CATHOLIC Encyclopedia - Chronology of The Life of Jesus Christ

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Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ
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In the following paragraphs we shall endeavour to establish the absolute and relative
chronology of our Lord's life, i.e. we shall show first how certain facts connected with the
history of Jesus Christ fit in with the course of universal history, and secondly how the rest of
the life of Jesus must be arranged according to the inter-relation of its single elements.
The incidents whose absolute chronology may be determined with more or less probability are
the year of Christ's nativity, of the beginning of His public life, and of His death. As we cannot
fully examine the data entering into these several problems, the reader ought to compare what
has been said on these points in the article BIBLIC A L CHRO NO LOGY.
The Nativity
St. Matthew (2:1) tells us that Jesus was born "in the days of King Herod". Josephus (Ant.,
XVII, viii, 1) informs us that Herod died after ruling thirty four years de facto, thirty seven years
de jure. Now Herod was made rightful king of Judea A.U.C . 714, while he began his actual rule
after taking Jerusalem A .U.C. 717. As the Jews reckoned their years from Nisan to Nisan, and
counted fractional parts as an entire year, the above data will place the death of Herod in A.U.C .
749, 750, 751. Again, Josephus tells us from that an eclipse of the moon occurred not long
before Herod's death; such an eclipse occurred from 12 to 13 March, A .U.C. 750, so that Herod
www.newadvent.org/cathen/08377a.htm 1/17
must have died before the Passover of that year which fell on 12 April (Josephus, "Ant"., iv, 4;
viii, 4). As Herod killed the children up to two years old, in order to destroy the new born King
of the Jews, we are led to believe that Jesus may have been born A .U.C . 747, 748, 749. The
enrollment under Cyrinus mentioned by St. Luke in connection with the nativity of Jesus Christ,
and the remarkable astronomical conjunction of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in Pisces, in the
spring of A.U.C. 748, will not lead us to any more definite result.
Beginning of the public ministry
The date of the beginning of Christ's ministry may be calculated from three different data found
respectively in Luke 3:23; Josephus, "Bel. Jud." I, xxi, 1; or "Ant.", XV, ii, 1; and Luke 3:1.
The first of these passages reads: "And Jesus himself was beginning about the age of thirty
years". The phrase "was beginning" does not qualify the following expression "about the age of
thirty years", but rather indicates the commencement of the public life. As we have found that
the birth of Jesus falls within the period 747-749 , His public life must begin about 777-
A.U.C .
779 A.U.C .
Second, when, shortly before the first Pasch of His public life, Jesus had cast the buyers and
sellers out of the Temple, the Jews said: "Six and forty years was this temple in building" (John
2:20). Now, according to the testimony of Josephus (loc. cit.), the building of the Temple
began in the fifteenth year of Herod's actual reign or in the eighteenth of his reign de jure, i.e.
732 ; hence, adding the forty six years of actual building, the Pasch of Christ's first year of
A.U.C .
public life must have fallen in 778 A .U.C.
Third, the Gospel of St. Luke (3:1) assigns the beginning of St. John the Baptist's mission to
the "fifteenth year of the Tiberius Caesar". Augustus, the predecessor of Tiberius, died 19
August, 767 A .U.C., so that the fifteenth year of Tiberius's independent reign is 782 ; but
A .U.C .
then Tiberius began to be associate of Augustus in A .U.C. 764, so that the fifteenth year reckoned
from this date falls in A .U.C. 778. Jesus Christ's public life began a few months later, i.e. about
A .U.C. 779.
The year of the death of Christ
According to the Evangelists, Jesus suffered under the high priest Caiphas (A .U.C . 772-90, or
A.D. 18-36), during the governorship of Pontius Pilate A .U.C. 780-90). But this leaves the time
rather indefinite. Tradition, the patristic testimonies for which have been collected by Patrizi (De
Evangeliis), places the death of Jesus in the fifteenth (or sixteenth) year of Tiberius, in the
consulship of the Gemini, forty-two years before the destruction of Jerusalem, and twelve years
before the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles. We have already seen that the fifteenth year
of Tiberius is either 778 or 782, according to its computation from the beginning of Tiberius's
associate or sole reign; the consulship of the Gemini (Fufius and Rubellius) fell in A .U.C. 782; the
forty second year before the destruction of Jerusalem is A.D. 29, or A .U.C . 782, twelve years
before the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles brings us to the same year, A.D. 29 or A .U.C .
