When did Jesus begin his public ministry?

Establishing a precise chronology for the life of Jesus is not possible due to the limitations of historical records and the nature of the New Testament accounts. However, scholars reconstruct an approximate timeline based on historical references within the texts.1

Jesus began his public ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist. Based on references in the Gospel of Luke—such as the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius and the period when Pontius Pilate was in office—this event and the subsequent start of his ministry are estimated to have occurred around 27/28 ce. While the Gospel of Luke suggests Jesus was about 30 years old at this time, this may simply be an approximation indicating he had reached maturity.21