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Re: century debate



Hello list:

Mercer University is a traditionally Baptist school in Middle Georgia.  I am part of a Sunday
afternoon study of the New Testament right now with Rick Wilson, a respected professor of
Christianity here.  In our first week he mentioned the birth of Christ as 6 B.C.E.  After seeing the
conversation on list about that event, I asked him his thoughts on the timing. For those interested,
here's his reply:

"Roman history is quite clear that Herod "the Great" died in 4 B.C.E.
(according to the revised Gregorian calendar that was adopted in the 16th
century).

Given that pretty secure date of the death of Herod, there is good
reason
to set the birth of Jesus no later than 6 B.C.E., since Matthew identifies
the
edict of Herod to slaughter the male children in Bethlehem "two years old
and
younger."

Matthew also notes that after the death of Herod Joseph moved his family
(Mary
and Jesus) to Nazareth.

What Matthew does not help with is how long Joseph kept his family in
Egypt.
Neither does Matthew say how soon after the arrival of the magi that
Joseph
moved to Egypt.

All of which is to say that setting the dates of events in the life of
Jesus
are always tentative. I've not even begun to go into the question of when
the
Passover began on the sabbath (an issue if one reads John according to a
calendar, for example) and whether or not the length of the ministry of
Jesus
is three years--as John suggests--or shorter."