• Questions From Readers
    The Watchtower—1973 | December 15

    • According to Luke 3:1, John the Baptist began his ministry “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.” As Luke used a Greek word literally meaning “governorship,” some have concluded that the “fifteenth year” should be counted as starting from the time that Tiberius was a coregent with Augustus. Hence, they would place the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in 27 C.E. However, just exactly when such coregency began is in question.b

      While the start of the coregency is uncertain, the beginning of Tiberius’ reign as Caesar is well established. The date is August 17, 14 C.E. (Gregorian calendar). Hence, the fifteenth year extended from August 17, 28 C.E., to August 16, 29 C.E. This would place the start of Jesus’ ministry in 29 C.E., about six months after John the Baptist began his activity. It was first at the time of his baptism that Jesus was anointed by God’s spirit, thereby becoming the promised Messiah or Christ. Bible prophecy specifically foretold the exact time for this event. (Dan. 9:25) And applying that prophecy to historical data also points to 29 C.E. as the time for Messiah’s appearance.​—See the book Aid to Bible Understanding, pp. 137, 328-331, 348.

  • Questions From Readers
    The Watchtower—1973 | December 15

    • b Indicative of the uncertainty, The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia states: “In 13 AD (or according to Mommsen 11 AD) T[iberius] was by a special law raised to the co-regency.” It may also be noted that, although Tiberius was associated with Augustus in rulership, not until his sole rule did he begin to reign as Caesar. Logically, therefore, the ‘fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’ was the actual fifteenth year of his reign. Though himself favoring the count of the fifteenth year from the time of the co-regency, Dutch scholar J. J. Van Oosterzee acknowledges: “The reigning years of a Roman emperor were, indeed, commonly dated from the time when he governed alone.”