{Now in the fifteenth year} (en etei de pentekaidekat(9369)).
Tiberius Caesar was ruler in the provinces two years before
Augustus Caesar died. Luke makes a six-fold attempt here to
indicate the time when John the Baptist began his ministry. John
revived the function of the prophet (Ecce Homo, p.  2 ) and it
was a momentous event after centuries of prophetic silence. Luke
begins with the Roman Emperor, then mentions Pontius Pilate
Procurator of Judea, Herod Antipas Tetrarch of Galilee (and
Perea), Philip, Tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, Lysanias,
Tetrarch of Abilene (all with the genitive absolute construction)
and concludes with the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas
(son-in-law and successor of Annas). The ancients did not have
our modern system of chronology, the names of rulers as here
being the common way. Objection has been made to the mention of
Lysanias here because Josephus (_Ant_. XXVII. I) tells of a
Lysanias who was King of Abila up to B.C. 36 as the one referred
to by Luke with the wrong date. But an inscription has been found
on the site of Abilene with mention of "Lysanias the tetrarch"
and at the time to which Luke refers (see my _Luke the Historian
in the Light of Research_, pp. 167f.). So Luke is vindicated
again by the rocks.