τεσσεράκοντα. This Ionic form of τεσσαράκοντα has good MS. authority here, Revelation 11:2; Revelation 13:5; Revelation 14:1; Revelation 21:17. Winer, p. 46.

20. τεσς. κ. ἓξ ἕτεσιν. For the dative comp. John 14:9. This was the third Temple. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Zerubbabel’s was rebuilt by Herod the Great. “The building of the Temple, we are told by Josephus (Ant. XV. xi. 1), was begun in the 18th year of Herod the Great, 734–735 A.U.C. Reckoning 46 years from this point, we are brought to 781 or 782 A.U.C. = 28 or 29 A.D. Comparing this with the data given in Luke 3:1, the question arises, whether we are to reckon the 15th year of Tiberius from his joint reign with Augustus, which began A.D. 12; or from his sole reign after the death of Augustus, A.D. 14. This would give us A.D. 27 or 29 for the first public appearance of the Baptist, and at the earliest A.D. 28 or 30 for the Passover mentioned in this chapter.” So that there seems to be exact agreement between this date and that of S. Luke, if we count S. Luke’s 15 years from the joint reign of Tiberius. It is incredible that this can have been planned; it involves intricate calculation, and even with the aid of Josephus absolute certainty cannot be obtained. “By what conceivable process could a Greek in the second century have come to hit upon this roundabout expedient for giving a fictitious date to his invention?” (Sanday).

For other instances of misunderstanding of Christ’s words comp. John 3:4; John 3:9; John 4:11; John 4:15; John 4:33; John 6:34; John 6:52; John 7:35; John 8:22; John 8:33; John 8:52; John 11:12; John 14:5.

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Old Testament