CHAP. III.

AN OBJECTION AGAINST THE FIFTEENTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF TIBERIUS, COMPARED WITH THE

AGE OF JESUS AT HIS BAPTISM.

I. The objection stated. II. The first solution: That St. Luke by the fifteenth of Tiberius, might intend the fifteenth of his proconsular power, not of his sole empire after the death of Augustus. III. The consistence of other notes of time in the Gospels with this supposition. IV. The second solution: That the age of thirty years ascribed to Jesus at his baptism may be understood with latitude.

ST. LUKE says, chap. iii. 1, 2, “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea,-the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.-Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened: And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself-began to be about thirty years of age," ver. 23.

Against this account of St. Luke this objection may be formed. St. Matthew says expressly, that Jesus was " born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king." Though Jesus was born but a month or two before the death of Herod, he would be at least thirty-one years of age at his baptism. But if Jesus was born above a year, much more, if above two years before Herod's death; then the age of thirty years here ascribed to him at his baptism, is absolutely inconsistent with the notes of time mentioned at the commencement of John the Baptist's ministry; even allowing that the word of God came to John in the very beginning of the fifteenth year of Tiberius, and that Jesus was baptized a few months after.

Before I state this objection at length, I would observe, that the true genuine meaning of these words, "Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age," is not that he Και αυτός ην ὁ Ιησες ώσει ετων τριάχοντα αρχόμενος, ων, κ. λ.

a

b

then entered the thirtieth year of his age, but that Jesus was about thirty years of age when he began his ministry: or, when he thus began to show himself publicly. This, I think, is now the general opinion of learned men: so the Greek word of this text is used by St. Luke in other places. Thus the high priests and others charge Jesus before Pilate, saying, Luke xxiii. 5, " He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning [apgauevos, having begun] from Galilee to this place." St. Peter, in the debate concerning the choice of an apostle in the room of Judas, says, Acts i. 21, 22, "Wherefore of these men, which have accompanied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the same day that he was taken from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection."

I come now to the objection: Augustus died, and Tiberius succeeded him, the 19th of August, A. U. 767, Julian year 59, A. D. 14. Therefore the fifteenth of Tiberius began the 19th Aug. A. U. 781, A. D. 28. Herod died e before the passover in A. U. 750, Jul. year 42, or else before the passover in A. U. 751, Jul. year 43. If then John the Baptist began to preach in the beginning of the fifteenth of Tiberius, in the latter end of A. Ú. 781, and Jesus be supposed to have been baptized by John a few months after, on the 6th of January of the year following, viz. A. U. 782, Jesus must have been in the 32d year of his life, if Herod died in the spring, A. U. 751, and if Jesus was born the 25th Decemb. preceding, viz. A. U. 750. But if Herod died, A. U. 750, and Jesus was born the 25th Decemb. before, viz. A. U. 749, then he would be at his baptism in the 33d

year

of his age.

But it may be made appear several ways, that Jesus was born above a year, probably above two years before Herod died.

1. This may be inferred from the evangelists themselves. For it is very probable, that Herod lived a year or more after the murder of the infants. The wise men having worshipped Jesus, when they were departed, Matt. ii. 13, 14, "Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a b Dr. Clarke's Paraphrase. [Con. cap. 14.] optime assecutus est, quam sic exprimit: Sensus erit, et ipse Jesus erat fere triginta annorum, cum jam suscepto baptismo auspicaretur deinde munus suum. Bas. ann. Pol. Ecc. ant. D. 5. n. 28. vid. et Anton. Cappell. de Cœnâ Christi supremâ. Sect. 12. c. 23. Mr. Whiston's Short View of the Harmony, &c. p. 136. * Εν ᾧ εισήλθε και

Lucæ mentem Jansenius

εξηλθεν εφ' ήμας ὁ Κύριος Ιησες, αρξαμενος απο το βαπτισματος Ιωάννο. See the Appendix.

dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt. And was there until the death of Herod." The direction given to Joseph by the angel, may afford ground to suppose, that Joseph was to make some stay in Egypt, at least some months, or more than a few weeks or days: which, from what follows, appears to have been " till the death of Herod."

Moreover, St. Matthew says, ch. ii. 19, 20, that “when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream in Egypt, saying, Arise, take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life."

It being known from Josephus, that Antipater died but five days before his father Herod, it may be inferred from the use of the plural number, that Antipater is meant by the angel as well as Herod, and that he had been concerned in the design to put Jesus to death, and that his cruel intentions were one cause of Joseph's removal out of Judea into Egypt. But Antipater could have no influence on his father's counsels for ten months or more before Herod died, as will appear presently: therefore the murder of the infants happened, most probably, a year before the death of Herod.

It may likewise be concluded from St. Matthew's account, that Jesus was born near two years before the murder of the infants. For thus he says, ch. ii. 1, 2, “ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." Ver. 7. "Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently, what time the star appeared."

