The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4
V. Crucifixion Date Corrected to A.D. 31
After the Millerite spring expectation, at the passing of the “Jewish year 1843,” in April, 1844, the “Jewish year 1844” instead of the former “1843,” in Adventist terminology became the corrected and accepted terminal point for the 2300 years. Thus the Midnight Cry: PFF4 797.4
“The Jewish year which synchronizes the nearest with A.D. 1843 must be a year, the greater part of which is contained within that year. This, therefore, must be the civil year commencing in October, 1842, and the ecclesiastical year ending April, 1844, nine months of each being included in A.D. 1843. The new moon in April being passed, we are consequently beyond 1843, not only Gentile, but Jewish, civil and ecclesiastical time, and are now in the year 1844, according to our chronology.” 26 PFF4 798.1
1. SHIFT END OF SEVENTIETH WEEK TO A.D. 34
Next came a correspondingly necessary and logical revision of the ending of the 70 weeks, from A.D. 33 over to 34, as the true terminus. 27 This change was effected by shifting the crucifixion date either back a couple of years-or forward to 34, as some at first were prone to do-on the authority of another group of chronologists. So Ferguson and the other A.D. 33 proponents 28 were abandoned because of the obvious error. 29 PFF4 798.2
2. MAJORITY COME TO FAVOR “MIDST OF THE WEEK” CROSS
The majority now began to favor the A.D. 31 crucifixion date, advocated by William Hales, thus placing the cross in the “midst” of the seventieth week, 30 and citing Eusebius as a witness for the 31 date 81 Others, in this transition period, not clear on whether the “midst” 32 denoted the precise middle or a more elastic central period (30 or 31), nevertheless assumed the A.D. 34 terminus for the seventieth week, independent of the precise crucifixion date. 33 In any event, A.D. 34 now became the acknowledged terminus of the 70 weeks, harmonizing with the grand terminus in “1844,” not “1843.” (Also on Exhibit A, page 790.) PFF4 798.3