Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

which was the beginning of Herod's reign over Jerusalem. In the title of book 15, Josephus writes:  BOOK 15 

CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF EIGHTEEN YEARS FROM THE DEATH OF ANTIGONUS TO 

THE FINISHING OF THE TEMPLE BY HEROD.  Since book 15 covers a period of 18 years, from the 

beginning of Herod's reign to the completion of the temple, work on the temple must have been completed 

(not begun) in Herod's 18th year. 

    Also, Josephus places the  description of the rebuilding of the Temple at the very end of book 15. If the 

rebuilding had begun in Herod's 18th year, then the description of the completion of the rebuilding would fall 

into the middle of book 16. But book 16 instead mentions the rebuilding of the Temple in the title of the book 

as having already been completed:  CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF TWELVE YEARS FROM THE 

FINISHING OF THE TEMPLE BY HEROD TO THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER AND 

ARISTOBULUS. 

779

 Notice from this title that book 16 begins at the time of the completion of the rebuilding 

of the Temple. Therefore, the Temple rebuilding did not begin in Herod's 18th year, but rather was completed 

in his 18th year. 

    The statement by Josephus that the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem began in Herod's 15th year 

cannot be correct.

780

 Josephus describes in detail a famine which took place in Israel during Herod's 13th and 

14th years.

781

 The year after a two year period of famine is a very unlikely starting point for a major building 

project, such as the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem. However, the rebuilding took eight years, so work 

on the Temple did occur during Herod's 15th year, and ended in his 18th year.

782

    Further confirmation that the rebuilding of the Temple was completed in Herod's 18th year is found in 

Josephus' description of another major building project, Cesarea Sebaste. Josephus tells us that Cesarea 

Sebaste took nearly ten years to build and was completed in Herod's 28th year.

783

 This building project began 

nearly 10 years earlier, about the 19th year of Herod's reign. But if Herod had begun to build the temple in his 

18th year, he would have had two major building projects going on at the same time. This is highly unlikely, 

for Herod had difficulty convincing the Jewish people to  participate in even the one major construction 

project, to rebuild their own Temple, as Josephus describes:   but as he knew the multitude were not ready 

nor willing to assist him in so vast a design, he thought to prepare them first by making a speech to them, and 

then set about the work itself . 

784

 On the other hand, if the Temple was completed in Herod's 18th year, 

then the extensive resources formerly used to rebuild the Temple could be brought to bear on the Cesarea 

Sebaste project. Again, we see that the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem was completed in Herod's 18th 

year. 

    According to Josephus, the rebuilding of the Temple, including the outer enclosures, took 8 years.

785

 If the 

work was completed in Herod's 18th year, it must have begun 8 years earlier, in Herod's 11th year. The work 

on the Temple itself (the Sanctuary where the sacrifices took place) took only 1  years.

786

 Josephus notes that 

the completion of the rebuilding of the Temple Sanctuary was celebrated with a festival which coincided with 

the anniversary of Herod's inauguration as king of Jerusalem.

787

 Herod captured Jerusalem in the autumn and 

must have been inaugurated as king shortly thereafter, so the rebuilding of the Temple Sanctuary was 

completed in the autumn. Therefore, the work on the Temple Sanctuary began in the springtime during 

Herod's 11th year, continued for 1  years, and was completed at the end of his 12th year as king of Jerusalem. 

    Herod captured Jerusalem in autumn of 43 

B.C.

, on the fast day (Tishri 10), which fell  in mid September 

that year.

788

 The work on the Temple of Jerusalem began in spring of Herod's 11th year, which would be 

spring of 32 

B.C.

 (Regardless of whether one counts each year of Herod's reign from the autumn at his 

inauguration, or from the beginning  of the calendar year in January, or from the beginning of the Jewish 

sacred calendar in Nisan, the spring of his 11th year would still be 32 

B.C.

) The Temple Sanctuary was 

completed 1  years later, in autumn of 31 

B.C.

 And the entire Temple, including the outer enclosures, was 

completed about 8 years after the work had begun, in Herod's 18th year, which was 25 

B.C.

The Olympiad Years 

    The modern day Olympics has its origins and inspiration in the ancient Olympic Games held by the 

Romans. These Olympic  Games were held, as we would count it, every 4 years. The Romans counted it as 

every 5th year, since they counted inclusively, that is, they counted the year of the games, plus the 3 following 

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