A CALENDAR OF BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL

DATES AND EVENTS

BEGINNING WITH THE CREATION OF ADAM
By Harry Peyton
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION (2)
TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHTY-THREE YEARS (4)
Adam to Gods Pledge to Abraham of A Promise Seed
FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS (5)
Gods Pledge of A Promise Seed to Abraham to the Law Given at Mt. Sinai
FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS (7)
The Giving of the Law to the Fourth Year of Solomons Reign
The Rule of the Leaders or Judges of Israel (396 Years)
FOUR HUNDRED YEARS (7)
The Fourth Year of Solomon to Babylonian Captivity
The Reign of the Kings of Judah and Israel
The Holy Prophets of God
The Babylonian Captivity and Deportations
SEVENTY YEARS (10)
The Reign of Nebuchadnezzar to Belteshazzar Kings of Babylon
EIGHTY-SEVEN YEARS (12)
The Reign of Cyrus over Babylon to Artaxerxes Twentieth Year Kings of Persia
FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THREE YEARS (20)
Artaxerxes Twentieth Year to Christs Death
Daniels Seventy Weeks of Years
First Part of Daniels Prophecy: Rebuilding Jerusalem
Second Part of Daniels Prophecy: The Coming and Death of Messiah the Prince
Astronomical, Biblical, and Historical Proof that Jesus Was Born on the 19th of Nisan
in 1 BC (23)
Copyright May 30, 1996 by Harry A. Peyton under the title of The Doctrines Of Christ.

A Note from the Author: Since Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, gives His
Salvation and His Word to all freely (Rev 22:17, Mt 10:7-8), this book, and all other books,
written by Harry A. Peyton are given without charge, and can be accessed through the
Internet at the following address: http://www.DoctrinesOfChrist.com. Therefore, fell free
to copy it in digital or written form, and share it with others. Since this book is copyrighted,
1

the author forbids any alteration of its contents, and the reproduction of it in any form for
Marketing Purposes. This book may be placed on anyones web page, as long as my website
address is attached to it.
The author believes that the Word of God is infallible in the ORIGINAL LANGUAGE it
was written in, and all translations of the Bible regardless of how good they may be are
NOT. Since the author has implicit faith in the infallibility of the Word of God, the author
has formed his beliefs firmly on the truth of the Bible. This author uses the ancient
ANTIOCHIAN LITERAL-HISTORICAL METHOD OF INTERPRETING THE BIBLE,
which was used by early Christian Prophets and Apostles of the Bible.
I definitely believe that the ancient Alexandrian Allegorical Method of spiritualizing
scripture, which was made popular by the ancient Jewish philosopher Philo Judaeus (13
BC 50 AD) and later used by the Ante-Nicene Catholic Priests, especially Origen and his
student Clement of Alexandria (200 AD), is an abomination to our Lord. Therefore, all
scriptures will be interpreted in a literal exegetical fashion, unless the language used and
the context demands a spiritual interpretation.
All CAPITALIZATION and ITALICIZATION in QUOTES used in this book is always
MINE. All Biblical quotes used in this book will be in dark red, and from the New King
James version of the Bible, unless another version is stated as the reference. The vast
majority of all translations of the Bible, as well as Hebrew and Greek Lexical definitions
and grammar, will come from BibleWorks computer software program version 7.0. The
author in most places will quote verses from the Bible instead of commenting on a verse
and giving a reference; for He believes that the written Word of Gods has greater power to
inspire and enlighten a heart to understand and act upon truth, than the elegant oratory or
writings of any man.
If this book has been a blessing to my beloved readers, and they would like to send an
offering to the author, feel free to do so. If anyone wishes to send any biblical or historical
materials to the author, my address is: Harry A. Peyton, 148 Little Creek Hills Rd., Alto,
NM 88312: Phone # 575-336-2800: Email address: DoctrineOfChrist@Hotmail.com.

INTRODUCTION
According to the Histories of Herodotus, a 9 volume history of the Persian Empire of
Achaemenian era by the Greek Herodotus of Halicarnassus (484 - 425 BC):
The Egyptians, they said, were the first to discover the solar year, and to portion
out its course into twelve parts. They obtained this knowledge from the stars. To my
mind they contrive their year much more cleverly than the Greeks, for these last
every other year intercalate a whole month, but the Egyptians, dividing the year into
twelve months of thirty days each, add every year a space of five days besides, whereby
the circuit of the seasons is made to return with uniformity (Herodotus Thucydides,
vol 6, bk 2, Euterpe, sec 4, pg 49).
A link to a document entitled Calendars by Dr. P. Kenneth Seidelmann can be found
on NASA Eclipse Home Page website. It gives the following history of Calendars:
2

The principal astronomical cycles are the day (based on the rotation of the Earth
on its axis), the year (based on the revolution of the Earth around the Sun), and the
month (based on the revolution of the Moon around the Earth).... Three distinct types
of calendars have resulted from this situation. A solar calendar, of which the
Gregorian calendar in its civil usage is an example, is designed to maintain synchrony
with the tropical year. A lunar calendar, such as the Islamic calendar, follows the
lunar phase cycle without regard for the tropical year The third type of calendar,
the Lunisolar Calendar, has a sequence of months based on the lunar phase cycle; but
every few years a whole month is intercalated to bring the calendar back in phase
with the tropical year. The Hebrew and Chinese calendars are examples of this type
of calendar.
However, a count of years from an initial epoch is the most successful way of
maintaining a consistent chronology. Whether this epoch is associated with an
HISTORICAL or LEGENDARY EVENT, it must be tied to a SEQUENCE of
RECORDED HISTORICAL EVENTS. This is illustrated by the adoption of the birth
of Christ as the initial epoch of the Christian calendar. This epoch was established by
the sixth-century scholar Dionysius Exiguus, who was compiling a table of dates of
Easter. Bede, the eighth-century English historian, began the practice of counting
years backward from A.D. 1 (see Colgrave and Mynors, 1969). In this system, the year
A.D. 1 is preceded by the year 1 B.C., without an intervening year 0.
The ancient Jewish Lunisolar Calendar added: three intercalary months every eight
years, as Julius Africanus stated in the third century (Ante Nicene Fathers, The Extant
Writings Of Julius Africanus, vol 6, pg 137, sec 2). Therefore, the years stated in the Bible
included the above extra months, which would make their Lunisolar Calendar consisting of
354 days equal to the Solar Calendar of 365.24 days every 8 years. In other words, the
11.24 days difference between these calendars would be equal every 8 years (11.24 X 8 =
89.92 days or 3 months of 30 days). They did this so their feasts, which took place in certain
seasons, would not change to any significant degree.
All BC dates given in this book will follow the Scriptural Historical Method of Dating
and also the Astronomical Dating System, which use solar and lunar eclipses to confirm
time periods of historical events and the reign of certain kings. Church historians, in many
cases, use astronomical chronology to verify or correct dates given in history for certain
events or the reign of kings.

Astronomical Dates: The Assyrian solar eclipse in the 40th year of King Uzziah

(6\15\762 BC), the three lunar eclipses recorded in Babylon, i.e., in the 7th year of Cambyses
(7\16\522 BC), in the 20th year of Darius (11\19\501 BC), and in the 31st year of Darius
(4\25\490 BC), also the solar eclipse in the 6th year of Xerxes (10\2\479 BC). The lunar
eclipse that took place at Herods death on 1\09\0000 BC, and the 3 hours afternoon lunar
eclipse at the death of our Lord and Savior on Wednesday Nisan the 15th (Hebrew
Calendar) or April the 14th (Julian Calendar) in 32 AD.
The greatest sign from God in heaven was no doubt the great conjunction of the planets
Jupiter and Venus in 2-1 BC, which were so close that the two planets would have
appeared to touch each other. I believe this conjunction, which was very near to the bright
star Regulus in Leo, was the Star of Bethlehem that God used to announce the birth of His
3

Son on the 19th of Nisan in 1 BC. According to the Holy Bible, God ordained: there be
lights [sun, moon, stars, & planets] in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from
the night; and let them be for SIGNS and seasons, and for days and YEARS (Gen 1:14).
Some of the above eclipses and the year of the reign of these kings are taken from The
Almagest, a book written by an earlier astronomer by the name of Claudius Ptolemy (70161 AD). The dates of these eclipses can also be confirmed on NASAs Eclipse Home Web
Page. I will use the above dates and work backward and forward using Scripture and the
writings of the ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD) to establish the birth
of Patriarchs, and the length of reign of all Judges, Kings, and events mentioned in the
Bible. I will also use the writings of ancient Grecian historians, such as Herodotus (484 425 BC) and Thucydides (401 BC), to confirm the reigns of Babylonian and Persian kings.
So with these things in mind, let us begin our journey through biblical history.
In all the following biblical charts the BIRTH BC COLIMN represent the ACTUAL BC
YEAR, and not the historical year, that each Patriarch was born, or the year a Judge or
King began to rule, or the year an event happen.

TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHTY-THREE YEARS

Adam to Gods Pledge to Abraham of A Promise Seed
Creation of
Adam Patriarchs
0
Adam
130
Seth
235
Enos
325
Canaan
395
Mahalaleel
460
Jared
622
Enoch
687
Methuselah
874
Lamech
1056 Noah
1558 Shem
1656 FLOOD
1658 Arphaxad
1693 Salah
1723 Eber
1757 Peleg
1787 Reu
1819 Serug
1849 Nahor
1878 Terah
2008 Abraham
2083 Abraham

Birth
BC
4001
3871
3766
3676
3606
3541
3379
3314
3127
2945
2443
2345
2343
2308
2278
2244
2214
2182
2152
2123
1993
1918

Age as
a Dad
130
105
90
70
65
162
65
187
182
502
100

Age
Died
Scripture Died Scripture
BC
Notes
Gen 5:3
930 Gen 5:5
3071
Gen 5:6
912 Gen 5:8
2959
Gen 5:9
905 Gen 5:11
2861
Gen 5:12 910 Gen 5:14
2766
Gen 5:15 895 Gen 5:17
2711
Gen 5:18 962 Gen 5:20
2579
Gen 5:21 365 Gen 5:23
3014 Raptured
Gen 5:25 969 Gen 5:27
2345
Gen 5:28 775 Gen 5:31
2352
Gen 5:32 950 Gen 9:29
1995 (cp Gen 11:10)
Gen 11:10 600 Gen11: 11 1843
Gen 5:32 2sd Mo, 17th Day
35
Gen 11:12 438 Gen 11:13 1905 (Earth split into
30
Gen 11:14 433 Gen 11:15 1875 continents when
34
Gen 11:16 464 Gen 11:17 1814 Peleg was born
30
Gen 11:18 239 Gen 11:19 2005 Gen 10:25)
32
Gen 11:20 239 Gen 11:21 1975 (Abraham was
30
Gen 11:22 230 Gen 11:23 1952 75 when Terah
29
Gen 11:24 148 Gen 11:25 2004 Died and God
130
Gen 11:31 205 Gen 11:32 1918 gave him the
Seed
100
Gen 21:5 175 Gen 25:7 Cp 1818 Promise
Covenant
Ga 3:6-17
Gen15:3-18
205-75 = 130)
Gen 16: 3
Gen 12:1-4
Total Years from Adam to Gods Promise Seed Covenant were 2083, which was 1918 BC
4

FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS

Gods Pledge of A Promise Seed to Abraham
to the Law Given at Mt. Sinai
Now to Abraham and to his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, And to
seeds, as of many but as of one, And to YOUR SEED, 'who is Christ. And this I say, that
the LAW, which was FOUR HUNDRED and THIRTY years LATER, cannot annul the
COVENANT (Ga 3:16-17). As one carefully examines all the following scriptures, one
must conclude that Paul is declaring that the Law of Moses, which was given 430 years
AFTER God gave Abraham the PROMISE SEED COVENANT cannot annul this
covenant. Therefore, it would behoove us to discover when God gave this great covenant to
Abraham.
Abraham was 75 years old when he entered into Canaan and God at that time gave him
the Promise Seed Covenant: Abram was SEVENTY-FIVE years old when he departed
from Haran. So they came to the land of Canaan. Then the LORD appeared to Abram
and said, To your descendants I will give this land (Gen 12:4-5 cp 13:14-16; 2008 + 75 =
2083); the Lord also said: Look now toward heaven, and count the STARS, if thou be able
to count them; and He said unto him: So shall THY SEED [Christ] be. And he
BELIEVED in the LORD; and He counted it to him for RIGHTEOUSNESS. In that day
the LORD made a COVENANT with Abram, saying: Unto THY SEED [Christ] have I
given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates (Gen
15:3-6, 18).
According to the Masoretic Hebrew Text: The length of time that the Israelites lived in
Egypt was FOUR HUNDRED and THIRTY years. And it came to pass at the end of the
FOUR HUNDRED and THIRTY years -- on that VERY SAME DAY -- it came to pass that
all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt (Exo 12:40-41). In the
Septuagint Geek OT the above verses in Exodus read thus: The sojourning of the children
of Israel, while they SOJOURNED in the land of Egypt AND the LAND of CHANAAN, was
four hundred and thirty years. Some historians use the Septuagint version to show that the
430 years started from the time Abraham received Gods Promise Seed Covenant to the
time they came out of Egypt.
Josephus confirmed the Septuagint version when he declared that the Law was given at
Mt. Sinai:
430 years after our forefather Abraham CAME INTO Canaan, but 215 years only
after Jacob removed into Egypt (The Complete Works of Josephus, Antiquities of the
Jews, bk 2, chp 15, sec 2).
Dr. Whiston in a footnote to the above statement made by Josephus stated:
Why our Masorete copy so groundlessly abridges this account in Exodus 12:40, as
to ascribe 430 years to the sole peregrination of the Israelites in Egypt, when it is
clear even by that Masorete chronology elsewhere, as well as from the express text
itself, in the Samaritan, Septuagint, and Josephus, that they sojourned in Egypt but
HALF that time, - and that by consequence, the other HALF of their peregrination
5

was in the land of Canaan, before they came into Egypt, - is hard to say (Josephus,
Antiquities, bk 2, footnote 28).
At no time in the Bible did Abrahams descendants receive all the land God promised to
give. This promise will not be fulfilled until Christ, Abrahams Promise Seed, reigns on the
earth in His Millennial Kingdom. Also according to the Bible, Abrahams descendants did
not receive a portion of Canaan Land as a inheritance or a possession until they came out of
Egypt. The great Christian martyr Stephen speaking of this said: And God gave him NO
INHERITANCE in it [Canaan Land], not even enough to set his foot on. But even when
Abraham had no child, He PROMISE to give it to him for a possession, and to his
descendants after him. But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a
FOREIGN LAND, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four
hundred years. And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge, said God,
and after that they shall come out and serve Me in THIS PLACE. Then He gave him the
covenant of circumcision (Acts 7:5-8; cp with Gen 15:13-14).
In other words, Abraham and his descendants would be oppress in a land that was not
theirs i.e. Canaan and Egypt 400 years, and this oppression did not begin until God gave
Abraham the Promise Seed Covenant. The above truth can be verified by the following
illustration revealing the year of our Lords death and birth: If the 430 years began when
Abraham was 75 years old, or in 1918 BC, we must subtract 430 years from this, which
gives us 1488 BC as year the Law was given to Moses (1918 BC - 430 = 1488 BC).
If we subtract 1488 from 480 years from the reign of the Judges to 4th year of Solomon,
we have 1008 BC. We then must subtract 400 years from the 4th year of Solomon to
beginning of the Babylonian Captivity, which gives us the year of 608 BC. After this we
subtract 70 years from the beginning and end of Babylonian Captivity, which gives us the
year of 538 BC. If we then subtract 87 years from the beginning of Cyrus reign over
Babylon to the 20th year of Artaxerxes, we have the year of 451 BC. After this we subtract
483 year from Artaxerxes decree to death of Christ, we then have the year of 32 AD. If we
subtract 32 AD from 33 years, which was the age of Christ at His death, we then have 1 BC
as the birth of Christ.
Now, if one believes the Masoretic text is the correct text in the above passage in Exodus,
they would have to believe the 430 year countdown began when Jacob entered into Egypt.
Isaac was born 1893 BC, when Abraham was 100 years old. Jacob was born to Isaac in
1833 BC, when Isaac was 60 years old: Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them
[Jacob and Esau] (Gen 25:26; 1893 BC - 60 = 1833 BC). We would then have to subtract
1833 BC from 130, i.e. the age of Jacob when he and his descendents enter into Egypt, we
would then have 1703 BC: And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my
pilgrimage are ONE HUNDRED and THIRTY years (Gen 47:9; 1833 - 130 = 1703 BC).
After this we would subtract the 430 years from 1703 BC, which the Masoretic text
stated was the time they were in Egypt, and this would be 1273 BC as the year the Law was
given (1703 BC - 430 = 1273 BC). If we take the year 1273 BC and subtract it from the
following years, we would then have the following dates: (1273 BC - 480 [the reign of the
Judges to 4th year of Solomon] = 793 BC - 400 [from the 4 year of Solomon to beginning of
the Babylonian Captivity] = 393 BC - 70 [the end of Babylonian Captivity] = 323 BC 87
[from the beginning of Cyrus reign over Babylon to the 20th year of Artaxerxes] = 236 BC
- 483 [Artaxerxes decree to death of Christ] = 247 AD - 33 [the age of Christ at death] =
6

214 AD [as the birth of Christ]). As my beloved readers can clearly perceive, this would be
totally ridiculous!

FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS

The Giving of the Law to the Fourth Year
of Solomons Reign
And it came to pass in the FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTIETH year after the
children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the FOURTH year of Solomons
reign he began to build the House of the Lord (1Ki 6:1). The rule of the Leaders or
Judges of Israel lasted 396 years. From King Saul (1092 BC) to the fourth year of Solomon
(1008 BC) was 84 years, which equals to 480 years (396 + 84 = 480 years, or 1488 BC 1008
BC = 480 years). The BC column represents the year that the Leaders or Judges of Israel
began to rule. This chart also gives the name of the nations and the years they afflicted
Israel.

The Rule of the Judges of Israel

Creation
of Adam
2513
2553
2558
2598
2678
2718
2758
2761
2784
2806
2812
2819
2829
2837
2857
2897

Leader
Judges
Moses
Joshua
Othniel
Ehud & Shamgar
Deborah\Bark
Gideon
Abimelech
Tola
Jair
Jephthah
Ibzan
Elon
Abdon
Samson
Eli
Samuel

Judge
BC
1488
1448
1443
1403
1323
1238
1234
1240
1217
1295
1189
1182
1172
1164
1144
1104

Years
Ruled
40
5
40
80
40
40
3
23
22
6
7
10
8
20
40
12

Afflicting Years
Scripture
Nations
Afflicted Verse
Exo 7:7;
Lawgiven Deu 31:2 Num 14:33
Jos 14:1-10
Jud 2:8
Jos 15:1-22
Jud 3:9-11
Assyrians 8
Jud 3:5-8
Jud 3:15-31 Moabites 18
Jud 3:12-14
Jud 4:1-6
Canaanites 20
Jud 5: 31
Jud 8:28
Midianites 7
Jud 6:1
Jud 9:1-2, 22
Jud 10:1-2
Jud 10:3
Philistines 18
Jud 10:6-8
Jud 12:7
Jud 12:8-9
Jud 12:11
Jud 12:13-14 Philistines 40
Jud 13:1
Jud 16:30-31
1Sa 4:18 Total Years
111
(Samuel ruled 12 yrs alone & 18 yrs with Saul)
1Sa 7:1-2, 13; 8:6 (1104 12 = 1092 BC);
Antiquities of the Jews, bk 6, chp 13, sec 5
Total Years of the Reign of the Judges 1488 1092 BC = 396 years.

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS

The Fourth Year of Solomon to the Babylonian Captivity
The names of the Kings of Judah from Solomon to Zedekiah: These were all the sons of
David, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister. Solomon's son was
Rehoboam; Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Joram [or Jehoram] his
son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah [or Uzziah] his son, Jotham
his son, Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, Amon his son, and Josiah his
7

son. The sons of Josiah were Johanan [Jehoahaz] the firstborn, the second Jehoiakim, the
third Zedekiah (1Ch 3:9-15). The BC column represents the year the reign of each king of
Judah and Israel began.

The Reign of the Kings of Judah and Israel

Creation Judah's
King Years
Israels
King
Years Reign
Of Adam Kings
BC Reign Scripture Kings
BC
Scripture
2909
Saul
1092 40
Acts 13:21
2949
David
1052 40
1Ch 29:26-27
2989
Solomon
1012 40
1Ki 11:42
[4th year 1008]
3029
Rehoboam
972 17
1Ki 14:21 Jeroboam 965
22 1Ki 14:20
3046
Abijah
955 3
1Ki15:1-2 Nadab
943
2
1Ki 15:25
3049
Asa
952 41
1Ki 15:8-10 Baasha
941
24
1Ki 15:33
3090
Jehoshaphat
911 25
2Ch 20:31 Elah
917
2 1 Ki 16:6-8
3115
Jehoram/Joram
886 8
2Ch 21:1, 5 Zimri
915
7 days 1Ki 16:15
3123
Ahaziah
878 1
2Ch 22:1-2 Omri
915
12
1Ki 16:23
3124
Athaliah (usurper) 877 6
2Ki 11:2-3 Ahab
903
22
1Ki 16:29
3130
Joash/Jehoash
871 40
2Ch 24:1 Ahaziah 881
2
1Ki 22:51
3170
Amaziah
820 29
2Ch 25:1 Jehoram 879
12
2Ki 3:1
802 52
2Ch 26:1-3 Jehu
867
28
2Ki 10:36
3199
Azariah/Uzziah
3250
Assyr. Eclipse 6/15/ 762 40th yr
3251
Jotham
750 16
2Ki15:32-33Jehoahaz 839
17
2Ki 13:1
3266
Ahaz (co-reign 1) 735 16
2Ki16:1-2 Joash
822
16
2Ki 13:10
2Ki 18:1-2 Jeroboam 806
41
2Ki 14:23
3272
Hezekiah (co-r. 10) 729 29
Hoshea
9th yr. 2Ki 18:10
3278
Assyr. Captivity
723 6th yr. 2Ki 17:6
3301
Manasseh
700 55
2Ch 32:33 Zechariah 765
6 mo. 2Ki 15:8
3356
Amon
645 2
2Ch 33:20-21 Shallum 764
1 mo. 2Ki 15:13
3358
Josiah
643 31
2Ch 33:25 Menahem 764
10 2Ki 15:17
3389
Jehoahaz/Johanan 612 3 Mos 2Ch 36:1-2 Pekahiah 754
2
2Ki 15:23
2Ch 36:4-5 Pekah
752
20 2Ki 15:27
3389
Jehoiakim 4th year 612 11
Bab. Captivity
608 70 yr. Jer 25:1
Dan 1:1
3393
3400
Jehoiachin
601 3 Mo. 2Ch 36:8-9 Hoshea
732
9
2Ki 17:1
3400
Zedekiah
601 11
2Ch 3610-11
Total Years of Reign of the Kings of Judah from 4th year of Solomon
to Babylonian Captivity: 400 years (1008-608 = 400).
According to Solar Eclipses of Historical Interest by NASA, the Assyrian Eclipse took
place in the: Astronomical year 6/15/762 (763 BC), Universal or Greenwich Time 08:23
(AM) (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/SE-0799--0700.html). Dr. Fred Espenak,
an Astrophysicist at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, in his Year Dating
Conventions document explained the astronomical dating systems this way:
Christianity has played a dominant role in the development of Western civilization
over the past two thousand years. A prime example is the dating system we commonly
use which was instituted by the monk Dionysius Exiguus in or about the year AD
532. In sixth century Europe, the concept of ZERO was still UNKNOWN. Thus,
the year 1 BC was followed by the year AD 1. Of course, Exiguus' dating system
still lacks a "0" year which makes calendrical calculations awkward.
8

The astronomical dating system refers to an alternative method of numbering

years. It includes the year "0" and eliminates the need for any prefixes or suffixes by
attributing the arithmetic sign [+ or -] to the date. The astronomical year 0
corresponds to the year 1 BCE, while the astronomical year 1 corresponds to 2 BCE.
In general, any given year n BCE becomes -(n-1) in the astronomical year
numbering system. Historians should take care to note the numerical difference of one
year between BCE dates and astronomical dates (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration i.e. NASAs Eclipse Home Page: Website address:
www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html).

