WHEN WAS JESUS BORN Most of the early accounts we have of which year people have thought Jesus was born in are either 3, 2 or 1BC and later theories are usually between 8BC to AD8. To determine the year of Jesus birth it helps to know when the reign of Augustus began but there is some uncertainty about which year it was and when in the year his rule began and whether the writer means in the year or after the year which is not always agreed upon, so each one needs to be examined individually and carefully. The following list may need adjustment. According to Bickerman the Era of Actium began in 31BC and the Era of Augustus in 30BC. (Chronology, p73) 
                                     4BC
The Alogi (AD180) "fortieth year of Augustus" (Finegan, Chronology, p228)
                                     3BC
Irenaeus (cAD130-200) says "about the 41st year of" Augustus (Against Heresies 3:21:3, A-N Vol 1 p452)
Cassiodorus Senator (cAD490-585) "consuls C.Lentulus and M.Messala", "in the 41st year of the reign of Augustus" (Finegan p229)
                                    2BC
Clement of Alexandria (AD150-215) 194y 4m 13d before the death of Commodus "in the 28th year of Augustus" (Stromata Book 1, Ch 21, A-N Vol 2, p333)
Tertullian (AD145-220) "in the 41st year of Augustus, 28th after Cleopatra" (Answer to the Jews Ch 8, A-N, Vol 3 p159-60) [JETS 3BC]
Hippolytus of Thebes, 42nd or 43rd year of Augustus (Finegan p228)
Hippolytus of Rome (AD170-236) "-in the forty-second year of the reign of Augustus,-" (Commentary on Daniel, 4:23, Finegan p325)
Eusebius of Caesarea (AD260-340) "It was the 42nd year of Augustus' reign,and the 28th after the subjugation of Egypt and the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra," (1:4:1-10, Penguin, p17)
Epiphanius of Salamis (AD315-403) 42nd year of Augustus (the year Augustus & Silvanus were consuls) 28th year of Cleopatra. (Panar'n Haer', 2:1 and 51:22) (Augustus did not serve as consul during all these days but gave it to another. Dio 55:9:5)
Paulus Orosius (AD415) - in the forty second year of Augustus, 752nd year of Rome. (Post-Nicene Series, History Against the Pagans, R J Deferrari, p787-8) [Cat' 937.103]
                                     1BC
Dionysus Exiguus of Rome.
                                     AD1
The Chronographer of AD354 "in the consulate of Caesar and Paulus, the Lord Jesus Christ was born-" (The Untold Story p7)

AUGUSTUS Caius Octavius is said to have been born on August 23 in 63BC, Dio Cassius says he was born in September. (55:7) Suetonius also says September (Book 2, Ch 5, Loeb p129 and "The Deified Augustus", Ch 31, p171) He was called Sebaste or Sebastus in Greek. He was appointed to the triumvirate on November 27 in 43BC (Brit '94, Augustus). He conquered Antony at the battle of Actium near Greece on September 2 in 31BC. The senate gave him the title Augustus (majestic) in 27BC, and he died on August 19 in AD14, (Suetonius 2:19, Loeb p283) In his book of achievements (Res Gestae) probably written late in AD13, Augustus says that this was his 37th year of tribunician power, and that he had been princeps senatus for 40 years. Counting from 27BC. (Most considered Augustus rule began from the death of Julius Ceasar)
SUETONIUS: says Julius Caesar was killed on March 15 in 44BC. (Book 1, Loeb p111). He says Augustus died on August 19 being 75 years old. (p129) (From August 23rd in 63BC Augustus was almost 76 years old)
JOSEPHUS: says Augustus lived for 77 years (Ant 18:2:2). The actual Roman calendar was in some disarray in 63BC but using the Hebrew calendar the first year was the period from when Augustus was born, which is said to have been August 23 in 63BC until the beginning of Nisan in 62BC followed by 75 complete Hebrew years and the period from Nisan 1 in AD14 until August 19 was his 77th year. Josephus says that his reign was 57 years 6 months and 2 days. (Wars 2:9:1) Counting back from the death of Augustus on August 19th in AD14 for 57y 6m 2d we arrive at February 17 in 44BC which is 1 month minus 2 days before Julius Caesar was killed, but this dating is according to the corrected Julian calendar. According to the Hebrew calendar the death of Augustus on Sunday August 19 in AD14 was the 4th of Av, (or Elul) counting back for 57 years 6 months 2 days we arrive at the 2nd day of Adar 2, which was Wednesday March 22 in 44BC (O/S). Josephus also says Augustus shared his rule with Antony for 14 years. (14 years before the battle of Actium Sept 2 in 31BC is September 2 in 45BC, 6 1/2 months before Julius Caesar died) but again counting the number of  Hebrew years, the period from the death of Julius Caesar on (O/S) Wednesday March the 15th which was the 24th day of Adar 1, makes the 14th year to have been between March 28 in 31BC until the end of the battle of Actium on Tuesday Sept 2 (The date according to the Pontiffs erronius calendar. On the Julian O/S calendar this is Tuesday Sept 3.) Elul the 12th.
THEOPHILUS: (AD168) says Augustus reigned for 56 years 4 months 1 day (A-N, Vol 2, p120) All we can do with this is subtract it from when he died on August 19, AD14, which gives the start of his reign as April 18th 43BC.
TERTULLIAN: (AD145-220) says Cleopatra reigned 20 years and 5 months and that she reigned with Augustus 13 years, (As she is said to have killed herself on 17 Mesore, Tuesday 12 August in 30BC (O/S), this was Tuesday 10 August on the Pontiffs erroneous calendar that was in use at the time. It appears that she began her reign in March 50BC, and that she began the shared rule with Augustus in August of 43BC. Her children Helios and Selene are said to have ruled for 18 days until Saturday August 30, 30BC O/S. See T C Skeat, Journal of Roman Studies, 1953 p98). Augustus reigned 43 years after Cleopatra, his empire was 56 years. Christ was born when Augustus had been reigning 28 years, and survived for 15 years after Christ was born. (Answer to the Jews, Book 7, Ch 8, A-N Vol 3, p159-160) (Tertulian confirms that Augustus reigned alone after the death of Cleopatra for 43 years until he died in August AD14, if his reign was 56 years, then he also began his reign in August 43BC at about the time he turned 20 years of age. Augustus says in Res Gestae that he was 19 when he gathered his army together. Tertullians dating suggests that Jesus was born in August of 2BC and agrees that Augustus died in August of AD14, 15 years later, and the 41st year would be the year beginning on August the 12th in 3BC and ending on August the 12th in 2BC, which is the same as the 28th year following the death of Cleopatra.)
DIO CASSIUS: (AD150-235) says Augustus "lived seventy-five years, ten months, and twenty-six days (he had been born on the twenty third of  September), and having been sole ruler, from the time of his victory at Actium, forty-four years, lacking thirteen days." (Dio 56:29-30, Loeb Vol 7 p65-69) Dio confirms that "the years of his reign are properly reckoned from that day", from September 2 in 31BC. (Book 51, LCL p3-5) By saying this, Dio seems to imply that he was aware of some who had improperly reckoned the years of Augustus.
CLEMENT: of Alexandria (AD153-193-217) says Augustus ruled for 43 years, (Counting backwards makes August 30BC the start of his reign) but he also says others say Augustus reigned 46 years 4 months 1 day - (The Stromata, Book 1, Ch 21, A-N,Vol 2, p333) making April 13th, 33BC the start of the reign, (but he may have meant 56 years, the same as Theophilus and meaning from April in 43BC) He also says that "our Lord was born in the 28th year, when first the census was ordered to be taken in the reign of Augustus". "-there are those who - say that it took place IN the twenty-eighth year of Augustus"  which may mean the 28th year since the battle of Actium on September 2 in 31BC, rather than from the death of Cleopatra on August 12th 30BC (O/S), which would be from September 2nd in 4BC to September 2nd in 3BC, but Clement thought Jesus was born 15 years before Augustus died which would be in August 2BC. (Some of his figures are inconsistent) 
EUSEBIUS of Caesarea (AD260-340) says "It was the forty-second year of  Augustus reign and the twenty eighth after the subjugation of Egypt and the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt, when our saviour and Lord - was born in Bethlehem." (Book 1, Ch 5:6, Penguin p17) Finegan points out with these early writers, the later the writer, the later the year of the birth. (p229)

