The last supper
Christians have long celebrated Jesus Christ's Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, but new research released Monday claims to show it took place on the Wednesday before the crucifixion.
Professor Colin Humphreys, a scientist at the University of Cambridge, believes it is all due to a calendar mix-up -- and asserts his findings strengthen the case for finally introducing a fixed date for Easter.
Humphreys uses a combination of biblical, historical, and astronomical research to try to pinpoint the precise nature and timing of Jesus's final meal with his disciples before his death.
Researchers have long been puzzled by an apparent inconsistency in the Bible.
While Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John claims it took place before Passover.
Humphreys has concluded in a new book, "The Mystery Of The Last Supper", that Jesus -- along with Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- may have been using a different calendar than John.
"Whatever you think about the Bible, the fact is that Jewish people would never mistake the Passover meal for another meal, so for the Gospels to contradict themselves in this regard is really hard to understand," Humphreys said.
"Many biblical scholars say that, for this reason, you can't trust the Gospels at all. But if we use science and the Gospels hand in hand, we can actually prove that there was no contradiction."
In Humphreys' 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 Wednesday, explaining how such a large number of events took place between the meal and the crucifixion.
It would follow that Jesus' arrest, interrogation, and separate trials did not all take place in the space of one night but in fact occurred over a longer period.
Humphreys believes a date could, therefore, be ascribed to Easter in our modern solar calendar, and working on the basis that the crucifixion took place on April 3, Easter Day would be on April 5.
Maathai: The first African woman in Kenya to earn a doctorate, the 64-year-old biologist gained international recognition in 1977 when she founded the Green Belt
To gain international recognition for African Women in both daily life, social and political activities, Italian cooperation, an integral part of Italy's foreign policy, has announced it is working with over thirty local authorities and hundreds of personalities from Italian and international cultural and entertainment and the civil society on a campaign to promote the candidacy of African women for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The cooperation is called the "NOPPAW" (Nobel Peace Prize for African Women) campaign. The exercise is sponsored by Solidarita' e Cooperazione Cipsi and ChiAma I'Africa with the support of the Italian foreign ministry. The cooperation aims to organize many events around the country to promote African women's growing role across the African continent.
"African women are the continent's compelling leaders, both in daily life, social and political activities," said Guido Barbera, president of Solidarietà e Cooperazione Cipsi, in a statement released by the Italian foreign ministry.
Africa stands on their feet, female entrepreneurs, politicians, promoters of rights, health, peace, and co-existence; it is impossible to imagine the future of Africa without picturing the many ordinary women who carry the weight of this land every day, taking on its tragedies and bearing its hope," Barbera added.
According to the ministry, initiatives will be taken over the coming months, following the campaign's re-launch on International Women's Day, on March 8, 2011, in various regions of Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and other African countries.
The implementation plans will officially be presented to the European Parliament in Brussels on May 23, 2011, by the Italian Foreign Ministry, with numerous activities throughout the year.
Pan Am Flight 103
Almost over three decades, after the Pan Am Flight 103 was blown over Lockerbie, a small town in Scotland, killing 243 passengers, 16 crew aboard and 11 on the ground, in the worst terrorist act planned by the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Ghadafi, it seemed finally the ghosts of the victims are now seeking their revenge on the man who had escaped punishment for a very long time.
The Lockerbie air disaster sparked a lot of controversy over who was responsible. In July 1988, six months before the Lockerbie bombing, the US shot down an Iranian Airbus, killing 290 passengers on board.
The Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini vowed he would take bitter revenge. An explosive was planted inside a radio-cassette player with a timer, triggered by air pressure. The remains of the radio cassette player were found among the wreckage.
Despite this amazing evidence, further investigation revealed that Gaddafi was the man behind this deadly act. The explosives were actually carried out by Abdelbaset al-Megrahi at the orders of Gaddafi, but Gaddafi denied every allegation, including the one behind the bombing.
International pressure on Gaddafi and the fear of being attacked by coalition forces made him quickly accept the responsibility for the Lockerbie air disaster.
Gaddafi agreed to pay compensation of 2.7 million dollars to the families of the 270 victims. An agreement that would enable each victim to receive as much as 10 million dollars. The question is, why did Gaddafi finally accept responsibility for something he had previously denied?
To make matters worse, the release of Abdelbaset al Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, caused a lot of provocations and demonstrations worldwide. The family of the victims thought the man should have been kept behind bars for life. The United States of America even called it a "miscarriage of justice".
Coalition forces are now trying to topple Gaddafi since he has refused to step down by the demands of the Libyans. In his effort to convince his people and hold on to power, Gaddafi called the West and America rats and cockroaches and urged the Libyans to fight them for the sake of their precious oil, which the West and America want so much.
Unfortunately, he has forgotten that his involvement in the Lockerbie air disaster has also generated more hatred for him than for a very long time. The West and the United States of America have been looking for the best punishment to suit him, and now this is the time.
It's unfortunate for the Gaddafi regime that no amount of compensation paid to the family of the victims of the air disaster could help him. The victims' ghosts are seeking their sweet revenge, and I think the spirits of the dead would never sleep peacefully in their graves until Gaddafi is overthrown.
