Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Lee
So, let's believe Jesus when he tells us he entered the priesthood -- i.e., began his ministry -- at age 46. That ministry lasted 3.5 years, which means that Jesus was age 49 or 50 at the time of his grisly crucifixion, which agrees with Irenĉus' account.
|
Not only did Jesus say he was 46, but the Jews also admitted that He was a man in His 40'ies - i.e. close to 50:
John 8:57
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
I'll let Irenĉus expound on this verse (taken from
the same link):
Against Heresies 2,22,6:
But, besides this, those very Jews who then disputed with the Lord Jesus Christ have most clearly indicated the same thing. For when the Lord said to them, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad,” they answered Him, “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?” Now, such language is fittingly applied to one who has already passed the age of forty, without having as yet reached his fiftieth year, yet is not far from this latter period. But to one who is only thirty years old it would unquestionably be said, “Thou art not yet forty years old.” For those who wished to convict Him of falsehood would certainly not extend the number of His years far beyond the age which they saw He had attained; but they mentioned a period near His real age, whether they had truly ascertained this out of the entry in the public register, or simply made a conjecture from what they observed that He was above forty years old, and that He certainly was not one of only thirty years of age. For it is altogether unreasonable to suppose that they were mistaken by twenty years, when they wished to prove Him younger than the times of Abraham. For what they saw, that they also expressed; and He whom they beheld was not a mere phantasm, but an actual being of flesh and blood. He did not then want much of being fifty years old; and, in accordance with that fact, they said to Him, “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?” […]