On December 25, Christians around the world will gather to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Joyful carols, special liturgies, brightly wrapped gifts, festive foods—these all characterize the feast today, at least in the northern hemisphere. But just how did the Christmas festival originate? How did December 25 come to be associated with Jesus’ birthday?
A blanket of snow covers the little town of Bethlehem, in Pieter Bruegel’s oil painting from 1566. Although Jesus’ birth is celebrated every year on December 25, Luke and the other gospel writers offer no hint about the specific time of year he was born. Photo: Scala/Art Resource, NY.
The Bible offers few clues: Celebrations of Jesus’ Nativity are not mentioned in the Gospels or Acts; the date is not given, not even the time of year. The biblical reference to shepherds tending their flocks at night when they hear the news of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:8) might suggest the spring lambing season; in the cold month of December, on the other hand, sheep might well have been corralled. Yet most scholars would urge caution about extracting such a precise but incidental detail from a narrative whose focus is theological rather than calendrical.
The extrabiblical evidence from the first and second century is equally spare: There is no mention of birth celebrations in the writings of early Christian writers such as Irenaeus (c. 130–200) or Tertullian (c. 160–225). Origen of Alexandria (c. 165–264) goes so far as to mock Roman celebrations of birth anniversaries, dismissing them as “pagan” practices—a strong indication that Jesus’ birth was not marked with similar festivities at that place and time.1 As far as we can tell, Christmas was not celebrated at all at this point.
This stands in sharp contrast to the very early traditions surrounding Jesus’ last days. Each of the Four Gospels provides detailed information about the time of Jesus’ death. According to John, Jesus is crucified just as the Passover lambs are being sacrificed. This would have occurred on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, just before the Jewish holiday began at sundown (considered the beginning of the 15th day because in the Hebrew calendar, days begin at sundown). In Matthew, Mark and Luke, however, the Last Supper is held after sundown, on the beginning of the 15th. Jesus is crucified the next morning—still, the 15th.a
Easter, a much earlier development than Christmas, was simply the gradual Christian reinterpretation of Passover in terms of Jesus’ Passion. Its observance could even be implied in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 5:7–8: “Our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the festival…”); it was certainly a distinctively Christian feast by the mid-second century C.E., when the apocryphal text known as the Epistle to the Apostles has Jesus instruct his disciples to “make commemoration of [his] death, that is, the Passover.”
Jesus’ ministry, miracles, Passion and Resurrection were often of most interest to first- and early-second-century C.E. Christian writers. But over time, Jesus’ origins would become of increasing concern. We can begin to see this shift already in the New Testament. The earliest writings—Paul and Mark—make no mention of Jesus’ birth. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke provide well-known but quite different accounts of the event—although neither specifies a date. In the second century C.E., further details of Jesus’ birth and childhood are related in apocryphal writings such as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the Proto-Gospel of James.b These texts provide everything from the names of Jesus’ grandparents to the details of his education—but not the date of his birth.
Finally, in about 200 C.E., a Christian teacher in Egypt makes reference to the date Jesus was born. According to Clement of Alexandria, several different days had been proposed by various Christian groups. Surprising as it may seem, Clement doesn’t mention December 25 at all. Clement writes: “There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20 in our calendar] … And treating of His Passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took place in the 16th year of Tiberius, on the 25th of Phamenoth [March 21]; and others on the 25th of Pharmuthi [April 21] and others say that on the 19th of Pharmuthi [April 15] the Savior suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21].”2
Clearly there was great uncertainty, but also a considerable amount of interest, in dating Jesus’ birth in the late second century. By the fourth century, however, we find references to two dates that were widely recognized—and now also celebrated—as Jesus’ birthday: December 25 in the western Roman Empire and January 6 in the East (especially in Egypt and Asia Minor). The modern Armenian church continues to celebrate Christmas on January 6; for most Christians, however, December 25 would prevail, while January 6 eventually came to be known as the Feast of the Epiphany, commemorating the arrival of the magi in Bethlehem. The period between became the holiday season later known as the 12 days of Christmas.
The earliest mention of December 25 as Jesus’ birthday comes from a mid-fourth-century Roman almanac that lists the death dates of various Christian bishops and martyrs. The first date listed, December 25, is marked: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae: “Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea.”3 In about 400 C.E., Augustine of Hippo mentions a local dissident Christian group, the Donatists, who apparently kept Christmas festivals on December 25, but refused to celebrate the Epiphany on January 6, regarding it as an innovation. Since the Donatist group only emerged during the persecution under Diocletian in 312 C.E. and then remained stubbornly attached to the practices of that moment in time, they seem to represent an older North African Christian tradition.
In the East, January 6 was at first not associated with the magi alone, but with the Christmas story as a whole.
So, almost 300 years after Jesus was born, we finally find people observing his birth in mid-winter. But how had they settled on the dates December 25 and January 6?
There are two theories today: one extremely popular, the other less often heard outside scholarly circles (though far more ancient).4
The most loudly touted theory about the origins of the Christmas date(s) is that it was borrowed from pagan celebrations. The Romans had their mid-winter Saturnalia festival in late December; barbarian peoples of northern and western Europe kept holidays at similar times. To top it off, in 274 C.E., the Roman emperor Aurelian established a feast of the birth of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun), on December 25. Christmas, the argument goes, is really a spin-off from these pagan solar festivals. According to this theory, early Christians deliberately chose these dates to encourage the spread of Christmas and Christianity throughout the Roman world: If Christmas looked like a pagan holiday, more pagans would be open to both the holiday and the God whose birth it celebrated.
