Jesus is described in the New Testament as rising from the dead “on the third day” after his crucifixion, which early Christians associated with Sunday, now celebrated as Easter Sunday.

Quick Scoop: When did Jesus rise again?

Core timeline

  • The Gospels say Jesus was crucified on a Friday (commemorated as Good Friday in Christian tradition). Scholars usually date this to somewhere between AD 30 and AD 36.
  • The New Testament repeatedly says he would rise “on the third day” after his death (for example, Matthew 16:21, Luke 24:46).
  • Early Christians quickly identified this “third day” with the first day of the week, Sunday, which became the weekly day of Christian worship.
  • That is why Christians celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday each year.

How “three days” is understood

The New Testament uses two kinds of phrasing about the timing:

  • “On the third day” – found in several Gospel passages and in early Christian preaching.
  • “Three days and three nights” – a phrase in Matthew 12:40 that has led to debate about exact counting.

In ancient Jewish timekeeping, part of a day could be counted as a full day, so many Christian traditions understand:

  1. Friday (day and night) – crucifixion and burial before sundown.
  1. Saturday (day and night) – Jesus in the tomb.
  2. Early Sunday – the tomb found empty “very early in the morning” while it was still dark.

This fits “on the third day” in the way time was commonly counted then.

Different Christian viewpoints

Most mainstream churches (Catholic, Orthodox, and most Protestant groups) hold that:

  • Jesus rose very early on Sunday morning, with the women finding the tomb empty around dawn.

Some groups argue instead that:

  • To take “three days and three nights” as an exact 72-hour period, Jesus must have been raised late on Saturday before sunset, so that by Sunday morning he was already risen and the tomb was simply discovered empty then.

Both positions agree that:

  • By dawn on Sunday, Jesus was no longer in the tomb and was proclaimed risen.

Simple takeaway

  • According to historic Christian belief and the New Testament: Jesus rose on the third day after his crucifixion, identified with Sunday, celebrated as Easter Sunday.

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