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LIEUT.-COL. G. MACKINLAY, E.A._, ON 



the heavens ; we have also shown that no other date which is 

 historically possible will fulfil these harmonies. Hence we 

 conclude that we have obtained an almost independent con- 

 firmation of the date a.d. 29 for the Crucifixion. 



AVe will now briefly consider how a length of ministry of 

 between two and three years, as advocated by some,* will 

 satisfy the harmonies. If we assume as before, that historical 

 data force us to place the Crucifixion between the dates 

 A.D. 28-33, this shortened ministry might have begun any year 

 A.D. 25-30. We have already shown that a.d. 26, 28, 29, must 

 be excluded, because the morning star was not shining at the 

 times of year when the Baptist and the Lord began their 

 ministries. There remain, therefore, to investigate a.d. 25, 27, 

 and 30, for the beginning of the Lord's ministry. We have not 

 space to go into details, but it is readily seen by reference to 

 the diagram, that on each of these suppositions there would be 

 failure in the harmonies in at least (h), (i) and (/) conditions. 

 Hence we conclude that our line of investigation does not favour 

 a ministry of less length than three years and some months. 



Conclusion. 



It must be confessed that we have not adduced strong 

 evidence, but only inferences, which are, however, valuable, 

 because they point to harmonies long hidden, but which were 

 probably quite apparent to the first readers, to whom the 

 periods of the appearance of the morning star must have been 

 far more generally known than they are to us at the present 

 time. 



Some readers, on first thoughts, may be inclined to think the 

 foregoing deductions fanciful and unreal, because they involve 

 a train of thought with which they are unfamiliar ; some may 

 say it would be quite another thing if it were distinctly stated 

 in tlie Biljle that the Baptist was like the morning star, which 

 will always be shining when he is so alluded to. If that 

 had been written, it would have been in accord with our 

 modern blunt manner of expression, but the special charac- 

 teristic of the subtle Bible methods, which so generally need 

 some search in order to appreciate their full meaning, would 

 have been utterly lost. Betlectiou and a fuller acquaintance 

 with Eastern, and specially with Biblical, methods of expression 



* See /fastings' Dictionary/ of the Bible. "Chronology of the Gospels." 

 C. H. Turner, M.A. Also Outlines of the Life of Christ. Kev. \V. 

 Sanday, D.D. 



