Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

Preparations at Caesarea 

    At Caesarea, Titus had to gather his forces from other areas. According to Tacitus, the Twenty Second and 

Third legions were brought up from Alexandria. The Twelfth legion joined Titus from Syria. The Fifth, Tenth, 

and Fifteenth legions joined Titus from various areas within Judea. In addition to these forces, there were 

additional infantry and cavalry, plus troops sent from king Agrippa II, king Sohaemus (from Emesa, north of 

Phoenicia), and  supporting forces offered by King Antiochus. 

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 There were also soldiers from Rome and 

Italy, and some Arab soldiers.  This then was the army with which Titus entered enemy territory. 

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    This army was assembled from many different places, some at a considerable distance from Caesarea. 

Notice also that this army was assembled before Titus entered enemy  territory (Judea). Titus assembled his 

forces, prepared his strategy, and built his engines of war, at Caesarea. Titus also had to obtain information 

about the preparedness and condition of Jerusalem. How long would it take to complete these tasks and 

assemble such a vast army gathered from many locations? These tasks must have taken at least several months. 

Yet the usual chronology allows little or no time for this task. 

    Tacitus tells us that Titus, when Vespasian chose him to complete the conquest of Judea,  received added 

support and recognition, as provinces and armies vied in displaying their enthusiasm. 

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 The distant 

provinces had to hear the news that Titus was assembling an army to capture Jerusalem, then respond by 

sending their support. Again, the time required would be months, not days. 

From Caesarea to Jerusalem 

    After preparing his legions, and readying the engines of war (machines used to besiege a city, such as 

catapults and battering rams), he then had to travel with this larger army and its engines of war from Caesarea 

to Jerusalem. This distance, in a straight line on a map, is about 60 miles. The distance actually traveled by the 

army would be more like 80 miles. This trip would proceed much more slowly than the trip from Alexandria 

for several reasons. First, the army was much larger, having been joined by forces from other areas. Josephus 

gives a detailed description of all the portions of the army that traveled to Jerusalem; it was a large and diverse 

group, but well organized.

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 Second, the army traveled with its engines of war.

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 Third, they had to travel 

with greater caution, prepared for imminent battle. As Tacitus put it, Titus  advanced in an orderly fashion, 

maintaining good reconnaissance and a state of readiness for battle . 

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 Titus and his army did not travel 

with haste to Jerusalem. For these reasons, this journey from Caesarea to Jerusalem would have taken perhaps 

2 weeks or longer. 

Titus Arrives at Jerusalem 

    Josephus describes the Roman army as arriving at Jerusalem well before the Passover, which begins on 

Nisan 14.  As now the war abroad ceased for a while, the sedition within was revived; and on the feast of 

unleavened bread, which was come, it being the fourteenth day of the month Xanthicus [Nisan] . 

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 Here 

Josephus mentions the start of Passover on the 14th day of the month Xanthicus, a month in the Macedonian 

calendar, which in this year must have coincided with the Jewish month of Nisan. 

    Prior to Nisan 14, there was  the war abroad,  meaning the battles between the Jews and the Romans away 

from Jerusalem.

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 Josephus describes these battles in some detail earlier in this same book.

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 Then there was 

a cessation in the fighting, during which the internal conflicts among the Jews within the city were revived.

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Dio also mentions both the battles outside the city and a cessation in the hostilities.

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 During this respite from 

the fighting, Titus tried to convince the Jews  by certain representations and promises  to surrender the 

city.

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 After the battles outside the city, during this respite from the fighting, the Passover began. Therefore, 

the arrival of Titus at Jerusalem must have preceded the Passover by some length of time, perhaps 2 weeks or 

longer. Thus Titus arrived at Jerusalem either at the start of the month of Xanthicus (Nisan), or during the 

previous month of Dystros (Adar). 

    Near the end of Book 5, Josephus summarizes events by saying that the Romans pitched their camp by the 

city of Jerusalem on the 14th day of Xanthicus [Nisan]. However, this is not to say that they arrived on that 

day. They had to fight a number of battles, and defeat the Jews outside the city walls, before they could pitch 

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