THE ERA OF ACTIUM After the victory of Augustus over Antony at the Battle of Actium on the 2nd of Sept in 31BC some countries under Roman influence used this event for a new era called the Era of Actium. (This date of Tuesday the 2nd of September was according to the Pontiffs erronius calendar but on the corrected Julian calendar this was Tuesday the 3rd of September) As the battle was only 5 days after the start of the Egyptian year on Thoth 1 (August 29) this was the beginning of this era: "years began from Aug 29" (Handy Book of Rules and Tables, p204 and Bickerman p73) although the Coptic Ency' under Calendar says the first year was 30-29BC. Year 1 was from August 29 in 31BC to August 29 in 30BC (leap-year). Year 28 was from August 29 in  4BC to August 28 in 3BC. (O/S dates) The Era of Augustus began one year later on August 30 in 30BC. (Bick' p73)

THE 28TH YEAR OF CLEOPATRA (VII) Clement says that Jesus was born in the 28th year of Augustus while Tertullian, Eusebius and Epiphanius say that Jesus was born in the 28th year after the death of Cleopatra and arrive at different years for the birth of Jesus, Irenaeus and Tertullian say that it was the 41st year of Augustus which is thought to be 2BC, while Eusebius and Epiphanius say it was the 42nd year or 1BC, but Epiphanius says the 42nd year was the year in which Augustus and Silvanus were consuls which was in 2BC which makes the 41st consular year of Augustus to have been 3BC, while the 41st reignal year of Augustus from August 43BC would have been between August 3BC to August 2BC.  
Tertullian shows he regarded the 41st year to be the year after 41 reignal years were complete and not "in" the 41st year, which shows he meant it was from after August of 2BC. As the 28th year counting from the death of Cleopatra begins from the end of the 27th year in August 3BC, it ended on August 12 of 2BC, and corresponds with the 41st reignal year of Augustus. Some say the reason the 28th year was regarded by some as the 42nd year is because they counted from the death of Julius Caesar which makes the 42nd year to be between March 3BC to March 2BC. Clement says "in fifteen years of Tiberius and fifteen years of Augustus" "thirty years were completed," as Augustus died in August of AD14 his last 15 years began from August in 2BC and shows he thought the 28th year of Augustus, corresponded to the 28th year after Cleopatra and that it ended in 2BC.

SUMMARY From these accounts we have at least seven different dates for the start of the reign of Augustus, March 22 44BC, April 18th 43BC, April 13 43BC, August 19 43BC, November 27th 43BC August 31BC and August 30BC, the most popular one being August 43BC, suggesting Jesus was born in the year between August 3BC to August 2BC providing the earlier 41st advocates were correct, while "in" the 28th year of Cleopatra also results in the birth being between August 3BC to August 2BC, or possibly the year beginning from August 2BC. There is also the possibility that the counting of the reign of Augustus was from the death of Julius Caesar making the 42nd reignal year to be from March 3BC to March 2BC, being only six months different from the 41st year but upsetting its compatibility with the 28th year of Cleopatra.

THE CENSUS DECREE EDICT ENROLLMENT OR TAXING OF AUGUSTUS With the number of these that took place as mentioned in Dio Cassius 52:30, Josephus, Cassiodorus (Variarum 3:52) Suidas etc it seems hard to determine anything. According to Ramsay a census was taken in Egypt every 14 years, 9BC, AD6-. In Luke 2:2 the word "apografesthai" is used which means enrollment. Martin points out that "When Herod became king, however, the tribute to Rome ceased and Herod collected all taxes. This continued until AD6/7 when direct taxation was again imposed upon those in Judaea." (The Star, p193) This edict of Augustus may not have been to collect tax but simply to enroll the population and perhaps it did not apply throughout the whole empire, although some thought that Augustus issued a decree to all the territory he ruled and that it was carried out in different countries at different times and in different ways by those who conducted it. (JETS, March 1984 p52) Julius Africanus says that "Herod, knowing that the lineage of the Israelites contributed nothing to him, and goaded by the consciousness of his ignoble birth, burned the registers of their families." (The Epistle to Aristides, Ch 5, A-N Vol 6 p127) Augustus may have wanted this special enrollment of names to replace those destroyed by Herod, so "that all the world should be enrolled." (Luke 2:1) Perhaps because Herod was sick near the end of his life and because Herod had been responsible for the destruction of the family records Augustus may have sent Kureniou of Syria to conduct this special enrollment. Peaks Commentary says "-a rescript from Cyrene dated 7/6BC indicates that by then no census of the non-Roman population there had been made." (p728) Luke 2:2 says "this was the first enrollment when Kureniou (translated as Cyrennius or Quirinius) was Governor of Syria." The Syrian legates were:-
          M Agrippa                        23-13BC
          M Titius                           c10-9BC
          S Sentius Saturninus       9-6BC
          Quinctillius Varus            6BC- until after Herod's death.
          Gaius Caesar                     1BC-cAD4
          L Volusius Saturninus     AD4-5
          Publius Sulpicius Quirinius AD6-7 or 11
Some think Kureniou was the Governor of Syria twice but Antiquities 17:9:3 shows Varus remained in office until the time of Archelaus. Tacitus 5:9 also shows this, "After Herod's death, a certain Simon assumed the name of king without waiting for Caesar's decision. He, however was put to death by Quintilius Varus, governor of Syria." Josephus also calls him "President" (Ant 17:10:1) Varus was still in office after Pentecost in 3BC following the Passover in which 3000 Jews were killed. (Ant 17:10:2, Wars 2:2:2, 2:3:1) Luke appears to say that "Kureniou (Quirinius) was governor" of Syria at the time. Peaks Commentary says, "The assumption seems inevitable that Lk 2:2 is an insertion made by a person who wrongly identified the enrollment of Lk 2:1 with the well-known enrollment of Judaea made by Quirinius in AD 6/7." Josephus said Cyrenius was sent into Judah to start taxation, (Wars 7:8:1) so while the AD6/7 decree was to "start taxation" the earlier edict of Augustus that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for, appears to have only been for the purpose of enrollment and may have been before Kureniou was made governor.
Eusebius of Caesarea says "-Jesus Christ, at the time of the first registration, while Quirinius was Governor of Syria - was born-." (Eusebius 1:5:6, Penguin p17) Eusebius of Caesarea may have misunderstood what Luke wrote. Justin Martyr said, "Jesus Christ was born as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius your first procurator in Judea." (First Apology of Justin, Ch 34, A-N Vol 1, p174) He also said "-Christ was born one hundred and fifty years ago under Cyrenius," (Ch 46, p178) which may have also been his incomplete understanding or interpretation of Luke 2:2. Although the later register made in AD6/7 appears to have recorded the birth of Jesus, we do not know if Jesus was or was not included in the earlier enrollment of Augustus when Joseph went to Bethlehem. In the Works of Julian the Emperor he says that Jesus, "with his father and mother - registered his name in the governorship of Cyrenius.", so along with Joseph and possibly Mary, Jesus may have or may not have first been registered in 4BC after his birth in Bethlehem while according to later records he appears to have definitely been registered either for the first or second time in the AD6/7 census under Cyrenius when he was about 10 years old which would have been the record that Justin and other historians were able to access and referred to.
F.F.Bruce suggests "- it may be best to follow those commentators and grammarians who translate Luke 2:2 as `This census was before that which Quirinius, governor of Syria, held'. (N.T. Documents, p87, ref' N.Turner 1965) The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS) Vol 27, March 1984 says the adjective "protos" may mean first, earlier of former which makes Luke 2:2 to mean "This census was BEFORE the census which Quirinius governor of Syria made.", "aute apografe prote egeneto egemo neuontos tes Surias Kureniou." This verse is rendered by M J Lagrange "This enrollment was earlier than that held when Quirinius was Governor of Syria."
It is thought to have been unlikely that it would have been held in winter in Judea, temperatures during December to March are close to freezing. With ice and snow covering the grass the sheep would have no grass to eat. Numerous writers point out that the shepherds kept their flocks under cover during the cold, wet, winter nights of December in the area of Bethlehem and Jerusalem where it also snows and that as the shepherds were out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night, it suggests that Jesus was not born in Winter but in Autumn. December and January have "the greatest rainfall in the year: approximately 6 inches in December, and nearly 8 inches in January. According to all existing information the climate of Palestine has not changed appreciably in the last 2000 years - Bethlehem is in the grip of frost, and in the Promised Land no cattle would have been in the fields in that temperature. This fact is borne out by a remark in the Talmud to the effect that in that neighbourhood the flocks were put out to grass in March and brought in again at the beginning of November." (The Bible as History p336) "These lie in the pastures, which are in the villages, all the days of the cold and heat, and do not go into the cities until the rains descend." "The first rain falls in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to the latter part of our October-" (Hislop, The Two Babylons p91-92) It is thought that Herod followed the customary method of returning the people to their ancestral birthplace as recorded in Luke and so Joseph would have returned to Bethlehem, although as Herod was sick near the end of his life perhaps Kureniou was sent into Judah to conduct the enrollment before he was made governor of Syria and this may have played a part in why Herod knew nothing about the birth of Jesus. If the enrollment in 4BC began before the Feast of Tabernacles, you would expect the census takers would seek to include the child of the obviously pregnant Mary in their register. If the enrollment was after Jesus had been born perhaps Jesus was not registered in 4BC due to the threatening events in Judah before Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with Jesus. The Byzantine chronicler John Malalas of Antioch (AD491-578) says "Augustus IN the 39th year and 10th month of his reign issued a decree". From March the 15th in 44BC this would have been January the 15th in 4BC. If the time John Malalas gives for the issue of the decree by Augustus is correct, and Jesus was born after it was issued, it appears unlikely that Jesus was born before 4BC.

