It was in this drab and gloomy reign that the light of the gospel first shone forth. For the his- torian Luke tells us that it Avas in the 15th year of the rule of Tiberius C.-esar that ' the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias ' (Lk 3''-). In spite of the elaborate synchronisms of the historian the question what date is really intended is not easy to answer. The best solution seems to be tliat of \V. M. Ramsay ( IVas Christ born at Bethleheiii f, London, 1898, p. 199 li.) that A.D. 25-26 is intended, Luke having counted from the time when Tiberius began to rule as colleague of Augustus with equal power in allprovincesof the Empire (end of A.D. 1 1). Neither Jesus nor (so far as we know) any of the apostles came into personal contact with Tiberius. The nearest approach made by Jesus to the Im- perial throne was on the occasion when He was tried before the Emperor's prucvnitor, or agent, Pilate (Pontius Pilatus). Pilate obtained this appoint- ment in 26. In 36, being accused of maladminis- tration, he was sent to Rome by L. Vitellius, governor of Syria. TertuUian (Apol. 21) states, what is intrinsically probable, that Pilate sent a report of the trial of Jesus to Tiberius. He also {ib. 5) alleges that Tiberius himself proposed to the Senate the enrolment of Jesus among the gods, and that, on the proposal being rejected, he himself remained of the same opinion, and threatened jier- secutors of Christians with trial. These statements are now regarded as historically valueless, and may have been taken from some apocryphal work, possibly the ovig\na,l Acts of Pilate, known to Justin (Apol. I. XXXV. 9, xlviii. 3). Some, however, are of opinion that Justin is referring to ofiicial docu- ments, and this is cerlainlj' the more natural inter- pretation to put upon his language. TertuUian, in that case, is probably borrowing from Justin. A supposed letter from Pilate to Tiberius or Claudius contained in the apocryphal Acts of Peter and Paul (Acta Apostolornm Apocrypha, ed. R. A. Lipsius and M. Bonnet, i. [Leipzig, 1391] 19611'.), and the so-called Acts of Pilate (Gospel of 2\ico- demus) (C. de Tischendorf, Evanqelia Apocri/pha-, Leipzig, 1876 ; F. C. (^onybeare, in Sturtia Bildica, Iv. [Oxford, 1896] 59-132': E. Hennecke, Keutesta- mentliche Apokn/iihcn, Tiibingen, 1904. p. 74 tt'.), is now generally dated in the 4th or 5th cent, and regarded as of no value as history. The reference
to a certain Tiberius' proconsulship (of Africa) in Tertullian {Apol. 9) can liartlly have anytliin;; to do with the liniperor of that name (cf. J. S. Keid in the Class. Reo. xxviii. [1914] 27).
Literature. — The ancient authorities arc Tacitus, A b Exceisu Divi A Wfufiti Lihri, i.-vi. ; Suetonius, TU'erius ; Dio Cassius, Velleius Paterculus, etc. Modern works are the Histories of Home hv V. Duruy, History of Itume, 6 vols., London, 1884- 80; H.'F. Pelham, Onlliiu-s of Roman Bistori/^ do., 1909; J. B. Bury, Stvlent's Ilintory of the Homan /Empire, do., 1S93 ; T. Mominsen, The Provinces of the Roman Empire, tr. W. V. Dickson, 2 vols., do., 1909; H. Schiller, Geschichle dcr romi^ehen Kainerzeit, i. [Ootha, 1883} 248-303; H. Furneaux'a edition of the Aimals of Tacitus^ [0.\ford, 1896], 100-160; A. Viertel, Tiberius itnd Gennanicus : eine historische Stitdie, Gdttingen, 1901 ; A. von Domaszewski, Geschichle der ram- ischen Kaiser, 2 vols., Leipzig, 1909, i. 251-319 ; chronolop' of principal events hy J. S. Reid in J. E. Sandys' Companion to Latin Studies'^, Cambridge, 1913, p. 136 f.; an English mono- ^aph on Tiberius, J. C. Tarver, Tiberiits the Turant, London, 1902; J. S. Reid, art. •Tiberius,' in jBBr'i. For Tiberius' father see F. MUnzer in Pauly-Wisgowa, iii. 2777 f., and for Seianue, P. von Rohden, ib. i. 629 fl. A. SOUTER.
TIME. — 1. The conception of time. — In all ages and anionj; all peoples the idea of time tends to be expressed in the figure of a continually and evenly running stream. It is viewed, however, in sec- tions ; and e.ioh section brings with itself or takes up into itself all the events that happen. This conception is maintained consistently in the writ- ings of the Apostolic Age. Time comes into being {Siayevo/x^i/ov, Ac 27', ' spent,' lit. ' had come through'). It passes by (o irapeXi/Xu^ws XP'^""'.
1 P 4^). It is generally looked at as a whole, but it is divisible into parts which diiJer quantitatively and may be measured — it is ' mucli,' or ' little,' or ' .sufficient' (for a given purpose). 'Sufficient' {Uards Xpl>''os. Lk 8" 23*, Ac 8" ; riixipai Uaval, Ac 9'-^- "^ 18'* ; Uafiji' irwv, Ro 15^) as applied in measuring time is an expression of indefiniteness. Tlie ade- quacy of the measure of time for the maturing of a definite plan is given in the idea of 'fullness.' Time accumulates as if in a reservoir and becomes sutticient for its end (wXripuij.a tou xp^''ov, Gal i* ; cf. Ac 7-'). Naturally the flow of time involves succession and order as between first and last. But all time future to any particular moment may be from the view of it at that moment 'last.' The Christian outlook on the future involves a great consummation and a radical world change. Tlie period just preceding this consummation was especially designated ' the last times ' [iir iaxdrov tCiv xpii'wi', 1 P I-''; iaxo-Tri i)iJ.ipa, Jn 6^"- '"' IV^* ; ^ffxaroi viiipai, Ac 2", 2 Ti 3', Ja 5', 2 P 3' ; iax^-TT) ihpa, 1 Jn2»;).