The Fall of Jerusalem 

years from the fall of Nero's 8th year (

A.D.

 47 revised), at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, brings us to the 

fall of the year after Nero's death (

A.D.

 54 revised). Counting forward 5 more months brings us to early in the 

first full calendar year of Vespasian's reign  (

A.D.

 55 revised), just after he defeated Vitellius and became 

emperor of Rome in fact. At that time, Vespasian had sent his son Titus to besiege and capture Jerusalem.

1152

But by this early date, the siege itself had not yet begun. Yet, according to Josephus, the man who made this 

prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem died during the siege.

1153

    Josephus calculates the length of time that this man was making the prophecy of the destruction of 

Jerusalem as 7 years and 5 months. In the title of Book 4 of  The Wars of the Jews, Josephus writes 

 CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF ABOUT ONE YEAR. 

1154

 Yet Book 4 clearly contains the interval of 

just over two years. Book 3 ends with the date of Elul 8 (late summer) during the 13th year of Nero's reign 

(

A.D.

 52).

1155

 Book 4 contains the death of Nero

1156

 (June 

A.D.

 53), the death of Galba seven months later

1157

(winter 

A.D.

 53/54), the death of Otho three months later

1158

 (spring 

A.D.

 54), the declaration of Vespasian as 

emperor by his troops, but before he obtained the throne

1159

 (summer 

A.D.

 54), and the wintertime battle which 

resulted in Vitellius' death

1160

 (winter 

A.D.

 54/55). Thus Book 4 begins in the fall of 

A.D.

 52 and it ends in the 

winter of 

A.D.

 54/55. 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. Even in the usual chronology (dating these events in the late 

A.D.

 60's), the length 

of time is over two years. Here is a one year error in Josephus' counting of the length of time for these events. 

The length of time that the man was predicting the destruction of Jerusalem could have been 8 years and 5 

months, owing to this one year error. 

    Alternately, the length of time could be correct and the starting point off by one year. Perhaps he began his 

predictions in the fourth year inclusive before the war, so that the four years were Nero's 9th, 10th, 11th, and 

12th. The 7 years and 5 months length of time would then extend well into the time when the siege of 

Jerusalem was underway, in early 

A.D.

 56. 

227