Heather wrote:I've read that site, which is what freaked me out. He addresses that jesus was crucified on the day appointed, but then doesn't explain the dinner the night before. Was it symbolic or the real passover? It can't be both. Like I said, the calendar thing is so hard, maybe because I'm not a math genius, but I can't resolve these issues right now.
But it must be both. There was clearly a different calendar in use among the people than that which was being used in Jerusalem as the "official" calendar.
The apostles believed they were eating the Passover with Christ on the day that they should have been eating Passover, and in all Gospels it is indicated that they had planned ahead to eat it when they did because they believed it was the Passover day and not because they were compelled to follow some sort of substitute schedule.
It was not like they knew in advance that Christ was going to be slain on the "official" Passover day of the Judaeans.
John often called feast days "a feast of the Judaeans" (John 5:1, 6:4, 7:11) as if he himself was detached from them, which may also be an indication that in Jerusalem there was a separate calendar being followed.
Christ was slain on the day that Judaea as a nation (although under the rule of Edomite agents of Rome) was celebrating the Passover. Whatever the "real day" was is immaterial.