782, since the conversion of Cornelius, which marks the opening of the Gentile missions, fell
probably in A.D. 40 or 41.
The day of the death of Christ
Jesus died on Friday, the fifteenth day of Nisan. That He died on Friday is clearly stated by Mark
15:42, Luke 23:54, and John 19:31. The few writers who assign another day for Christ's death
are practically lost in the multitude of authorities who place it on Friday. What is more, they do
not even agree among themselves: Epiphanius, e.g., places the Crucifixion on Tuesday;
Lactantius, on Saturday; Westcott, on Thursday; Cassiodorus and Gregory of Tours, not on
Friday.
The first three Evangelists are equally clear about the date of the Crucifixion. They place the
Last Supper on the fourteenth day of Nisan, as may be seen from Matthew 26:17-20, Mark
14:12-17 and Luke 22:7-14. Nor can there be any doubt about St. John's agreement with the
Synoptic Evangelists on the question of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. The supper was
held "before the festival day of the Pasch" (John 13:1), i.e. on 14 Nisan, as may be seen from
Matthew 22:7-14. Nor can there be any doubt about St. John's agreement with the Synoptic
Evangelists on the question of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. The Supper was held
"before the festival day of the pasch" (John 13:1), i.e. on 14 Nisan, since the sacrificial day was
computed according to the Roman method (Jovino, 123 sqq., 139 sqq.).
Again, some disciples thought that Judas left the supper table because Jesus had said to him:
"Buy those things which we have need of for the festival day: or that he should give something
to the poor" (John 13:29). If the Supper had been held on 13 Nisan this belief of the disciples
can hardly be understood, since Judas might have made his purchases and distributed his alms
on 14 Nisan; there would have been no need for his rushing into the city in the middle of the
night. On the day of Christ's Crucifixion the Jews "went not into the hall, that they might not be
defiled, but that they might eat the pasch" (John 18:28). The pasch which the Jews wished to
eat could not have been the paschal lamb, which was eaten on 14 Nisan, for the pollution
contracted by entering the hall would have ceased at sundown, so that it would not have
prevented them from sharing in the paschal supper. The pasch which the Jews had in view
must have been the sacrificial offerings (Chagighah), which were called also pasch and were
eaten on 15 Nisan. Hence this passage places the death of Jesus Christ on the fifteenth day of
Nisan.
Again, Jesus is said to have suffered and died on the "parasceve of the pasch", or simply on the
"parasceve" (John 19:14, 31); as "parasceve" meant Friday, the expression "parasceve" denotes
Friday on which the pasch happened to fall, not the before the pasch. Finally, the day following
the parasceve on which Jesus died is called "a great sabbath day" (John 19:31), either to
denote its occurrence in the paschal week or to distinguish it from the preceding pasch, or day
of minor rest.
Relative chronology
No student of the life of Jesus will question the chronological order of its principal divisions:
infancy, hidden life, public life, passion, glory. But the order of events in the single divisions is
not always clear beyond dispute.
The infancy of Jesus
The history of the infancy, for instance, is recorded only in the First Gospel and in the Third.
Each Evangelist contents himself with five pictures:
St. Matthew describes the birth of Jesus, the adoration of the Magi, the flight into Egypt,
the slaughter of the Holy Innocents, and the return to Nazareth.
St. Luke gives a sketch of the birth, of the adoration of the shepherds, of the circumcision,
of the purification of the Virgin, and of the return to Nazareth.
The two Evangelists agree in the first and the last of these two series of incidents (moreover, all
scholars place the birth, adoration of the shepherds, and the circumcision before the Magi), but
how are we to arrange the intervening three events related by St. Matthew with the order of St.
Luke? We indicate a few of the many ways in which the chronological sequence of these facts
has been arranged.
First possibility
This order implies that either the purification was delayed beyond the fortieth day, which seems
to contradict Luke 2:22 sqq., or that Jesus was born shortly before Herod's death. so that the
Holy Family could return from Egypt within forty days after the birth of Jesus. Tradition does
not seem to favour this speedy return.
Second possibility
According to this order the Magi either arrived a few days before the purification or they came
on 6 January; but in neither case can we understand why the Holy Family should have offered
the sacrifice of the poor, after receiving the offerings of the Magi. Moreover, the first Evangelist
