Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

roughly 2500 miles. Ships followed the coastline for safety and to be able to stop at various ports for supplies, 

so the journey was longer than one might at first imagine. The trip from Judea to Rome would take perhaps 

1  to 2 months during the good sailing season (i.e. not in winter).  However, with the adverse sailing 

conditions in wintertime, the trip might take 3 months or longer. So, Pilate could have left for Rome as late as 

February, or as early as December or January, and still have arrived in Rome after the death of Tiberius in mid 

March. 

    Notice that St. Stephen was not a deacon for long before he was martyred. He was ordained sometime 

during the Sabbatical year of 

A.D.

 20/21, most likely in the latter part of the Sabbatical year (

A.D.

 21). And he 

was put to death in the winter of 

A.D.

 21/22, sometime between December and February (inclusive). Stephen 

was a deacon for perhaps less than a year before he was stoned. This short time frame is reflected in Sacred 

Scripture. The ordination of Stephen is in Acts 6:5 and his dispute with the Jews which resulted in his stoning 

begins in Acts 6:9. Eusebius also testifies to the brevity of Stephen's service as a deacon. He states that Stephen 

was the first after the Lord to be put to death,  almost as soon as he was ordained, as if this was the real 

purpose of his advancement. 

597

The Beheading of James the Greater 

    The Apostle James the Greater was one of the Twelve Apostles. He was the brother of John (the Apostle 

and Gospel writer). Jesus gave James and John a special place among the Twelve, beside Peter, their leader. 

Only Peter, James, and John were present for the Transfiguration (Mk 9:2). These three were also closer to 

Jesus during His agony in the garden (Mk 14:33). James was the first of the Twelve to follow Christ in 

martyrdom and John was the last of the Twelve to die and join Christ in Heaven. 

    James the Greater was martyred during the time of the Passover (the Feast of Unleavened Bread), sometime 

after Herod Agrippa I received authority over Judea (Acts 12:19), and sometime before Herod went to 

Caesarea, where he died (Acts 12:19 23). After the death of Philip (Herod the Great's son), the emperor Gaius 

(Caligula) gave Philip's tetrarchy (Lk 3:1) to Herod Agrippa I.

598

 Josephus tells us that Herod Agrippa I ruled 

only over the area of Philip's tetrarchy for the first three years of Gaius' reign, then in the fourth year, Gaius 

gave him the territory of Herod Antipas (Galilee and Perea).

599

 Gaius' reign lasted just under four years, so 

Herod Agrippa I began to rule soon after Gaius became emperor. (See chapters 12 and 13 for details on the 

reigns of Philip, Tiberius, Gaius, et al.) 

    According to Josephus, Herod Agrippa I died in the 7th year of his reign after governing for four years 

under the emperor Gaius and three years under the emperor Claudius.

600

 After succeeding Gaius as emperor, 

sometime during the first year of his reign, Claudius gave Herod Agrippa I the regions of Judea, Samaria, and 

Caesarea to add to his government. Since Herod killed the Apostle James the Greater in Judea and then went 

to Caesarea (Acts 12:19), the martyrdom of James must have occurred during the last three years of Herod's 

reign and during the first three years of Claudius' reign. Herod's reign began with the death of Tiberius and the 

succession of Gaius as emperor in 

A.D.

 22 (revised date; see chapter 13). Philip also died about this time (see 

chapter 12). If 

A.D.

 22 was the first year of Herod Agrippa I's reign, then 

A.D.

 28 was his seventh year 

(counted inclusively) and the year in which he died. Claudius became emperor upon the death of Gaius in Jan. 

of 

A.D.

 26 (revised date). 

    Josephus quotes an edict of the emperor Claudius as saying that the previous emperor, Caligula, did not 

favor the Jews because they would not worship him as a god. Claudius had a low opinion of Caligula (Gaius) 

and he said that Caligula had a  great madness. 

601

 But Claudius favored the Jews, at least during the early 

years of his reign, and issued an edict giving their religion a protected status within the Roman Empire.

602

These edicts were issued when Claudius was consul for the second time.

603

 According to Dio, Claudius was 

consul once before he became emperor, and for the second time in the second year of his rule as emperor.

604

 In 

this revised chronology, Caligula died in Jan. of 

A.D.

 26, so that the second year of Claudius' reign was 

A.D.

27. According to Dio, Claudius was consul for the second time only for 2 months.

605

 (The Roman emperors 

liked the honor of being elected consul, but they didn't like to do the work of a consul. Thus they often held 

the office for only the first portion of the year, then turned the duty over to someone else.) Consuls began their 

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