In what year did Jesus die?

Response

The death of Jesus and His subsequent resurrection are the most significant events since the beginning of the world. It was through the death of Christ that God reconciled those who were “alienated” from Him because of sin and “presented [them] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:21-22). Through Christ’s resurrection, God has mercifully “given us new birth into a living hope” “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3). The Bible, like most of the events it describes, does not provide the exact date of Jesus’ death. However, we can determine it with a reasonable level of accuracy.

Although the world’s timeline is traditionally divided between BC (before Christ) and AD (anno domini – “in the year of our Lord”), Jesus Christ was actually born between the years 6 and 4 BC. This conclusion is based on the death of Herod the Great, who governed Judaea from 47 BC until his death in 4 BC. It was “after Herod died” that Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus were instructed to return to Israel from Egypt “But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,” (Matthew 2:19).

Several factors enable us to determine the year of Jesus’ death. We estimate that John the Baptist began his ministry around AD 28 or 29, based on the historical reference in Luke 3:1 that John began preaching in the fifteenth year of Tiberius’s reign. Tiberius became emperor in AD 14. If…

Jesus was baptized and began His ministry around AD 29. He ministered for approximately the following three and a half years. Therefore, the conclusion of Jesus’ ministry would have been around AD 33.

Pontius Pilate is historically recognized as having ruled Judea from AD 26 to 36. The crucifixion occurred during a Passover, as mentioned in Mark 14:12, “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?” This, along with the date John commenced his ministry, points to the crucifixion date being Friday, April 3, AD 33. There is an alternative argument for an earlier date (April 7, AD 30) based on John the Baptist’s ministry starting earlier (and an assumed co-regency of Tiberias and Augustus). However, the later date appears to align better with historical evidence.

Since the time of Christ, significant events have unfolded on the world stage. Yet, nothing has surpassed the importance and impact of the events in AD 33—the death and resurrection of the Savior of the world.