intimates that the angel appeared to St. Joseph soon after the departure of the Magi, and it is
not at all probable that Herod should have waited long before inquiring concerning the
whereabouts of the new born king. The difficulties are not overcome by placing the adoration
of the Magi on the day before the purification; it would be more unlikely in that case that the
Holy Family should offer the sacrifice of the poor.
T hird possibility
As Luke 2:39 appears to exclude the possibility of placing the adoration of the Magi between
the presentation and return to Nazareth, there are interpreters who have located the advent of
the wise men, the flight to Egypt, the slaughter of the Innocents, and the return from Egypt
after the events as told in St. Luke. They agree in the opinion that the Holy Family returned to
Nazareth after the purification, and then left Nazareth in order to make their home in
Bethlehem. Eusebius, Epiphanius, and some other ancient writers are willing to place the
adoration of the Magi about two years after Christ's birth; Paperbroch and his followers allow
about a year and thirteen days between the birth and the advent of the Magi; while Patrizi
agrees with those who fix the advent of the Magi at about two weeks after the purification. The
text of Matthew 2:1-2 hardly permits an interval of more than a year between the purification
and the coming of the wise men; Patrizi's opinion appears to satisfy all the data furnished by
the gospels, while it does not contradict the particulars added by tradition.
The hidden life of Jesus
It was in the seclusion of Nazareth that Jesus spent the greatest part of His earthly life. The
inspired records are very reticent about this period: Luke 2:40-52; Mark 6:3; John 6:42; 7:15,
are about the only passages which refer to the hidden life.
Some of them give us a general view of Christ's life: "The child grew, and grew in strength and
wisdom; and the grace of God was in him" is the brief summary of the years following the
return of the Holy Family after the ceremonial purification in the Temple. "Jesus advanced in
wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men", and He "was subject to them" form the
inspired outline of Christ's life in Nazareth after He had attained the age of twelve.
"When he was twelve years old" Jesus accompanied His parents to Jerusalem, 'according to the
custom of the feast'; When they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his
parents knew it not." After three days, they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions." It was on this occasion that Jesus spoke
the only words that have come down from the period of His hidden life: "How is it that you
sought me? Did you not know, that I must be about my Father's business [or, "in my Father's
house"]?"
The Jews tell us that Jesus had not passed through the training of the Rabbinic schools: "How
doth this man know letters, having never learned?". The same question is asked by the people
of Nazareth, who add, "Is not this the carpenter?" St. Justin is authority for the statement that
Jesus specially made "ploughs and yokes' (Contra Tryph., 88). Though it is not certain that at
the time of Jesus elementary schools existed in the Jewish villages, it may be inferred from the
Gospels that Jesus knew how to read (Luke 4:16) and write (John 8:6). At an early age He
must have learned the so called Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), and the Hallel, or Psalms 113-118
(Hebrew); He must have been familiar with the other parts of the Scriptures too, especially the
Psalms and the Prophetic Books, as He constantly refers to them in His public life. It is also
asserted that Palestine at the time of Jesus Christ was practically bilingual, so that Christ must
have spoken Aramaic and Greek; the indications that He was acquainted with Hebrew and Latin
are rather slight. The public teaching of Jesus shows that He was a close observer of the sights
and sounds of nature, and of the habits of all classes of men. For these are the usual sources of
His illustrations.
To conclude, the hidden life of Jesus extending through thirty years is far different from what
one should have expected in the case of a Person Who is adored by His followers as their God
and revered as their Saviour; this is an indirect proof for the credibility of the Gospel story.
The public life of Jesus: its duration
The chronology of the public life offers a number of problems to the interpreter; we shall touch
upon only two, the duration of the public life, and the successive journeys it contains.
There are two extreme views as to the length of the ministry of Jesus: St. Irenæus (Against
Heresies II.22.3-6) appears to suggest a period of fifteen years; the prophetic phrases, "the
year of recompenses", "the year of my redemption" (Isaiah 34:8; 63:4), appear to have
