Jesus’ exact age at the time of his death is a subject of debate among scholars and historians. Based on the information available in the Bible and other historical texts, it is generally believed that Jesus lived to be somewhere between 33 and 40 years old.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke provide some insights into the timeline of Jesus’ life, but they do not explicitly mention his age at the time of his crucifixion. However, by piecing together various details from these accounts, we can make an estimation.
According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus began his public ministry around the age of thirty. This is mentioned in Luke 3:23, which states, “Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.” This suggests that Jesus was around thirty years old when he started preaching and performing miracles.
The Gospel of John also provides some clues about Jesus’ age. In John 2:13, it is mentioned that Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover, and in John 5:1, it is stated that there was another Passover after this event. This implies that Jesus’ ministry lasted for at least a year, possibly up to three years, depending on the number of Passovers that occurred during his ministry.
Additionally, the Gospel of John mentions that Jesus celebrated three Passovers during his ministry (John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55-57). This further supports the idea that his public ministry lasted for at least three years.
If we assume that Jesus was around thirty years old when he started his ministry and that it lasted for approximately three years, this would put him at around thirty-three years old at the time of his crucifixion. However, it is important to note that this is just an estimation based on the information available in the biblical texts.
Some scholars argue that Jesus may have been older than thirty when he began his ministry, based on cultural and religious practices of the time. In Jewish tradition, thirty was considered the age at which a man could begin his priestly duties. Therefore, it is possible that Jesus may have been older than thirty when he started his public ministry.
On the other hand, there are also scholars who suggest that Jesus may have been younger than thirty when he began his ministry. They point out that the Greek word used in Luke 3:23 to describe Jesus as “about thirty” can also mean “less than thirty.” This interpretation would indicate that Jesus may have been in his late twenties when he started his ministry.
While the exact age of Jesus at the time of his death cannot be determined with certainty, most scholars agree that he was likely between the ages of 33 and 40. The varying interpretations and debates surrounding Jesus’ age stem from the limited information available in historical texts and the different cultural and religious contexts of the time.