Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

Augustus' reign exact to the day.  The usual date given for the death of Augustus is Aug. 19 of 

A.D.

 14. 

Subtracting 57 years brings us to August of 44 

B.C.

; subtracting another six months brings us to Feb. of 44 

B.C.

But the reign of Augustus could not have begun a month before the death of Julius Caesar. Augustus clearly 

had very little power before Julius died, and he had to engage in a protracted struggle for power after Julius 

Caesar died in order to become one of three men in charge of the Roman Empire. Thus, even when using the 

usual date for the death of Augustus (

A.D.

 14), we must conclude that Julius Caesar could not have died in 44 

B.C.

 Therefore, Josephus must be counting the reign of Augustus as beginning in the February that falls 11 

months after the March in which Julius Caesar died, not the February one month before Julius Caesar died. 

    Here also is the reason that the death of Julius Caesar is given a revised date (49 

B.C.

) of 5 years earlier than 

the usual date (44 

B.C.

), whereas the beginning of the reign of Augustus is given a revised date of 4 years 

earlier (

A.D.

 10, instead of 

A.D.

 14). In the usual chronology, the reign of Augustus is counted as beginning 

upon the death of Julius (or, inexplicably, a month before). But in this revised chronology, his reign begins the 

year following Julius Caesar's death, 11 months later. The extra year accounts for the period of time, described 

in detail by Josephus,

825

 when a power struggle ensued between various factions. Josephus refers to this period 

of time as a war:  As the war that arose upon the death of Caesar was now begun, and the principal men were 

all gone, some one way, and some another, to raise armies . 

826

 This conflict eventually resulted in the 

establishment of a three man council, called the triumvirate. Augustus (called Octavian) ruled jointly with 

Lepidus and Marc Anthony. In no way, then, can it be said that the reign of Augustus began a month before 

the death of Julius Caesar, but rather 11 months later. 

    The length of Augustus' reign given by Josephus fits the information given by other ancient historians. Dio 

gives the length of Augustus' reign, beginning with his military victory over Marc Anthony and Cleopatra, as 

 forty four years, lacking thirteen days. 

827

 Since Augustus died on August 19, this places the beginning of his 

reign as sole ruler on Sept. 2.

828

 Suetonius Tranquillus also gives the length of Augustus' reign as sole ruler as 

44 years.

829

 Josephus gives the length of Augustus' reign as 57 years and six months, but he adds that Augustus 

ruled with Marc Anthony for the first 14 years  of that time. If we subtract the 44 years (less 13 days) of 

Augustus' reign as sole ruler, from the total length of his reign, 57.5 years, we arrive at 13.5 years (plus 13 

days) as the length of Augustus' reign with Marc Anthony. Thus, the lengths of Augustus' reign given by these 

various ancient historians is in agreement. 

4. The battle at Actium 

    From the above formula, one could calculate the end of the battle at Actium, when Augustus' reign as sole 

ruler began, as occurring 13.5 years after Augustus' reign, as co ruler with Marc Anthony and Lepidus, began. 

If Julius Caesar died in 49 

B.C.

, and the beginning of Augustus' reign is figured from the following February 

(as indicated by Josephus), then adding 13.5 years (plus 13 days) to Feb. of 48 

B.C.

  brings us to the end of 

August in 35 

B.C.

 Therefore, Augustus completed his victory over Marc Anthony at Actium in Sept. of 35 

B.C.

This argument is based on the conclusion above that Julius Caesar died in 49 

B.C.

    This date for the battle at Actium also fits seamlessly into the chronology of Herod's reign. Josephus places 

the battle between Augustus and Marc Anthony in the year of the 187th Olympiad, and in the seventh year of 

Herod's reign.

830

 As explained in chapter 12 of this book, Josephus places the capture of Jerusalem, which 

marked the beginning of Herod's reign, in the third month of the 185th Olympiad.

831

 Chapter 12 of this book 

concludes that Herod captured Jerusalem in Sept. of 43 

B.C.

, in the third month of the 185th Olympiad year. 

The Olympic Games were held every four years, therefore the 187th Olympiad must have begun, eight years 

later, on July 1 of 35 

B.C.

    Josephus states that the battle of Actium  fell into  the 187th Olympiad, but, with other events related to 

Olympiad years, he instead  uses the expression  on the  Nth Olympiad (as in the case of the capture of 

Jerusalem). By this difference in wording, Josephus indicates that the battle at Actium began before the 187th 

Olympiad (before July 1 of 35 

B.C.

), but  fell into,  that is,  continued into  the year of the 187th Olympiad. 

The 187th Olympiad would contain the battle at Actium if the battle ended on Sept. 2 of 35 

B.C.

 But the battle 

must have begun before the 187th Olympiad year began on July 1 of 35 

B.C.

, otherwise Josephus would have 

said that the battle occurred  on the  187th Olympiad, rather than  fell into  the 187th Olympiad. 

188