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@39:38 Ehrman: “..king Herod died in the year 4 BCE”
This is a perfect example of why I personally don’t take the word of a scholar at face value, however expert or well meaning, neither pro nor con, neither a consensus without fact checking as much as possible with a close eye on original languages and texts, or as close as possible, and an open mind.
To state the obvious: the bible nor Josephus says Herod died in 4 BCE. This date is inferred from Josephus saying that Herod died soon after a lunar eclipse before the spring Passover like the one in 4 BCE.
What many don’t realize is that there was another eclipse in 1 BCE – a total lunar eclipse unlike the traditional partial one – and it allows enough time for all the events surrounding Herod’s funeral to fit perfectly unlike the problematic 4 BCE date. I’ve verified this with professional astronomy software myself.
The popular view of Herod’s death in 4 BCE does not account for all the facts we have from the historical record. However, some of the latest published scholarship shows that when other pieces of evidence typically overlooked are carefully considered it rather points to Herod having died in 1 BCE.
Steinmann, Andrew E. “When Did Herod the Great Reign?” Novum Testamentum, Volume 51, Number 1, 2009 , pp. 1-29(29)
This new time frame fits the events like a glove from an historical, astronomical, and biblical point of view, unlike the traditional time frame. It fixes problems like a good solution to a problem is supposed to. The old time frame creates unnecessary problems critics capitalize on (a frequent ‘pattern’ I have come across for 15 years studying the scriptures).
With the new date of Herod’s death, scholars like the late Ernest L. Martin were able to find the (wandering) star of Bethlehem and it fits the descriptions of Matthew to a tee, not to mention other surrounding details provided by Luke, and more astronomical signs mentioned in Revelation 12.1-2 while also providing deeper Christian/Jewish fulfillment to the festivals of Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah and even rabbinic expectations (see the last link below).
The new date of Herod’s death (1 BCE) is like a new key that opens an old chest nobody could open before with an old key, and now new amazing treasures are revealed but many people still insist the old key is the best one and are keeping the treasure chest locked and the treasures hidden from the world. This is very sad.
Astronomy and the Death of King Herod
askelm.com/star/star010.htm
The Lunar Eclipse of Josephus
askelm.com/star/star011.htm
The Real Star of Bethlehem
askelm.com/star/star004.htm
This new time frame fits the events like a glove from an historical, astronomical, and biblical point of view . . . The old time frame creates unnecessary problems critics capitalize on
I’m not sure which problems you have in mind, but the most notorious problem I’m aware of is that Quirinius (Lk) and Herod (Mt) don’t overlap; even if Herod lived until 1BC, the Roman province of Judea didn’t exist until 6 AD, and Quininius wasn’t installed as legate until the same year.
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When Did Herod the Great Reign?
In: Novum Testamentum
Author: Andrew Steinmann
Online Publication Date: 01 Jan 2009
Abstract
For about 100 years there has been a consensus among scholars that Herod the Great reigned from 37 to 4 BCE.
However, there have been several challenges to this consensus over the past four decades, the most notable being the objection raised by W.E. Filmer.
This paper argues that Herod most likely reigned from late 39 BCE to early 1 BCE, and that this reconstruction of his reign can account for all of the surviving historical references to the events of Herod’s reign more logically than the current consensus can.
Moreover, the reconstruction of Herod’s reign proposed in this paper accounts for all of the datable evidence relating to Herod’s reign, whereas the current consensus is unable to explain some of the evidence that it dismisses as ancient errors or that it simply ignores.
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