Now in the fifteenth year, &c.— Though the evangelist has told us in what year the Baptist made his first public appearance, he has not intimated in what period of his ministry Jesus came to be baptized; (see Luke 3:21.) wherefore, seeing the Baptist's fame had spread itself in every corner, and brought people to him from all quarters, it is probable that he had preached at least several months before our Lord arrived at Bethabara. If so, as it is natural to think that John came abroad in the spring, Jesus could not be baptized by him soonerthan in the summer or autumn. The reign of Tiberius had two commencements; one when Augustus made him his colleague in the empire, and another when he began to reign alone after Augustus's death. If, as historians tell us, Tiberius's pro-consular empire began about three years before Augustus died, that is to say, August 28, in the year of our Lord, 11, and from the building of Rome 764, the whole ofthat year would, by common computation, be reckoned the first of Tiberius; and consequently, his fifteenth year, though really beginning August 28, in the year of our Lord 24, and from the building of Rome 778, would be reckoned from the January preceding. Supposing then, that the Baptist begantopreachinthespring of this fifteenth year, according to common computation, and that Jesus came to him in the summer or autumn following, the latter would be, at his baptism, thirty years of age, a few days more or less, provided we fix his birth to September, from the building of Rome 748, that is, a little more than a year before Herod died;—or, but twenty-nine years of age, if we suppose that he was not born till September, from the building of Rome 749, that is, a few months only before Herod died.
At this period Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea: after the death of Herod the Great, Augustus confirmed the partition which that prince by his latter will had made of his dominions among his children. According to this partition, Archelaus obtained Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, with the title of Ethnarch; for though his father had called him king in his testament, the emperor would not allow him that dignity, till he should do something for the Roman state which deserved it. Archelaus, after a tyrannical reign of ten years, was deposed for his mal-administration; and his country was made a province of the Roman empire, under the name of Judea. Properly speaking, indeed, Judea was an appendage to the province of Syria, being governed by a procurator, subject to the president of that province. Yet the procurators of Judea were always vested with the power of presidents or governors; that is to say, gave final judgment in every cause, whether civil or criminal, without appeal, unless to the emperor, by whom Roman citizens, in whatever part of the empire they lived, had a right to be tried, if they demanded it. Judea therefore was in effect, a distinct province or government from Syria. Accordingly, the evangelists give its procurators, when they have occasion to mention them, the title of governors, as that which best expressed the nature of their dignity. The proper business of a procurator was, to take care of the emperor's revenues in the province belonging to him; as the quaestor's business was to superintend the senate's revenuein the province belonging to him. But such procurators as were the chief magistrates of a province, had the dignities of governor and quaestor united in their persons, and enjoyed privileges accordingly.
By virtue of the partition above-mentioned, Herod Antipas, another of the first Herod's sons, governed Galilee and Perea, or the country beyond Jordan, with the title of Tetrarch; which, according to some, was the proper denomination of the fourth dignity in the empire; or, as others think, the title of one who had only the fourth part of a country subject to him; though in process of time it was applied to those who had any considerable share of a kingdom in their possession. This is the Herod, under whose reign John began his ministry, and by whom he was beheaded. It was to him likewise that Pilate sent our Lord, in the course of his trial.
St. Luke tells us, that Philip's dominions were Iturea and Trachonitis: but Josephus says, they were Auranitis and Trachonitis. Reland reconciles the historian with the evangelist, by supposing that Iturea and Auranitis were different names of the same country. The Itureans are mentioned with the Hagarites, 1 Chronicles 5:19 and half the tribe of Manasseh is said to have seized upon their territories. Jetur, the son of Ishmael, the son of Hagar, was their father, and gave them their name. Trachonitis was situated between Palestine and Coelo-Syria; its ancient name was Argob, Deuteronomy 3:13. It was full of rocky hills, which in Herod the First's time afforded shelter to bands of robbers, whom he was at great pains to extirpate. Abilene was a considerable city of Syria, whose territories reached to Lebanon and Damascus, and were peopled with great numbers of Jews.