''From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon" (Mt 27:45). "When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon" (Mk 15:33). "It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun's light failed" (Lk 23:44). All three synoptic Gospel writers mention it in their accounts of Jesus' crucifixion. And while I suppose it could be that Matthew, Mark, and Luke took a bit of dramatic license or used the device to make a theological point, medieval Christians counted this detail of the Passion as a miracle, and some scholars argue that a handful of ancient historians seem to corroborate that an unusual darkness occurred around 33 AD. Interesting, right?