THE SELEUCID ERA (SE) The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy says "In the three hundred and ninth year of the era of Alexander, Augustus put forth an edict, that every man should be enrolled in his native place." (A-N, Vol 8 p405) "in 312BC a Greco-Syrian empire was established by Seleucus one of the generals of Alexander the Great" (Torah Commentary, Plaut p922). "Seleucus reconquered Babylon in August 312BC". (Bickerman, p71) Ptolemy defeated Demetrius Poliorcetes at Gaza on Dec 7 in 312BC and returned to Babylon on April 3 in 311BC. (Judaica, Chron') The dates for the beginning of the two main Seleucid eras are: "In the Macedonian calendar the Seleucid era began with Dios 1 (Oct 7), 312BC.; in the Babylonian it began with Nisanu 1 (Apr. 3), 311BC." (Chronology, Parker and Dubberstein p18 Note 5)  In the book of Calendars by Frank Parise it began on Oct 2nd in 312 BC, this is the N/S date.
The Universal Jewish Ency' calls the first one the "Syrian Seleucidian Era" the one beginning six months later is the Babylonian Seleucid Era, some call them the era of Alexandria and in the Book of Maccabees it is called "the year of the kingdom of the Greeks.", but these are not the only dates that are recognized for the Seleucidian Era;
    1) Some people started year 1 SE immediately after the battle of Gaza and began year 2 a few months later in autumn 312 (SE 1).
    2) The Jews and the Syrians started year 1 SE on October 24th 312, (SE II)
    3) The Babylonians began it on their official New Year's day on April 3rd, 311, while,
    4) the so-called Greek era (of Chaldea) which was especially used in Persia started even later, in autumn 311 (SE III).  (Talmudic and Rabbinical Chronology, p30) "in the ancient usage of Damascus and Arabia Petraea the year began with the vernal equinox." (p31)
Some Syrians began the Greek Era about the start of September 312BC others in October. (Bond, Handy Book of Rules and Tables, p259)
The year began at various times from city to city. (Wacholder HUCA p161)
Bickermans Chronology says "The beginning of the Seleucid year could vary according to the calendar of the city. In the Julian calendar of Antioch, the year began on 1 Dios (1 October)-. (p71)  --[This should not be confused with the Egyptian solar calendar which was reformed sometime about 26BC or 22BC by Augustus to begin on August 29 (O/S) and was brought into harmony with the Julian calendar and is called the fixed Alexandrian year. (Bickerman, p28, 49) According to J.Bond, Augustus reformed the Egyptian calendar in 30BC but it did not take effect until 26BC. (p205) Richards says "Augustus ordered the introduction of Euergete's calendar on 29 August 23BC." (Mapping Time, p156) According to Bond the Era of Alexander began from the death of Alexander on 12 Nov 324BC. (Handy Book of Rules and Tables, p199, 529/BON)]-- According to the Book of Calendars by Parise the 309th Seleucid year was the year between Oct 2 in 4BC to Oct 1 in 3BC (O/S), (p46) but it is uncertain if the author of the Arabic Gospel meant it was "in" the year or "after" the 309th year was completed.

THE BIBLICAL ANCESTRY OF JESUS The Israelites were supposed to only marry within their own tribe to preserve their heritage (Num 36:7-9) Females of the tribe of Levi could loose their inheritance if they married outsiders. (Lev 22:12) Moses married Zipporah, a Midianite (Ex 2:16-21, Nu 31:7, Judges 6) and was accused by Miriam of marrying an Ethopian/Cushite. (Nu 12:1) Aaron the first high priest who was a Levite is said to have had a mixed marriage to Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon/Nahshon of Judah. (Ex 6:23, Nu 2:3) Joseph "was of the house and lineage of David." (Luke 1:27, 2:4) He probably knew Mary's cousin Elizabeth who apparently lived in Bethlehem and was "of the daughters of Aaron" (Luke 1:5) According to the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, Emerina and Anna were sisters. Emerina was the mother of Elizabeth who was the mother of John the Baptist. Anna married Joachim and they were the parents of Mariam the mother of Jesus, (Ch 42 A-N Vol 8 p382) although in Ch 1 he says Anna daughter of Achar was of the tribe of Judah. Possibly Marys mother was of  the tribe of Levi and perhaps her father was of royal Jewish descent. (See Is 11:1) Zechariah who was a priest, married  Elizabeth who was also a descendant of the tribe of Levi which would preserve their tribal heritage but in some cases a Levite could be thought to be of the "family of Judah" not because of his genes but because of where he lived. (Judges 17:7, Ant' 5:2:8) Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist also said that his son ("John the Baptist") was in "the House of David" (Luke 1:69) when it is clear that John was not a descendant of David but was of the family of Levi. This can be explained if you accept that the reference to the "House of David," is to where he lived rather than from who he was descended from. The TRIBE of Judah was predicted to rule "until Shiloh come" (Gen 49:10-12, and 1 Chron 5:2) Matt 2:1 says Jesus was born in the LAND of Judah, "it is evident that the Lord sprang out of Judah". This could mean either the location of his birth or his tribal descent. (Hebrews 7:14) but this is made more difficult when Matthew 1:1 says that Jesus was the son of David and Luke tells us that the angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be given "the throne of his forefather David." (Lk 1:30-32, Isa 11:1-10) Peter says that Jesus was descended from David (Acts 2:29-30) Paul also says that Jesus was descended from David according to the flesh- (Romans 1:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:8) Heb 7:14 also says he was from the tribe of Judah. Even blind Bartimaeus called Jesus the "Son of David" (Mark 10:47-48) Rev 5:5 refers to Jesus as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David," which implies hereditary tribal descent and Rev 22:16 it says "I am the Root and the offspring of David", "the bright and morning star". In 2 Sam 8:18 we are told Davids sons were priests and 1 Chron 6:4 says David appointed the priests. It appears that popular usage led many to accept that Jesus was a blood descendant of king David.
The two separate genealogies in Matthew 1:16 and Luke 3:23 both claim to be Joseph's lineage from David, "the genealogy of Jesus Christ" but this is impossible because Joseph could only have had one father and could not have descended from two males of two separate families and anyhow Joseph's descent is irrelevant to the fatherhood of Jesus because it is claimed in Matt 1:18-25 and Luke 1:35, that Jesus was conceived "of the Holy Ghost." which means Jesus had none of Josephs DNA, so only Mary's descent determined the ancestry of Jesus and as Mary was the cousin of Elizabeth and Elizabeth was of the tribe of Aaron (Luke 1:5) then Jesus could only be half Jewish at the most, and was at least half Levite and possibly totally Levitical like his cousin John the Baptist but Hebrews 8:4 denies that Jesus was a part of the Levitical family and Jesus was prophesied to be of the "seed" of David not merely a "legal" descendant. The first record of these two genealogies does not appear until after Tatian wrote his "Diatessaron" around AD150. If Jesus was conceived of the holy Spirit then he was not a hereditary Levite or a Jew. Jesus said he was the Son of Man although he was a son of Mary. Many presumed Jesus was a Jew but nowhere, except in the book of Revelation (22:16) does he ever reveal that he had any tribal descent! Jesus even questioned this idea in one of his very final statements in his last public appearance at the temple on the Sunday before he died, saying that the term "son of David" should not be understood literally. (Matt 22:42-45 ) "What think ye of Christ? Whose son  is he? They say unto him, The son of David." He saith unto them, How then doth David in the spirit call him Lord, saying, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son. This is also recorded in Mark 12:35 and Luke 20:44, "How can the Scribes say that the Christ is David's son." At his trial Jesus told Pilate "if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews:" (John 18:36) This shows that Jesus distinguished himself from the Jews. Jesus began his ministry according to Levitical practice at 30 years of age. Hegesippus in Book 5, tells us that "James the Just" who was the brother of Jesus, served in the temple, "He alone was permitted to enter the holy place:" James was apparently regarded as being a Levite which suggests both parents, Joseph and Mary were Levites. Some claim that the genealogy in Luke belongs to Mary but that it was customary in geneaological lists to substitute the name of a wife with the name of her husband, but there is no mention of Mary in the genealogies and she could not have had two different fathers either, one being a Jew and the other a Levite. How could her genealogical descent change from David's sons Solomon or Nathan and result in her being a cousin of Elizabeth, a Levite? Origen (AD185-254) records that people in his time knew "-the discrepancy between the genealogies -" (Against Celsus, 2:32, A-N Vol 4, p444) so we can't blame Constantine (AD325) for making this alteration to the scriptures. If Jesus was descended from Joseph, then as Irenaeus who wrote between AD182-188 shows in "Against Heresies" Book 3, Ch 21, Verse 9, according to Jeremiah 36:30-31, Jechoniah (who is also called Coniah, the son of Joachim) is referred to as "childless" (Jer 22:18-30) Jeremiah also says, "There shall be from him none sitting upon the throne of David.", thus Jesus would be disqualified from sitting upon the throne of David. Jehoiakim had seven sons. (1Chron 3:17-18, 2 Chron 36:8) Floyd Jones calls Coniah, Jehoiachin, and says he was "counted childless" but infers he was not included because he sat on a vassal throne and not on the throne of David. (p294) Whether he did or did not sit on any throne has nothing to do with the fact he existed as a descendant of the line of David. Also if Jesus was descended from Ruth, the wife of Boaz, as the bible geneaologies have it, it would contradict Moab's exclusion "for ever" (Deut 23:3). 

