Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-12-14
Birth Of Jesus,
BY K. K. Nus


The principal scasonfor claiming this
date to be the true year of his birth,
is a desire to harmonic it with Ger
tim statements Of Josefbus, the Jew.
ish historian. BY one of his state
smehts it appears that Herod the
Great died b. G.. 3, which, If true,
would certainly require Jesus birth
10 have been either Is. G. a or S, for
1T was. this Herod that issued the or
der for the Staying OF the babes Of
Bethlehem. Some things we know
and some we have to arrive at by
other events tina. we know or simply
guess them. The Second Triumvir-
ate formed by O:tavis, Anthony and
Lepidus wa, made A. U. G.. ITO and
THE battle of Philippi occurred the
next year, Tn. Then began the re-
organization of the government. A
few years afterward (our Sabbath
school papers says B. c. so An
ebony secured the appointment of
'Herod, his friend, as King Of Judea.
In A. U. c. TT or B. c. 60, we find
him down in Egypt. leisurely spend
ing his tine with Cleopatra.
War soon broke out between him
and Octayions and he orders Herod
it, join'him; but Herod sees danger
ahead and delays from time to time
until the battle of Actium is fought
'the Republic of Rome ends, and
tHerod hrrries to Rome to pay court
ITO TIE new Emperor, Augustus Ceas-
ar. This was the year. A. U. {. 7az,
,or B. c. 81.
Josephus says Herod was twenty
five years old when he was appointed
king OF Judea. This would date his
birth at 81 plus IS years or &c B. c.
As generally given he died at the
age Of 62 or as above A. D.. I.
Immediately after the murder at
Bethlehem, .Herod placed a large
golden eagle (emblem of the Roman
?Empire) over the gate of the temple.
Two Jews, named Matthias and
Judas, persuaded some persons to
pull it down. They did so, were
caught and executed. There was
another Matthias. a chief priest, at
that time, who was not connected
with the affair in any way. But Jose
:phus says, ''llcrQQ deprived this
Matthias OF lis high priesthood, and
burned she otics Matthias who had
raised the sedition. with his compan-
ions, alive, and that very night there
was an eclipse OF the bacon.
He thus apparently dates the al
fair by the time Of the eclipse. Now.
in the year a. u. {. 1853, or A. ID.
/, there were three ,.ati eoiipscs of
the moon two OF which were total or
nearly So at Jerusalem, while there
was only a partial eclipse [about 4
,higits) in the gear B. G. 4. and none
visible in that country, between these
dates. Thus all signs point to A. ID.
i as the time Of ,iIerod's death. No
authentic history gives the date Of
his deAta. In tact th,yse was such a
general good tecIing throughout the
world that such small affairs we've
not noted.
n Nv let us look q. tne Billie zee
ord. Beginning with a date unlis-
puted. we take \. T.. 6. 167 when
TibcrluS became Emperor. as a start
ing Joint. Luke states (3:I-S) that
I'm began his ministry in the 18th
year Of the reign OF Tiberius. a. L..
&. 767 Plus Is years gives US A. u.
e.. 7Sa as e.e date, The year A. ID.
was ixsa upon by Dionysius Exiguus
and other scholars Of his time as tina,
OF A. U. c. ?53. Taking this from
IS, gives us A. A. 20 for the begin.
ming of the preaching OF Tohn the