induced Clement of Alexandria, Julius Africanus, Philastrius, Hilarion, and two or three other
patristic writers to allow only one year for the public life. This latter opinion has found
advocates among certain recent students: von Soden, for instance, defends it in Cheyne's
"Encyclopaedia Biblica". But the text of the Gospels demands a more extensive duration. St.
John's Gospel distinctly mentions three distinct paschs in the history of Christ's ministry (2:13;
6:4; 11:55). The first of the three occurs shortly after the baptism of Jesus, the last coincides
with His Passion, so that at least two years must have intervened between the two events to
give us the necessary room for the passover mentioned in 6:4. Westcott and Hort omit the
expression "the pasch" in 6:4 to compress the ministry of Jesus within the space of one year;
but all the manuscripts, the versions, and nearly all the Fathers testify for the reading "En de
eggysto pascha heeorteton Ioudaion": "Now the pasch, the festival day of the Jews, was near at
hand". Thus far then everything tends to favour the view of those writers and more recent
commentators who extend the period of Christ's ministry a little over two years.
But a comparison of St. John's Gospel with the Synoptic Evangelists seems to introduce another
pasch, indicated in the Fourth Gospel, into Christ's public life. John 4:45, relates the return of
Jesus into Galilee after the first pasch of His public life in Jerusalem, and the same event is told
by Mark 1:14, and Luke 4:14. Again the pasch mentioned in John 6:4 has its parallel in the
"green grass" of Mark 6:39, and in the multiplication of loaves as told in Luke 9:12 sqq. But the
plucking of ears mentioned in Mark 2:23, and Luke 6:1, implies another paschal season
intervening between those expressly mentioned in John 2:13 and 6:4. This shows that the
public life of Jesus must have extended over four paschs, so that it must have lasted three years
and a few months. Though the Fourth Gospel does not indicate this fourth pasch as clearly as
the other three, it is not wholly silent on the question. The "festival day of the Jews" mentioned
in John 5:1, has been identified with the Feast of Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast
of Expiation, the Feast of the New Moon, the Feast of Purim, the Feast of Dedication, by various
commentators; others openly confess that they cannot determine to which of the Jewish feasts
this festival day refers. Nearly all difficulties will disappear if the festival day be regarded as the
pasch, as both the text (heorte) and John 4:35 seem to demand (cf. Dublin Review, XXIII, 351
sqq.).
The public life of Jesus: his journeys
The journeys made during His public life may be grouped under nine heads: the first six were
mainly performed in Galilee and had Capharnaum for their central point; the last three bring
Jesus into Judea without any pronounced central point. We cannot enter into the disputed
questions connected with the single incidents of the various groups.
First journey
December, A .U.C . 778 - Spring, 779. (Cf. John 1:2; Matthew 3:4; Mark 1; Luke 3:4)
Jesus abandons His hidden life in Nazareth, and goes to Bethania across the Jordan, where He
is baptized by John and receives the Baptist's first testimony to His Divine mission. He then
withdraws into the desert of Judea, where He fasts for forty days and is tempted by the devil.
After this He dwells in the neighbourhood of the Baptist's ministry, and receives the latter's
second and third testimony; here too He wins His first disciples, with whom He journeys to the
wedding feast at Cana in Galilee, where He performs His first miracle. Finally He transfers His
residence, so far as there can be question of a residence in His public life, to Capharnaum, one
of the principal thoroughfares of commerce and travel in Galilee.
Second journey
Passover, A .U.C . 779 - about Pentecost, 780. (Cf. John 2-5; Mark 1-3; Luke 4-7; Matthew 4-9)
Jesus goes from Capharnaum to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover; here he expels the
buyers and sellers from the Temple, and is questioned by the Jewish authorities. Many believed
in Jesus, and Nicodemus came to converse with Him during the night. After the festival days He
remained in Judea till about the following December, during which period He received the
fourth testimony from John who was baptizing at Ennon (A.V. Aenon). When the Baptist had
been imprisoned in Machaerus, Jesus returned to Galilee by way of Samaria where He met the
Samaritan woman at Jacob's well near Sichar; He delayed two days in this place, and many
believed in Him.
Soon after His return into Galilee we find Jesus again in Cana, where He heard the prayer who
pleaded for the recovery of his dying son in Capharnaum. The rejection of Jesus by the people
of Nazareth, whether at this time as, St. Luke intimates, or at a later period, as St. Mark seems