Gods Holy Prophets

Gods Prophet
Gad
Nathan
Shemaiah
Ahijah

BC
1052
1052
972
965

King of Judah or Israel

David (Judah)
David
Rehoboam (Judah)
Jeroboam (Israel)

Oded
Azariah
Hanani
Micaiah
Elijah
Elisha

952
952
952
911
903
879

Asa (Judah)
Asa
Asa
Jehoshaphat (Ju.)/Ahab (Is.)
Ahab - Ahaziah (Is.)
Jehoram-Jehoash (Is.)

Un-named (Ju.)
Amos

831
831

Jonah
Isaiah
Hosea
Micah
Obadiah
Nahum
Jeremiah
Habakkuk
Joel
Urijah
Daniel

806
802
802
750
729
723
643
608
608
612
608

Haggai
Zechariah

520
520

Amaziah (Judah)
Amaziah - Uzziah (Judah)
Jeroboam (Israel)
Jeroboam (Israel)
Uzziah-Hezekiah (Ju.)
Uzziah-Hezekiah (Ju.)
Jotham-Hezekiah (Ju.)
Hezekiah (Judah)
Before Assyria fell
Josiah - Zedekiah (Ju.)
Before Bab. conquest
Before Bab. conquest
Jehoiakim (Judah)
Jehoiakim (Judah) Cyrus
(Persia)
After Darius decree
After Darius decree

Malachi

Scripture
1Sa 22:5; 2Sa 24:11; 2Ch 29:25
2Sa 7:2-17; 12:1-2; 1 Ki 1:23
1Ki 12:21-24; 2 Ch 11:2-4
1Ki 1:23; 11:27-37; 14:1-2;
2Ch 9:29; 10:15
2Ch 15:8; 28:9-11
2Ch 15:1-7
2Ch 16:1, 7-10
1Ki 22:7-29
1Ki 16:29; 17:1-4; 18:1
2Ki 1:3; 1Ki 19:1, 15-17;
2Ki 3:9-11; 13:14
2Ki 14:25
2Ch 25:7, 15; Amos 1:1; 7:8-17
Jon 1:1
Isa 1:1; 2Ki 19:2-5, 20; Hos 1:1
Jer 26:18-19
2Ch 17:5-10; Oba 1:1
Nah 1:1; 2:8-13; Zep 1:1
2Ch 36:12, 20-23; Jer 1:1-3
Hab 1:6
Joel 1:1-6
Jer 26:20-23
Dan 1:1-6; 2:1; 6:1-2; 10:1
Ezra 5:1-2; 6:5-15; Hag 1:1
Ezra 5:1-2; 6:5-15; Zec 1:1

520
After Darius decree
Mal 1:1
Total Years Gods Prophets Prophesied: 552 years (1052 500 = 552).

As my beloved readers may have perceived by now, it appears from the information
given by the unknown Jewish scribes, who wrote the history of First and Second Kings,
9

some of the kings of Judah must have co-reigned with their father. It definitely seems
logical to assume this when these scribes make clear statements about the different kings of
Judah began their reign in a certain king of Israels reign, and vise versa that is, different
kings of Israel began their reign in a certain king of Judahs reign. I must confess, as one
carefully examines this impenetrable information, he or she is left in a quandary. There can
be no doubt that the length of the reign of each king of Judah and Israel is correct. If there
was no co-reign of the kings of Judah with their father, then there would be 411 years from
the 4th year of Solomon to the Babylonian Captivity. This would mean that the creation of
Adam took place in 4012 BC. The 11 year difference between these two forms of reckoning
of sole reign and co-reign is not hard to believe when one is looking for a harmony in the
infallible Word of God!

The Babylonian Captivity and Deportations

Creation Deportation

BC

3393

1st

608

3400

2nd

601

3401
3411
3412
3416

3rd
4th
5th
6th

600
590
589
585

Nebs
Notes
Reign
1st yr.
This was the 4th year of Jehoiakim (Jer
sole
36: 1, 9; 46:1-2; Dan 1:1).
8th yr.
Daniels 2nd yr. of captivity (Dan 2:1)
and Jehoiakims 11th year of (2Ch 36:5-8;
Jer 24:1; 52:28).
th
9 yr.
1st year of Jehoiachin (2Ki 24:8-12).
th
18 yr. 11th yr. of Zedekiah (Jer 52:3-10, 29).
19th yr. Gods vessels taken (Jer 52:12-27).
23rd yr. (Jer 52:30).

Solomons temple was destroyed in the 19th year of King Nebuchadnezzar reign, i.e., in
589 BC on the 5th month and 10th day (Jer 52:12). This took place 3,412 years after God
created Adam.

SEVENTY YEARS
The Reign of Nebuchadnezzar to Belteshazzar
The Reign of the Kings of Babylon
Creation
of Adam
3393

Kings of
Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar

Yr.
BC
608

Years
Reign
45 +
mos.
Sole
reign

Notes: All of the following reigns of the

Kings Babylonian are from Josephus
(608 563 BC) Nebuchadnezzar was the
son of Nabolassar, who was the founder of
the neo-Babylonian empire. Neb. in the
Septuagint is called Nabuchodonosor.
Josephus, who quoted Berossus (290 or
340 BC) the ancient Chaldaean historian
and priest of Bel wrote: King Nabolassar
sent his son Nabuchodonosor against
Egypt, and against our land. Nabolassar
fell into a distemper at this time and died
in the city of Babylon, after he had reigned
10

twenty-nine years. Nabuchodonosor

departed this life, when he had reigned
forty-three years (The Complete Works of
Josephus, Against Apion, bk 1, sec 19-20;
also Antiquities of the Jews, bk 10, chp 6,
sec 1-2; bk 10, chp 11, sec 1).
Nebuchadnezzar must have co-reigned
with his father for a year or two before his
sole reign began. This can be seen when
the Bible called him King of Babylon
before he besieged Jerusalem in 609 BC:
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim
king
of
Judah,
Nebuchadnezzar
[Nabuchodonosor] KING of Babylon came
to Jerusalem and besieged it (Dan 1:1).
Therefore, Nebuchadnezzars sole reign
must have began in 608 BC, which was the
4th year of the reign of Jehoiakim as the
following scripture reveals: The word
that came to Jeremiah concerning all the
people of Judah in the fourth year of
Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of
Judah, that was the first year of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon i.e. his
1st year of his SOLE reign (Jer 25:1, JPS
& KJV; cp with 46:1-2 & Dan 2:1).
As one compares the above scriptures
with the following two passages of
scripture, one can easily see that
Nebuchadnezzar reigned 45 years not 43
years: Jehoiachin king of Judah, his
mother, his servants, his princes, and his
officers went out to the king of Babylon;
and the KING of Babylon, in the eighth
year of his [Nebs] reign, took him
prisoner (2Ki 24:12).
Jeremiah declared: It came to pass in
the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of
Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth
month, on the twenty-fifth day of the
month, that Evil-Merodach king of
Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted
up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah
and brought him out of prison (Jer
52:31-32).
11

3438

Evil-Merodach

563

2+
mos.

3440

Neriglissoor

561

3445

Laborosoarchod

556

4+
mos.
9 mos.

3445

Nabonnedus
(Belteshazzar)

556

17 +
mos.

Since, the Bible equates the 37th year of

Jehoiachin's imprisonment, which began
in the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar reign,
with the accession year of Evil-Merodach,
Nebuchadnezzar must have reigned 45
years (i.e. 37 + 8 = 45 years).
(563 561 BC) Josephus: He governed
public affairs after an illegal and impure
manner, and had a plot laid against him
by Neriglissoor, his sister's husband, and
was slain by him when he had reigned but
two years (Against Apion, bk 1, sec 20).
(561 556 BC) Josephus: Neriglissoor
reigned four years (Ibs.).
(556 556 BC): Josephus Neriglissors
son
Laborosoarchod
obtained
the
kingdom, though he was but a child, and
kept it nine mouths and he was
tormented to death (Ibs).
(556 538 BC): Josephus: After his
[Laborosoarchods]
death,
the
conspirators got together, and by common
consent put the crown upon the head of
Nabonnedus. In the seventeenth year
of his reign, Cyrus came hastily to
Babylonia.... Nabonnedus was beaten
(Ibs).

Josephus also calls Nabonnedus by other

names such as Naboandelus and Baltasar
(Ant., bk 10, chp 11, sec 2-4). The Bible
calls him Belteshazzar, who was a
grandson of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 5:131).
Total Years: 70 (45 + 2 + 4 + 9 mos + 17 = 68 years & 9 months + 15 months
from reigns of the above kings & 1st year of Cyrus = 70 years).

