Early Church History 

    In this chronology, and in many other modern chronologies, the number of the years from Christ's 

Ascension to Nero's 7th year does not add up to 30 years. First we add 7 years of Nero's reign to the 14 

calendar years of Claudius' reign, and then we add the 4 calendar years of Gaius' reign (Caligula), to reach a 

total of 25 years. In this revised chronology, Tiberius reigned just over 21 years (

A.D.

 1 to March of 

A.D.

 22), 

so that the last full calendar year of his reign was 

A.D.

 21. Christ died in 

A.D.

 19. There are only three 

additional years, counting inclusively, to add to the 25 years; there were not 30 years from Tiberius' 19th year 

to Nero's 7th year. 

    In other modern chronologies, Tiberius' last full calendar year would be 

A.D.

 36. To obtain 5 additional 

years to add to the 25, one would have to place Christ's Crucifixion in 

A.D.

 32 (counting inclusively), or in 

A.D.

 31. Modern scholars do not accept either of those dates as a possible year for the Crucifixion, mainly 

because the Passover did not begin on a Friday in 

A.D.

 31 or 32 (see Appendix I, chart 1). Therefore, either 

Jerome was mistaken that James died in the 30th year after Christ's Ascension, or, he was mistaken that he 

died in Nero's 7th year. 

    Luke brings Acts of the Apostles to a close in the spring of Nero's 7th year, and no mention is made of 

James the Less' martyrdom. This evidence supports the conclusion that James the Less died, not in Nero's 7th 

year, but later, in the 30th year since Christ's Ascension. Since Christ died in 

A.D.

 19, and James ruled the 

church at Jerusalem for 30 years after Christ, the 30th year would either be 

A.D.

 48 or 49, depending on 

whether or not one counts inclusively. Nero's 9th year was 

A.D.

 48 and his 10th year was 

A.D.

 49. I would 

count the length of time not inclusively. Jerome gives us the length of time that James the Less reigned over 

Jerusalem, much as Josephus gives us the length of time for various emperors' reigns. Also, Christ's Ascension 

and James the Less' martyrdom each occurred in the springtime, so that one would naturally count the length 

of time from spring of one year to each spring of subsequent years. So James the Less was martyred in the 10th 

year of Nero. (Further support for this conclusion comes from a comparison between the martyrdoms of James 

the Less and Mark the Evangelist, discussed below.) 

    Eusebius quotes Hegesippus as stating that the conflict between the Jews and the Romans, which ended in 

the destruction of Jerusalem, began immediately after James' death.   `Immediately after this Vespasian began 

to besiege them.'  

674

 Eusebius also quotes Josephus as writing that the sufferings of the siege of Jerusalem 

were a punishment against the Jews for unjustly putting James the Less to death.

675

 If James had died in 

Nero's 7th year, these statements could not be correct, for the conflict between the Jews and the Romans 

began in Nero's 12th year.

676

 Since Hegesippus lived in the first generation after the time of the Apostles,

677

 his 

statement is to be believed and James' martyrdom must be placed at the later date, the 30th year since Christ's 

Ascension and Nero's 10th year, not his 7th year. 

    Although the war began in Nero's 12th year, the government of Florus over Judea began a year earlier, in 

Nero's 11th year. And this choice by Nero to put Florus over the Jews was, according to Josephus, the main 

cause of the revolt of the Jews against the Romans.

678

 James died in the year just previous to the beginning of 

the conflict, Nero's 10th year, in accordance with Hegesippus. Of course, some years passed before the conflict 

actually led to the besieging of Jerusalem by Vespasian. (See chapter 14 for the chronology of the destruction 

of Jerusalem.) 

    Details of James the Less' martyrdom are found in the writings of Josephus, Eusebius, and Jerome. When 

Festus, the governor of Judea, died, Nero replaced him with Albinus. About the same time, Herod Agrippa II 

replaced the Jewish high priest Joseph with Ananus.

679

 After Festus died and before Albinus had arrived in 

Judea to replace him, the new high priest decided to pressure James the Less to deny that Jesus is the Messiah 

and the Son of God.

680

 Ananus was taking advantage of a lapse in leadership at the end of Festus' reign. 

Similar circumstances at the end of Pilate's reign over Judea led to the stoning of Saint Stephen. The Jewish 

high priest made James stand at a high point on the Temple wall, asking him to speak  against Jesus to the 

crowds gathered for the Passover. James instead spoke in favor of Jesus as the Christ; many heard him and 

many were converted. So the Jewish religious leaders threw James down from the Temple wall. Yet he did not 

die from the fall, so they began to stone him. Still he did not die from the stoning, so a man took a fuller club 

(used to beat out clothing) and clubbed him to death.

681

 In this way died James the Less, one of the Twelve 

Apostles and the leader of the Church at Jerusalem for 30 years. 

163