ROMAN EMPEROR · NEW TESTAMENT

Tiberius. Named once, to date the start of John the Baptist's preaching.

RULEDi

Not given AD 14–37 (dates vary)

SEAT

Rome

HOUSE

Not stated 7th of 17 in Rome

SCRIPTURE SAYS

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar ... the word of God came unto John the son of…”

PROPHETS

John the Baptist

ROME: 17 RULERS HEROD THE GREAT → PORCIUS FESTUS

SUCCESSION

Before and after

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

What Scripture says of him

  • "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar ... the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness." Luke 3:1–2
  • Luke sets beside him Pontius Pilate governing Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene. Luke 3:1

THE SEAT

Rome, where he sat

Seat of the emperors

TRIALS AND HEARINGS

The hearings held

Each mark sits at the year of the reign the Bible gives for it.

UNDATED IN SCRIPTURE

THE NATION

What the nation did

  • The chief priests answered Pilate, "We have no king but Cæsar." John 19:15

PROPHETS

Prophets of the reign

  • Jo John the Baptist “the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.”

ON THE WORLD STAGE

The powers of the day

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · EVENTS OF AD 64

Tacitus on Christus

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · AD 37

Suetonius on his death

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · EMBASSY OF AD 39-40

Philo on Tiberius and Pilate's shields

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · ABOUT AD 197

Tertullian's story of Tiberius and the senate

DATES DIFFER

When was it?

SCRIPTURE'S NUMBERS

No years given

Luke counts at least fifteen years of his reign (Luke 3:1).

ROMAN RECORDS

AD 14–37[29][26]

Succeeded Augustus in August AD 14; died on 16 March AD 37, 'in the seventy-eighth year of his age and the twenty-third of his reign' (Suetonius, Tiberius 73).

COUNTED FROM HIS SHARED RULE (RAMSAY 1898)

AD 11–37[20]

Ramsay counts from the grant of power equal to Augustus's in the provinces, at the end of AD 11, which makes the fifteenth year AD 25-26.

Counted from Augustus's death: AD 28-29

Ellicott's commentary (about 1880: "A.D. 29"); A. Plummer (1896), citing Keim and Lewin

Plummer: "No instance is known of reckoning the reign of Tiberius from his association with Augustus"; fifteen years from Augustus's death "would be A.D. 29". Luke 3:1 [17][4]

Counted from his shared rule in the provinces: AD 25-26

W. M. Ramsay (1898); A. W. Zumpt, K. Wieseler and B. Weiss (as reported by Plummer, 1896)

Tiberius received power equal to Augustus's in the provinces before the end of AD 11; counted from then, the fifteenth year is AD 25-26. Ramsay grants that this count "is never employed elsewhere in reckoning the reign of that emperor". Luke 3:1 [20][17]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 6

Luke 3 Matthew 22 Mark 12 Luke 20 Luke 23 John 19

PASSAGES · 6

Luke 3:1–3 Matthew 22:15–22 Mark 12:13–17 Luke 20:20–26 Luke 23:2 John 19:12–15

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture never says Tiberius knew of Jesus or of John.
  • In the tribute question and at the trial Scripture says "Caesar", not Tiberius.
  • Scripture says nothing of his death or his successor.

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • From the textLuke 3:1 is the only verse that names Tiberius. The site's person record also gives him the 'Caesar' of the tribute question and of the trial before Pilate. Those events fall in his reign by Luke's own dating, but the verses say only 'Caesar'. Luke 3:1 Matthew 22:17–21 Mark 12:14–17 Luke 20:22–25 Luke 23:2 John 19:12 +1 more

