In his column, "So much Bible illiteracy!" Joseph Farah proves that he is the one who is biblically illiterate. He refers to "a persuasive case for a Wednesday Crucifixion with Yeshua rising from the tomb sometime on the Saturday Sabbath." But the New Testament Scriptures plainly teach that Jesus was raised "on the third day" (Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7,46; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4) from His crucifixion, which was "the first day of the week" or Sunday.
"Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons." (Mark 16:9)
Moreover, it was on "that same day" (Luke 24:13) – i.e., "the first day of the week" (Luke 24:1) or Sunday – that the disciples said, "it is the third day since all this took place" (24:21). They understood Sunday afternoon to be the third day from the crucifixion, the day on which Jesus predicted He would rise again (Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7,46). If the crucifixion had been on a Wednesday, as Farah alleges, then Sunday afternoon would have been on the fourth or the fifth day, depending on whether one counts Wednesday or not. But Friday (one day), Saturday (one day) and Sunday (one day) clearly add up to three days. So without a doubt Jesus was crucified on a Friday and resurrected on a Sunday, not "sometime on the Saturday Sabbath."
By the way, the alternate biblical phrases "three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:40) and "after three days" (Mark 8:31) are simply Jewish idioms that refer to the "third day" from the crucifixion or "the first day of the week."
Joseph Farah simply doesn't know what he's talking about and should leave the teaching of Scripture to someone who is competent for the task.
Roger Mann