Tag: chronology

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3.     Chronology

1.  According to John 2,20: 8,57 after 46 years of building the temple, in 27 CE Jesus

Volcano Pichincha, ascent to the crater rim
Volcano Pichincha, ascent to the crater rim

was about 50. Thus he was born in 24/23 BCE. This corresponds to Luke 2,1ss, Matt 2,1ss and Luke 1, 5, which say that Jesus was born under the rule of the emperor Augustus and during the reign of King Herod the Great.

2. The highly political office which was offered to Jesus was the office of the governor of Galilee in the ministry of Herod Antipas. In 6 CE Jesus took over this office.

At that time he was 30; this was his first public office, Luke 3, 23. 6 CE was the crisis of the sons of Herod the Great. Then, after popular disturbances, Archelaos was banished to Gaul by the emperor.

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5.4.5.
Peter and James, founders of the churches of Peter and James

Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar)
Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar)

(explanations to follow) died in 46 AD: Ant. 20.5.2.

5.4.6.
Paul was converted to Peter’s version of Christianity between 48 and 50 AD. As I will show, Paul lived at the court of the Roman governor Paulus before his conversion; however the latter took up the position of governor of Cyprus in 48 AD at the earliest.

5.4.7.
The Apostolic Council took place between 62 and 64 AD, 14 years after Paul’s conversion (Gal. 2:1) that can be dated at about 49 AD.

5.4.8.
The Apostolic Age ended in 70 AD when Jerusalem and Herod’s temple were destroyed.

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V  4  The chronicles of the Apostolic Age

5.4.1.
The dominant master narrative of the Apostolic Age states the following: the Gallio episode in Acts 18:12ff fixes

Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar)
Jerusalem, Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar)

the date for Paul’s visit to Corinth at 51/52 AD. Paul’s missionary journeys can be reconstructed on the basis of the information in the Acts of the Apostles and in Paul’s letters, and the date of the Apostolic Council set at 48/49 AD. The other events can also be dated from this basis.

5.4.2.
These are my theses on this subject:

The Gallio episode in Acts 18:12ff is a literary construction by Luke; it is not based on any historical event and does not offer a reference point for the chronology of early Christianity.

5.4.3.
The Apostolic Age begins with Jesus’ death in 36 AD: Ant. 18.4.1.

5.4.4.
John the Baptist, the founder of the church of John (see below), died in 37 AD: Ant 18.5.2.

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5.2.3.
Luke has information suggesting that the beginning of Jesus’ story coincides with Quirinius’ census

Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity
Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity

that was carried out in Judea after Archelaus was deposed and banished: Luke 2:2f. However, this date – 6 AD – does not relate to Jesus’ birth, but to the start of his public ministry.

If we follow this interpretation, the date agrees with John’s chronology: Jesus began his public work in 6 AD at the age of 30. In this way the chronological information found in John’s and Luke’s Gospels can be harmonised.

Because if Jesus was born in 24 BC, he was 30 years old in 6 AD and about 50 years old in 27 AD (John 2:20 and 8:57).

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V  2   Jesus – the biography

5.2.1.
The dominant master narrative about Jesus’ biography states that Jesus was born in 7 BC in Nazareth in Galilee

Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity
Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity

as the eldest son of Joseph, a building labourer and Mary, a housewife. After an encounter with John the Baptist he became an itinerant religious preacher, gathered disciples and gained the reputation for carrying out miraculous healings.

In 30 AD Jesus went with his disciples to Jerusalem to preach there. Due to a misunderstanding, he was accused by Pilate of insurrection against the Romans and crucified. His disciples saw him in visions after his death and reported that he had risen from the dead.

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