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Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ

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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 brevity. Hoehner is not wordy, so despite the amount of rich content of the book, it is remarkably short. He knows how to express ideas clearly and simply, making this book accessible to a wide readership. Overall, this book is invaluable for the serious New Testament Scholar.

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.

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.

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.

Hoehner, Harold. Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ. Zondervan 1977, 176 pp.



This book should be a helpful companion for any serious student of Holy Scripture. Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ answers many questions that students of the Bible might wonder about but lack the research tools and ability to answer. Topics covered include:

The Date of Christ's Birth- After surveying the evidence, Hoehner concludes that Christ was born in the winter of 5/4 B. C.

The Commencement of Christ's Ministry- Reasons that Christ's ministry began in the summer or autumn of A.D. 29.

The Duration of Christs' Ministry-Believes that the evidence points to a three and a half year ministry.

The day of Christ's Crucifixion- Concludes that Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose again on Sunday.

The year of Christ's crucifixion- presents a persuasive case for Friday, April 3, A.D. 33.

Daniels Seventy Weeks and New Testament Chronology- This chronology supports a Dispensational understanding of Daniel's seventy weeks. Regardless of one's theological commitments the evidence should be evaluated fairly.

The benefits of this book are many. As the evidence for various dates is presented and evaluated the reader gains an understanding and appreciation for history, and chronology as the science of time. Methodologically, dates and valuable information can be gleaned from items such as ancient coins, Egyptian Papyri, and even headstones in a Roman graveyard. The author hold s to a high view of Scripture and this is demonstrated repeatedly as he works with the historical evidence. This is sure to instill confidence in God's word (2Tim.3:16).

One of the greatest benefits of this book is its accent upon history in an ahistorical age. If we fail to grasp the fact that the Christian faith is rooted in history, Evangelicalism will quickly morph into into a substitute for the genuine article. " By this you know the spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God." (1 John 4:2)

I have read this book once it was published. I want to comment in particular on the remarkable result of its research result on the exact dates of, according to Daniel 9, re-construction of the temple, the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem, and the cruxification of Christ.

This important piece of information helps clarify the unsatisfactory loophles of Sir Robert Anderson's in his classic book "The Coming Prince" on the same subject, in which according to Hoebner, Anderson was wrong.

Besides, Hoebner's appraoch to research on this matter was scientific.

I have had a copy of this book now for several years and still continue to refer to it on a regular basis. Both my wife and I teach Bible studies and frequently get it off the shelf to check dates and times.

Dr. Hoehner, who went home to be with the Lord last year, has provided an extremely valuable tool for helping to answer some tough questions. Among the topics covered one will find commentaries on the day of Christ's crucifixion, the year of Christ's crucifixion and the significance of those dates with regard to Old Testament prophecy. Intriguing insights on the two methods of reckoning the day of Passover are also explained in depth.

To me the most fascinating part is his commentary on the "Seventy Weeks" prophecy of Daniel 9; the relationship to the timing of the First Advent is very inspiring. I was first exposed to the Daniel 9 prophecy of the "Seventy Weeks" through the work of Sir Robert Anderson in his book "The Coming Prince;" Dr. Hoehner, using updated scholarship, has refined the dates presented in Anderson's book.

I join in with other reviewers who recommend the addition of this book to the library of any serious student of the Bible.

If you have questions about the timing of many events in the Gospels, this is the book to have. Dr. Hoehner, explains the 'difficult' timing of Good Friday/ Easter and the Date of Christ's birth in clear laymans language, but with the deep Theological insight that a Ph.D from Cambridge and long years of teaching at Dallas Theological Seminary would provide. Simply the best book available. I have read and used it frequently in my ministry.

Amazingly Dr. Hoenher evaluates the Pro's and Con's of many siginficant issues concerning the chronology of the life of Jesus, e.g. the day of the Lord's crucifixion; He does a good job and does not fail to do justice about opposing views. Truely this is a scholastic material on these seemingly tedious details.