to demand, or again both now and about eight months later, is an exegetical problem we
cannot solve here. At any rate, shortly afterwards Jesus is mostly actively engaged in
Capharnaum in teaching and healing the sick, restoring among others Peter's mother-in-law
and a demoniac. On this occasion He called Peter and Andrew, James and John. Then followed
a missionary tour through Galilee during which Jesus cured a leper; soon he again taught in
Capharnaum, and was surrounded by such a multitude that a man sick of the palsy had to be
let down through the roof in order to reach the Sacred Presence. After calling Matthew to the
Apostleship, He went to Jerusalem for the second pasch occurring during His public life, it was
on this occasion that He healed the man who been sick for thirty-eight years near the pool at
Jerusalem. The charge of violating the Sabbath and Christ's answer were the natural effects of
the miracle. The same charge is repeated shortly after the pasch; Jesus had returned to Galilee,
and the disciples plucked some ripe ears in the corn fields. The question became more acute in
the immediate future; Jesus had returned to Capharnaum, and there healed on the Sabbath day
a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees now make common cause with the Herodians
in order to "destroy him". Jesus withdraws first to the Sea of Galilee, where He teaches and
performs numerous miracles; then retires to the Mountain of Beatitudes, where He prays during
the night, chooses His Twelve Apostles in the morning, and preaches the Sermon on the
Mount. He is brought back to Capharnaum by the prayers of the centurion who asks and
obtains the of his servant.
T hird journey
About Pentecost, A .U.C. 780- Autumn, 780. (Cf. Luke 7:8; Mark 3:4; Matthew 4, 8, 9, 12, 13)
Jesus makes another missionary tour through Galilee; He resuscitates the son of the widow at
Naim, and shortly afterwards receives the messengers sent by John from his prison in
Machaerus. Then follows the scene of the merciful reception of the sinful woman who anoints
the feet of the Lord while He rests at table in Magdala or perhaps in Capharnaum; for the rest
of His missionary tour Jesus is followed by a band of pious women who minister to the wants
of the Apostles. After returning to Capharnaum, Jesus expels the mute devil, is charged by the
Pharisees with casting out devils by the prince of devils, and encounters the remonstrances of
His kinsmen. Withdrawing to the sea, He preaches what may be called the "Lake Sermon",
consisting of seven parables.
Fourth journey
Autumn, A.U.C . 780- about Passover, 781. (Cf. Luke 8:9; Mark 4-6; Matthew 8, 9, 10, 13, 14)
After a laborious day of ministry in the city of Capharnaum and on the lake, Jesus with His
Apostles crosses the waters. As a great storm overtakes them, the frightened Apostles awaken
their sleeping Master, Who commands the winds and the waves. Towards morning they meet in
the country of the Gerasens, on the east of the lake, two demoniacs. Jesus expels the evil
spirits, but allows them to enter into a herd of swine. The beasts destroy themselves in the
waters of the lake, and frightened inhabitants beg Jesus not to remain among them. After
returning to Capharnaum he heals the woman who had touched the hem of His garment,
resuscitates the daughter of Jairus, and gives sight to two blind men. The second Gospel places
here Christ's last visit to and rejection by the people of Nazareth. Then follows the ministry of
the Apostles who are sent two by two, while Jesus Himself makes another missionary tour
through Galilee. It seems to have been the martyrdom of John the Baptist that occasioned the
return of the Apostles and their gathering around the Master in Capharnaum. But, however
depressing this event may have been, it did not damp the enthusiasm of the Apostles over their
success.
Fifth journey
Spring, A.U.C. 781. (Cf. John 6; Luke 9; Mark 6; and Matthew 14)
Jesus invites the Apostles, tired out from their missionary labours, to rest awhile. They cross
the northern part of the Sea of Galilee, but, instead of finding the desired solitude, they are met
by multitudes of people who had preceded them by land or by boat, and who were eager for
instruction. Jesus taught them throughout the day, and towards evening did not wish to
dismiss them hungry. On the other hand, there were only five loaves and two fishes at the
disposal of Jesus; after His blessing, these scanty supplies satisfied the hunger of five thousand
men, besides women and children, and remnants filled twelve baskets of fragments. Jesus sent
the Apostles back to their boats, and escaped from the enthusiastic multitudes, who wished to
make Him king, into the mountain where He prayed till far into the night. Meanwhile the
Apostles were facing a contrary wind till the fourth watch in the morning, when they saw Jesus
walking upon the waters. The Apostles first fear, and then recognize Jesus; Peter walks upon