   THE GENERATIONS OF KINGS FROM DAVID 
        DAVID 
   1   SOLOMON
   2   REHOBOAM / ROBOAM
   3   ABIA (Abijam)
   4   ASA
   5   JEHOSHAPHAT / JOSAPHAT (1 Ki 22:41-2)
   6   J(eh)ORAM   1 Ki 22:50, (2 Ki 8:16)
* 7   AHAZIAH / AZARIAH (2 Ki 8:24-25, 9:29. 2Chr 22:1) or Jehoahaz (2 Chr 21:17)
        Athaliah (2 Chr 22:12)
* 8   J(eh)OASH (2 Ki 12:1, 18)
* 9   AMAZIAH   (2 Ki 12:20-21, 14:1)
  10   AZARIAH / OZIAS (UZZIAH) (2 Ki 14:21, 15:1)
  11   JO(A)THAM (2 Ki 15:7) 
  12   AHAZ (ACHAZ / JEHOAHAZ)
  13   HEZEKIAH / EZEKIAS
  14   MANASSEH / MANASSES
  15   AMON
  16   JOSIAH / JOSIAS, Has 4 sons, Johanan, (1Chron 3:4) Eliakim, (Jehoiakim), Mattaniah, (Zedekiah, 2 Kings 24:18) Shallum, (Jehoahaz, Jer 22:11, 18)
  17   JEHOAHAZ (Shallum)
*17   JEHOIAKIM (Jer 22:18)  (son of Josiah, has 2 sons Jeconiah & Zedekiah 1Chr 3:16)
  18   JEHOIACHIN (JEC(h)ONIAH / JECHONIAS / CONIAH) Son of Jehoiakim (2 Ki 24:6, Jer 22:24, granson of Josiah) His sons Asir & Salath
  17   ZEDEKIAH (Mattaniah son of Josiah, the last ruling king of the line of David in Jerusalem 2 Kings 24:17)

Matt 1:17 says there were 14 generations from David to the Babylonian captivity. Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah were all sons of Josiah so they would all be part of the 17th generation with Jesus descent through Jehoiakim who was made a king in Babylon by Evilmerodach. (2 Kings 25:28) How many generations can you count? It appears to be at least 18! E L Martin in "Tithing" tries to justify the discrepency by saying it was the Jewish method of inclusive counting that accounts for this but when we check 1 Chron 3:9-16 we can see that there are at least four kings who have not been included in Matthew's list, Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:24, 9:29), J(eh)oash (2 Kings 12:1, 18), Amaziah (2 Kings 12:21, 14:1) and Jehoiakim (1 Chron 3:15-16, Jer 22:18) which adds up to a lot more than 14 generations while the genealogical number from the captivity until Jesus only adds up to 12 and not 14 as we are told in Matthew! Appendix 99 of the Companion Bible justifies the "blotting out" of the three generations as being "according to law". According to Epiphanius it was thought that Jeconiah son of Jeconiah was a mistake and so was dropped from the list. (Section 1, 8:2, Brill Vol 1, p28) Matthew, Luke and John regarded Jesus as having been a descendant of Jacobs son Judah through king David, while offering contradictory descent. So was Jesus really Jewish? No wonder Paul urged his perplexed followers to "-avoid foolish questions, and genealogies,-". (Titus 3:9) 
Also, just for comparison in the list below we can see  the variation in the inclusive number of generations from Abraham to David between Judah (14) and Levi (17)

HEROD "THE GREAT"Most of what we know about the life of Herod and the dating of events comes from the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus who was born in the first year of the emperor Gaius (AD37-38) and died about the time of the emperor Domitan about AD100. Josephus wrote his earlier book called the Jewish War (Bell), between AD75-79 and finished his book called the Antiquities of  the Jews about 15 years later in the thirteenth year of Domitan (AD93-94). Josephus tells us that Herod's father was an Idumean called Antipater and that his mother was an Arabian called Cypros and says Herod was born a Jew. (Ant 14:15:2 and 20:8:7)

HERODS 37 YEAR REIGN (This was when Herod was officially proclaimed to be king of Judah by the Romans although he did not gain control over Jerusalem until 3 years and 3 months later) It appears that the Parthians in support of Antigonus the Jewish king caused Herod to flee to Rome (Wars,1:13:7) He went via Thressa in Idumea (Ant 14:13:9) to Malichus king of the Arabians, then to Cleopatra in Egypt who had "put to death her brother, who was her consort in the government, and being then summoned by Anthony to Cilicia to make her defense, committed the care of the sovereignty to Herod; and as he requested that he should not be entrusted with anything until he was restored to his own government, she took him with her and went to Antony" (Julius Africanus 17:1) Cleopatra supplied him with ships (5 Macc 49:29)  "deterred neither by the perils of mid-winter nor by the disturbances in Italy, set sail for Rome." (Wars 1:13:2) but it appears that after leaving Cleopatra with Antony in Cilicia the bad weather got worse and near Pamphylia Herod lost most of the ships cargo but made it to the island of Rhodes where he built a three deck ship which he sailed to Brundusium before arriving at Rome. (Wars 1:14:3, and Ant 14:14:3) Herod on a later trip said "as winter was coming on, he thought it not safe to go to sea." (Ant 16:2:1) In the meantime while Herod was on Rhodes building the ship, Antony had returned to Rome where Herod met him when he arrived. (Ant 14:14:3) Josephus says that Herod told Antony that he had "crossed the sea in the depth of winter-" (Wars 1:14:3) which seems to imply it was during about December or January but he was also delayed for some weeks or months while he had his ship built which may have made the time of his arrival in Rome to be after winter was over. While at Rome he was made king by the senate (1:14:4) "On this the first day of his reign, Herod was given a banquet by Antony. All this time Antigonus was besieging the occupants of Masada-" (Wars 1:14:4 - 1:15:1)
The time that Josephus gives us for the beginning of Herod's 37 year reign is in the 184th Olympiad, which was between July 44BC to July 40BC and when Caius Domitus Calvinus was consul the second time and Caius Asinius Pollio [the first time] which was in AUC714 (40BC) as the 184th Olympiad ended in about July of 40BC Herods 37 year rule according to Josephus began somewhere between January to July in 40BC. [Finegans Handbook says on p101 of the 1998 edition that there are some variations to the Olympiad year due to it overlapping other calendars and because not all early writers agreed upon when the first Olympiad was held but most calculate from July 1 in 776BC. (p93)] 5 Maccabees 50:5 says that Herod's proclamation as king by the Romans commenced an era but the date is not recorded. Later at the time of the rebuilding of the temple Josephus says "for at the same time with this celebration for the work about the temple, fell also the day of the kings inauguration, which he kept of an old custom as a festival, and it now coincided with the other," (Ant 15:11:6) According to the Zikhronot Yemot Olam, (Ozar he-Tefilot, A Collection of Prayers) the dedication of Herod's temple was on the 12th of Adar. (Day by Day, Abraham Bloch, N.Y. 1945) The 12th of Adar would approximately correspond to Tuesday the 16th of March in 18BC (O/S) and in 40BC the 12th of Adar was approximately Thursday the 18th of March (O/S) depending upon slight calendar variations.
Julius Africanus mentions an era he calls "the monarchy and empire of the Romans" (Chronography 17:3)  He says the 11th year of this era was the fourth year of the 187th Olympiad (July 29BC to July 28BC), which would make the first year of this era to fall between July of 39BC to June of 38BC, but if Julius meant that it was the year following the completion of eleven years rather than it being IN the eleventh year then the corresponding Olympiad year of this era probably began in July 40BC. Julius infers that the eleventh year was "in the time of the Ptolemies, and under Cleopatra, the last of these, the date of which event is the 11th year of the monarchy and empire of the Romans, and the 4th year of the 187th Olympiad.", but Cleopatra killed herself in August 30BC which was in the THIRD year of the 187th Olympiad, (July 30BC to July 29BC) If we "correct" Julius by moving the first year of this era of the Monarchy back one year, it would begin from July in 40BC which may help pinpoint the time when Herod was made king by the Romans, but as Josephus says it was the 184th Olympiad, perhaps the 11th year of the Monarchy did not coincide with the Olympiad year but began sometime before it, i.e. March 18. As it appears that Julius Africanus dated events in this period one year ahead, it is also possible that when he says that Herod "went away to Alexandria to Cleopatra. That was the 185th Olympiad" (17:1) this too may have been in the previous year which would have been the 4th year of the 184th Olympiad which began in July 41BC, for it took some time before Herod reached Rome and was declared king, and then returned to Judah to fight. It appears Herod's era and nominal 37 year reign began on the 12th of Adar, Thursday March 18 (O/S) in 40BC.