EIGHTY-SEVEN YEARS
The Reign of Cyrus to Artaxerxes Twentieth Year
The Reign of the Kings of Persia
Creation
of
Adam
3443

Kings of

Year Years

Persia
Cyrus II
the Great

BC
558

Reign
29

Notes
(558 529 BC): Microsoft Encarta
Encyclopedia 99: When Cyrus became ruler
of the Persian district of Anshan [558 BC],
the district was subject to the Medes; five
12

years later he led a rebellion against the

Medes that resulted in the capture of King
Astyages [r. 584-550 BC] and the overthrow
of the Median Empire [550 BC].
Thereafter Cyrus called himself king of
Persia. Babylon, Egypt, Lydia, and the
city-state of Sparta in Greece combined to
curb the power of Cyrus, but in 546 BC the
Persians added Lydia to their realm, and in
539 BC the kingdom of Babylon fell to Cyrus
(article: Cyrus the Great).
The
International
Standard
Bible
Encyclopedia reveals that Cyrus reigned
lasted: 29 years. He had ruled over Media
for 11, and over Babylonia (and Assyria) for
9 years (vol 2, pg 775, heading Cyrus).
Therefore, he was king of the Persians for 9
years, 11 years over the Medes, and 9 years
over Babylon.
Herodotus of Halicarnassus (484 - 425
BC): Thus after a reign of thirty-five years,
Astyages lost his crown. It was the
Persians who under Cyrus revolted from the
Medes, and became thenceforth the rulers of
Asia. The overthrow of Croesus made him
master of the whole of Asia. [In the last
battle with the Massagetae] Cyrus himself
fell, after reigning NINE and TWENTY
YEARS (Great Books of the Western World,
Herodotus Thucydides, vol 6, bk 1, Clio,
sec 130, pg 31, and sec 214, pg 48).
3463

Cyrus 20th year

538

This was the beginning of Cyrus first year

as king over Babylon. It was at this time he
gave the decree freeing the Jews from
captivity, thus fulfilling the prophecy of
Jeremiah 29:10 concerning the 70 years of
captivity (608 - 538 = 70 yrs). Cyrus was the
king mention in Ezra 1:1-18; 4:3-5; 5:12.
Josephus says it this way: In the first year
of the reign of Cyrus, which was the
seventieth [year] from the day that our
people were removed out of their own land
into Babylon. [Cyrus promised] he would
restore them again to the land of their
13

fathers, and they should build their

temple. This was foretold by Isaiah one
hundred and forty years before the temple
was demolished [Isa 44:28; 45:1-4 (Ant., bk
11, chp 1, sec 1-3).
3472

Cambyses II
Ahasuerus II

529

7+
5 mos

(529 522 BC): Herodus: On the death of

Cyrus, Cambyses his son took the
kingdom. [After conquering King Amasis
of Egypt, Cambyses heard about Smerdis
the Magi usurping his throne. Cambyses told
his army while dieing:] When I was in
Egypt I saw in my sleep a vision that
Smerdis sat upon the royal throne. So I
slew my brother. It was Smerdis the Magus,
and NOT Smerdis my brother. He had
reigned in all seven years and five months
(Herodotus Thucydides, vol 6, bk 2,
Euterpe, sec 1, pg 49; bk 3, Thalia , sec 64 66, pg 104).
Josephus declared: When Cambyses, the
son of Cyrus, had taken the kingdom, the
governors in Syria, and Phoenicia, and in the
countries of Amlnon, and Moab, and
Samaria, wrote an epistle to Cambyses.
When Cambyses had read the epistle [he]
gave order, that the Jews shall NOT be
PERMITTED to BUILD that CITY (Ant.,
bk 11, chp 2, sec 1-2).
Cambyses was the Ahasuerus mention in
Ezra 4:6, who stopped the building of the
temple: Then the people of the land tried to
discourage the people of Judah. They
troubled them in building, and hired
counselors against them to frustrate their
purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia,
even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of
his reign, they wrote an accusation
AGAINST the inhabitants of Judah and
JERUSALEM.

3479

Cambyses
Lunar Eclipse

522

According to Claudius Ptolemy (70-161

AD): In the year 7 of Cambyses (which is the
year 225 of Nabonassar, Egyptian wise
Phamenoth 17-18 one hour before midnight)
the moon was eclipsed in Babylon (Claudius
14

Ptolemaeus - The Almagest, (Great Books Of

The Western World, Ptolemy, vol 16, pg 172).
Ptolemy was an Alexandrian astronomer,
geographer, historian, and chronologist who
lived in Egypt and wrote around 142 AD.
The Egyptian month Phamenoth and the
17-18 day is July 16th. According to NASAs
Lunar Eclipse records this eclipse took place
in the: Astronomical year -0522 (523 BC),
July 16, Greenwich Time 20:38 [8:38 PM]
(www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/S
Ecatalog.html; Lunar Eclipse Page). Thus
522 BC was the 7th year of Cambyses reign.
3479

Smerdis the Magi 522

(Artaxerxes)

7 mos

(522 - 521 BC): His biblical name was

Artaxerxes, the king mention in Ezra, who
also gave a decree that the building of the
temple should NOT be resumed: Rehum the
commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a
letter
against
Jerusalem
to
King
Artaxerxes. The king sent an answer.
Now give the command to make these men
cease, that this city may NOT BE BUILT
until the command is given by me (Ezra
4:7-8, 17, 21).
According to Herodotus: The Persians
who had heard his [Cambyses] words, put
no faith in anything that he said. Thus
they were convinced that it was Smerdis the
son of Cyrus who had rebelled and now sat
on the throne. Thus then Cambyses died,
and the Magus now reigned in security, and
passed himself off for Smerdis the son of
Cyrus. And so went by the seven months
which were wanting to complete the eighth
year of Cambyses (Herodotus Thucydides,
vol 3, bk 3, Thalia, sec 66-67, pg 104; also see
Josephus, Ant., bk 11, chp 3, sec 1).

3480

Darius I

521

36

(521 485 BC): Josephus: Those families

which were called the seven families of the
Persians appointed Darius, the son of
Hystaspes, to be their king (Ant., bk 11, chp
3, sec 1; chp 4, 7- 8).
L.W. King and R.C. Thompson in 1907
made the following translation of the
15

writings of the old Persian, Elamite, and

Akkadian languages that were inscribed on
the rock of Behistn in Persia, i.e. the Rosetta
Stone: I am Darius, the great king the son
of Hystaspes.
The kingdom of which Gaumta, the
Magian, dispossessed Cambyses, had always
belonged to our dynasty. On the tenth day
of the month Bgaydi [9/29/522] I, with a
few men, slew that Gaumta, the Magian
(Translation I, sec 1, 12, & 13; also see
Herodotus Thucydides, vol 3, bk 3, Thalia ,
sec 71, pg 105).
According to Herodus, after Darius
became king he waged war with the Greeks:
Now when tidings of the battle that had been
fought at Marathon [490 BC] reached the
ears of King Darius, the son of Hystaspes
he became more than ever eager to lead an
army against Greece but he was prevented
by death while his preparations were still
proceeding. He died after having reigned
in all six-and-thirty years. At his death the
kingdom passed to his son Xerxes
(Herodotus Thucydides, vol 3, bk 7,
Polymnia, sec 1& 4, pg 215).
3482

3488

Darius I (Temple 519

began to be built)

Darius I (Temple 513

built)

According to the Bible it was King Darius,

who confirmed the decree of Cyrus and gave
a decree to start building the temple again:
Haggai 1:1-4, 14-15: The LORD stirred up
the spirit of Zerubbabel and the spirit of
Joshua and they came and worked on the
HOUSE of the LORD of hosts, their God, on
the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in
the SECOND YEAR of King Darius. Ezra
4:24: The work of the HOUSE of GOD
which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was
discontinued UNTIL the SECOND YEAR of
the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Ezra 6:1-2, 8, 14-15: I [Darius] issue a
DECREE as to what you shall do for the
elders of these Jews, for the BUILDING of
this HOUSE of GOD. And they built and
finished it according to the command of
Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
Now the TEMPLE was FINISHED on the
16

third day of the month of Adar, which was in

the SIXTH YEAR of the reign of King
Darius.
3500

Darius I
501
1th Lunar Eclipse

20

3511

490
Darius I
2nd Lunar Eclipses

31

Ptolemy declared that there were two

lunar eclipses in the reign of Darius. One:
eclipse [was] observed in Babylon in the year
31 of Darius, Egyptianwise Tybi 3-4. [The
other eclipse] is the one in the year 20 of
Darius Egyptianwise Epiphi 28-29.
Each of these eclipses occurred when the
moon was near the apogee (The Almagest,
vol 16, pp 136-137).
The Egyptian month Epiphi and the 28-29
day is November 19th. According to NASAs
Lunar Eclipse Data an eclipse happen in the:
Astronomical year 11/19/-0501 (502 BC),
Greenwich 21:03 (9:03 PM) Darius 20th yr.
(www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/S
Ecatalog.html).
The Egyptian month Tybi and the 3-4 day
is April 25th, and there was an eclipse in the:
Astronomical year 4/25/-0490 (491 BC),
Greenwich 19:44 (7:44 PM) Darius 31st yr.
(www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/S
Ecatalog.html).

3516

Xerxes
(Ahasuerus III)

I 485

14

(485 471 BC): Xerxes I ascending the

throne upon the death of his father Darius.
Faussett Bible Dictionary under the heading
of Ahasuerus: Darius Hystaspis son was
Ahasuerus the third = Xerxes. The gap
between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7 is filled up with
the book of Esther. The character of
Ahasuerus III much resembles that of
Xerxes as described by Greek historians.
In the third year was held Ahasuerus, feast in
Shushan (Esth. 1:3): so Xerxes in his third
year held an assembly to prepare for
invading Greece (#132.01 sec 3).
Thucydides (401 BC), a Greek historian, in
his History of the Peloponnesian War wrote:
The battle of Marathon [in Darius I reign]
was fought between the Medes and the
Athenians. TEN YEARS afterwards, the
barbarian [Xerxes] returned with the
armada for the subjugation of Hellas
17

(Herodotus Thucydides, vol 3, History of

the Peloponnesian War, bk 1, sec 18, pg
353).
Herodotus: In the year following the
death of Darius, he [Xerxes I subdued]
Egypt. Reckoning from the recovery of
Egypt, Xerxes spent four full years in
collecting his host and making ready all
things that were needful for his soldiers. It
was not till the CLOSE of the FIFTH YEAR
that he set forth on his march, accompanied
by a mighty multitude (Herodotus
Thucydides, vol 3, bk 7, Polymnia, sec 7-8,
20-21, pg 215, & sec 37, pg 223).
According
to
Microsoft
Encarta
Encyclopedia Xerxes I: During the spring of
480 BC he [Xerxes] marched with his forces
through Thrace, Thessaly (Thessalia), and
Locris. At Thermopylae 300 Spartans, under
their king, Leonidas I, and 1100 other
Greeks made a courageous but futile
stand. At the Battle of Salams later in 480
BC, however, his fleet was defeated.
Xerxes thereupon RETIRED to Asia Minor
(article: Xerxes I).
3522

Xerxes Solar
Eclipse

479

6th year

Herodotus: A PRODIGY had caused him

[Xerxes] to BRING HIS ARMY HOME, for
while he was offering sacrifice to know if he
should march out against the Persian, the
SUN was suddenly DARKENED in mid sky
(Herodus, bk 9, Calliope, pg 290, sec 10-11).
Dr. Espenak of NASA, in his article
entitled Solar Eclipses of Historical Interest,
gives Xerxes Eclipse as: Astronomical year
10/2/-0479 (480 BC), Greenwich 11:57 (AM)
(www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEhisto
ry/SEhistory.html).

