WHEN DID JESUS MINISTRY BEGIN AND END?
By Andre Austin
Jesus lived and died under Tiberius, Emperor of Rome. Tiberius ruled from 14AD-37AD. It’s possible to anchor in an exact date Jesus preached and died from inference from outside biblical evidence interfaced with Bible verses. Keep in mind while reading this article there are three Herod’s. Herod the great, Herod Antipas and a female Herodias.
So the question is asked when did Jesus begin his ministry? Mark says “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God” (Mark 1:14). Herod Antipas was Tetrarch of Galilee and hated John the Baptist for repudiating his marriage to his niece Herodias. Herod Antipas half-brother was Philip and Herodias divorced Philip while he was still alive. Herod had John’s head chopped off and put on a platter for disputing about his personal business (Matthew 14:1-11). Jesus was very distress about his cousin being killed by Herod Antipas. Three years after John died Herod Antipas would plot with Pilate to kill Jesus too.
So when did Herod’s homicide of John take place? The writings of Flavius Josephus gives us a good clue. Josephus writes: “About this time it was that Philip, Herod’s brother, departed this life, in the twentieth year of the reign of Tiberius” (The Antiquities of the Jews 18:4.6). We know from the Roman records Tiberius started ruling in 14AD. So all we have to do is add 14+20=34AD. Philip died and John was put in prison between 33/34AD and that’s the time Jesus started his ministry. Three Passovers are mentioned in the Bible during Jesus public ministry before he is put to death on the cross by Pilate and Herod Antipas. Pilate lost his job in 36AD and Herod Antipas lost his job in 39AD. So Jesus died between that time because we know “Indeed Herod and Pilate met together…to conspire against your Holy servant Jesus (Acts 4:27-28). Herod Antipas thought Jesus was another John the Baptist and wanted him dead and did pressure Pilate to kill him. The Jews had very little to do with the killing.
How old was Jesus when he began his ministry? Luke 3:23 says he was about 30. I don’t agree because John 8:57 said he was not yet 50 meaning Jesus was in his forty‘s. Luke 2:1-6 reports that Caesar Augustus (31BC-14AD) ordered the Governor Quirinius to do a census which took place in 6AD. Joseph took his pregnant wife with him so he could register with the census. This is chronologically wrong because Herod the Great (37-4BC) is said to have went out looking for Jesus, killing all two year-olds after a comet passed. The Magi told him a King was born that might overthrow him (Matthew 2:1-17). Jesus also stayed in Egypt until the death of Herod in 4BC (Matthew 2:14). Now we have a problem! Was Jesus born the year of the census of 6AD or before Herod’s death in 4BC? A gap of about 10 years. Herod Antipas (10BC-44AD) wasn’t looking for Jesus as an infant because they were about the same age and he didn’t get any power until years after Herod the Great will was read in 4BC when he was only 6 years old. Six year olds don’t look to kill two year olds. Matthew has Jesus returning from Egypt after Archelaus took over from Herod from 4BC-6AD (Matthew 2:22).Incredible. Jesus was in Egypt between 12BC-4AD? Or 10BC -6AD if he was 2 years old when he left Israel.
If the Magi star seeing story is true from legend it probably was Halley’s comet that flew over in 12BC. If we add the year of death plus the year of birth 36+12 we get 48 years which is not yet 50 for a possible age for Jesus. If we look at the Gospel of John 2:19-21 where Jesus compares his body and age to the Temple at Jerusalem to be 46. This temple was constructed by Herod the great in the 18th year of his reign. Mark Anthony lobbied the Roman senate to make Herod a king which the senate approved in 40BC but he didn’t control Judea until 37BC. 18-37=19BC. The main core of the Temple took 2 years to complete which we arrive at 17BC. Jesus claims he was 46 in 34AD when his ministry began we arrive at 12BC for his birth (34-46=12BC). A gap of five years exist between 17BC and 12BC. Only the Temple’s main center core was complete in 17BC the entire work of additions went on for seven years which brings us to a historical star that was seen in 12BC. I feel solidly confident Jesus was born and died between 12BC and 36AD.