HERODS 34 YEAR REIGN There is some uncertainty about which year Herod's 34 year of actual reign over Judah began.
Dio Cassius wrote his Roman History in about AD200 and says in Book 49 that Antigonus was killed "in the consulship of Claudius and Norbanus" or 38BC, while Josephus gives the date for the taking of Jerusalem by Sossius in Antiquities 14:15:14, "when Marcus Agrippa and Caninius Gallus were consuls" which was in 37BC, and Julius Africanus gives the time of Herod setting out to see Cleopatra on his way to Rome as the 185 Olympiad which began in July 40BC which would result in the 34 year reign probably beginning later than 37BC.
The date of the start of Herod's 34 year reign is thought to have been from:
1) the fast day when Jerusalem was taken and Antigonus surrended after having  reigned for three years and three months, or from
2) when Antigonus was killed sometime later,
3) or from when Herod was proclaimed to be king by Antony sometime after this.

THREE YEARS  Josephus regards the time between the beginning of the nominal 37 year reign when Herod was made king by the Romans and the beginning of his actual 34 year reign when he conquered Jerusalem to have been three years. It was just over three years between the time Herod was made king of Judah by the Romans and the time he procured Antigonus to be killed by Antony, also the war lasted for about three years.
Julius Africanus (AD200-245) says in his Chronology Ch 17:2, "For three years they besieged Antigonus" (A-N Vol 6, p136) "this was in the third year of the reign of Herod, which was also the third year of Antigonus." (5 Macc 52:34)  This is the English translation of the Arabic and Syriac copies which comes from the Greek which was believed to have been translated from the original in Hebrew. Moses Chorenensis tells us that Tigran helped Antigonus to gain the throne. (Book 2) Josephus says that Antigonus began his reign from when Hyrcanus was taken, which was between Pentecost 41BC (Ant 14:13:4-10) and when Herod was on his way to Rome. More specifically, Antigonus ruled for 3 years and 3 months from when "Barzapharnes and Pacorus the generals of the Parthians, passed over Euphrates and fought with Hyrcanus and took him alive," (Ant 20:10:4) (246)
Herod was informed of the death of his brother while on his way to Egypt (Wars 1:14:2) and when he arrived at Rome some months later he told Augustus of his brothers death and added that "they had made Antigonus king," (Ant 14:14:3) Josephus says in Wars 1:17:8 "winter was going off" and also in Ant.14:15:14 "When the rigour of winter was over" that "this was the third year since he had been made king at Rome" indicating  that Herod was made king at about this time of year around Adar/Nisan, (Feb/March) in 40BC. So by the time Herod returned from Rome it was probably about summer and after taking Joppa and Masada (Wars 1:15:3) the winter of 40-39BC began, which was spent at Jericho (Wars 1:15:6) The following year 39BC it appears was when Herod takes Sepphoris in Galilee after a 40 day battle (Wars 1:16:2, Ant 14:15:4) and Silo arrives. The winter of 39-38BC comes following which Herod fights the cave dwellers using wooden chests, but Herod leaves Ptolemy to finish the fight while he sets off with his army from Antioch to help Antony at Samosata, summer arrives (Wars 1:17:1, Ant 14:15:9) There is a footnote on p313 of the Kregal edition of Antiquities referring  to the Armenian historian Moses Chorenensis who says that Tigranes the king of Armenia "reigned two years after Herod was made king at Rome," before he died and ,"Tigran did not live more than three years after this -" "Antony heard of Tigran's death - " when he arrived at Samosata (Book 2:21) The account by Josephus is similar, "Antony did not hear of his death, in that very neighbourhood, at Samosata, till he was come hither to besiege it; after which Herod brought him an army, which was 340 miles march, and through difficult country, full of enemies also, and joined with him in the siege of Samosata till that city was taken: then Herod and Sossius marched back with their large armies - to besiege Jerusalem, they were not able to take it but by a siege of five months." Samosata is on the Euphrates river. (Wars 7:7:1) So by the time of Antonys arrival at Samosata before the summer of 38BC Herod had already been made king by the Romans for over two years. This shows a period of about three years since Herod had been made king by the Romans before Antigonus was taken captive in the following summer, which also indicates Herod's reign began in 37BC rather than 38BC, so because Josephus gives the year of the Roman consuls and the Olympiad for the start of  Herod's 37 year reign as January to July of 40BC and the time of the capture of Antigonus as the summer of 37BC with Antigonus being king for 3 years and 3 months with a difference of three years between the length of Herod's reigns of 37 and 34 years it is obvious that he intended it as a period of approximately three years. After this fight Antony goes to spend the winter of 38-37BC with Cleopatra leaving Sossius to help Herod. Antony "went for winter quarters to Egypt - burning with desire for Cleopatra." (Moses Chorenesis - History of Armenia, Book 2, Ch 21) It was in the depth of this winter that Antigonus attacks Samaria when Herod is in the shower. (Wars 1:17:7, Ant 14:15:12)  When this "winter was going off" "This was the third year since he had been made king at Rome". 

THE FAST "This destruction befell the city of Jerusalem when Marcus Agrippa and Canidius Gallus were consuls of Rome, in the hundred eighty and fifth Olympiad, in the third month, on the solemnity of the fast,-" (Antiquities 14:16:4) For those who believe it was a fast in 37BC, which fast was it?
   The fast of Seige of Jerusalem    10th Teveth (2Kings25:1,Jer52:4,Ez24:1)
    "   "   "  Esther                               13th Adar 1 (Esther 9:1,17) Sat Mar 16
    "   "   "  Firstborn                          14th Nisan (Tuesday April 16)
    "   "   "  Jeroboam & firstfruit     23rd Sivan (Sunday, June 23 O/S)
    "   "   "  Breaking of Walls & T  17th Tammuz, Jer36:3,Ta'4:6, Tu July 16.
    "   "   "  Destruction of Temple  7th of Av (2Kings 25:8) or (Jer 52:12)
    "   "   "                 "      "    "          10th of Ab (Thursday August 8, O/S)
    "   "   "  Extinction of light          18th of Av, from days of Ahaz.
    "   "   "  Gedaliah                          3rd of Tishri, 7th month
    "   "   "  Day of Atonement        10th Tishri (Sunday October 6 O/S)

Josephus helps locate this "fast" by saying in (Wars 1:18:2) that "they sustained the siege into the FIFTH month", while Whiston translates this as "they bore a siege of five months," Later in Antiquities (14:16:4) Josephus equates the fast with the THIRD month, which he may have confused with his earlier account of Pompeys siege, which was in the third month. (Wars 1:7:4, Ant 14:4:3) Tammuz 9 in 63BC, both Wednesdays. (Zeitlin, Vol 1, p410-1, 511)

       The third Roman                        month was March
        "    "   Hebrew                                    "     "  Sivan (May/June)
        "    "   Greek                                        "     "  Boedromion (September)
        "    "   Alexandrian & Macedonian "     "  Andynaeus (Nov/Jan)  
        "  fifth Roman                                    "     "  May
        "    "   Hebrew                                    "     "  Av (July/Aug)
        "    "   Greek                                        "     "  Maimakterion (November)