Faussett Bible Dictionary under the

heading of Ahasuerus continued by saying:
In his seventh year Ahasuerus replaced
Vashti by marrying Esther (Est. 2:16) on
his defeat and return from Greece.
(Herodotus 9:108). The tribute (Esth.
10:1) was probably to replenish his treasury
(#132.01 sec 3).
18

Faussett Bible Dictionary under the

heading of Esther, we read: In his 7th year
the battles of Plataea and Mycale, according
to secular history, drove Xerxes in fright
from Sardis to Susa. So, in Scripture, it was
not until the tenth month of this 7th year that
Esther was made queen.... (Herodotus 7:35,
114)... (#1187.02).
The Bible speaks of this king as Ahasuerus,
which in Hebrew is 'Achashverowsh. Esther
2:16, 18: Esther was taken to King
Ahasuerus [Xerxes], into his royal palace, in
the tenth month, which is the month of
Tebeth, in the SEVENTH YEAR of his
reign.
Esther 3:7; 9:31: In the first month, which
is the month of Nisan, in the TWELFTH
YEAR of King Ahasuerus [Xerxes], they cast
Pur (that is, the lot) to confirm these days
of Purim. Xerxes was murdered at
Persepolis by Artabanus, captain of the
palace guard, the 14th year of his reign.
3530

Artaxerxes I

471

41

(471 - 430 BC): Faussett Bible Dictionary

under the heading of Artaxerxes: Artaxerxes
I was Artaxerxes Longimanus, son of
Xerxes, who allowed Nehemiah (Neh. 2:1)
to spend 12 years at Jerusalem to settle the
affairs of the returned Jews. He had 13 years
previously permitted Ezra (Ezra 7:1) to go on
a similar errand (#343.02).
It was Artaxerxes I who gave the decree to
Ezra supply the TEMPLE of God in
Jerusalem with whatever it need as far as
furniture and sacrifices. He gave Nehemiah
the decree to rebuild its WALLS. The Word
of God speaks of these events this way:
Ezra 7:1, 8, 11, 21, 23, 27: In the reign of
Artaxerxes [Heb. Artachshashta Septuagint
Arthasastha] king of Persia, Ezra came to
Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in
the SEVENTH YEAR of the king. This is
a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes
gave Ezra. I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a
DECREE whatever Ezra the priest may
19

require of you let it diligently be done for

the HOUSE of the GOD.
3550

Artaxerxes
451
Decree to build the
City of Jerusalem
and its walls

20

Nehemiah 2:1-8: And it came to pass in

the month of NISAN, in the TWENTIETH
YEAR of King Artaxerxes, when wine was
before him, that I took the wine and gave it
to the king. The king said to me, Why is
your face sad, since you are not sick? This is
nothing but sorrow of heart.
So I said to the king Why should my
face not be sad, when the CITY [i.e.
Jerusalem], the place of my fathers tombs,
lies WASTE, and its GATES are burned
with fire? So it pleased the king to send
me.
Nehemiah 6:15; 7:1, 4: So the WALL was
FINISHED on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in
fifty-two days. Then it was, when the
WALL was BUILT and I had HUNG the
DOORS.
Nehemiah 13:6-8: But during all this I
was not in Jerusalem, for in the THIRTYSECOND year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon
I had RETURNED to the king. Then after
certain days I obtained LEAVE from the
king, and I CAME to Jerusalem.

It took 12 years from the DECREE to

accomplish this much and another 37 years
to build the rest of the homes in Jerusalem
and its streets (12 + 39 = 49 years). The
CITY and STREETS were not finished until
the 2nd year of Artaxerxes II (Menemon) or
in 402 BC (451 - 402 BC = 49 yrs).
Total Years Persian Kings Reigned: 87 (9 + 7 & 5 mo + 7 mo + 36 + 14 + 20 = 87 years).

FOUR HUNDRED AND EITHTY-THREE YEARS

Artaxerxes Twentieth Year to Christs Death
(Daniels Seventy Weeks of Years)
NIV SEVENTY [shib`iym] SEVENS [shabuwa`] are decreed for your people and
your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring
in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
Know and understand this: From the issuing of the DECREE to restore and rebuild
20

Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be SEVEN SEVENS, and
SIXTY-TWO 'SEVENS.' It [Jerusalem in sevens 7 or 49 years] will be rebuilt with streets
and a trench, but in times of trouble.
After the SIXTY-TWO 'SEVENS,' the Anointed One will be CUT OFF and will have
nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The
end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been
decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for ONE SEVEN. In the MIDDLE of the
'SEVEN' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set
up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on
him (Dan 9:24-27).
The word seventy is the Hebrew noun shib`iym (shib-eem') and the word weeks is
the Hebrew word shabuwa` (shaw-boo'-ah) which literal means: seven, and since it is
in the plural number, it should be translated as sevens. Therefore it literal refers to
seventy sevens of years. The same angel that told Daniel of the Seventy Sevens of Years also
gave him the interpretation of verse 27 and what is meant by in the MIDDLE of the
'SEVEN' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering, when he declared: And from the
time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there
shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days or 3 YEARS (Dan 12:11).
The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament by Drs, R. Laird Harris, Gleason L.
Archer Jr., Bruce K. Waltke defined shabuwa as:
While in Deut 16:9, discussed above, shba represents a period of seven days, in
Dan 9:24, 25, 26, 27 it denotes a period of SEVEN YEARS in each of its appearances
in these four verses. This is proven by the context wherein Daniel recognizes that the
SEVENTY-YEARS period of captivity is almost over. The land had been fallow for
SEVENTY YEARS and thus repaid the Lord the SEVENTY SABBATICAL YEARS
owed to him for the prior SEVENTY PERIODS of SEVEN YEARS (Dan 9:2; Jer
25:12; cf. 2Chr 36:21). Just as Daniel is in prayer concerning this matter, the angel
Gabriel appears and informs him that Israel's restoration will not be complete until she
goes through another SEVENTY PERIODS-of-SEVEN, shba (Dan 9:24ff)! Note
also the apparent reference in Dan 12:1 to half of Daniel's last seventy (Dan 9:27); it
is 1290 days, approximately three and a half years. Thus here it means YEARS
(#2318d).
Let my readers take note, the prophecy of Daniel, that is, the seventy sevens said
nothing of the TEMPLE, which was built in the 6th year of the reign of Darius (Ezra 6:1415), before this prophecy began. Daniels prophecy was given in three parts. The first part
contained seven sevens or 49 years, which were given for the rebuilding of the City of
Jerusalem. The second part declared that Messiah would come and die after sixty-two
sevens or 434 years were fulfilled in 32 AD (49 + 434 = 483 years - 451 BC (Artaxerxes
DECREE) = 32 AD). The third part is found in verse 27, and it contains one seven, which
speaks of the Antichrist making a seven-year peace covenant with the nation of Israel
and then breaking it.

First Part of Daniels Prophecy: Rebuilding Jerusalem

21

Although the temple was finished in 516 BC, the city of Jerusalem laid wasted until 451
BC. This is why Nehemiah told king Artaxerxes: The CITY [Jerusalem], the place of my
father's tombs, lies WASTED. The king then asked Nehemiah what he desired him to do
about it; Nehemiah replied: Send me to Judah to the CITY of my fathers' tombs that I
may REBUILD it (Neh 2:3-9). Artaxerxes granted his request and issued the decree to
rebuild Jerusalem: In the month of NISAN in the twentieth year (Neh 2:1). Nisan is the
month when the PASSOVER LAMB was killed for the sins of the people; and the twentieth
year of Artaxerxes was 451 BC. Jesus died on Passover 483 years after this decree, that is,
32 AD.
According to the Bible, the walls were finished by the 32nd year of the reign of
Artaxerxes I (471 BC - 32 = 439 BC, Neh 5:14; 6:1). The CITY and STREETS were not
finished until the 2nd year of Artaxerxes II (Menemon) or in 402 BC (451 - 402 BC = 49
yrs). The Persian kings that reigned between Artaxerxes 1 and (Menemon) were Xerxes II
(430 - 424 BC), Sogdianus (424 - 423 BC), and Darius II (Nothus 423 - 405 BC).

Second Part of Daniels Prophecy:

The Coming and Death of Messiah the Prince
Daniel declared that after the city with its walls and streets were finished, there would
be 62 sevens of years (62 X 7 = 434 years) in which Messiah the Prince would come and be
cut off or die. If we subtract 402 BC from 434 years, the answer is 32 AD or 4,033 years
from Adam (434 yrs - 402 BC = 32 AD). It was on this day that Daniel 9:25 was fulfilled;
for it was in April or Nisan of 451 BC that the Persian king Artaxerxes issued his decree to
build Jerusalem; and it was exactly 483 years later, or in April or Nisan of 32 AD, that
Messiah the Prince came and the Jewish people proclaimed Him as their KING. Five days
later Messiah was cut off or crucified, thus fulfilling Daniel 9:26 (451 BC - 483 yrs = 32
AD). This means Jesus was born in the astronomical years of 1 BC (2 BC historical), or
4,000 years from Adams creation, for He was 33 years old when He died (32 AD 33 = 1
BC).
According to NASAs Lunar Eclipse Data, there was an eclipse in the: Astronomical and
historical year 0032 (AD), April 14, Universal Time 09:05 (AM), Lunar Eclipse Type T
(Total), Saros 61, Gamma 0.102, Penumbral Magnitude 2.701, Umbral Magnitude 1.670,
Semi-Duration Total 112 minutes, Semi-Duration Partial 51 minutes, Greenwich Sidereal
Time (UT) 13.4, Moons Geocentric Right Ascension 13.37, Moons Geocentric Right
Declination -8.7 (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LE0001-0100.html).
Partial Eclipse Began: tm - S.D. Par = 09:05 - 1h 52m = 07:13 AM UT
Total Eclipse Began: tm - S.D. Tot = 09:05 - 0h 51m = 08:14 AM UT
Total Eclipse Ended: tm + S.D. Tot = 09:05 + 0h 51m = 09:56 AM UT
Partial Eclipse Ended: tm + S.D. Par = 09:05 + 1h 52m = 10:57 AM UT
Eclipse Lasted 3 HOURS & 44 minutes (10:57 07:13 = 3 hours & 44 minutes).
Jerusalem is about 3 hours ahead of Universal or Greenwich Mean Time, which means
the eclipse began in Jerusalem at 12:05 AM. According to the Bible, the eclipse at the time
of our Lords death lasted 3 hours or from the 6th hour (12 AM) to the 9th hour (3 PM) (Mk
15:33). Therefore, it was this Lunar Eclipse that cause the 3 hours of darkness in Jerusalem
on Wednesday April 14 of 32 AD on the Julian Calendar, or the 15th of Nisan on the Jewish
22

Calendar. Since the Jewish day begins in the evening or sunset and goes to sunset the next
day, Jesus died about 3 hours before the 16th of Nisan began. The following is some
historical proof that the above eclipse took place at the Passover in 32 AD:
232 AD: Julius Africanus writing On the Circumstances connected with our Saviors
Passion and His Life-giving Resurrection wrote:
On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent
by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down.
This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls an ECLIPSE of the
sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the Passover on the 14th day according to the moon.
Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar [14-37 AD], at FULL MOON,
there was a FULL ECLIPSE of the sun from the SIXTH HOUR to the NINTH
manifestly that one of which we speak. (Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 6, Extant Writings of
Julius Africanus, chp 18, , sec 1, pg 293).
350 AD: Eusebius in his Church History spoke of the Passover this way:
This may be learned from what is said by Philo, Josephus, and Musaeus and the
famous Aristobulus, who was chosen among the seventy interpreters of the sacred and
divine Hebrew Scriptures by Ptolemy Philadelphus. These writers, explaining
questions in regard to the Exodus, say that all alike should sacrifice the Passover
offerings AFTER the VERNAL EQUINOX, in the middle of the first month. But this
occurs while the sun is passing through the first segment of the solar, or as some of
them have styled it, the zodiacal circle. Aristobulus adds that it is necessary for the
feast of the Passover, that NOT only the SUN should pass through the equinoctial
segment, but the MOON also (Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Eusebius, series 2, vol
1, bk 7, From the Paschal Canons of Anatolius, chp 32, pp 512-513).
Some commentators believe Jesus died Sunday April 3 or the 15th of Nisan of 33 AD,
because there was a 2 hour and 52 minute afternoon eclipse that took place at that time.
NASAs Eclipse Data recorded it this way: astronomical year 0033, Apr 03, 14:47 or 2:47
PM; (http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LE0001-0100.html). But since this day
was a Sunday and this eclipse would have started in Jerusalem at 5:47, it could not have
been the time, day, and year our Savior died. Let us not forget Jesus rose early in the
morning on the 1st day of the week, i.e. a Sunday, therefore he could not have died on a
Sunday (Mt 28:1-7; Mk 16:19; Lk 24:1-8; Jn 20:1-17).
Jesus speaking of the length of time His body would be in the tomb said: For as Jonah
was THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of
Man be THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth (Mt 12:40; also see
27:39-40, 63; Mk 8:31; 14:58; 15:29: Jn 2:19-21). Jesus did not say 3 days of 12 hours or in
36 hours, but in 3 days and 3 nights of 24 hours or after 72 hours, I will be raised from the
dead. Another way of proving Jesus was born in 1 BC astronomically and died in 32 AD
can be seen in the following section.

