How Old Was Jesus Upon His Crucifixion?

[Philip]

Interesting Christianity Today article on asserted common Easter sermon errors: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/201 ... ermon.html

Leads off with speculation upon Jesus actual age, that he may have been as old as 38:

1. Don't say Jesus died when he was 33 years old.

The common assertion seems reasonable that if Jesus "began his ministry" when he "was about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23) and engaged in a three-year ministry (John mentions three Passovers, and there might have been a fourth one), then he was 33 years old at the time of his death. However, virtually no scholar believes Jesus was actually 33 when he died. Jesus was born before Herod the Great issued the decree to execute "all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under" (Matt. 2:16, ESV) and before Herod died in the spring of 4 B.C. If Jesus was born in the fall of 5 or 6 B.C., and if we remember that we don't count the "0" between B.C. and A.D., then Jesus would have been 37 or 38 years old when he died in the spring of A.D. 33 (as we believe is most likely). Even if Jesus died in the year A.D. 30 (the only serious alternative date), he would have been 34 or 35, not 33 years old. No major doctrine is affected by this common misconception. But don't damage your credibility by confidently proclaiming "facts" from the pulpit that are not true.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

I may be dreaming or confused, but wasn't there a recorded earthquake circa 30s AD, along with abnormal daytime darkness? I seem to remember having read that in Biblical Archaeology Review sometime ago...

FL

[PaulSacramento]

I may be dreaming or confused, but wasn't there a recorded earthquake circa 30s AD, along with abnormal daytime darkness? I seem to remember having read that in Biblical Archaeology Review sometime ago...

FL

I read about that too.
Here is the link.
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/dail ... eposition/

exert:

Geologists Jefferson B. Williams, Markus J. Schwab and A. Brauer examined disturbances in sediment depositions to identify two earthquakes: one large earthquake in 31 B.C.E., and another, smaller quake between 26 and 36 C.E. In the abstract of their paper, the authors write, “Plausible candidates include the earthquake reported in the Gospel of Matthew, an earthquake that occurred sometime before or after the crucifixion and was in effect ‘borrowed’ by the author of the Gospel of Matthew, and a local earthquake between 26 and 36 AD that was sufficiently energetic to deform the sediments at Ein Gedi but not energetic enough to produce a still extant and extra-biblical historical record. If the last possibility is true, this would mean that the report of an earthquake in the Gospel of Matthew is a type of allegory.”


Another view:

http://www.icr.org/article/greatest-earthquakes-bible/

[B. W.]

2 Samuel 5:4 states that David became King when 30 years old and was around 12-16 years old when Samuel anointed him.

The Messiah would be from King David's live and is referred to being this in the OT Prophecies concerning the Messiah. The people of that era understood the Star and King Herod act of slaying the the children as sure signs the Messiah had been born. So would he appear at 12 years old or around 30 years old from the time of the bright star?

Therefore the phrase concerning Jesus being around 30 years old is an indication of the high Messianic expectation of that era and Jesus fulfillment of the OT prophecies about the Messiah.
-
-
-

[SoCalExile]

I ran into this today: http://www.academia.edu/2474489/Jerusal ... e_Dead_Sea

Not sure of the scientific validity.

As for the eclipse: http://www.bethlehemstar.net/the-day-of ... -argument/

[Philip]

B.W: 2 Samuel 5:4 states that David became King when 30 years old and was around 12-16 years old when Samuel anointed him.

The Messiah would be from King David's live and is referred to being this in the OT Prophecies concerning the Messiah. The people of that era understood the Star and King Herod act of slaying the the children as sure signs the Messiah had been born. So would he appear at 12 years old or around 30 years old from the time of the bright star?

Therefore the phrase concerning Jesus being around 30 years old is an indication of the high Messianic expectation of that era and Jesus fulfillment of the OT prophecies about the Messiah.

Bryan, could you please flesh that out a bit, I find it a bit unclear. Thanks.

[crochet1949]

Hi -- I just found this thread -- does it really matter exactly how old Jesus Christ was at his crucifixion? Be it at 33, 34, 35? Isn't the More important fact here - is that He did Indeed die on the cross and did in fact rise again bodily from the grave?

[Proinsias]

From the last line of the OP:

No major doctrine is affected by this common misconception. But don't damage your credibility by confidently proclaiming "facts" from the pulpit that are not true.