SOME DATES IN THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST
    
  
  
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
- 	CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA  Stromateis  (ca.  194 A.D.)  states that, from the birth of Christ to the death of  Commodus  (December  30/January  1,  192/3)  there were  194 years, one month, and  13 days.  This can in no way accord with the idea of  December  25  as the birthday of Christ.  Clement seems to believe that  JC  was born on	18  NOVEMBER,  3 B.C.
 
- 	CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA  also says that  'others'  place the birth of Christ 'in the  28th year of Augustus,  on the 25th of Pachon'	=  20  MAY,  2 B.C.
 
- 	CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA  says that the followers of  Basileides  (who were heretical persons)  placed the  baptism  of  JC  in the  Year 15  of Tiberius, on 15 Tybi  (JANUARY  10) , while others put it on the  11th  (JANUARY  6, Epiphany).  Others declare that the Savior was born on  24/5 Pharmuthi (= 19/20  APRIL).
 
- 	EPIPHANIUS  (died  403 A.D.)  speaks of the  Alogi of Asia Minor  (ca. 180 A.D.), who put the birth of Christ under the consulship of  Camerinus and Poppaeus Sabinus, either on the  12th day before the first of June or July  (i.e. either MAY 21 or JUNE 20,  A.D. 9)
 
- 	EPIPHANIUS  himself refers to the birth of Christ in the  42nd year of Augustus, when Augustus was consul for the 13th time with Silvanus,  on the  8th day before the  Ides of January,  13 days after the winter solstice,  at dawn. This would be  6 JANUARY,  2  B.C.
 
- 	EUSEBIUS,   The History of the Church  I. 5: "It was the forty-second year of Augustus' reign, and the twenty-eighth after the subjugation of Egypt and the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt, when our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ, at the time of the first registration, while Quirinius was governor of Syria... was born in Bethlehem in Judaea. "( 3 B.C.)
 
    
  
    
PUBLIC MINISTRY
- 	LUKE  (3. 1) 	states that  Jesus Christ  began preaching in the  Year 15  of  Tiberius:
Tiberius  first received designation from  Augustus as successor and was adopted in A.D. 4  (thus Year 15=A.D.  18/9)
Tiberius  received joint power to govern the provinces with Augustus shortly after his  Triumph of 
       October 23,  A.D. 12  (Suetonius)  (thus Year 15=A.D. 26 or 27)
Tiberius was left with sole power by the death of Augustus on  August 19, A.D. 14  (thus  A.D. 28 or 29)
 
- 	LUKE  (3. 23)  states that Jesus was about 30 when he was baptised and began to preach.
 
- 	JOHN  (8. 57)  makes the Jews say to  Jesus,  `You are not yet fifty years old'.  [meaning that he was approaching it ??]
 
- 	MATTHEW  (17. 24-27)  states that Jesus and Peter paid the half-shekel for the Temple.  This was an obligation of all Jewish males between 20 and 50 years of age.   (Josephus  Antiquities  3.8.1  [196]).
 
- 	JOHN  (2. 20)  may say that  'it had taken forty-six years (up to that time) to build the Temple.'  If so,  since the Temple of Herod was begun in 19 B.C., the 46 years would bring us up to  Spring 27/8 A.D.
 
    ©  07/23/2003