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at the latest (see Morten Hørning Jensen, “Antipas-The Herod Jesus Knew,” BAR, September/October 2012).
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#Whos making star wars eclipse trial#
In addition, from Herod the Great’s son and successor Herod Antipas, who ruled over Galilee until 39 B.C., who ordered the execution of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14–29) and who had a supporting role in Jesus’ trial (Luke 23:7–12), we have coins that make reference to the 43rd year of his rule, placing its beginning in 4 B.C. Counting backward his reign began in 4 B.C. 6, in the tenth year of his reign (Dio Cassius, Roman History 55.27.6 Josephus, Antiquities 17.13.2). Third, we know that the reign over Samaria and Judea of Herod’s son and successor Archelaus began in 4 B.C., based on the fact that he was deposed by Caesar in A.U.C.
#Whos making star wars eclipse plus#
Using so-called inclusive counting, this, too, places Herod’s death in 4 B.C.īecome a Member of Biblical Archaeology Society Now and Get More Than Half Off the Regular Price of the All-Access Pass! Explore the world’s most intriguing Biblical scholarshipĭig into more than 9,000 articles in the Biblical Archaeology Society’s vast library plus much more with an All-Access pass. and 34 years from his conquest of Jerusalem in 37 B.C. Second, Josephus writes that Herod reigned for 37 years from the time of his appointment in 40 B.C. eclipse) much more likely than one in December. First, Josephus informs us that Herod died shortly before a Passover ( Antiquities 17.9.3, The Jewish War 2.1.3), making a lunar eclipse in March (the time of the 4 B.C. These reasons were articulated by Emil Schürer in A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, also published in the 19th century. There are three principal reasons why the 4 B.C. Professor Cramer’s argument was made in the 19th century by scholars such as Édouard Caspari and Florian Riess. Cramer argues that Herod the Great most likely died shortly after the lunar eclipse of December 29, 1 B.C., rather than that of March 13, 4 B.C., which, as Cramer points out, is the eclipse traditionally associated with Josephus’s description in Jewish Antiquities 17.6.4 (Queries & Comments, “When Was Jesus Born?” BAR, July/August 2013) and which is used as a basis to reckon Jesus’ birth shortly before 4 B.C. Perhaps the much-maligned monk who calculated the change of era was not quite so far off as has been supposed. That then dates the death of Herod the Great into the first year of the current era, four years after the usual date. Of these two, the one on December 29, just two days before the change of eras, gets my vote since it was the one most likely to be seen and remembered. There were no lunar eclipses visible in Judea thereafter until two occurred in the year 1 B.C. Unfortunately, this eclipse was visible only very late that night in Judea and was additionally a minor and only partial eclipse.
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This is traditionally ascribed to the eclipse of March 13, 4 B.C. This date is based on Josephus’s remark in Antiquities 17.6.4 that there was a lunar eclipse shortly before Herod died. Readers may be interested to learn there is reason to reconsider the date of Herod’s death. Let me add a footnote to Suzanne Singer’s report on the final journey of Herod the Great ( Strata, BAR, March/April 2013): She gives the standard date of his death as 4 B.C. Below, read letters published in the Q&C section of BAR debating the dates of Herod’s death, Jesus’ birth and to which lunar eclipse Josephus was referring. Cramer, in a letter to BAR, has pointed out that there was another lunar eclipse visible in Judea-in fact, two-in 1 B.C., which would place Herod’s death-and Jesus’ birth-at the turn of the era.
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Therefore it is often said that Jesus was born in 4 B.C.īut physics professor John A. This is generally regarded as a reference to a lunar eclipse in 4 B.C. Josephus relates Herod’s death to a lunar eclipse. Both Luke and Matthew mention Jesus’ birth as occurring during Herod’s reign (Luke 1:5 Matthew 2:1).
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