Astronomical, Biblical, and Historical Proof

Jesus Was Born on the 19th of Nisan in 1 BC
23

ASTRONOMICAL PROOF: There is historical and astronomical proof that that Herod
the Great died in the historical year of 0001 BC, which is the astronomical year 0000 BC.
According to Josephus certain teachers of the Law excited the young men to pull:
down the eagle [of Rome from the temple gate], and cut it into pieces with axes,
while a great number of the people were in the temple.. Herod deprived this
Matthias of the high priesthood, and burnt the other Matthias, who had raised the
sedition, with his companions, alive. And that very NIGHT there was an ECLIPSE of
the MOON. [After Herods death, his son] Archelaus paid him so much respect, as
to continue his mourning till the seventh day; for so many days are appointed for it by
the law of our fathers.
[At this time many of the Jews] lamented Matthias, and those that were slain with
him by Herod.... The people made a great clamor and lamentation. The people
assembled together, and desired of Archelaus, that, in way of revenge on their
account, he would inflict punishment on those who had been honored by Herod.
This was granted by Archelaus, although he was mightily offended at their
importunity, because he proposed to himself to go to Rome immediately to look after
Caesar's determination about him.
Now, upon the approach of that Feast of Unleavened Bread, which Feast is called
the PASSOVER, the seditious lamented Judas and Matthias, those teachers of the
laws. Now Archelaus thought there was no way to preserve the entire government
but by cutting off those who made this attempt upon it; so he slew three thousand
men. After [this] Archelaus sailed for Rome (The Complete Works of Josephus,
Antiquities of the Jews, bk 17, chp 6, sec 3; chp 9, sec 1, 3).
When one examines all the events that took place between the above lunar eclipse and
Herods death, it is only logical to assume there must have been at least 3 months between
these events. Usually public mourning of kings were 30 days (Josephus, Wars of the Jews,
bk 3, chp 9, sec 5), but the 7-day substitute for Herods funeral was not only because of the
approaching of the Feast of Passover, which forbid mourning during this period (Mishnah,
Moed Katan 3:5), but also because Archelaus was anxious to get to Rome to obtain
Caesars approval of his kingship.
NASAs Lunar Eclipse table gave the following information for a NIGHT ECLIPSE in
the: Astronomical year 0000 (or 1 BC historical), on Jan 09 Greenwich Time (or Jan 10 US
Time), at the Universal or Greenwich Time of 23:08 (or 11:08 PM)
(www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LE-0099-0000.html). This NIGHT eclipse is a
very realistic and probable date of Herods eclipse. Since there is no 0 BC, this date would
be 1\9\1 BC historically. The only other lunar eclipses that took place in the astronomical
year of 0000 BC were the July 5th and December 29th eclipses, which came AFTER the
Passover and therefore could not be the eclipse Josephus mentioned.
Some biblical historians believe the lunar eclipse that occurred in the astronomical year
of -0003 (or 4 BC historically), on March 13, at 00:40 AM Greenwich Time was the eclipse
that Josephus spoke of. Since April 2 of that year on the Julian Calendar was the 14th of
Nisan or the Passover on the Hebrew Calendar, 20 days would not have been enough time
for the events that preceded Herods death and his funeral procession to take place.
Therefore, this cannot be Herods eclipse. In the twentieth century, many Biblical
24

chronologists have argued in support for an atronomical 1 BC date for the death of Herod.
Dr. John Pratt in his article Yet Another Eclipse For Herod stated:
The date of the reported lunar eclipse shortly before the death of King Herod has
long been recognized to be important for delimiting possible dates for the birth of
Christ. For many years it has been believed that the eclipse occurred on March 13,
4 B.C., and hence that Christ must have been born about 6-5 B.C. However, recent
re-evaluation has raised questions about that eclipse. This paper proposes Christ
was born at the PASSOVER SEASON of 1 B.C. [astronomical or 2 BC historical].
PROBLEMS WITH 4 B.C.: Filmer proposed the Jan. 10, 1 B.C. eclipse for
Herod. So many events are recorded by Josephus as occurring after the eclipse and
before the following PASSOVER, that it appears impossible (or extremely unlikely)
that they all occurred in only 30 days, as required by the 4 B.C. scenario. Each of
these events probably took at least a week: Herod's sickness increased; part of his
body putrefied and bred worms; He was taken at least ten miles to warm baths and
returned when treatment failed; He ordered important men to come from every
village in the nation (up to 70-80 miles); they arrived.
Herod's son Antipater was executed and Herod died five days later. A
magnificent funeral was planned and held for Herod, whose body was carried about
23 miles and then buried; A 7-day mourning began, followed by a funeral feast;
Another public mourning was planned and held for the patriots who had been
executed during the day preceding the night of the eclipse. Herod's son Archelaus
would never have delayed until after the next Passover to go to Rome to confirm his
kingship.
EMPIRE-WIDE REGISTRATION: Until recently, no empire-wide enrollment
(Luke 2:1) was known that would have been required of Joseph and Mary; the
commonly cited taxation of 8 B.C. applied only to Roman citizens. Now Martin has
identified it as a combined census and oath of allegiance to Augustus. [that began at
the time] the title pater patriae (father of thy country) [was bestowed on Augustus]
by the senate on Feb. 5, 2 B.C. (Res Gestae 35; Ovid, Fasti 2.129). Josephus records
that over 6,000 Pharisees refused to pledge their good will to Caesar (about a YEAR
or so BEFORE Herod died), (Ant. XVII.ii.4.) probably referring to that oath because
the census would have recorded how many refused. Orosius (a fifth century historian)
clearly links an oath to the registration at the birth of Christ.
If Christ was baptized in A.D. 29, one needs only to count back about thirty years
[i.e. 1 BC]. The early Christian fathers, such as Irenaeus and Epiphanius, accepted
the straightforward interpretation that it meant a few months less than thirty. Christ
made a point of fulfilling the law of Moses in every detail (Mat. 5:17), which would
have included beginning his public ministry at age 30 (Num. 4:3). Luke says the
decree was made in those days (Luke 2:1), referring back to when John the Baptist
had been born about six months earlier.
THE JUNE 17, 2 B.C. CONJUCTION: Many conjunctions in the 3-2 B.C. skies
have been noted that might have been interpreted by the magi as being signs of the
birth of Christ (Mosley, 1987, pp. 43-54), but one far excels the others as being truly
outstanding. The conjunction of Jupiter and Venus on June 17, 2 B.C. was so close
25

that the two planets would have appeared to touch each other. Calculations indicate
that there has never been a brighter, closer conjunction of Venus and Jupiter so near
to the bright star Regulus in Leo in the 2000 years before or since. It is hard to
know how the magi might have read signs in the heavens, but it has been noted that
Jupiter/Zeus was the father god and was often associated with the birth of kings, that
Venus was the mother, or goddess of fertility, and that Leo, with the bright king-star
Regulus, was the king constellation associated with Judah and royalty (Mosley, 1980,
p. 8). Thus, this combination seems to be a natural to be interpreted as the coming of
the King of the Jews (Mat. 2:2).
It has also been noted that when the two planets fused into one (Sinnott, Roger,
Thoughts on the Star of Bethlehem, Sky & Telescope, Dec 1968, 36, 384. He
discovered this conjunction) they would have appeared to be in a marriage union
with each other (Martin, p. 16). CONCLUSION: The principal conclusion is that
Herod died in early A.D. 1. A secondary proposal is that Christ was probably born
near Passover, about April 6-9, 1 BC (NASAs Eclipse Home Page, reprinted from the
Planetarian, vol. 19, no. 4, Dec. 1990, pp. 8-14; The Planetarian is the Journal of the
International Planetarium Society).
There were NO ECLIPSES that took place before the Passover in the astronomical
and historical year of 1 AD. There were 3 lunar eclipses that occurred that year, the first
took place on: Jun 24 at 09:12 AM, the second on: Nov 19 at 16:35 PM, and the third on:
Dec 19 at 05:26 AM. Professor William P. Bidelman of Case Western Reserve University
(Warner and Swasey Observatory) in an article entitled The Bimillenary of Christ's
Birth:
The Astronomical Evidence stated: There have been several attempts to date the
events in Christs life by reference to astronomical phenomena. Since he was certainly
born before the death of Herod the Great, much has been made of Josephus'
statement that Herod died shortly after an eclipse of the moon visible from Jericho.
Most chronologists, following the lead of the great Johann Kepler, have assumed that
the relevant eclipse was that of March 13, of the year 4 B.C. Yet it has been known
for centuries that there were several other eclipses, one as late as January 10 of 1
B.C., that could also qualify.
Another astronomical approach to the problem has been to attempt to determine
the nature and hopefully the time of appearance of the Christmas Star, the sight of
which inspired the wise mens visit to Israel (Hughes 1979). In this connection it is
well to refer to Matthews exact words concerning this phenomenon. I quote from the
1961 New English Bible: After his birth astrologers from the east arrived in
Jerusalem, asking, where is the child who is born to be king of the Jews? We
observed the rising of his star, and we have come to pay him homage. And again:
They set out at the kings bidding; and the star which they had seen at its rising went
ahead of them until it stopped above the place where the child lay. At the sight of the
star they were overjoyed.
There are at least two important points raised by this account. First, the star
apparently had meaning only for the astrologers; no one else is reported to have seen
it. And second, it is implied that the astrologers had lost sight of the star during their
trip from their homeland (Babylon? Persia?) to Jerusalem, but that they then saw it
26

again on their way to Bethlehem. The fact that the star was not generally seen gives
considerable credence to the idea that what the astrologers observed was not a
conventional star like a nova or a supernova but rather what may be called a sign in
the heavens such as a conjunction, or close approach, of two or more planets. And if
indeed, a planetary conjunction was meant, it appears that the same planets were
involved in two conjunctions, occurring several months apart.
The discovery by Sinnott (1968) of two notable conjunctions of Venus and Jupiter
revealed in the extensive planetary tables of Tuckerman (Tuckerman B., 1962,
Planetary, Lunar, and Solar Positions 601 B.C. to A.D. 1). Both occurred in Leo. The
first of these was a close morning conjunction on August 12 of 3 B.C. which Mosley
(1987) has shown to have been only about 4.3 arcminutes in separation, while the
second was an extremely close (0.5 arcminutes) evening conjunction on June 17 of 2
B.C. Sinnott and others have assumed that it was the second conjunction that led to
the astrologers trip to Jerusalem. (NASAs Eclipse Home Page, reprinted from the
Planetarian, vol 20, #3, September 1991; International Planetarium Society).
According to the Bible, the birth of Christ happen during the following events: Now it
happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census [apographo]
should be made of the whole inhabited world. This census [apographe] -- the first [of its
kind] took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be registered
[apographo], each to his own town. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
for Judaea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of Davids House and line, in
order to be registered [apographo] together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child
(Lk 2:1-5, NJB). Dr. Joseph Henry Thayer in his Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament defined apographo as:
(From Herodotus down); a. to write off, copy (from some pattern). b. to enter in a
register or records; specifically, to enter in the public records the names of men, their
property and income, to enroll (#605). He defined apographe: a. a writing off, transcript
(from some pattern). b. an enrolment (or registration) in the public records of
persons together with their property and income, as the basis of an (census or
valuation), i. e. that it might appear how much tax should be levied upon each one:
Luke 2:2; Acts 5:37 (#604).
Dr. John Mosley, program supervisor of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, in his
article entitled, Common Errors in Star of Bethlehem stated:
[Section] 2. When determining the date of the birth of Christ, Dionysious
Exiguus a Scythian monk and prominent scholar who lived in Rome, and who had
access to the state and church archives, including many records now lost to us
carefully selected the year we would call 1 B.C. for the birth of Christ....
[Section] 6. The Incorrect Translation of Lukes Word Apographe as Tax in the
King James Version: The correct word for tax is apotimesis, while apographe is
properly translated as registration or enrollment and does not imply the payment of
goods or money. The corrected New English Version: In those days a decree was
issued by Emperor Augustus for a GENERAL REGISTRATION throughout the
Roman world. This was the FIRST REGISTRATION of its kind; and it took place
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
27

