9 . ▁R ies ner ' s ▁alternative ▁suggestion ▁is ▁that ▁John ▁the ▁Bapt ist ▁began ▁his ▁min istry ▁in ▁AD   2 6 ▁or ▁ 2 7 , ▁because ▁T iber ius ▁ruled ▁together ▁with ▁August us ▁for ▁two ▁years ▁before ▁becoming ▁the ▁sole ▁r uler . ▁If ▁so , ▁the ▁fif teenth ▁year ▁of ▁T iber ius ' ▁reign ▁would ▁be ▁counted ▁from ▁AD   1 2 . ▁R ies ner ' s ▁suggestion ▁is ▁however ▁considered ▁less ▁likely , ▁as ▁all ▁the ▁major ▁Roman ▁histor ians ▁who ▁calculate ▁the ▁years ▁of ▁T iber ius ' ▁rule ▁– ▁namely ▁T ac it us , ▁Su eton ius ▁and ▁Cass ius ▁D io ▁– ▁count ▁from ▁AD   1 4 ▁– ▁the ▁year ▁of ▁August us ' ▁death . ▁In ▁addition , ▁coin ▁evidence ▁shows ▁that ▁T iber ius ▁started ▁to ▁reign ▁in ▁AD   1 4 . ▁ ▁The ▁New ▁Testament ▁presents ▁John ▁the ▁Bapt ist ▁as ▁the ▁prec ursor ▁to ▁Jesus ▁and ▁the ▁Bapt ism ▁of ▁Jesus ▁as ▁mark ing ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁Jesus ' ▁min istry . ▁In ▁his ▁ser mon ▁in ▁Act s ▁ 1 0 : 3 7 – 3 8 , ▁delivered ▁in ▁the ▁house ▁of ▁Corn el ius ▁the ▁cent ur ion , ▁Apost le ▁Peter ▁refers ▁to ▁what ▁had ▁happened ▁" through out ▁all ▁Jud ae a , ▁beginning ▁from ▁Gal ile e , ▁after ▁the ▁bapt ism ▁which ▁John ▁pre ached " ▁and ▁that ▁Jesus ▁had ▁then ▁gone ▁about ▁" do ing ▁good