerning Christ, Pilate in his heart a Christian acquainted Tiberius with.⁴

And now we see at one view and in a very narrow compass- the testimonies of ancient writers during the first 500 years. Some of the testimonies are from Greek writers; others, from Romans who lived in different parts of the Roman Empire. Much more testimony could be added to these. From these testimonies we conclude that:

1. The miraculous darkness at our Saviour's death is an event confirmed by the concurrent testimonies of profane and unquestionably unprejudiced authors.

2. The supernatural darkness was recorded in the public Roman registers.

3. The supernatural darkness was commonly appealed to by the church fathers.

4. Tertullian, Origen, and Lucianus particularly refer to the Roman records and to Phlegon. When the first Christian writers and martyrs appealed to these records it was what none of their enemies could deny.

5. Pilate's testimony is incontestable.

6. All agree as to the time of the miraculous darkness.

7. All agree as to the manner of it, that it was supernatural; testifying that there was a full moon at the time.

8. A number of writers mention that a great earthquake accompanied this darkness.

9. Some testify that the moon and the stars were disturbed.

The testimony is uniform. This is a fact that was greatly discussed during the first centuries, and by some historians as late as the eighteenth century. This fact has kept its ground, and the more it has been discussed the stronger it has grown. What think you of this unanswerable argument? Does it not demonstrate that the Word of God is an impregnable fortress and that the Death of Christ is the central fact of all history?

1) This, and the following fourteen testimonies appear in "Dawson's Appeal," a book on Christian Evidences, written in the seventeenth century.

2) The Ante-Nicean Fathers

3) Ibid

4) Ibid