Definition: Pre-Sabbath, Preparation Day

Apart from the Sabbath, only the day before the Sabbath was named in Israel (Mt 27:62; Mk 15:42; Lk 23:54; Jn 19:14,31,42). It was the Pre-Sabbath (προσαββατον = prosabbaton: Mk 15:42), preparation day or pre-rest day or makeready day (Greek paraskeue, derived from paraskeuazo: to get ready, to equip, to prepare, to arrange). Mark used both terms in one sentence, literally: "since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath" (Mark 15:42).  

Since there are preparation days for weekly Sabbaths as well as preparation days for the seven annual High Sabbaths, there are always several preparation days within only seven days in the spring and autumn holiday weeks. But if in one year a High Sabbath falls on a weekly Sabbath, this "double Sabbath" has only one common preparation day. There are 3 types of preparation days to be distinguished: 

1. Preparation day for a weekly Sabbath, always Thursday evening until Friday evening. This preparation day exists every week, because it is the 6th day of the week. In addition, there is a special 6th day of the week only once a year, namely the preparation day for the „Great Sabbath“ (Shabbat ha-Gadol), which falls on the 10th of Nisan. This is the only WEEKLY Sabbath that is referred to as the „Great Sabbath“ and should not be confused with the 7 ANNUAL „Great Sabbaths“ (=High Sabbats, feasts). Hebrew tradition confirms several times that in the year of the Exodus, the Passover lamb was set apart on the 10th of Nisan, and this day fell on a Sabbath (Saturday) in that year. Christians speak inaccurately of the Palm Sabbath, which can be found approximately every third year in God's calendar, including in 2020 and 2023. However, as the 10th of Nisan does not fall on a Sabbath (Saturday) every year, but also on other days of the week, Israelis still always refer to the Sabbath before Passover as the „Great Sabbath“, even if it does not fall on the 10th of Nisan. This can be found in every Jewish calendar. The Hebrews always wanted to commemorate the year in which the first Passover lamb was set apart on a weekly Sabbath (10th of Nisan) and slaughtered on the 14th of Nisan (Wednesday), whose blood made the exodus on the 15th Nisan (Thursday) possible.
   See Shabbat ha-Gadol on Nisan 10  and  Palm Sabbath.
2. Preparation day for a annual Sabbath (=High Sabbath, festive Sabbath), which can fall on any day of the week
3. Preparation day for a double Sabbath, if an annual Sabbath (=High Sabbath, festive Sabbath, Feast) falls on a weekly Sabbath, always from Thursday evening to Friday evening. It would then be a "double preparation day".

Most Christians think that there is only one Sabbath at Passover because Easter also has only one Sabbath (Saturday) before Easter Sunday; but Passover has three Sabbaths. And if there are three Sabbaths in the Feast, then of course there must also be three days of preparation, and either to the annual Sabbaths or to the minor weekly Sabbaths, unless an annual Sabbath falls on a weekly Sabbath (i.e., always Saturday), in which case there is a day of preparation to a double Sabbath. So there are three types of preparation days because there are three types of Sabbaths (annual Sabbath, weekly Sabbath, double Sabbath). So whoever claims that the preparation day supposedly always means a Friday needs to explain to us how he wants to have 3 Fridays in a Passover week? See also the chapter No Friday.

Many study Bibles with Strong numbers of Greek words define the day of preparation as "the day before the weekly Sabbath (i.e. Friday) OR the day before a feast (annual High Sabbath)". However, most Christians are not aware that the Bible does not say that Jesus died on the preparation day for a weekly Sabbath (i.e. not on a Friday), but on the pre-Sabbath for a major holiday (festival, the first annual Sabbath, Passover on the 15th Nisan), which can fall on different weekdays: 

• Jn 19:31 (ESV): "Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away."
• Jn 19:31 (KJV): "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away."
• Jn 19:31 (NKJV): "Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away."
• Jh 19:31 (WEB): "Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away."
• Jn 19:31 (ERV): "This day was Preparation day. The next day was a special Sabbath day. The Jewish leaders did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day. So they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken. And they asked that the bodies be taken down from the crosses." 
• Jn 19:31 (YLT): "The Jews, therefore, that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, since it was the preparation, (for that sabbath day was a great one,) asked of Pilate that their legs may be broken, and they taken away."
• Jn 19:31 (JUB): "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross {Gr. stauros – stake} on the sabbath day (for that sabbath day was a high day) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away."
• Jn 19:31 (GNT): "Then the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified, and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath, since the coming Sabbath was especially holy.
  Note: The Good News Translation makes a dramatic mistake by equating the preparation day with Friday. Friday was never meant because it does not start at sunset (like all biblical days), but at midnight, so Friday has no place in the Bible, its mention is always wrong. 

Since many Christians cannot distinguish between weekly and annual Sabbaths, they start from the false assumption that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. But the Bible is only about the day before a high feast Sabbath. John also tells us clearly which of the seven major annual feast Sabbaths (holy days) it was, namely:

• Jn 19:14 (ESV): "Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover..."
• Jn 19:14 (KJV):    "And it was the preparation of the passover..."
• Jn 19:14 (NKJV): "Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover..."
• Jn 19:14 (WEB):  "Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover..."
• Jn 19:14 (ERV): "It was now almost noon on Preparation day of Passover week..."
• Jn 19:14 (YLT):    "and it was the preparation of the passover..."
• Jn 19:14 (JUB):   "And it was the preparation of the passover..."
• Jn 19:14 (GNT): "It was then almost noon of the day before the Passover..."

So it was about the preparation day for the first annual Sabbath, the high Passover on the 15th of Nisan (Abib). All scholars agree on this. But they place theological tradition before the Word of God (Bible) and have thus placed this feast day on a weekly Sabbath. Astronomical data clearly prove: In the year in which Jesus was crucified (30, 31 or 34 A.D.), there was no double Sabbath, but the preparation day (14th Nisan) fell on a Wednesday and the following annual High Sabbath (15th Nisan) on a Thursday. Jesus rose from the dead after "3 days and 3 nights". That was "on the one of the Sabbaths" (Mk 16:2; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1) until Pentecost, namely "early on the first Sabbath" (Mk 16:9; 17th Nisan) of the seven Sabbaths that are counted every year until the feast of weeks (Shavuot, Pentecost):

All preparation days have one thing in common: just like the Sabbath, they begin at sunset and end at the next sunset. Therefore, the preparation day for a weekly Sabbath is strictly speaking never the Friday, but always the period from Thursday evening to Friday evening, always after sunset. The preparation day (14th Nisan) for the Passover (15th Nisan) is called "Erev Pesach" by the Jews today, the evening before the Sabbath (erev means the eve of Jewish festivals, i.e. the day of light after noon; see definition Day). The Sabbath lights are lit one hour before the Sabbath begins. The service often begins on Friday evening (i.e. still on the preparation day, erev Shabbat) and continues into the Sabbath.  

In 2020 the sequence of days at the Passover was exactly the same as in the year Jesus was crucified. There were once again three preparation days (Nisan 14, 16 and 20) and three Sabbaths (Nisan 15, 17 and 21). This sequence of days is very common according to the Jewish calendar and occurs somewhat every third year:

The sequence of events at the time of Jesus on the preparation day, the 14th of Nisan, are listed in the chapter "No Friday".

But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.

Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increas 

 (Daniel 12:4)

 "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil"

(1Thess 5:21-22)

"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them"

(Epheser 5:11)