Herod the Great and Jesus: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological EvidenceThe traditional date of 4 BCE for Herods death, as set forth by E. Schrer (1896), has been accepted by historians for years without notable controversy. However, according to the texts of Luke and Matthew, Herod died shortly after Jesus birth, which can be fixed in 2 BCE. Consequently, there is apparently a major chronological contradiction, however Josephus gives a dozen synchronisms that enable us to date his death on 26 January 1 BCE just after a