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • A. Deissmann, tr. L. R. M. Strachan, St. Paul: A Study in Social and Religious History (1912), Appendix I, The Proconsulate of L. Junius Gallio, pp. 235-260 (Orosius on p. 257).
  • Cassius Dio, tr. E. Cary, Roman History, book 60 (Loeb Classical Library, vol. 7) (1924), 60.6.6.
  • E. H. Plumptre, in C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Notes on Acts 18:2 and 27:1 (about 1880), read on Bible Hub.
  • E. H. Plumptre, in C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Notes on Luke 2:2 and 3:1 (about 1880), read on Bible Hub.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 2 (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), 2.2.1-2; 2.6.3-7; 2.7; 2.8.1; 2.25.5.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 9 (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), 9.5.1.
  • John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament, note on Acts 25:21 (1746-48), read on Bible Hub.
  • Seneca, tr. R. M. Gummere, Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 104 (Loeb Classical Library, vol. 3) (1925), 104.1 and Gummere's note 2.
  • The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Latin dedicatory inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate (IAA 1961-529), collection catalogue entry (facts only) (online catalogue, read 2026), findspot, date range, material, number, catalogue heading and the museum's English reconstruction of the text (checked by web search 2026-10-07; the Latin letters were not checked).
  • Justin Martyr, tr. M. Dods and G. Reith, The First Apology (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1) (1885), chs. 34, 35, 48.
  • R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles (Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. 2), on Acts 18:2 (1900), read on Bible Hub.
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, 4th ed. (1878), p. 30 note 1; detached essay 'Caesar's Household', pp. 171 ff..
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Essays on the Work Entitled Supernatural Religion (1889), Appendix, pp. 292-296 (the proconsul of Cyprus).
  • J. R. Lumby, The Acts of the Apostles (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges), on Acts 18:2 (1885), read on Bible Hub.
  • H. A. W. Meyer (English translation), Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles, on Acts 18:2 (1877-80), note on Acts 18:2 with notes 73 and 75; read on Bible Hub.
  • Philo, tr. C. D. Yonge, On the Virtues and Office of Ambassadors (the Embassy to Gaius), The Works of Philo Judaeus vol. 4 (1855), chapters 37-38 (Yonge's numbering), pp. 164-166.
  • A. Plummer, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke (International Critical Commentary) (1896), on Luke 3:1, pp. 81-84.
  • A. C. Hervey, Acts (Pulpit Commentary), on Acts 18:2 (1884), read on Bible Hub.
  • W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen (1895), Chronological Index (as tabulated in the Letters research, pauls-letters-part1.md section 1.2).
  • W. M. Ramsay, Was Christ Born at Bethlehem? A Study on the Credibility of St. Luke (1898), chs. VII-VIII (pp. 131-173); ch. X, pp. 199-202 and note I, p. 221; ch. XI, pp. 227-245.
  • W. M. Ramsay, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament (1915), ch. XII, pp. 150-162.
  • Augustus, tr. F. W. Shipley, Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Loeb Classical Library) (1924), chapter 34.
  • Augustus, tr. F. W. Shipley, Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Loeb Classical Library) (1924), chapter 8.
  • A. T. Robertson, Paul, the Apostle (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), part 3, III. Chronology of Paul's Career; read online, not yet checked against a scan.
  • E. Schürer, tr. S. Taylor and P. Christie, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division 2, vol. 2 (1885), section 31, pp. 236-238 with notes 67-70.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Augustus (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 100.1.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Claudius (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 18.2; 25.4 with Rolfe's note 75; 28; 45; Rolfe's note 79 (accession 25 January 41); note 81 (Felix's wives).
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Nero (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 16.2; 57.1.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Tiberius (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 73.1.
  • Tacitus, tr. A. J. Church and W. J. Brodribb, The Annals of Tacitus (1884), 3.48; 12.43; 12.54; 15.44; 15.73, with the translators' notes (1884 printing; first published 1876).
  • Tacitus, tr. A. J. Church and W. J. Brodribb, The History of Tacitus (1888), 5.9 (1888 printing; first published 1864).
  • Tertullian, tr. S. Thelwall, Apology (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3) (1885), chs. 5 and 21.

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