20 INTRODUCTION TO THE HARMONY. CHAP. V.
To fix the year of Christ's birth, we have to direct our attention to the following passages:
Matthew 2. 1–16; Luke 3. 1, 2, 23; and John 2. 20.
1. According to Matt. 2. 1–16 Christ was born not very long before the death of Herod
the Great which happened A. U. C. 750 about the end of March, shortly before the Passover.
Now, for the events intervening between Christ's birth and Herod's death, viz. the forty days
of purification, the arrival of the Magi, and the flight to Egypt, we have—at the least—to
allow a space of two months. Hence our Lord's birth cannot in any case be fixed later than
January 750 A. U. C.
2. The star of the Magi (Matt. 2.). Astronomical calculations have proved, that in the
year 747 A. U. C. there was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of Pisces, and that
in 748 Mars too joined in this constellation, which, it is alleged, must have prepared the minds
of those Magi for coming great events, though it was only the subsequent appearance of the
new star itself, the proper Messias—star, which gave them absolute certainty as to the birth of
the expected king of the Jews. As however we do not know the exact time when this new
star was first seen by them, it is obvious that the above calculations cannot result in more than
giving us an approximate idea of the time of Christ's birth. Highly interesting is the fact that
even in the Chronological Tables of Ancient Chinese History, considered authentic by the
distinguished French astronomer Pingré (“Cométographie" Paris 1783. 2 Vol.) as well as by
Alex. Humboldt ("Kosmos" Vol. I. p. 389, & Vol. III. p. 561), we find the record of a comet
which in 749 A. U. C. became visible for 70 days (from Febr. to April), and re—appeared in
April 750 A. U. C.
3. In John 2. 20 the Jews say: "Forty and six years was this temple in building”.
Herod commenced building the temple in 734 A. U. C. in the Jewish month of Kislew (Dec.).
Adding 46 years, we come to December 780 A. U. C. Hence the Passover, at which the Jews
referred to these 46 years as a period past and completed, can be none else than that of the
year 781 A. U. C. (30th March). This was the first Passover within the time of the public
ministry of Christ, and for the few transactions preceding the same, viz. a short stay at Capernaum
(John 2. 12), the marriage at Cana (2. 1–11), the calling of the first four disciples (1. 35–51),
the Baptist's testimony (1. 19–34), and the temptation in the wilderness, we can hardly reckon
more than three months. Hence the baptism of Christ would fall in December 780. And
since our Lord at the time of His baptism was "about 30 years old" (Luke 3. 23), this would
carry back the year of His birth to December 750 A. U. C. This result disagrees with the
above computation (Matt. 2. 1–16) by about one year, and it remains an open question, whether
we are justified in attempting the removal of this discrepancy, partly by assuming an interval of
about nine months between Christ's baptism and His attendance at the first Passover (John 2.)
and partly by stretching the "ósei" in Luke 3. 23 ("about 30 years of age) so as to make it
equivalent to 30 years and 5 or 6 months. It has been urged, that both John and Jesus had to
enter upon their ministry at the age of thirty, in accordance with the Levitical custom (Num. 4.
3, 47). But as this subsequently was reduced to the age of twenty (i. Chron. 23. 24; ii. Chron.
31. 17), we doubt whether any stress can be laid on this point.
4. A similar result is attained by the note of time in Luke 3. 1, 2, according to which
John the Baptist entered upon his ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius. It is now nearly
generally admitted, that, as Luke speaks of "ẽgemonía" (rule) and not of "monarchía" (sole rule),
he seems to include the two years of co—regency, in which Tiberius indeed possessed a power
in no way inferior to that of Augustus. Augustus died in A. U. C. 767 (August); hence the
fifteenth year of Tiberius was from August 781 to August 782. Including, however, the two
years of his co—regency, 1) the fifteenth year of Tiberius might be understood to run from Aug'
779 to Aug. 780. This then is the time referred to by Luke (3. 1, 2). But to fix the precise
time within these 12 months, when the Baptist entered upon his ministry or when he baptized
our Saviour, is impossible. And for this very reason the question as to the exact time of the
year when Christ—junior to John by about six months —was born, must remain undecided
notwithstanding the remark in Luke 3. 23.
1) Prof. Wieseler refers to coins, which, struck as early as 765 A. U. C. in Antioch in Syria, bear the image
of Tiberius and the inscription: "Sebastós," i.e. the Imperial title. If so, why should Luke be found
with for computing similarly?—