The wise men having been to worship the child, and departing into their own country without coming back to Jerusalem, Ver. 16, "Then Herod, when he saw he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."

Jesus was born before the wise men came, for their question was, "Where is he that is born?" They knew he was

born, because they had seen his star in the east. Herod inquired what time the star appeared, and slew all the children from two years and under, according to that time. Therefore the star had appeared two years before, and Jesus was born at or near that time.

Nor can the supposed distance between the appearing of the star, and the arrival of the wise men, weaken this calculation. There might be many reasons to hinder their undertaking the journey immediately possibly, they apprehended no necessity of setting out sooner. For allowing the truth of the fact, that they had seen a star, by which they understood the birth of a king in Judea, they could not well make any doubt of his living, or of their having an opportunity to worship him, though they delayed a year or two. But, whatever were the reasons of their delay, we have no right to depart from the words of St. Matthew; who intimates very plainly, that it was two years from the appearing of the star, to the time in which Herod ordered the children to be slain.

Add these two years to the fore-mentioned year, which Herod lived after the slaughter of the children, and it will appear, that according to St. Matthew, Jesus was born three years before Herod's death.

2. It may be proved from Tertullian, that Jesus was born above two years before the death of Herod: for he says, that the census or tax made in Judea, at the time of which Jesus was born, was made by Sentius Saturninus. But Josephus assures us, that Quintilius Varus was come into Syria as successor to Saturninus, befores the death of Herod. It may not be easy to determine exactly from Josephus the time of Varus's arrival in Syria: but there are in being some ancient coins or medals of the city of Antioch, the capital of that province, that demonstrate the time of his government. One of these coins has on the reverse a figure representing the city of Antioch, and the name of Varus with a date in Greek numerals, xxv. And there are others with the same figure and inscription, with the nume rals xxvi. xxvii. The first of these coins assures us, that Varus was in Syria before September, A. U. 748. For the

Adv. Marc. lib. iv. cap. 19. See above, p. 343. 8 Ant. lib. xvii. cap. 5. sect. 2. et alibi. h Scripsit ad me Card. Norisius, exstare in scrinio illustrissimi Marchionis Ricardi nummum minimæ magnitudinis caput Jovis in anticâ repræsentantem, in cujus posticâ habetur, ΕΠΙ ΟΥΑΡΟΥ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΩΝ, mulier sedens pede super figuram Orontis fluminis, tenens dextrâ palmam : et in medio EK. id est, Anno xxv. Pagi, Appar. ad Bar. n. 136. vid. omnino Noris. Epoch. Syromaced. Dissert. 3. cap. 7. et Memoires de l' Academie des Inscrip. Tom. iv. p. 181. ed. Amst.

æra which the Antiochians used at that time was that of the Actiac victory, which was obtained, A. U. 723. The 25th year of this æra ended the second of Sept. A. U. 748. It is therefore manifest, that Jesus was born before September in that year, if Saturninus made the census of which St. Luke speaks, or if it was made in his time: and if it be supposed, that Jesus was born on the 25th of December, then his nativity must necessarily be placed as far back as the 25th Decemb. A. U. 747.

3. I expect likewise to be here reminded of some things advanced by me in the first chapter of this book; and that it will be urged; If the oath which Josephus says was taken by all the Jews to Augustus and Herod, relating to the census or enrolment which St. Luke speaks of, then Jesus must have been born three years before the death of Herod.

Possibly the objection may be stated in this manner :

It cannot be less than ten months from the commencement of the inquiries made by Herod into the cause of Pheroras's death, and the crimes of Antipater, to the death of Herod. When the first discoveries were made, Antipater was at Rome: Herod sent for him in a very pressing but kind manner, dissembling all suspicions concerning him, that he might not delay to return to Judea. Josephus says, that when Antipater returned, he knew nothing of the accusations which had been brought against him, though seven months had then passed from the first discovery of his crimes. In a day or two after Antipater's return to Judea, Herod calls a council in which he himself and Varus, governor of Syria, presided. Antipater is brought before them, convicted, and remanded to prison. But Herod not daring to pronounce sentence on Antipater without leave from Augustus, expresses were sent to Rome with an account of what had passed. After that these messengers were sent away from Judea, a letter was intercepted, which was written to Antipater by Acme a Jewish woman at Rome, in the service of the empress Livia, in which letter were fresh proofs of Antipater's designs. Hereupon Herod sent away fresh despatches to Rome. These return to Judea, and bring word, that Acme had been put to death by Augustus,

¡ Allix supposes, that the Antiochian æra of the Actiac victory does not begin till A. U. 724. Vid. Dissert. de J. C. Anno et Mense natali, p. 102. It is not my business to enter into dispute upon this head: the other opinion seems to me most probable. Vid. Noris. ubi supra. Pagi. Apparat. n. 103, 104. * Και τοι μεταξύ των ελεγχων και της επανοδε διελθοντων ἑπτα μηνων. De Bell. Lib. i. c. 31. p. 1034. v. 27. 'Ibid. cap. 32.