▁E . ▁Brown , ▁review ing ▁these , ▁concluded ▁that ▁they ▁can ▁not ▁be ▁easily ▁recon ci led . ▁One ▁involves ▁the ▁suggestion ▁that ▁for ▁Jesus ▁and ▁his ▁dis ci ples , ▁the ▁Pass over ▁could ▁have ▁begun ▁at ▁dawn ▁Th urs day , ▁while ▁for ▁traditional ▁Jews ▁it ▁would ▁not ▁have ▁begun ▁until ▁d usk ▁that ▁same ▁day . ▁Another ▁is ▁that ▁John ▁followed ▁the ▁Roman ▁practice ▁of ▁calculating ▁the ▁new ▁day ▁beginning ▁at ▁mid night , ▁rather ▁than ▁the ▁Jewish ▁reck oning . ▁However , ▁this ▁Roman ▁practice ▁was ▁used ▁only ▁for ▁d ating ▁contract s ▁and ▁le ases . ▁D . ▁A . ▁Car son ▁arg ues ▁that ▁ ▁' pre par ation ▁of ▁the ▁Pass over ' ▁could ▁mean ▁any ▁day ▁of ▁the ▁Pass over ▁week . ▁Some ▁have ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁modern ▁precision ▁of ▁mark ing ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁day ▁should ▁not ▁be ▁read ▁back ▁into ▁the ▁g ospel ▁accounts , ▁written ▁at ▁a ▁time ▁when ▁no ▁standard ization ▁of ▁time pie ces , ▁or ▁exact ▁recording ▁of ▁hours ▁and ▁minutes ▁was ▁available . ▁Andreas ▁Kö sten berger ▁arg ues ▁that ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁century ▁time ▁was ▁often ▁estimated ▁to ▁the ▁closest ▁three - hour ▁mark , ▁ ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁intention ▁of ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁Mark ▁G ospel ▁was ▁to ▁provide ▁the ▁setting ▁for ▁the ▁three ▁hours ▁of ▁darkness ▁while ▁the ▁G ospel ▁of ▁John ▁see ks ▁to ▁stress ▁the ▁length ▁of ▁the ▁proceed ings , ▁starting ▁in ▁the ▁' ear ly ▁morning '" ▁William ▁Bar