During what time period did the trials of Jesus occur?

Answer 1

The synoptic gospels say that the trials of Jesus occurred on the day after the Passover feast, which was celebrated by Jesus and the disciples as the Last Supper. John's Gospel says that these events occurred on the day of the Passover feast. A possibility is that John, in his desire to represent Jesus as the new "paschal lamb", altered the story to have the crucifixion occur when lambs would have been slaughtered in the Temple in preparation for the Passover.

Mark's Gospel is the most structured of the gospels and says that the betrayal and arrest of Jesus occurred at the darkest hour - midnight. Jesus was led away for a trial before the high priest and other senior priests and elders at 3am in the morning. Peter denied Jesus once each hour, so that when Jesus was led away to be tried by Pontius Pilate "when it was morning', it was 6am. Mark says that it was "the third hour" - 9 am - when they crucified him. So according to this, the period from arrest to trial and crucifixion was from midnight to nine o'clock in the morning. This notwithstanding that, in compliance with the Torah, it was the practice not to sit in judgement except in the light of day. John's Gospel resolves this problem by not having a formal trial by the Sanhedrin, simply having Jesus brought first to Annas, then to Caiaphas, before being taken to Pontius Pilate.d