Having determined that Jesus was crucified on a Friday which was a Nisan 14 (see also the article Was the Lst Supper of Jesus with His Disciple the Passover Meal), we want to determine the year Jesus was crucified. As the scriptures recorded, Pilate trialled Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

Mark 15:1-15

1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of." 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them. 13 "Crucify him!" they shouted. 14 "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

According the Jewish historian Josephus, Pilate's predecessor Valerius Gratus held office for eleven years and all of his office fell within Tiberius' regin (A.D. 14-37). Therefore, Pilate's office could not begin earlier than A.D. 25 (A.D. 14 + 11 = A.D. 25). Also, according to Josephus, Pilate's office lasted for ten years and that Tiberius died before Pilate reached Rome. This implies that Pilate's reign was between A.D. 26 to A.D. 36. To determine the year Jesus was crucified, we may examine the years during A.D. 26 to A.D. 36 in which Nisan 14 was a Friday. The calculations of astronomers limit the probable years to be A.D. 30, 33, and 36 with A.D. 27 an unlinkely possibility. According to Luke 3:1-2, John the Baptist's ministry started in Tiberius' fifteenth year which was A.D. 28/29 and Jesus' ministry started after John's ministry. Therefore, A.D. 27 as the year of Jesus' crucification can be eliminated. Moreover, according to the research of Harold Hoehner of Dallas Theological Seminary, Jesus' ministry began within a few months of the commencement of John's ministry in A.D. 29 (A.D. 14 + 15 years = A.D. 28/29 Luke 3:1-3). This is quite reasonable for the primary mission of John's ministry is to announce the coming of the messiah (Luke 3:4-6). It is unlikely that Jesus was crucified on A.D. 36 for it would make Jesus' ministry 6 years long. Again, acoording to the research of Harold Hoehner, the duration of Jesus' ministry was about 3 years long [1]. Therefore, only years A.D. 30 and 33 remain to be considered as the year of Jesus' crucification.

Luke 3:1-3

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar - when Pontiis Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene? 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 3:4-6

4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all mankind will see God's salvation.' "

Of the two years A.D. 30 and 33, A.D. 33 was more congruent to the historical fact about Pilate. As we studied the gospels, we learned that Pilate was submissive to the pressures of the Jews who demanded Jesus to be handed over to crucification. Yet, Pilate as described by his contemporary Philo and later by Josephus as being one who was greedy, inflexible and cruel person. A good explanation of the bending of Pilate to the pressure of the Jews was that Pilate was appointed by Lucius Aelius Sejanus who was the mentor and backbone support of Pilate. Sejanus himself was the most powerful man in the Roman Empire and was known to practice anti-Jewish policy in Judea when Tiberius retired to the island of Capri and entrusted the administration of the empire to Sejanus. However, Sejanus was executed by Tiberius on October 18, A.D. 31 for treason. Losing his backbone support, Pilate drastically changed and became submissive to the request of the Jews especially when they shouted Pilate was not a friend of Caesar when they demanded crucification of Jesus [2].

John 19:12

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

Being appointed by Sejanus who had been executed by Caesar Tiberius, Pilate felt it as a threat and succumbbed to the demand of the crowd. In conclusion, A.D. 33 was the most likely year that Jesus was crucified.

References:
1. Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspecs Of The Life Of Christ, by Zondervan Publishing House, pp. 45-63
2. Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspecs Of The Life Of Christ, by Zondervan Publishing House, pp. 105-114