while the old truth and faith of Christendom remains unshaken, and marches on in its peaceful
conquest against sin and error
Truly, Jesus Christ, the Christ of the Gospels, the Christ of history, the crucified and risen
Christ, the divine-human Christ, is the most real, the most certain, the most blessed of all facts.
And this fact is an ever-present and growing power which pervades the church and conquers the
world, and is its own best evidence, as the sun shining in the heavens. This fact is the only solution
of the terrible mystery of sin and death, the only inspiration to a holy life of love to God and man,
and only guide to happiness and peace. Systems of human wisdom will come and go, kingdoms
and empires will rise and fall, but for all time to come Christ will remain "the Way, the Truth, and
the Life."§16. Chronology of the Life of Christ.
See the Lit. in §14, p. 98, especially Browne, Wieseler, Zumpt, Andrews, and Keim
We briefly consider the chronological dates of the life of Christ.
I. The Year of the Nativity.—This must be ascertained by historical and chronological
research, since there is no certain and harmonious tradition on the subject. Our Christians aera,
which was introduced by the Roman abbot Dionysius Exiguus, in the sixth century, and came into
general use two centuries later, during the reign of Charlemagne, puts the Nativity Dec. 25, 754
Anno Urbis, that is, after the founding of the city of Rome.^104 Nearly all chronologers agree that
this is wrong by at least four years. Christ was born a.u. 750 (or b.c. 4), if not earlier.
This is evident from the following chronological hints in the Gospels, as compared with
and confirmed by Josephus and contemporary writers, and by astronomical calculations.
The Death of Herod.
(1) According to Matthew 2:1 (Comp. Luke 1:5, 26), Christ was born "in the days of king
Herod" I. or the Great, who died, according to Josephus, at Jericho, a.u. 750, just before the Passover,
being nearly seventy years of age, after a reign of thirty-seven years^105 This date has been verified
by the astronomical calculation of the eclipse of the moon, which took place March 13, a.u. 750,
a few days before Herod’s death.^106 Allowing two months or more for the events between the birth
of Christ and the murder of the Innocents by Herod, the Nativity must be put back at least to February
or January, a.u. 750 (or b.c. 4), if not earlier.
Some infer from the slaughter of the male children in Bethlehem, "from two years old and
under,"^107 that Christ must have been born two years before Herod’s death; but he counted from
the time when the star was first seen by the Magi (Matt. 2:7), and wished to make sure of his object.(^104) The fathers distinguish between the Nativity (γένεσις, Matt. 1:18) and the Incarnation (σάρκωσις) and identify the Incarnation
with the Conception or Annunciation. Since the time of Charlemagne the two terms seem to have been used synonymously. See
Ideler, Chronol., ii. 383, and Gieseler, i. 70 (4th Germ. ed.).
(^105) Jos., Antiqu., xvii. 8,1: "Herod died ... having reigned since he had procured Antigonus to be slain [a.u. 717, or B.C. 37],
thirty-four years, but since he had been declared king by the Romans [a.u. 714, or B.C. 40], thirty-seven." Comp. the same
statement in Bell. Jud., i. 33, 8, and other passages.
(^106) According to Josephus, Antiqu. xvii. 6, 4: "And that night there was an eclipse of the moon." It is worthy of note that
Josephus mentions no other eclipse in any of his works.
(^107) Matt. 2:16: πάντας τοὺς παῖδος ... ἀπὸδιετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω κατὰ τον̀ χρόνον ὃν ἠκρίβωσεν παρὰ τῶν μάγων.
A.D. 1-100.