the water as long as his confidence lasts; the storm ceases when Jesus has entered the boat.
The next day brings Jesus and His Apostles to Capharnaum, where He speaks to the assembly
about the Bread of Life and promises the Holy Eucharist, with the result that some of His
followers leave Him, while the faith of His true disciples is strengthened.
Sixth journey
About May, A .U.C. 781- Sept., 781. (Cf. Luke 9; Mark 7-9; Matthew 14-18; John 7)
It may be owing to the enmity stirred up against Jesus by His Eucharistic discourse in
Capharnaum that He began now a more extensive missionary tour than He had made in the
preceding years of His life. Passing through the country of Genesar, He expressed His
disapproval of the Pharisaic practices of legal purity. Within the boarders of Tyre and Sidon He
exorcized the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman. From here Jesus travelled first towards
the north, then towards the east, then south-eastward through the northern part of Decapolis,
probably along the foot of the Lebanon, till He came to the eastern part of Galilee. While in
Decapolis Jesus healed a deaf-mute, employing a ceremonial more elaborate than He had used
at any of His previous miracles; in the eastern part of Galilee, probably not far from
Dalmanutha and Magedan, He fed four thousand men, besides children and women, with seven
loaves and a few little fishes, the remaining fragments filling seven baskets. The multitudes had
listened for three days to the teaching of Jesus, previously to the miracle. In spite of the many
cures performed by Jesus, during this journey, on the blind, the dumb, the lame, the maimed,
and on many others, the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Him for a sign from heaven, tempting
Him. He promised them the sign of Jonas the Prophet. After Jesus and the Apostles had
crossed the lake, He warned them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees; then they passed
through Bethsaida Julias where Jesus gave sight to a blind man. Next we find Jesus in the
confines of Caesarea Philippi, where Peter professes his faith in Christ, the Son of the living
God, and in his turn receives from Jesus the promise of the power of the keys. Jesus here
predicts His passion, and about a week later is transfigured before Peter, James, and John,
probably on the top of Mt.Thabor. On descending from the mountain, Jesus exorcizes the mute
devil whom His disciples had not been able to expel. Bending his way towards Capharnaum,
Jesus predicts His Passion for the second time, and in the city pays the tribute-money for
Himself and Peter. This occasions the discussion as to the greater in the kingdom of heaven,
and the allied discourses. Finally, Jesus refuses His brethren's invitation to go publicly to the
Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.
Seventh journey
Sept., A .U.C . 781- December, 781. (Cf. Luke 9-13; Mark 10; Matthew 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 24;
John 7-10)
Jesus now "steadfastly set His face to go Jerusalem", and as the Samaritans refused Him
hospitality, He had to take the east of the Jordan. While still in Galilee, He refused the
discipleship of several half-hearted candidates, and about the same time He sent other seventy-
two, two by two, before His face into every city and place whither He Himself was to come.
Probably in the lower part of Peraea, the seventy-two returned with joy, rejoicing in the
miraculous power that had been exercised by them. It must have been in the vicinity of Jericho
that Jesus answered the lawyer's question, "Who is my neighbour?" by the parable of the Good
Samaritan. Next Jesus was received in the hospitable home of Mary and Martha, where He
declares Mary to have chosen the better part. From Bethania He went to Jerusalem for the Feast
of Tabernacles, where he became involved in discussions with the Jews. The Scribes and
Pharisees endeavoured to catch Him in the sentence which they asked Him to pronounce in the
case of the woman taken in adultery. When Jesus had avoided this snare, He continued His
discussions with the hostile Jews. Their enmity was intensified because Jesus restored sight to a
blind man on the Sabbath day. Jesus appears to have His stay in Jerusalem with the beautiful
discourse on the Good Shepherd. A little later He teaches His Apostles the Our Father, probably
somewhere on Mt. Olivet. On a subsequent missionary tour through Judea and Peraea He
defends Himself against the charges of Pharisees, and reproves their hypocrisy. On the same
journey Jesus warned against hypocrisy, covetousness, worldly care; He exhorted to
watchfulness, patience under contradictions, and to penance. About this time, too, He healed
the woman who had the spirit of infirmity.
Eighth journey
December, A .U.C . 781-February, 782. (Cf. Luke 13-17; John 10:11)

