by some with tlie grant of the tribiinieia potcstas for life in A.D. 13, but assigned by Mommsen (after Velleius Paterculus, ii. 121) to A.D. 11. So that we have to choose between A.D. 29, 28, and 26. Furthermore, the Roman calendar began on Jan. 1, so that the imperial year might be adjusted to the civil year (1) by counting the fractional year as a whole, and by commencing a second imperial year on the first New Year's Day of each reign, — Light- foot {Ignatius, ii. 398) mentions the practice of Trajan and his successors of beginning a second year of tribunicia potestas on the annual inaugura- tion day of new tribunes next after their accession, — or (2) by omitting the fractional year altogether, and calculating the emperor's reign from a fixed date, like Eusebius, who seems to commence each emperor's reign from the September foUomng his accession (see art. ' Chronology ' in Hastings' DB i. 418). The Julian reform of the Roman calendar, by which the year B.C. 46 was made to contain 445 days, in order to bring the civil year into line with the solar year, adds to the complications.
Furthermore, the Jewish calendar bristles Tvith problems. Originally the Paschal full moon was settled by observation, but that became impossible when the people were spread over distant lands, and was also hindered by atmospheric causes ; and, in any case, the beginning of the month was deter- mined not by the astronomical new moon, but by the time when the crescent became visible, about 30 hours afterwards, the first sunset after that event niarkin" the beginning of the new inontli. A fresh difficulty was created by the 13tli month, Veadar, which was intercalated whenever the
bidden in sabbatical years, and two intercalary years could not be successive. The lunar year was correlated with the solar by the rule that the Paschal full moon immediately followed the spring equinox. There were also various calculations of the equinox, Hippolvtus placing it on March 18, Anatolius on March 19, the Alexandrians on March 21.
And with regard to chronology in general it is to be noted that in the East the year almost always began with September. The Jewish civil year began in Tishri (Sept.); the religious and regal in Nisan (April) (Jos. Ant. I. iii. 3), the order of months beginning with the latter, that of tlie years with the former. The Alexandrian year began on Aug. 29 ; the era of the Greeks started from Sept. B.C. 312, the Olympiads from July B.C. 776. In the Christian era, also called the Dionysian after Dionysius Exiguus of the 6th cent., 753 A.U.C. = 1 B.C., and 754 A.U.C. = 1 A.D.
The points of chronology in our Lord's life which have to be settled before any table of dates can be drawn up are (1) date of nativitj', (2) age at baptism, (3) length of ministry, (4) date of crucifixion. While no one of these can be verified with anything like precision, it is certain that the accepted chronology, based on the calculations of Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th cent., '
Dionysius started, seemingly, from Lk 31, the 15th year of Tiberius, placed the public ministry of our Lord one year later, and counted back 30 years, on the strength of Lk 323. This gave 754 A.U.C. for the year of Christ's birth. Following Hippolytus, he fixed on Dec. 25 in that year, and, according to the usual method for reckoning the years of monarchs, counted the whole year 754 as 1 a.d. (see Ideler, Handbuch, ii. 383 f.). That his views need correction will be proved in the course of this article.
1. Date of HatiYity. — This may he fixed some- what approximately by its relation to (a) the date of Herod^s death (Mt 2'--), (6) the enrolment under Quirinius (Lk 2'), and by (c) Patristic testimony.
{a) Herod's death, the terminus ad quern of the Kativitj', is generally settled by the Jewish chron-
DATES
ology in Ant. and BJ, in which are found indica- tions of the dates of Herod's accession and death, and of the dates of his predecessor Antigonus, and of his immediate successors, Archelaus, Herod Philip, and Herod Antipas. For notice of Herod's death see Ant. xvil. viii. 1, ' liaving reigned, since he had procured the deatli of Antigonus, 34 years, but, since he had been declared king by the Romans, 37 years.' Tlie death of Antigonus is noted in Ant. xiv. xvi. 4. ' This destruction befell the city of Jerusalem when Marcus Agrippa and Canidius Gallus were consuls at Rome, Olym. 185, in the 3rd month, on the solemnity of the fast, like a periodical return of the misfortunes which over- took the Jews under Pompey, by whom they were taken on the same day 27 years before.' The consuls mentioned held office B.C. 37, and 27 years from l!.C. 63 (consulship of Cicero and Antonius), when Pompey took Jerusalem {Ant. XIV. iv. 3), allowing for the three intercalary months of B.C. 46, gives practically the same date, B.C. 37, for the conKrmation of Herod in his kingdom. Herod's death might therefore be placed in the month Nisan (see below) B.C. 4 (Sivan 25 B.C. 37 to Nisan B.C. 4, according to the method of counting reigns, being 34 years).
Of Herod's successors (1) Archelaus, ethnarch of Judfea, was banished in the consulship of Lepidus and Arruntius (A.D. 6), in the 10th year of his reign (Ant. XVII. xiii. 2), or in the 9th (BJ U. vii. 3), and therefore would have come to the throne B.C. 4, being probably banished before he cele- brated the 10th anniversary of his accession. (2) Herod Philip died in the 20th year of Tiberius, having been tetrarch of Trachonitis and Gaulanitis 37 years (A7it. XVlll. iv. 6), and would have com- menced his reign B.C. 4-3.