When did
the Herod mentioned in Matthew live? "Matthew explicitly connects the birth of
Jesus with the government of King Herod, and the reference to this ruler's
successor Archelaus proves that he meant Herod the Great. ... According to his
colorful reports, Herod was elected the king of the Jews by the Roman senate in
40 BCE, and he died at springtime thirty-six years later, which gives us the
year 4 BCE. Matthew thus reports that Jesus was born some time before the year
4 BCE." [from "Chronology" in The Oxford Companion to the Bible, p. 119]
Note: "BCE" - "Before the Common Era" is often used today as the calendar
equivalent of "BC." Thus, in terms of our current calendar, Jesus was born
sometime between 4 and 7 BCE.