The Feast of Dedication brought Jesus again to Jerusalem, and occasioned another discussion
with the Jews. This is followed by another missionary tour through Peraea, during which Jesus
explained a number of important points of doctrine: the number of the elect, the choice of
one's place at table, the guests to be invited, the parable of the great supper, resoluteness in
the service of God, the parables of the hundred sheep, the lost groat, and the prodigal son, of
the unjust steward, of Dives and Lazarus, of the unmerciful servant, besides the duty of
fraternal correction, and the efficacy of faith. During this period, too, the Pharisees attempted to
frighten Jesus with the menance of Herod's persecution; on his part, Jesus healed a man who
had dropsy, on a Sabbath day, while at table in the house of a certain prince of the Pharisees.
Finally Mary and Martha send messengers to Jesus, asking Him to come and cure their brother
Lazarus; Jesus went after two days, and resuscitated His friend who had been several days in
the grave. The Jews are exasperated over this miracle, and they decree Jesus must die for the
people. Hence He withdrew "into a country near the desert, unto a city that is called Ephrem".
Ninth journey
February, A .U.C . 782- Passover, 782. (Cf. Luke 17-22; Mark 10, 14; Matthew 19-26; John 11,
12.)
This last journey took Jesus from Ephrem northward through Samaria, then eastward along the
border of Galilee into Peraea, then southward through Peraea, westward across the Jordan,
through Jericho, Bethania on Mt. Olivet, Bethphage, and finally to Jerusalem. While in the most
northern part of the journey, He cured ten lepers; a little later, He answered the questions
raised by the Pharisees concerning the kingdom of God. Then He urged the need of incessant
prayer by proposing the parable of the unjust judge; here too belong the parable of the
Pharisee and Publican, the discourse on marriage, on the attitude of the Church towards the
children, on the right use of riches as illustrated by the story of the rich young ruler, and the
parable of the labourers in the vineyard. After beginning His route towards Jerusalem, He
predicted His Passion for the third time; James and John betray their ambition, but they are
taught the true standard of greatness in the Church. At Jericho Jesus heals two blind men, and
receives the repentance of Zacheus the publican; here He proposed also the parable of the
pounds entrusted to the servants by the master.
Six days before the pasch we find Jesus at Bethania on Mt. Olivet, as the guest of Simon the
leper; Mary anoints His feet, and the disciples at the instigation of Judas are indignant at this
seeming waste of ointment. A great multitude assembles at Bethania, not to see Jesus only but
also Lazarus; hence the chief priests think of killing Lazarus too. On the following day Jesus
solemnly entered Jerusalem and was received by the Hosanna cries of all classes of people. In
the afternoon He met a delegation of Gentiles in the court of the Temple. On Monday Jesus
curses the barren fig tree, and during the morning He drives the buyers and sellers from the
Temple. On Tuesday the wonder of the disciples at the sudden withering of the fig tree
provokes their Master's instruction on the efficacy of faith. Jesus answers the enemies' questions
as to His authority; then He proposes the parable of the two sons, of the wicked husbandmen,
and of the marriage feast. Next follows a triple snare: the politicians ask whether it is lawful to
pay tribute to Caesar; the scoffers inquire whose wife a woman, who has had several husbands,
will be after resurrection; the Jewish theologians propose the question: Which is the first
commandment, the great commandment of the law? Then Jesus proposes His last question to
the Jews: "What think you of Christ? whose son is he?" This is followed by the eightfold woe
against the Scribes and Pharisees, and by the denunciation of Jerusalem. The last words of
Christ in the Temple were expressions of praise for the poor widow who had made an offering
of two mites in spite of her poverty. Jesus ended this day by uttering the prophecies concerning
the destruction of Jerusalem, His second coming, and the future judgement; these predictions
are interrupted by the parable of the ten virgins and the talents. On Wednesday Jesus again
predicted His Passion; probably it was on the same day that Judas made his agreement with
the Jews to betray Jesus.
The Passion of Jesus: its preparation
The history of Christ's Passion comprises three parts: the preparation for the Passion, the trial
of Jesus, and His death.
Jesus prepares His disciples for the Passion, He prepares Himself for the ordeal and His
enemies prepare themselves for the destruction of Jesus.
Preparation of the apostles
Jesus prepares His Apostles for the Passion by the eating of the paschal lamb, the institution of
the Holy Eucharist, the concomitant ceremonies, and His lengthy discourses held during and
after the Last Supper. Special mention should be made of the prediction of the Passion, and of
the betrayal one of the Apostles and the denial by another. Peter, James, and John are
prepared in a more particular manner by witnessing the sorrow of Jesus on Mt. Olivet.
Preparation of Jesus
Jesus must have found an indirect preparation in all He did and said to strengthen His Apostles.
But the preparation that was peculiarly His own consisted in His prayer in the grotto of His
Agony where the angel came to strengthen Him. The sleep of His favoured Apostles during the
hours of His bitter struggle must have prepared Him too for the complete abandonment He was
soon to experience.
Preparation of the enemies
Judas leaves the Master during the Last Supper. The chief priests and Pharisees hastily collect a
detachment of the Roman cohort stationed in the castle of Antonia, of the Jewish temple-watch,
and of the officials of the Temple. To these are added a number of the servants and
dependents of the high-priest, and a miscellaneous multitude of fanatics with lanterns and
torches, with swords and clubs, who were to follow the leadership of Judas. They took Christ,
bound Him, and led Him to the high-priest's house.
The Passion of Jesus: the trial
Jesus was tried first before an ecclesiastical and then before a civil tribunal.
Before ecclesiastical court