The correct identity of Luke's registration has been a longstanding puzzle to

historians. Recently Dr. Ernest Martin suggested that it was an OATH of
ALLEGIANCE made on the occasion of Augustus Silver Jubilee in 2 B.C. On
February 5 of that year, Augustus was awarded the title Pater Patriae, Father of the
Country, in a year of celebrations that commemorated the 750th anniversary of the
legendary founding of Rome.... In the autograph account of his own life, the Res
Gestae, Augustus wrote: While I was administering my 13th consulship the senate and
the equestrian order and the entire Roman people gave me the title Father of My
County.
The 5th century historian Orosius told how in that same year Augustus ordered
that a CENSUS be taken of each province everywhere and that all men be
ENROLLED. This is the earliest and most famous public acknowledgement which
marked Caesar as the first of all men, and the Romans as lords of the world. In this
one name of Caesar all the peoples of the great nations took OATH, and at the same
time, through the participation in the CENSUS, were made a part of one society.
Josephus relates that therefore the whole Jewish nation took an OATH to be faithful
to Caesar and the interests of the king (Herod) (NASAs Eclipse Home Page:
www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html).
This census was completed in 1BC. Josephus speaking of this census wrote:
Caesar Augustus, high priest and tribune of the people, ordains thus: Since the
nation of the Jews hath been found grateful to the Roman people, not only at this
time, but in time past also, and chiefly Hyrcanus the high priest, under my father
Caesar the emperor, it seemed good to me and my counselors, according to the
sentence and OATH of the people of Rome, that the Jews have liberty to make use of
their own customs, according to the law of their forefathers, as they made use of them
under Hyrcanus the high priest of the Almighty God. And I give order that the
TESTIMONAL which they have given me, on account of my regard to that piety.
And if any one transgress any part of what is above decreed, he shall be severely
punished. This was inscribed upon a pillar in the temple of Caesar (The Complete
Works of Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, bk 16, chp 6, sec 2).
Josephus speaking of the Pharisees who rejected this census declared:
These are those that are called the sect of the Pharisees, who were in a capacity of
greatly opposing kings. A cunning sect they were, and soon elevated to a pitch of open
fighting and doing mischief. Accordingly, when all the people of the Jews gave
ASSURANCE of their GOOD-WILL to CAESAR, and to the kings government,
these very men did NOT SWEAR, being above six thousand (Josphus, Antiquities, bk
17, chp 2, sec 4 also see bk 18, chp 5, sec 3).

BIBLICAL PROOF
The Bible reveals that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and raised or born from the dead on
the 19th of Nisan, which is Resurrection Day or three and half days after His death and
burial. Jesus Birth at Bethlehem: For to which of the angels did He ever say: You
28

are My Son, Today I have begotten You? And again: I will be to Him a Father, and He
shall be to Me a Son? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: Let
all the angels of God worship Him (Heb 1:5-6; also Psa 2:7). Jesus Birth from the
Dead: God has fulfilled this [promise] for us their children, in that He has raised up
Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: You are My Son, Today I have begotten
You. And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption (Acts 13:3334).
Since the great apostle Paul applied Psalm 2 to Jesus natural birth and birth from the
dead, i.e. His resurrection, this must mean that they both happen on the very same day.
Jesus resurrection took place three days after He was crucified and buried on the 15th of
Nisan on the Hebrew Calendar or Wednesday April 14th on the Julian Calendar, therefore
His resurrection must have taken place on the 19th of Nisan or Sunday 18th of April.
Therefore, both passages of Scripture harmonize perfectly, and there is no contradiction in
scriptures. Let us examine other passages of Scripture that reveal this truth.

Jesus Baptism: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. It came to
pass that Jesus also was baptized. Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about [hosei]
thirty years of age (Lk 3:1-3, 21-23). Drs. Young and Darby both translated verse 23 this
way: And Jesus himself was beginning to be about [hosei] thirty years old. According to
Drs. Timothy and Barbara Friberg, in their Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament,
the Greek adverb hosei, when used: with numbers and measures means: about, nearly
(#29110). This to me would imply days, not months! Therefore, Jesus was almost 30 years
old when He was baptized and started His ministry.
I believe that the 15th year of Tiberius reign began in late August of 28 AD. The proof
for this date will be given in the next section of this book. Now reason dictates that John the
Baptist did not immerged anyone in the Jordan River in the cold months of October,
November, and December of 28 AD, or in January and February of 29 AD. The Word of
God emphatically reveals that Jesus was NOT born in the winter months, for Luke declared
that the Angel of the Lord told: the Shepherds living out in the fields, who were keeping
watch over their flock by night, that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Lk 2:7-18). Since the
shepherds would not have been living in the fields, and keeping watch over their sheep and
sleeping outdoors in the above cold months, Jesus must have been born in the warmer
months. Therefore, the earliest time Jesus could have been baptized in 29 AD, would have
been in March.

Jesus Ministered for A Little More Than Three Years, That Is from 29-32
AD: Jesus Himself declared that His Ministry lasted more than 3 years. Jesus declared this
in His parable of the Fig Tree, which represented the Nation of Israel:
The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) Luke 13:5-9: Unless you turn from your sins, you will
all die similarly. Then Yeshua [Jesus] gave this illustration: A man [i.e. a Certain One God] had a fig tree [i.e. the People of Israel] planted in His vineyard [i.e. in the Land of
Palestine], and He [God] came looking for fruit but didnt find any. 7 So He said to the man
[i.e. Jesus Gods Humanity] who took care of the vineyard, Here, Ive come looking for
fruit on this fig tree for THREE YEARS now without finding any. Cut it down - why let it
go on using up the soil? 8 But He [i.e. Jesus Gods Humanity] answered, Sir, leave it alone
ONE more YEAR. Ill dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit NEXT YEAR,
29

well and good; if not, You will have it cut down then.
This TRUTH can also be seen in the Infallible Word of God in the New Testament by
counting the NUMBER of PASSOVERS Jesus attended! In order to do this we must also
take into account a Harmony of the Gospels of Christ. Since John and Matthew were
apostles of Christ, and were actually with Him during the following events, I will mostly
quote from their Gospels and give the Gospels of Mark and Luke as references that record
the same events! So with this in mind, let us proceed:

JESUS FIRST PASSOVER

Jesus Baptism Just before His 30th Birthday: Matthew 3:13-17: Then Jesus
came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. When He had been
baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened
to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And
suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased (Jn 1:28-34; Lk 3:21-23).
John 1:28-34: These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was
baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold! The Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world! And John bore witness, saying, I saw the
Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know
Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, Upon whom you see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I
have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.

Second Day: Jesus First Call for Men to Follow Him: John 1:35-51: Again,
the NEXT DAY, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked,
he said, Behold the Lamb of God! The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed
Jesus. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon
Peters brother. And he brought him to Jesus. The FOLLOWING DAY Jesus wanted to
go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, Follow Me. Now Philip was from
Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael.
Third Day: Jesus and His Five Disciples Attend A Wedding Feast: John 2:12, 9, 11: On the THIRD DAY there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of
Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. The water
that was made wine. This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested
His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

Jesus First Passover with Five of His Disciples: John 2:13-25: Now the
PASSOVER of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the
TEMPLE those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing
business. Then His DISCIPLES remembered that it was written, Zeal for Your house
has eaten Me up. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the PASSOVER, during the feast,
many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. At this Passover, Jesus
had a long discourse with Nicodemus about the New Birth (Jn 3:1-21).
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Jesus Left Jerusalem and Returned to the Jordan River, Where He and His
Disciples Baptized Converts: John 3:22-36: AFTER these things Jesus and His
disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now
John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And
they came and were baptized. For John had NOT yet been thrown into prison.
Salim was probably the Shalem mentioned in Genesis 33:18, which was about 7 miles
south of Aenon, at the head of the great Wady Farah that formed the northern boundary of
Judea in the Jordan valley. Let my readers take special not to the phrase John had NOT
yet been thrown into prison at that time. This is very important to remember when judging
the time sequence of events!

Jesus and His 5 Disciples Left Judea and Went to Samaria: John 4:1-43:
Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and
baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),
He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. A
woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give Me a drink. For His
DISCIPLES had gone away into the city to buy food. Now after the two days He
departed from there and went to Galilee.
Jesus Sent His Five Disciples to Their Homes in Galilee, As He Went into
the Wilderness for Forty Days: Matthew 4:1-12: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted FORTY DAYS and
FORTY DAYS NIGHTS, afterward He was hungry. Then the devil left Him, and behold,
angels came and ministered to Him. Now when Jesus heard that John had been PUT in
prison, He departed to Galilee (also Mk 1:12-14; Luke 4:1-13). As one examines and
compares the four Gospels of Christ, they will surely perceives that Jesus must have sent
His 5 disciples home when He went into the wilderness. The following is the proof of this
truth!

Jesus Goes to Several Cities in Galilee Without Any Disciples with Him:
John 4:45-54: So when HE [not they] came to Galilee, the Galileans received HIM, having
seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the Feast [i.e. the Passover Feast]; for they also
had gone to the Feast. So Jesus came AGAIN to Cana of Galilee where He had made the
water wine. And there was a certain nobleman said to Him, Sir, come down before my
child dies! Jesus said to him, Go your way; your son lives. So the man believed the word
that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. This again is the SECOND SIGN Jesus did
when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Jesus Goes to Nazareth Without Any Disciples with Him: Luke 4:14-30: Then
Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all
the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So He
CAME to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. He said to them, You will surely
say this proverb to Me, Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in
Capernaum, do also here in Your country. Then passing through the midst of them, He
went His way.

Jesus Second Call for Men to Follow Him: Matthew 4:13-22: And LEAVING
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Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun
and Naphtali. And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called
Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He
said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. They IMMEDIATELY left
their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the
son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their
nets. He called them, and IMMEDIATELY they left the boat and their father, and followed
Him (also Mk 1:15-20).

Jesus Teaches the Beatitudes, which after His Death Becomes Some of the
Laws of the New Covenant that Later Replaced the Mosaic Laws: Matthew 5:18:1: And seeing the multitudes, He went up ON A MOUNTAIN, and when He was seated
His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed
are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. When He had come down
from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. Jesus teaches the Beatitudes to a
multitude twice, once when He was on a mountain and only had 4 disciples, and another
time after He chose 12 apostles and came down from a mountain.

