Biblical Evidence:
– Resurrection of Jesus 30-33 AD
– Paul and Silas Jailbreak: 61-63 AD
The earthquake of approximately 31 AD in Judea is one of great note well beyond Biblical scholars.
Extra-Biblical Evidence: 1st century earthquakes reported in:
– Pompeii – pretty big deal, prefaced Mount Vesuvius eruption!
– Hierapolis
– Colosse
– Crete
– Naples – Nero experienced this one himself!
– Samos
– Campania
– Rome
– Laodicea – the exact date is argued, but definitely AD 60’s!
– Smyrna
– Miletus
– Chios
– Judea – we already talked about how popular this one is!
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– Jerusalem – Josephus speaks to this
Some Notable Quotes:
“This year (50 AD) witnessed many prodigies signs or omens… including repeated earthquakes.”
– Tacitus, The Annals Of Imperial Rome
“How often have cities in Asia, how often in Achaia, been laid low by a single shock of earthquake! How many towns in Syria, how many in Macedonia, have been swallowed up! How often has this kind of destruction laid Cyprus in ruins? How often has Paphos collapsed? Not infrequently are tidings brought to us of the utter destruction of entire cities.”
– Seneca, Letters From a Stoic
“for by night there broke out a most dreadful tempest, and violent strong winds, with the most vehement showers, and continual lightnings, and horrid thunderings, and prodigious bellowings of the shaken earth; so that it was manifest, as he observes, that the constitution of the universe was confounded for the destruction of men; and any one might easily conjecture, that these things portended no common calamity.”
– Josephus regarding 66-67 AD
Furthermore, earthquakes in Biblical prophetic language represent the shakeup of powers and authorities. There is NO question this happened as well – from the Jewish Revolt and rise of the Sicarii and Zealots, to the crushing of Galilee, Samaria, Judea, and Jerusalem by Rome … not to mention, the end of Nero’s reign followed by the year of the 4 emperors, culminating in Vespasian being named the new emperor while not even in Rome!