If it was on a fast, the fast of Esther 4:16 which would have been held on Sivan 20-22 is not known to have been kept as a regular annual fast, but it, and the fast on Sivan 23 when Jeroboam stopped the bringing of the firstfruits to Jerusalem are the only likely fasts that are in the third month and in "summer" while the fast of the 10th of Av in the fifth month broadens the time between the beginning of the 37 year reign and the 34 year reign to be near six months, although some references say that Herod did not begin his 34 year reign until after Antigonus had been killed, which would be sometime even later. (It is more logical to think Herod began his 34 year reign from the day he conquered Antigonus) Pentecost is also in the third month of Sivan. In 37BC it was on Sunday June 9, according to the Sadducees method or on Thursday the 6th according to the Pharisees but it is unlikely that it is a candidate.
Ant 20:10:4 says that Antigonus ruled for 3 years 3 months before being besieged and taken captive, so assuming Josephus counted using Hebrew months, counting back for 3 years and 3 months for the start of both of their reigns from the three most likely fasts we have:
   
          FASTS IN 37BC       (O/S dates)     START OF REIGN IN 40BC
   Sivan 23  = Sunday June 23                 Adar 23   = Saturday March 29
   Ab 10      = Wednesday July 31           Iyar 10    = Friday May 14
   Tishri 10  = Sunday October 6             Tammuz 10 = Monday July 12
   
A footnote in Loeb says some think the idea that it was a "fast" came from a non Jewish source which Josephus used and was due to "a mistaken and widespread idea in the Graeco-Roman world that the Jews fasted on the sabbath". Josephus openly acknowledges the use of varying accounts. (Wars 1:13:10) It is possible that Josephus may not have known what "fast" it was, but broadly says that the war began in the middle of winter and ended in the middle of summer. Dio says "The first of them to be captured were those who were fighting for the precinct of their god, and the rest on the day even then called the day of Saturn." (Book 49, Loeb p387)
Ben Zion Wacholder points out the variation in Josephus's accounts of the length of the siege which lasted 5 months (Wars 1:18:2), or 6 months (Wars 5:9:4) (Hebrew Union College Annual, Vol 44, 1973 p165-167) but did Josephus mean the fifth month of the war or the fifth month of the calendar? "they sustained the siege into the fifth month;" If this was the 5th month of a five month siege then the war could have begun two months before the year began and this 5th month of the siege could have been the THIRD Hebrew calendar month of Sivan but if the war was 6 months long (Wars 5:9:4) then the FIFTH month it refers to would be the calendar month of Av. "This destruction befell the city of Jerusalem" "when Marcus Agrippa and Caninus Gallus were consuls at Rome," on the 185th Olympiad on the third month, on the solemnity of the fast." (Ant 14:16:4)  The war could end on the third or fifth calendar month of a 5 or 6 month war, but it makes no sense for the war to have ended on the third month of the war, when it was a five or six month war so it appears to refer to the third calendar month. If it was the third calendar month of a 5 or 6 month war it started 2 or 3 months before the first calendar month but if the war was 6 months then it could only mean it was the 5th calendar month, unless he meant only parts of  6 calendar months and contradicts that it was the third calendar month. Josephus tells us that the taking of Jerusalem by Sossius (in 37BC) was a repetition of what had occurred with Pompey "for the Jews were taken by him on the same day, and this was after 27 years time." (Ant 14:16:4) but he does not explain what day Pompey did this, so we do not know what day either of them were. In Ant' 14:4:3 he says Pompey took the city "on the third month" and in Wars 1:7:4 he says "it was the third month of the seige." In his book of "Antiquities" which was written after he wrote "Wars", Josephus does not mention how many months the seige by Sossius lasted in 37BC and only gives us broadly that the siege began from the "depth of winter" until  saying "it was summertime" when the final 55 days began. (Ant' 14:16:2) References in the bible to the seasons of Spring, Summer and Winter are fairly broad. (Gen 8:22, Matt 24:20, 32, Mk 13:18, 28, Lk 21:30, John 10:22) so when Josephus tells us "it was summertime" (Ant ' 14:16:2) he may have simply meant the 55 days began after winter had past, in what we would say was "spring".

THE 10TH OF AV  There are a few things supporting the war ending on the fast of the 10th of Av. In Ant 14:16:2 Josephus shows us that it was already "summertime" before the final 55 days of the siege began. Av is the fifth month and if the war was 6 months long it began about the 10th of Shevat which was in winter. Counting from the beginning of Herod's 37 year reign on Adar 12 it is right on 5 months but Josephus says the war ended in the "third month" (Antiquities 14:16:4) not in the fourth or fifth calendar month, also when Josephus describes the taking of the temple in AD 70 he clearly associates it with the 10th of Av but although he associates both the accounts of Pompey and Sossius he does not say that either of them happened on the 10th of Av which is an indication that the war in 37BC did not end on the 10th of Av. If the war ended on the 10th of Av then it would make the time until the fall of the temple in AD70 to be exactly 106 years, not 107 and it lengthens the reign of Antigonus by 2 months to make it 3 years and 5 months. Perhaps the reason Josephus tells us the battle was for five months (Wars 1:18:2) was because the actual length of the battle took five months, but because it involved six calendar months presumably from mid Kislev, (January), all Shevat, (February), all Adar, (March), all Nisan, (April), and all Iyar, (May) and didn't end until the middle of Sivan, (June), then Josephus could say that the war was (or involved) six calendar months (Wars 5:9:4) or perhaps because it says "encompassed and besieged for six months" Josephus may have included a month of Jerusalem being "encompassed" before a siege of five months began. It seems the five or six months of the war were counted beginning from the attack by Antigonus which appears to have occurred around the middle of January in 37BC, shortly after this Herod gets married, then after Sossius arrives around mid-April, the 55 days of battle against Antigonus at Jerusalem begins. (Ant 14:16:1-2) "it was summer time" (hardly, but at least it was after Passover ) and a sabbatic year, "the first wall was taken in 40 days and the second in 15 days more" then Antigonus surrenders to Sossius. If the war ended on the 23rd of Sivan then the final 55 days started on or around the 29th of Nisan, (Approximately April) in 37BC (O/S). If Josephus meant the temple was taken on the "fast" of the 10 of Av rather than on the "fast" of the 23 of Sivan in 37BC then the dates of several events would need to be brought forward by between about 45 to 47 days later. (6 or 7 days of Sivan plus 29 or 30 days in Tammuz then 10 more days until the 10th of Av) The beginning of the 55 day siege would then have begun around the 14th or 15th of Sivan, (15+30+10=55) and the start of the 5 or 6 month war would have begun on about the 10th of Shevat or Adar. Josephus tells us the war began when "winter was going off" (Wars 1:17:8) "When the rigour of winter was over"  (Ant.14:15:14) Also if the fast was on the 10th of Av then the date of the completion of the temple in 37BC given in the Zikhronot Yemot Olam as being on the 12th of Adar and which co-incided with Herods inauguration in 40 BC would be in disagreement and would have fallen about 46 days later around about the the 27th or 28th of Nisan in 37BC. Josephus tells us that Antigonus ruled for 3 years and 3 months (Ant 20:10:4) (246) which was the time between Herod being made king by the Romans and when he actually conquered Jerusalem, so then the time from the 12th of Adar to the 10th of Av would have been 3 years and 5 months. Also the date for the start and finish of the temple would have been about 46 days later, but either the third or fifth month does not affect the statement in John 2:13-20, spoken when the temple was 46 years old.

THE MONTHS OF WAR IN 37BC As it is evident that the "third" month is meant to be according to the Hebrew calendar we find it almost coincides with the Julian in 37BC.

Using the varying figures for the war over a period of 6 months we have the events in Josephus laid out in the northern hemispheres seasons of  Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.