Jesus Calls Matthew to Be His Disciple: Matthew 9:9-17: As Jesus passed on

from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him,
Follow Me. So he arose and followed Him. [Jesus told the disciples of John, no one
puts] new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the
wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved
(also Mark 2:13-22; Lk 5:27-39).
JESUS SECOND PASSOVER
Sometime in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of John, the Feasts of Passover and Pentecost
is completed, as the following passages of Scripture will Prove!
John 5:1-9: After this there was a FEAST of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a POOL, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda,
having five porches. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity THIRTYEIGHT YEARS. Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your bed and walk. And immediately
the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The
phrase FEAST of the Jews is used by John to refer to the Passover Feast, as can be seen
in: Now the PASSOVER, a FEAST of the Jews, was NEAR (Jn 6:4).
CJB

John 5:1, 5: After this, there was a Judean FESTIVAL; and Yeshua went up to
Yerushalayim. One man was there who had been ill for THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS. CJB
is the Complete Jewish Bible that is published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc.
and is distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources International.
180 AD: Bishop Irenaeus of France writing around this time against the Ebionites and
other Gnostic Sects, refers to the above passage of scripture, and reveals that this Feast is
indeed a Passover Feast, and it is the SECOND PASSOVER FEAST that our Lord
attended in Jerusalem during His Ministry. This Bishop proclaimed for all Ebionites to
read:
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Moreover, they [the Gnostics] affirm that He suffered in the twelfth month, so that
He continued to preach for one year after His baptism. But it is greatly to be
wondered at, how it has come to pass that, while affirming that they have found out
the mysteries of God, they have NOT examined the Gospels to ascertain how OFTEN
after His baptism the Lord went up, at the time of the PASSOVER, to Jerusalem, in
accordance with what was the practice of the Jews from every land, and every year,
that they should assemble at this period in Jerusalem, and there celebrate the FEAST
of the PASSOVER.
FIRST [PASSOVER] of all, after He had made the water wine at Cana of Galilee,
He went up to the FESTIVAL day of the PASSOVER. Afterwards He went up, the
SECOND TIME, to observe the FESTIVAL day of the PASSOVER in Jerusalem; on
which occasion He cured the PARALYTIC MAN, who had lain beside the POOL
THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS, bidding Him rise, take up his couch, and depart. Again,
withdrawing from thence to the other side of the sea of Tiberias (Ante Nicene
Fathers, vol 1, Irenaeus Against Heresies, bk 2, chp 22, sec 1 & 3, pp 808-810; also see
Tertullian who taught in Africa in 200 AD: ANF vol 3, Tertullian, part 3, On Baptism,
chp 5 The Angel at the Pool of Bethsaida, pg 1259).
It appears to me that these Ebionites and other Gnostics Sects have not learned much in
2,000 years about the Infallible Word of God in the New Testament, of which they still
denounce most of it as writings inspired by Lucifer, especially the Epistles of Paul, who was
a great APOSTLE of the Lamb of God! I wonder how anyone can denounce the validity of
Gods Word and the Deity of Christ as much as they do and still claim to be Christians;
evidently they following the ways of their FATHER Lucifer, who deceived Eve into
questioning the validity of Gods Word when he said: Has God indeed said and then
completely denying its validity: Then the SERPENT said to the woman, You will not
surely die (Gen 3:1-4).

Passover Is Over and Countdown of Seven Sabbaths to Pentecost Begins:

Luke 6:1-13: Now it happened on the SECOND SABBATH after the FIRST that He went
through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them,
rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, Why are you doing
what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath? Now it came to pass in those days that He went
out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was
day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also
named apostles (Mt 12:1-2; Mk 2:23-28). This event might have taken place in Jerusalem.
Leviticus 23:5, 15-16: On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the
LORD's Passover. And you shall COUNT for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath,
from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: SEVEN SABBATHS shall be
completed. COUNT FIFTY DAYS to the day after the SEVENTH SABBATH. The day
after the Seventh Sabbath is the FEAST of PENTECOST.

Jesus Teaches the Beatitudes a Second Time to A Multitude After He Came

Down from A Mountain Near Capernaum: Luke 6:17-7:1: And He CAME DOWN
with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of
people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon who came
to hear Him and be healed of their diseases. Then He lifted up His eyes toward His
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disciples, and said: Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. Now when
He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.

John in Prison Inquires of Jesus: Matthew 11:2-30: And when John had heard in
prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, Are You the
Coming One, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell
John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are
cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to
them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me (Luke 7:18-35).
Jesus Gave the Parables on a Boat Close by the Sea: Matthew 13:1-3, 56: On
the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were
gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood
on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: Behold, a sower
went out to sow. Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He
departed from there. And when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their
synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, Where did this Man get this wisdom and
these mighty works? Is this not the carpenters son? Is not His mother called Mary? And
His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?
Where then did this Man get all these things (also Mk 4:1-41; Lk 8:4-25).

Jesus Cross over the Sea and went to the Land of the Gadarenes with His
Disciples: Mark 5:1-20: Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the
Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the
tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one
could bind him, not even with chains. And he [the man whom Jesus cast demons out of]
departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all
marveled. (Lk 8:26-39).

Jesus Cross over the Sea again and Goes Back to Capernaum with His
Disciples: Mark 5:21-29: Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other
side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the
rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus and begged Him earnestly, saying, My little
daughter lies at the point of death. So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude
followed Him and thronged Him. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve
years. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that
she was healed of the affliction. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her
[Jairus daughter], Talitha, cumi, which is translated, Little girl, I say to you, arise.
Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were
overcome with great amazement (also Lk 8:40-56).

Jesus Returns to Nazareth this Time with His Disciples: Mark 6:1-6 Then He
went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And
when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him
were astonished, saying, Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this,
which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the
carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not
His sisters here with us? And they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, A
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prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his
own house. Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few
sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went
about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Jesus Sends Out His Twelve Apostles to All the Cities to Proclaim His
Message: Mark 6:1-13: And He called the TWELVE to Himself, and began to send them
out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. So they went out and preached
that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who
were sick, and healed them.

John the Baptist Is Martyred: John 5:33-35: You have sent to John, and he has
borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things
that you may be saved. He WAS [en] the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing
for a time to rejoice in his light.
CJB John 5:33-35: You have sent to Yochanan [John], and he has testified to the truth.
Not that I collect human testimony; rather, I say these things so that you might be saved.
He WAS [en] a lamp burning and shining, and for a little while you were willing to bask in
his light (Complete Jewish Bible). The Greek verb en or h=n is in the IMPERFECT or
PAST TENSE, no voice, indicative mood, 3rd person, singular number, and it is from the
Greek verb eivmi, or I am. In other words, John is being referred to in the PAST
TENSE, that is, he is DEAD!
Matthew 14:11-12: At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and
said to his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the DEAD, and therefore
these powers are at work in him. Then his disciples came and took away the body and
buried it, and went and told Jesus (also Mk 6:14; Lk 9:7).

JESUS THIRD PASSOVER

Sometime between the 6th and 8th chapters of the Gospel of John, the Feasts of Passover,
Pentecost, and Tabernacle is completed, as the following passages of Scripture will Prove!

Jesus Feeds 5,000 Men Plus Women and Children Just before He Goes to
His Third Passover Feast in Jerusalem: John 6:1-9: Jesus then goes over the Sea of
Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him. Now the
PASSOVER, a FEAST of the Jews, was NEAR. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon
Peters brother, said to Him, There is a lad here who has FIVE BARLEY LOAVES and
TWO small FISH, but what are they among so many. They gathered them up, and filled
twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who
had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly
the Prophet who is to come into the world.
Matthew 14:13-21: When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted
place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the
cities. But Jesus said to them, They do not need to go away. You give them something to
eat. And they said to Him, We have here only FIVE LOAVES and TWO FISH. So they
all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.
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Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children (also
Mk 6:33-44; Luke 9:1-13).

Jesus Walks on Water: Jesus then left the mountain and walks on water to His
disciples who were in a boat going to Capernaum. John 6:15-21: Therefore when Jesus
perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He
departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. 16 Now when evening came, His disciples
went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. 19 So
when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and
drawing near the boat; and they were afraid (also Matthew 14:22-25; Mk 6:45-52).
Jesus gives His speech on His body being the Bread of Life in a synagogue in
Capernaum. Many of His disciples stop following Him at that time (Jn 6:22-67).

Jesus and His Apostles Go to the Land of Tyre and Sidon: Matthew 15:21-25:
Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And
behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, Have
mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed. But He
answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, Send her away,
for she cries out after us. But He answered and said, I was not sent except to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel. Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me!

Passover Is Now Past and Jesus Goes to Jerusalem for the Feast of
Tabernacles: John 7:1-2, 14, 37: After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did
not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews FEAST of
TABERNACLES. Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and
taught. On the last day, that great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If
anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink
At this time the religious leaders of Jerusalem brought to Jesus a woman caught in
committing adultery (Jn 8:1-11). Jesus told the Jews, just before He left the temple, that
Abraham saw His day and He existed before Abraham was born (Jn 8:56-59). Jesus then
heals the man born blind at the Pool of Siloam and the religious leaders threw the blind
man out of the synagogue (Jn 9:1-41). Jesus gives His good Shepard speech (Jn 10:1-21).

Jesus Goes to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication: John 10:22: Now it was
the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. The Feast of Dedication in
Jerusalem took place from December 19th-25th.

JESUS FOURTH PASSOVE

John 12:1: Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus
was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.
Matthew 16:21: From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to
Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised the third day (also Mk 10:32-34; Lk 9:51).
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CONCLUSION: the above order of events that happen after Jesus baptism reveal
that His birthday must have been in the month of the Passover, and since the apostle Paul
compared Jesus natural birth with His birth from the dead, this can only mean that both
took place on the same day, which no doubt was the day of His resurrection from the dead,
i.e., the 19th of Nisan.

Jesus Attended Four Passovers After He Was Baptized: John definitely

mentions 3 of the Passovers by name, and he calls 1 by the name of feast. The 1st Passover
would have taken place in 29 AD on Nisan the 14th, which was 5 day before His 30th
birthday (cp Lk 3:21-23 & Jn 1:29-34 with 2:13; 4:3; 5:1). Jesus 2nd Passover would have
been in 30 AD on Nisan the 14th when He was almost 31 years old (Jn 5:1), even though the
Bible does not name this feast, I believe it was a Passover Feast, and it took place after John
the Baptist was dead (cp Jn 5:1, 33-36 with 6:1). The 3rd Passover Jesus attended took place
in 31 AD on Nisan the 14th when He was almost 32 years old (cp Jn 6:4 with 7:2).
The 4th Passover was in 32 AD on Nisan the 14th when He was 5 days from being 33
years old; this would have taken place in the 18th year of Tiberius' reign (cp Jn 11:55 with
12:1). Since Jesus ate supper with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha 6 days before He died, this
would have been on 4\8\32 AD (Jn 12:1). The next day or 4\9\32 AD, Jesus rode into
Jerusalem and the Jews proclaimed Him as their KING (Jn 12:12-16). This was the day
that Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said: If you had known THIS your DAY. But
they are hidden from your eyes (Lk 19:37-42). Jesus no doubt said this in reference to
Daniels prophecy of Seventy-Weeks of Years in which Messiah the Prince would come.
Another way of knowing that Jesus ministry lasted more than 3 years can be seen from
the parable of the fig tree: He also spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig tree
planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to
the keeper of his vineyard, Look, for THREE YEARS I have come seeking fruit on this fig
tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said
to him, Sir, let it alone THIS YEAR ALSO, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it
bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down (Lk 13:6-9). Therefore, if the
above dates are correct, Jesus would have been born in 1 BC, and He would have been 30
year old in the 15th year of Tiberius reign, which would have been in 29 AD.

HISTORICAL PROOF
According to International Standard Bible Encyclopedia:
The question is, from what date is this [Jesus 30th birthday] to be reckoned - the
date of Tiberius co-regency, 13 (or 11) AD, or from his accession, 14 AD (, vol 5, pg
2980)?
By comparing the length of reigns of each Roman Emperor from Tiberius through
Vespasian, which Josephus gave in his history, it will be easy to show that Tiberius reign
must have began in 13AD, for only this year would place the fall and destruction of the city
of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
All historical dates of the reign of Roman Emperors are taken from The Complete Works
of Josephus and his history Wars of the Jews. Each date begins with the sole reign of that
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