In what year was Jesus Baptised?

Glenn:

We cannot calculate the date Jesus was baptized exactly.  The most reliable way to do the calculation is to work backward from the crucifixion.  The majority view is that Jesus’ ministry lasted approximately three years.  This is based on counting the number of Jewish holidays recorded in the gospels.  It is possible that Jesus’ ministry was somewhere between two and four years, but three is a good working assumption.  The most likely date for the crucifixion of Jesus is AD 30.  This is a year in which the Passover falls on a Saturday, which makes it a double Sabbath.  This is consistent with most of the facts we have about the timing of the crucifixion.  The send most likely date for the death of Jesus is AD 29, but this would mean his death was on a Thursday.  There is a minority who accept this view.  If we take AD 30 as the most likely date for the death of Jesus and we take three years as the length of time of his public ministry, then Jesus was baptized in AD 27.  I think we can say with a good degree of confidence that the baptism of Jesus was somewhere between AD 25-28, with the most likely date being AD 27.

John Oakes