If the war that began in Samaria "in the depth of winter" ended on the day of the fast of Jeroboam stopping the bringing of the firstfruits to Jerusalem on the 23rd of Sivan and it lasted for six months then it began around the 23rd of Kislev (about the middle of December in 38BC) If the war was for five months then it began around the 23rd of Teveth (about the middle of January in 37BC) This was followed by Herod's marriage to Mariamme almost two months later, near the end of March when winter was "going off" (Wars 1:17:8) Josephus says "winter was over" when Herod married. (Ant 14:15:14) There was some delay while they prepared for their attack upon the first wall, so the attack against the first wall would have started about the 29th of Nisan (approximately April) and lasted for 40 days until about the 8th of Sivan, (June). It was "summertime" (Ant' 14:16:2) when the first wall was broken down, followed 15 days later (from the 9th to the 23rd of Sivan) when the second wall was broken through. (Ant 14:16:2) Josephus says, "This destruction befell the city of Jerusalem when Marcus Agrippa and Caninius Gallus were consuls of Rome (37BC) on the hundred eighty and fifth olympiad, (the 185th olympiad was from July in 40BC to June in 36BC) on the third month -" (Ant' 14:16:4). The "third month" of the Hebrew year was Sivan. (June) If this reckoning is wrong, then it must be very close!
Tacitus 5:8 says "the Jews were subdued by Gaius Sossius. Antony gave the throne to Herod." Antigonus was taken captive by Sossius "he marched away from Jerusalem and carried Antigonus with him in bonds to Antony." (Ant 14:16:4) Sossius took Antigonus in chains, for according to 5 Macc 52:32-34 "Antigonus was taken prisoner. After these things Sossius betook himself into Egypt to his colleague Antony carrying with him Antigonus in chains" meanwhile it appears that Antony had sailed back with Cleopatra to Italy and then traveled through Greece on his way to Antioch in Syria. (Dio 49:23) Antony intended "to keep Antigonus as his captive" (Ant 15:1:2) and take him to Rome. (Ant 14:16:4)  Dio says "Antony bound Antigonus to a pole, he was flogged, a punishment no other king had suffered at the hands of the Romans and afterwards slew him. (Roman History Book 49, Loeb p387-8) This may have been several months later, for Josephus says that Herod got Antony to kill Antigonus after "giving Antony a great deal of money." (Ant 14:16:4) "At this time Herod, now that he had got Jerusalem under his power, carried off all the royal ornaments, and spoilt the wealthy men of what they had gotten; and when by these means he had heaped together a great quantity of silver and gold, he gave it all to Antony" (Ant 15:1:2)  It was after this when "the nation grew seditious and that, out of their hatred to Herod, they continued to bear good-will to Antigonus he resolved to behead him at Antioch" (Ant 15:1:2) "-Antony had him brought to Antioch, and slain there." (Ant 20:10:1) "then did the axe bring him to his end, who still had a fond desire of life" (Wars 1:18:3) "-when Antony had him brought to Antioch, and slain there. Herod was then made king by the Romans,-" (Ant 20:10:4)  "after putting Antigonus to death, he assumed control of the state;" (Wars 1:33:8) 5Maccabees says much the same thing, "Herod sent to Antony a very great and fair present, requesting him to slay Antigonus" (p159) Josephus also quotes Strabo "Antony ordered Antigonus the Jew to be brought to Antioch and there to be beheaded." (Ant 15:1:1, and 20:10:1) It probably would have been some time between when Antigonus was taken to Egypt and then taken to Antioch where he was killed, which may explain the dating by Julius Africanus: "Antony when about to go on an expedition against the Parthians slew Antigonus the king of the Jews and gave Arabia to Cleopatra and passing over into the territory of the Parthians sustained a severe defeat, loosing the greater part of his army. That was in the 186th Olympiad". The 186th Olympiad began in July 36BC. Wars 1:33:8 says Herod "reigned thirty four years since he had caused Antigonus to be slain, and obtained his kingdom; but thirty seven years since he had been made king by the Romans". This is mistranslated as 36 and 33 years by some, it is 37 and 34. Josephus repeats this in Antiquities, "having reigned since he had procured Antigonus to be slain thirty four years, but since he had been declared king by the Romans, thirty seven." (Ant 17:8:1) As much as Josephus says Herod's 34 year reign began with the DEATH of Antigonus it appears more likely it began from the DEFEAT of Antigonus which took place 3 years and 3 months after Herod's proclaimation in Rome as king. As we are told in the Zikhronot Yemot Olam that the dedication of Herod's temple (in 18BC) was on the 12th of Adar and as the 12th of Adar in 40BC was on the 18th of March then as Herod's celebration of his inauguration in Rome co-incided with those for the building of the temple, (Ant 15:11:6) then the 37 year reign would have begun on the 12th of Adar in 40BC and his 34 year reign would have begun about 3 years and 3 months later on about the 12th of Sivan in 37BC which was somewhere around the 12th of June in 37BC (O/S) or perhaps on the fast of Jeroboam stopping the offering of Firstfruits which was held on the 23rd of Sivan which would have been on Sunday, June 23 in 37BC (O/S).

COUNTING BACK 107 YEARS Josephus says in Ant 20:10:5 "the number of the high priests, from the days of Herod until the day when Titus took the temple and the city, and burnt them, were in all twenty eight: the time also that belonged to them was an hundred and seven years." but from Av 10 in 37BC to the 10th of Av in AD70 is only 106 years. We need to be careful from when in the year we begin and end counting the years. Counting 27 years from Pompy's victory in 63BC results in 36BC but subtracting 107 years from AD70 results in 38BC. It becomes apparent that Josephus often adds an extra year to the actual number of years. Josephus says that it was "in the second year of Vespasians reign" (Wars 6:4:8) that the destruction of the temple took place, but the flames were due to the Jews themselves. (Wars 6:4:5) Epiphanius also says that Titus captured Jerusalem "in the second year of his father Vespasian's reign." (Sect 1, 5,6, p47) Vespasian became emperor on July 1st in AD69. Tacitus said "Vespasian within two summers occupied with his victorious army the whole of the level country and all the cities except Jerusalem." (Book 5:13, Loeb Vol 3, p193) These were the two summers of AD69 and AD70. The fire that destroyed the temple began on the 9th of the Syrian month of Lous, which is called Av in the Hebrew calendar and is thought to have been Sunday the 5th of August in AD70. At about midday on the following day which was the 10th of Av a soldier threw some of the burning timber through an opening near the sanctuary which spread and burnt the temple down. (Wars 6:4:6) Titus took the rest of the city on the eighth day of Elul (Wars 6:9:1) (probably Sunday 2nd of September) "then after the war the Romans demolished it" (Wars 6:10:1 and 7:1:1) "Thus was Jerusalem destroyed on the very day of Saturn, the day which even now the Jews reverence most." (Dio's Roman History, Book 65, LCL p271) It seems that Josephus includes the short additional time after 106 "reignal" years from the end of the war in 37BC until the 10th of Av in AD70 which was IN the 107th year of the 28 priests as being 107 years, or he may have begun the first year from Nisan 1 in 37BC as being the first Hebrew year followed by 105 complete years and the period from Nisan 1 in AD70 until Av 10 in AD70 as being the last year. A note in Loeb on Ant 20:10:5 p133 simply adds the Roman years 37BC to AD70 to give 107 years. A list of these high priests and the years they were in office can be found in "A Light from the Ancient Past" by Jack Finegan on p262-3 (220.93/57).
Josephus used various calendars having Hebrew, Macedonian and Roman months, Greek Olympiads, Alexandrian years, years of Roman consuls and reignal years. Some believe that Josephus may have used the Jewish method of counting the years of kings from Nisan 1, and as Herod was half Jewish, any time before Nisan 1, even if it was only one day would be considered as being in his first year. "A king who ascends the throne on the 29th of Adar must be considered to have reigned one year as soon as the first of Nisan comes." (Babylonian Talmud New Year, Ch 1) it would be okay to reason that way about Josephus counting Herod's 37 year reign from the beginning of 40BC, but his 34 year reign is shown to have begun in "summer" or even a few months later when Antigonus was killed, so because he regards the difference as only a three year gap between both events it appears probable that his 37 year reign began with Adar 12 in 40BC which was Thursday March 18, (O/S) and his 34 year reign began about three years and three months later on about Sivan 12, (Wednesday June 12) in 37BC (O/S), or perhaps on the fast for Jereboam stopping the bringing of Firstfruits to Jerusalem which was held on the 23rd of Sivan. The Testament of Moses, (also called The Assumption of Moses) which was written in about AD30 which was before Josephus was born, also shows that Herod ruled for 34 years. (Ch 6:6) Julius Africanus says "Herod was declared king of the Jews by the senate and Octavius and reigned 34 years" (Chronology Ch 17:2, A-N Vol 6, p136)  
As the reigns of Antigonus and Herod were simultaneous and Antigonus is said to have ruled for 3 years and 3 months, and the war ended in the third month, then the weight of evidence is that Herod's 34 year reign began from somewhere between about Wednesday the 12th to Sunday 23rd of Sivan in 37BC. Because Herod's 37 year reign appears to have begun before Nisan 1 and since Josephus used the Jewish method of counting kings years, it would result in the 37 year reign ending in March of 4BC, while Herod's 34 year reign from the "summer" of 37BC ends in the "summer" of 3BC. This apparent difference of over one year is only due to the result of the artificial method of regarding the period before Nisan 1 in 40BC as being a full year, but the 34 year reign with the 34th year being between the summer of 4BC and the summer of 3BC shows a later date for Herod's death than the commonly accepted date of March in 4BC

