Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

wintertime battle that resulted in Vitellius' death

1046

 (Dec. 

A.D.

 54). Thereafter, Book 4 describes Vespasian 

setting out for Rome  as the winter was now almost over. 

1047

 In the view of Josephus, a Jewish priest, the 

winter would end about the time of the Spring Equinox and the month of Nisan, in late March. But Book 4 

does not end with Vespasian departing from Alexandria. The end of Book 4 describes Titus and his troops 

traveling to Caesarea.

1048

 How long this journey took is discussed in detail below. 

    Thus Book 4 begins in the fall of 

A.D.

 52 and it ends no earlier than March of 

A.D.

 55. The length of time 

encompassed by Book 4 is clearly more than 2 years: late 

A.D.

 52, plus all of 

A.D.

 53 and 54, and the early part 

of 

A.D.

 55 as well. Even in the usual chronology (dating these events in the late 

A.D.

 60's), the length of time 

must be given as well over two years. Therefore, the title of Book 4, which states the length of time as about 

one year, is in error. 

    Near the end of Book 4 of The Wars of the Jews, a battle is described between the troops of Vitellius and those 

loyal to Vespasian.

1049

 Josephus places the death of Vitellius at the time of this battle. The date Josephus gives 

is  the third day of the month of Apelleus [Casleu]. 

1050

 The month name in brackets is the translator's 

comment giving the equivalent month, Kislev, in the Jewish calendar. Josephus wrote the month name 

Apelleus, which is from Macedonian calendar. Tacitus places this same battle, and the death of Vitellius, not 

long after Dec. 18.

1051

 A common interpretation of Tacitus places this same battle described by Josephus on 

Dec. 20.

1052

    For the year 

A.D.

 69, the third day of the month in the Jewish or Macedonian calendars would occur in 

early December, a couple of weeks before the date given by Tacitus.

1053

 For the year 

A.D.

 54, the third day of 

the month in the Jewish and Macedonian lunar calendars  coincides with Dec. 20, in agreement with 

Tacitus.

1054

 The month, though, is Tevet, not Kislev. In no year does the month of Kislev begin as late as Dec. 

18. This would mean that the previous Nisan 14, the start of Passover, would have fall on or about May 10 

too late a date for the Passover, even following a Jewish leap year (when a 13th month is added to the calendar 

just before Nisan). However, Josephus did not write the month name of Kislev, rather he wrote the 

Macedonian calendar month name of Apelleus. Usually, during this time period, the month of Apelleus would 

correspond to the month of Kislev.

1055

 But this correlation could easily have been out of synch for brief periods. 

    The Macedonian calendar uses the month of Artemissus as the leap month (the month to be repeated for the 

13th month in a leap year), but the Jewish calendar uses the month of Adar (repeated as AdarII in leap years). 

If the Macedonian calendar, in a particular year, adds a second Artemissus for a leap year, and if the Jewish 

calendar does not make that year a leap year, then the correlation of the months between those two calendars 

will change. In such a case the Macedonian month of Apelleus would correspond to the month of Tevet, not 

Kislev. Tevet is the month after Kislev; Tevet 3 coincided with December 20 in the year 

A.D.

 54. The months 

would then return to their usual synchronization when the Jewish calendar added a Second Adar during a 

Jewish leap year. (See Appendix I, Chart 5 for an example of the correlation between the Jewish  and 

Macedonian calendars.) 

    The Macedonian calendar did not always have the same leap years as in the Jewish calendar. The reason is 

that the Jews chose their leap years based on certain religious considerations. For example,  the grain had to be 

ready  for harvest so that it could be offered to God as first fruits during the Passover. If the grain was not 

ready, the Jews would add a leap month of AdarII and so delay the start of Passover. The Macedonians did 

not have such considerations affecting their choice of leap years. 

    In this way, the correlation of the months between the Macedonian and Jewish calendars could have varied, 

in some years, by one month. The differences between the leap years in the Macedonian and Jewish calendars 

can also explain another chronological problem in the writings of Josephus about the fall of Jerusalem. There 

appears to be an extra month in Josephus' detailed, eyewitness account of the siege of Jerusalem (see below, 

 The Siege of Jerusalem ). 

    There is another possible explanation for Josephus' statement that Vitellius was defeated on Apelleus 3. 

Perhaps Josephus' date is simply off by one month. Josephus was an eyewitness to the siege of Jerusalem, but 

at this point in time, before Vespasian became emperor, Josephus was still in prison. He was released from 

prison by Vespasian after he became emperor. It is therefore possible that the date was Audynaios 3 (the 

month after Apelleus in the Macedonian calendar). The month of Audynaios in the Macedonian calendar 

usually coincides with the month of Tevet in the Jewish calendar. 

216