The death of Herod 4BC, 1BC or 1AD?

[37818]

The high priest Matthias ben Theophilus, had a seminal discharge in his sleep, a wet dream during the night immediately before the day of Yom Kippur, which made him ceremonially unclean and thus unable to perform his duties as high priest during the next day. For this reason Herod had him replaced with a relative, Joseph ben Ellemus, on a temporary basis. (Josephus, Antiquities, Book 17 (Niese 17:165-7; Whiston xvii.6.4))

Although the high priest is permitted to perform any priestly function, the only function which he, and he alone, is required to perform is sacrificing on Yom Kippur and entering the Holy of Holies.

It was also about that time that Herod had Rabbi Matthias ben Margalothus put to death by burning. On the night of the execution of Matthias ben Margalothus there was a lunar eclipse. (Josephus, AntiquitiesAncient Roman Statutes, A Translation With Introduction, Commentary, Glossary and Index. (Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press; 1961. Reprinted Clark, New Jersey: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.; 2003) 127.) If that was about the same time as the census in Judea, that would put the birth of Jesus in 5 BC.

Jesus would have been nearly 32 years old or older by Passover, AD 28.
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Note: 1 BC is considered Year 0000 by calculation. 5 BC is Year -0004.

The death of Heard is an important question regarding the date of the birth of Christ.

[Cow Poke]

The death of Heard is an important question regarding the date of the birth of Christ.

I "Heard" that!

[Just Passing Through]

[Faber]

Some comments:

1. The lack of any known census or registration in 5 or 6 BC.

There is the census I had mentioned earlier in the form of a loyalty oath to the Roman gods, as had been discovered in Neapolis. But Josephus confirms that this loyalty oath reached Judea, forcing six thousand pharisees to be punished by Herod with a fine, which was afterwards paid by the wife of Pheroras, Herod's younger brother:

(Josephus. Antiquities, (Niese 17:41-42; Whiston xvii.2.4); Ralph Marcus, Ph.D., trans., Josephus, with an English Translation In Nine Volumes, Vol. VIII, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1963, 1969) 391, 393)

I agree. Those who argue for the 1 BC death of Herod the Great correctly argue that the span of twenty nine days from the eclipse on March 13, 4 BC to Passover on April 11, 4 BC is too short a time for the events listed in the second chronology above. How many days after the execution of Matthias ben Margalothus did Herod wait before taking a trip to the hot baths at Callilrrhoe? How many days did he stay there before returning to Jericho? Then he sent messages throughout Judea and Galilee summoning the local leaders to Jerusalem to be held captive, then it would take several days for the most distant in Galilee to arrive. And how long after that did he try to kill himself? Then five days later he finally died. Then It would take several days for Archelaus to send messages to all the leaders around the Roman Empire, inviting them to the funeral. It would take several days for the dignitaries and armies to arrive. Then there were seven days of mourning, and twenty five days for the funeral procession from Jericho where Herod died, to reach Herodium, where Herod was buried (traveling barefoot one mile per day for twenty five miles).

4. One of his successors, Philip, minted a coin in 1AD that said Year 5, I believe.

Not familiar with this, but the BC/AD calendar didn't exist until Pope John I asked Dionysius Exiguus to produce a 95-year calendar with the dates of Easter. Dionysius didn't want to refer to the commonly used Anno Diocletiani because Diocletian was an evil persecutor. So Anno Diocletiani 240 became Anno Domini 524. But it's my understanding that coins minted by Philip also had the face of the current Roman Emperor, and were dated according to the year of that emperor's reign.

Eis Ton Daniel, 4.23.3) dates the birth of Jesus on December 25, 2 BC or 3 BC. 3 BC would be a week short of a full 42 years since Octavian was elected consul. That would agree with Irenaeus and Tertullian. Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, Book 1, Chapter 21) sets the birth of Jesus at 194 years, 1 month, 13 days before the death of Commodus, which puts it on November 18, 3 BC. Eusebius (Historia Ecclesiastica, i.5.2) also placed it in the 42nd year of Augustus and the 28th year after the subjugation of Egypt, or 2 BC.

[37818]

I "Heard" that!

The android spell check changed Herod to Heard. I didn't catch it.

[Sparko]

The android spell check changed Herod to Heard. I didn't catch it.

So you admit that robots control you!

[Cow Poke]

The android spell check changed Herod to Heard. I didn't catch it.

Siri does a lot worse.

[Just Passing Through]

https://books.google.com/books?id=zB...20oath&f=falsehttp://www.academia.edu/4000855/_We_...pas_and_Philip

[Faber]

Yeah, I totally misunderstood you on that. I thought you were saying that the coin was dated 5 AD.