THE SABBATICAL YEAR Sometime after Herod "had got Jerusalem under his power" and was causing "miseries" and before Antigonus was killed, Josephus says "the sabbatic year, - was still going on, and forced the country to lie still uncultivated, since we are forbidden to sow our land in that year." (Ant 15:1:2) Being "summertime" suggests it was not the day of Atonement which is near October in the northern Autumn, and also Josephus shows the "sabbatic year" which would have ended if this had been on the Day of Atonement still continued. Perhaps the reason that some think that the "fast" was the Day of Atonement is that the third month of the Jewish calendar Sivan, (about June) could be confused with the third month of the Olympiad year, Boedromion (September) but the Day of Atonement was about October 6 in 37BC, which was in the FOURTH Olympiad month and not the "third", and as George Ogg says "Attic months were never numbered" (The Chronology of the Public Ministry of Jesus, p156) Bond says the Olympiad calendar was lunar-solar having 12 or 13 months and that Hadrian introduced new Olympiads in AD131, Olympiad 227.3 = 1. (p193) There is uncertainty about when the sabbatical (shevit) years fall for they originally were part of a 50 year cycle that seems to have been lost, and as Plaut (p943-4) points out, Lev 25:10-11 says "fiftieth", not the 49th year. The crops that grew naturally were not to be reaped but could still be eaten. (Lev 25:11-12)  Philo says "allowing the poor to go with impunity over the fields of the rich to gather the fruits which that year grew spontaneously." (On Humanity, Ch 11) and Josephus says "as for the spontaneous products of the soil, the enjoyment of these was to be open to all desirous of them, whether countryman or alien, none of them being kept back. Josephus also tells us that in the 13th year of Herod (June in 25BC to June in 24BC) there was a drought in Judea for two years which appears to have been the two harvests of 25BC and 24BC. Herod bought grain from Egypt for the people and gave some to the Syrians to grow, which according to the system recorded in Josephus would have been in the sabbatical year of 24/23BC. (Ant' 15:9:1) "-I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years." (Lev 25:21) If they were keeping the correct sabbatical cycle, did God break his promise to provide double in the pre sabbatical year? This practice was also to be observed at the end of the seventh week of years. This is the period amounting to fifty years in all, of which the fiftieth year is called by the Hebrews Jobel." (Ant 3:12:3) (Jovel is a rams horn) Leviticus 25:8-10 says that after 49 years they were to "hallow the fiftieth year" which is thought by some to have first been observed by the Israelites in the last 6 months of the Hebrew year that were left of the first year that they entered the Promised land, which was from when the trumpets were blown at the time of the fall of Jericho just after the Passover (Josh 5:10, 6:16) although the correct time to do this was on the Day of Atonement. (Lev 25:9-10) In the Adin Steinsaltz edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Reference Guide p280 the Jewish scholar says "The first of these fifty-year cycles began in the fiftieth year after the conquest of the land of Israel in Joshua's time."
William Whiston gives 31 different years between 1756BC to 1272BC that chronologists have thought was the year after Moses died that Joshua entered the land. These can be found on p707 of early Kregal editions of Josephus, Whiston thought it was 1492BC and the G.N. July/Aug 1997, p22 gives us another one, 1410BC, as the year of the fall of Jericho. Some think it was near 1200BC. The Jubilee "is only observed when the majority of the Jewish people are living in Israel, hence its observance was discontinued during the First Temple period and was never renewed." (Steinsaltz, p199)  "Observance of the Jubilee year ceased before the end of the First Temple period, even though the system of counting the fifty-year cycle may still have been kept up." (p280) The Babylonian Talmud, Abadim 62a says "When did the Jubilees cease to be observed? From the time when Pul and Tiglath-pileser, kings of Assyria, came up and carried the Reubenites, the Gaddites and half tribe of Manasseh into captivity" (Vol 2, p623). They received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan river, which was outside the Promised land, before the crossing of the Jordan and they appear to have also been the first to go into captivity. Tiglath-Pileser III ruled from 744BC to 727BC. This was in the days of king Menahem of Israel, 747-737BC. (2 Kings 15:19-29) but as Whiston shows in his dissertation p702, that even after this time, Hezekiah the king of Judah is shown to have been told to observe two years of  rest for the land, which most logically is taken to have been a seventh year followed by a Jubilee year called the "second year". (2 Kings 19:29 and Isa 37:30) but not all historians agree upon when Hezekiah's reign began. "He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years -" (2 Kings 18:22, Chr 29:1) "In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah -" (Isa 36:1) Before we try to resolve which year this was it helps to understand there are a number of ways people construct tables of sabbatical cycles. Some think they should rest their land on the 7th year from whenever it was purchased, but this year of liberty was not just any year but was one particular year for all the inhabitants of the land. (Lev 25:10) Some think we should count in 50 year cycles from the creation in 4004BC. Others use continuous 7 year sabbatic cycles that start from 3761/60BC and make the first year of the next 49 year cycle to be a Jubilee but Wacholder makes 3761/3760BC to have been a Jubilee which makes his sabbatic cycle fall one year later. Out of the seven possible alternative years, these are the two main cycles that most students of history use, although Floyd Jones uses unbroken cycles of seven years, Nisan to Nisan, with the Jubilee year Tishri to Tishri overlapping two years every 49 years. (Chronology, Floyd Jones, p288) "There is a controversy among the Tannaim (first century scholars) as to whether the Jubilee Year was reckoned as the first year of the new Sabbatical cycle (in which case, the Jubilee period would last only forty-nine years), or whether the fiftieth year that followed the seventh Sabbatical cycle was a special additional year (in which case the Jubilee period would be fifty years)." (p280). Judah, (c AD130) said the Jubilee was not counted as a separate year. (Zeitlin, Vol 1, p219) "according to the opinion of R Juda" - The Yobel "was at the same time the first of the next Shmittah - The Sages - hold that the Yobel interrupts the counting," (Erachin 33a) (Talmudic and Rabbinical Chronology, p66) The Book of Jubilees and the Samaritans use the 49 year cycle. (Judaica, Jubilee) Whiston agrees with those who said "the Jewish year of jubilee was always the first of a sabbatic week of years; - So that every 49th and 50th year were, the former a sabbatic year, and the latter a year of jubilee, without any interruption of the sabbatic cycles by the jubilees." (Kregal, p700) As it is thought that the sabbatical cycle is to be seen historically as only being kept every seventh year with the observance of the 50th or Jubilee year being understood to coincide with the first year of the next 7 year cycle, then like the system used in the book of Jubilees the only way to get 50 years between Jubilees is to use inclusive counting. This cycle of counting continuous unbroken seven year sabbatic/Jubilee cycles from the start of the AM era in 3761BC is used in Israel today. Mark Kaplan says "Ambassador College, Big Sandy, had an agricultural program and decided that its seventh year would begin in the fall of 1972. The College later discovered that Israel would observe its land rest that same year." (The Journal, August 2000, p3) If we include the 7x7 year system with a separate Jubilee on the 50th year, because we do not know which is the Jubilee year we end up with 50 possible alternative options as to the Jubilee year cycle because it could fall on any one of the fifty years and adding these to the 7, seven year cycle alternatives, we have a total of 57 different varieties to choose from (like Heinz soup) If we can isolate the Jubilee in the days of Hezekiah it would help to narrow this down. The two systems do harmonize for 50 years every 350 years and perhaps by coincidence the period between Isaiah around 700BC and the time of Christ is double that time but both systems cannot be right. Although some would say that preference should go to the original system used in the time of Isaiah and Hezekiah, we can ponder the 50 year system used in the time of Isaiah later but as it is apparent that the 49 year cycle was the historically acknowledged system that was in use from the time of the Babylonian captivity and so is the most relevant system to help us figure out the years and dates during the Herodian period. Most accept the dates given in the following table.

Examining these various ideas about which year is thought have been the 14th year of Hezekiah, which appears to have been a sabbatical year, the views range from about 728BC to 675BC. If 38/37BC was a sabbatical year then counting back in steps of 7x7 years from 38/37BC results in the closest and most likely years that harmonize with this sabbatical system to have been 709BC, 702BC and 695BC. The year 702BC appears to be the most favourable because it agrees with the Assyrian records of it being during the years of the third campaign of Sennacherib's reign (705-681BC). Using later sabbatic years such as 688BC and 681BC becomes progressively less likely because they become far too late. Some may ponder whether 704BC being 14 Jubilees (of 50 years) before the birth of Jesus in 4BC might be significant and would show that using a 49 year cycle is wrong. We are told Hezekiah had 15 years added to his life from the time Isaiah spoke to him in the 14th year if his reign which appears to have been a sabbatical year with the following year being a Jubilee year. If Samaria was taken captive in 721BC and Hezekiah began to reign 6 years before this occured in 727BC then his 14th year would have been around 713BC and the closest sabbatical year according to the 49 year cycle would have been 709BC (710/709BC). (Using a 50 year cycle we could make 713BC or 712BC to have been the Jubilee year.)
The following table shows 710/709BC which would have been the sabbatic year according to a 49 year cycle when counting back from 38/37BC and this results in the following year of 709BC/708BC to have been a Jubilee year, which is clearly out of step with the commonly accepted pattern of Jubilee years according to the 49 year cycle based on 3761BC.