Last Supper: we might have got the date wrong, says academic

Christians have long marked Jesus Christ's Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, but new research by an academic suggests they have got the wrong date.

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

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

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

Researchers have long been puzzled by a fundamental biblical inconsistency. While Matthew, Mark and Luke all assert that the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John claims it took place before Passover.

But Prof Humphreys has now concluded that Jesus - along with Matthew, Mark and Luke - may have been using a different calendar to John.

In his theory, Jesus went by an old-fashioned Jewish calendar, rather than the official lunar calendar which was in widespread use at the time of his death and is still in use today. This would put the Passover meal - and the Last Supper - on the Wednesday, explaining how a large number of events took place between the meal and the crucifixion.

By ironing out all the perceived discrepancies, Prof Humphreys believes a date could be ascribed to Easter in our modern solar calendar. Working on the basis that the crucifixion took place on 3 April, Easter Day would be on 5 April.