Quote:
Originally Posted by Holyfield
Historically Jesus could not have been as old as 46 at the time of His crucifixion.
The taxing that Luke 2:1-2 mentions most probably took place in 7 BC.
Pilate was prefect of Judaea between 26 AD and 37 AD.
Hence Jesus must have been between the age of 33 and 44 when He was crucified.
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Holyfield, we know that Jesus was born during the reigns of Herod the Great (37-4 BC) and Caesar Augustus (27 BC-14 AD). The only pieces of the puzzle that may not seem to fit are the timing of the census and Cyrenius' governorship.
Josephus suggests that the census took place as late as 6 or 7 AD. But as Christians, if there appears to be a discrepancy between Scripture and secular history and archaeology, we look for answers that confirm the Word of God. There are many theories out there. I did some googling. Some say that
Cyrenius served two terms as governor of Syria and that his first term was earlier than Josephus stated. Or that there was
more than one census during Caesar Augustus' reign. Or that
many years elapsed between the issuing of the decree and Cyrenius' ascension to office and the completion of the census. These sites generally support a relatively late date for the birth of Jesus (by ignoring John's account!), but it goes to show that there are many plausible alternatives. I know I would rather trust the Bible over some old book written by Josephus decades after the events actually occurred. The internal evidence of the Bible suggests Jesus was 46 when He cleansed the Temple. We don't need to twist the Bible to fit history. We need to find possible historical scenarios that fit the Bible.