The ecclesiastical trial includes Christ's appearance before Annas, before Caiphas, and again
before Caiphas, who appears to have acted in each case as head of the Sanhedrin. The Jewish
court found Jesus guilty of blasphemy, and condemned Him to death, though its proceedings
were illegal from more than one point of view. During the trial took place Peter's triple denial of
Jesus; Jesus is insulted and mocked, especially between the second and third session; and after
His final condemnation Judas despaired and met his tragic death.
Before the civil court
The civil trial, too, comprised three sessions, the first before Pilate, the second before Herod,
the third again before Pilate.
Jesus is not charged with blasphemy before the court of Pilate, but with stirring up the people,
forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ the king. Pilate ignores the first
two charges; the third he finds harmless when he sees that Jesus does not claim royalty in the
Roman sense of the word.
But in order not to incur the odium of the Jewish leaders, the Roman governor sends his
prisoner to Herod. As Jesus did not humour the curiosity of Herod, He was mocked and set at
naught by the Tetrarch of Galilee and his court, and sent back to Pilate.
The Roman procurator declares the prisoner innocent for the second time, but, instead of
setting Him free, gives the people the alternative to choose either Jesus or Barabbas for their
paschal freedman. Pilate pronounced Jesus innocent for the third time with the more solemn
ceremony of washing his hands; he had recourse to a third scheme of ridding himself of the
burden of pronouncing an unjust sentence against his prisoner. He had the prisoner scourged,
thus annihilating, as far as human means could do so, any hope that Jesus could ever attain to
the royal dignity. But even this device miscarried, and Pilate allowed his political ambition to
prevail over his sense of evident justice; he condemned Jesus to be crucified.
The Passion of Jesus: his death
Jesus carried His Cross to the place of execution. Simon of Cyrene is forced to assist Him in
bearing the heavy burden. On the way Jesus addresses his last words to the weeping women
who sympathized with His suffering. He is nailed to the Cross, his garments are divided, and an
inscription is placed over His head. While His enemies mock Him, He pronounces the well-
known "Seven Words". Of the two robbers crucified with Jesus, one was converted, and the
other died impenitent. The sun was darkened, and Jesus surrendered His soul into the hands of
His Father. The veil of the Temple was rent into two, the earth quaked, the rocks were riven,
and many bodies of the saints that had slept arose and appeared to many. The Roman
centurion testified that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. The Heart of Jesus was pierced so as
to make sure of His death. The Sacred Body was taken from the Cross by Joseph of Arimathea
and Nicodemus, and was buried in the new sepulchre of Joseph, and the Sabbath drew near.
The glory of Jesus
After the burial of Jesus, the holy women returned and prepared spices and ointments. The
next day, the chief priests and Pharisees made the sepulchre secure with guards, sealing the
stone. When the Sabbath was passed, the holy women brought sweet spices that they might
anoint Jesus. But Jesus rose early the first day of the week, and there was a great earthquake,
and an angel descended from heaven, and rolled back the stone. The guards were struck with
terror, and became as dead men. On arriving at the sepulchre the holy women found the grave
empty; Mary Magdalen ran to tell the Apostles Peter and John, while the other women were
told by an angel that the Lord had arisen from the dead. Peter and John hasten to the
sepulchre, and find everything as Magdalen has reported. Magdalen too returns, and, while
weeping at the sepulchre, is approached by the arisen Saviour Who appears to her and speaks
with her. On the same day Jesus appeared to the other holy women, to Peter, to the two
disciples on their way to Emmaus, and to all the Apostles excepting Thomas. A week later He
appeared to all the Apostles, Thomas included; later still He appeared in Galilee near the Lake
of Genesareth to seven disciples, on a mountain in Galilee to a multitude of disciples, to James,
and finally to His disciples on the Mount Olivet whence He ascended into heaven. But these
apparitions do not exhaust the record of the Gospels, according to which Jesus showed Himself
alive after His Passion by many proofs, for forty days appearing to the disciples and speaking of
the kingdom of God.
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A PA citation. Maas, A. (1910). Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ. In The Catholic
Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 31, 2010 from New
Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08377a.htm
MLA citation. Maas, Anthony. "Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 31 Dec. 2010
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08377a.htm>.
T ranscription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Joseph P. Thomas. In Memory
of Archbishop Mathew Kavukatt.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.
Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is
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12/31/2010 CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Chronology o…

Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ

This entire website is av ailable on C D -

Beginning of the public ministry

public life must have fallen in 778 A .U.C.

The year of the death of Christ

The day of the death of Christ

The infancy of Jesus

The hidden life of Jesus

The public life of Jesus: its duration

The public life of Jesus: his journeys

December, A .U.C . 781-February, 782. (Cf. Luke 13-17; John 10:11)

Preparation of the apostles

Preparation of the enemies

The Passion of Jesus: the trial

Before ecclesiastical court

Before the civil court

The Passion of Jesus: his death

The glory of Jesus

Death History of Jesus

About this page

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