Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ

In this book, Hoehner tries to elucidate the dates of major events in Jesus' life such as his birth, start of ministry, crucifixion, etc. Hoehner does this largely by using extrabiblical information about the Roman Empire and linking it to data from the gospels, especially Luke. Hoehner did his Ph.D. on Herod Antipas, qualifying him as an expert on first century Judaic/Roman history. It comes through on every page. The book is a fascinating read because the author masterfully puts together the brief bits of information we read in the gospels, such as which year of Tiberius' reign an event occurred, with extrabiblical Roman history to put together a chronology. You will learn a tremendous amount about Herod and Pontius Pilate. For example, why is it that Pilate was so weak-willed in the gospel accounts, which contrasts with some of his previous brutalities and strong leadership? The answer comes from a conflict with Claudius involving a man named Sejanus. You will learn why Pilate then gave Jesus over to Herod for him to decide. All this Roman history will really add insight into your reading of the gospels. Hoehner is also very fair when he establishes dates. He lists all the major views on a given point, and then weighs the pros and cons. He is so careful and rigorous in scholarship, documenting everything that he says, that you will continually go back to this book as a reference. One conclusion that he fairly decisively argues is that Jesus was crucified on Friday, April 3, AD 33. Some other scholars argue for an AD 30 crucifixion, but Hoehner clearly shows why that view is deficient. This book is not for everyone: if you are not a fan of history or the type of person who cares exactly when various events occurred, you will not enjoy this book. Even if you do care, as a word of caution, the level of detail in this book is very high and might bore some. The book is not easy to sit and read straight through. Many people may find the book most useful as a reference tool. In fact, my recommendation would be to read his concluding chapter *first*. You get to see where he is going, and read the final chronology. To understand a particular issue, such as "was Jesus crucified on a Wednesday or Friday?" you could then turn back and read the relevant chapter. For the serious New Testament student, there are a number of extremely valuable finds that you will very likely want to go back and re-read later. For example, was the Last supper a Passover meal or not? If so, why wasn't it celebrated on Friday with everyone else? Hoehner masterfully covers this difficult subject with great scholarship and insight. As an added bonus, Hoehner concludes by reflecting on the meaning of Daniel 9:25-26. Sir Robert Anderson published a book called "The Coming Prince" in the late 1800s on that subject but made an error in his calculation. Hoehner corrects the error to arrive at an astounding conclusion. The last strength of the book is its br

This book has been in on my shelf for years and I find myself going back to it time and time again. This will make sense out of many of the dates that seem odd. The chapter on Daniel's 70-7 is priceless.

Objective, balanced, packed with references. One of those must-have books. Even if you disagree with some of Hoehner's conclusions (like I), you will meet with one of the great minds of Biblical chronology. It is a wonder when you come across gems like this book.If you are interested in the date of the nativity, other books that will delight and perhaps frustrate you: both volumes of "Chronos, Kairos, Christos." These two rare books are simply invaluable to a researcher. Volume II includes David W. Beyer's hard-to-find essay which powerfully supports a 1 BC dating for the death of Herod the Great (contra Hoehner, who wrote Chronological Aspects before Beyer published). Beyer's work is so persuasive that it caused the late great chronologist Jack Finegan to embrace this new (actually, ancient) view. This new chronology is used on bethlehemstar.net.

This volume is invaluable for pastors, teachers of the Word, or laymen serious about studying the life of Christ. It addresses the year of Christ's birth, the year of His death and Resurrection (as well as the days of both of the above), and even deals with the sequence of Daniel's 70 weeks. I have used this book for 22 years of pastoral ministry; it is on my list of books I refuse to loan out because I never want to be without it. The work is conservative, scholarly, and leads to clear summaries and conclusions. A must have reference book!

Learn when Christ was born, when his ministry began, and when he died. Key dates for events in the life of Jesus are presented in this well documented book. The author supports his conclusions using data from scripture, history, and science. This book is academic, but is not difficult to read.