Commonly taught in “Christian” circles for centuries that Jesus was 33 1 / 2 years old when He was crucified. “And Jesus Himself began to be about 30 years of age, being (as was supposed) the Son of Joseph… Luke 3:23 [Is this the only possible way of looking at this verse?]

When we add 3 1 / 2 years for Jesus’ Ministry, to the info given in Luke 3:23, we can arrive at 33 1 / 2 years total for Jesus’ life. Was thought for a long time that Jesus was born in the year “0” (Catholic Bishop Dionysius Exegius [Dennis the Short] in the year 532AD) So have we been duped by systemised religion… again?

Bible Scholars have for a long time had difficulty placing Jesus’ 33 1 / 2 year life in harmony with other available evidence We know… Date of Herod the Great’s Death 4 BC Lunar eclipse occurred in that year The year of 1 st Passover in Ministry Date of Jesus’ Death Year of the census under Cyrenius

An early attempt to reconcile the difficulties had Jesus born in 4 BC But if we treat BC dates the same as AD dates (there being no year “0”) then the difficulties start to reconcile. Called the “Vulgar Adjustment”

Josephus records that Herod the Great died on the 1 st of April shortly after a lunar eclipse in 4 BC (Josephus Antiq. 17:6:4) Lunar eclipse had taken place that year on 13 th March 4 BC

Therefore Herod must have died some time after the slaying of the baby boys in the area Of Bethlehem ie: slaughter of the innocents took place beforeApril 1 st 4BC Boys were 2 years old and under “according to the time which he diligently enquired of the wise men”

Another common mistake is to assume that the wise men arrived at the scene of the Birth.

Hence Herod’s determination to carry out genocide on all those under the age of two years old at least in area of Bethlehem. Whereas it is far more likely that they met Joseph & Mary (and Jesus as a toddler) in a house in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:11

Suppose Herod slew the baby boys some time in March 4 BC (which is the latest possible date), then Herod’s calculations can have Jesus born some time in 6 BC Now if we add 33 1 / 2 years to 6 BC, then we come to 28 AD, which is two years before Jesus ministry began… and 5 1 / 2 years before He died. (September 15th is a likely birth date of Jesus)

1 BC BC 1 7 AD AD 5 12 AD 6 13 AD 7 6 mth + = = 13 1 / 2 AD 8 20 yrs + = = 33 1 / 2 AD 28 March Sept. March Age 12 1 / 2 Passover Luke 2:42

Tiberius began his reign after the death of Augustus in 14 AD History records Jesus Ministry began in the year 30AD. In Luke 3:1 we have a historical marker. When we add 15 years to that, we come to 29AD – John’s ministry

John was born 6mths before Jesus and died exactly one year before Jesus did – Mark 6 Digression - (The “gestation period” of Constantine the “Man child of Sin” in Revelation 12) Church formed in 33AD + “40 weeks” (or 280 day/years) brings us to 312AD

When was the census in Luke 2:1-2? Ramsey in “Archeology and the NT” pge 65 tells us that history records that Cyrenius conducted a census in this region in 8 BC Luke has been attacked on the ground that Cyrenius was only governor of Syria once and that was AD 6 as shown by Josephus (Ant. XVIII. I.I). But Ramsay has proven from inscriptions, that Cyrenius was governor twice in Syria and that Luke is correct here also. See summary of the facts in Luke the Historian in the Light of Research, pp

8 BC 7 BC 6 BC 5 BC 4 BC 3 BC 2 BC 1 BC 1 AD 2 AD 3 AD Cyrenius census Jesus born 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th 6 th 7 th 8 th 9 th 10 th No Year “0” 10 th 3 AD + 30 more years = 33 AD Slaughter? Death + 30 more years =

John 8:57 Matthew 2:15 Num 14:33 1 Samuel 17:16,49 Luke 4:2 John 5:5

“And Jesus Himself began to be about 30 years of age, being (as was supposed) the Son of Joseph… Luke 3:23 Literally – “And Himself Jesus about years thirty, when beginning… “And when Jesus Himself was in His 30’s, beginning (His ministry)…” And one is in one’s 30’s until they turn 40 – began 36 1 / 2

“You are not yet 50 years old” Is this why the Pharisee’s said this to Jesus when He was talking to them in John 8?