Despite its popularity today, this theory of Christmas’s origins has its problems. It is not found in any ancient Christian writings, for one thing. Christian authors of the time do note a connection between the solstice and Jesus’ birth: The church father Ambrose (c. 339–397), for example, described Christ as the true sun, who outshone the fallen gods of the old order. But early Christian writers never hint at any recent calendrical engineering; they clearly don’t think the date was chosen by the church. Rather they see the coincidence as a providential sign, as natural proof that God had selected Jesus over the false pagan gods.
It’s not until the 12th century that we find the first suggestion that Jesus’ birth celebration was deliberately set at the time of pagan feasts. A marginal note on a manuscript of the writings of the Syriac biblical commentator Dionysius bar-Salibi states that in ancient times the Christmas holiday was actually shifted from January 6 to December 25 so that it fell on the same date as the pagan Sol Invictus holiday.5 In the 18th and 19th centuries, Bible scholars spurred on by the new study of comparative religions latched on to this idea.6 They claimed that because the early Christians didn’t know when Jesus was born, they simply assimilated the pagan solstice festival for their own purposes, claiming it as the time of the Messiah’s birth and celebrating it accordingly.
More recent studies have shown that many of the holiday’s modern trappings do reflect pagan customs borrowed much later, as Christianity expanded into northern and western Europe. The Christmas tree, for example, has been linked with late medieval druidic practices. This has only encouraged modern audiences to assume that the date, too, must be pagan.
There are problems with this popular theory, however, as many scholars recognize. Most significantly, the first mention of a date for Christmas (c. 200) and the earliest celebrations that we know about (c. 250–300) come in a period when Christians were not borrowing heavily from pagan traditions of such an obvious character.
This would change only after Constantine converted to Christianity. From the mid-fourth century on, we do find Christians deliberately adapting and Christianizing pagan festivals. A famous proponent of this practice was Pope Gregory the Great, who, in a letter written in 601 C.E. to a Christian missionary in Britain, recommended that local pagan temples not be destroyed but be converted into churches, and that pagan festivals be celebrated as feasts of Christian martyrs. At this late point, Christmas may well have acquired some pagan trappings. But we don’t have evidence of Christians adopting pagan festivals in the third century, at which point dates for Christmas were established. Thus, it seems unlikely that the date was simply selected to correspond with pagan solar festivals.
The December 25 feast seems to have existed before 312—before Constantine and his conversion, at least. As we have seen, the Donatist Christians in North Africa seem to have known it from before that time. Furthermore, in the mid- to late fourth century, church leaders in the eastern Empire concerned themselves not with introducing a celebration of Jesus’ birthday, but with the addition of the December date to their traditional celebration on January 6.7
There is another way to account for the origins of Christmas on December 25: Strange as it may seem, the key to dating Jesus’ birth may lie in the dating of Jesus’ death at Passover. This view was first suggested to the modern world by French scholar Louis Duchesne in the early 20th century and fully developed by American Thomas Talley in more recent years.8 But they were certainly not the first to note a connection between the traditional date of Jesus’ death and his birth.
The baby Jesus flies down from heaven on the back of a cross, in this detail from Master Bertram’s 14th-century Annunciation scene. Jesus’ conception carried with it the promise of salvation through his death. It may be no coincidence, then, that the early church celebrated Jesus’ conception and death on the same calendar day: March 25, exactly nine months before December 25. Kunsthalle, Hamburg/Bridgeman Art Library, NY
Around 200 C.E. Tertullian of Carthage reported the calculation that the 14th of Nisan (the day of the crucifixion according to the Gospel of John) in the year Jesus diedc was equivalent to March 25 in the Roman (solar) calendar.9 March 25 is, of course, nine months before December 25; it was later recognized as the Feast of the Annunciation—the commemoration of Jesus’ conception.10 Thus, Jesus was believed to have been conceived and crucified on the same day of the year. Exactly nine months later, Jesus was born, on December 25.d
This idea appears in an anonymous Christian treatise titled On Solstices and Equinoxes, which appears to come from fourth-century North Africa. The treatise states: “Therefore our Lord was conceived on the eighth of the kalends of April in the month of March [March 25], which is the day of the passion of the Lord and of his conception. For on that day he was conceived on the same he suffered.”11 Based on this, the treatise dates Jesus’ birth to the winter solstice.
Augustine, too, was familiar with this association. In On the Trinity (c. 399–419) he writes: “For he [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since. But he was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25th.”12
Learn about the magi in art and literature in “Witnessing the Divine” by Robin M. Jensen, originally published in Bible Review and now available for free in Bible History Daily.
In the East, too, the dates of Jesus’ conception and death were linked. But instead of working from the 14th of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, the easterners used the 14th of the first spring month (Artemisios) in their local Greek calendar—April 6 to us. April 6 is, of course, exactly nine months before January 6—the eastern date for Christmas. In the East, too, we have evidence that April was associated with Jesus’ conception and crucifixion. Bishop Epiphanius of Salamis writes that on April 6, “The lamb was shut up in the spotless womb of the holy virgin, he who took away and takes away in perpetual sacrifice the sins of the world.”13 Even today, the Armenian Church celebrates the Annunciation in early April (on the 7th, not the 6th) and Christmas on January 6.e
Thus, we have Christians in two parts of the world calculating Jesus’ birth on the basis that his death and conception took place on the same day (March 25 or April 6) and coming up with two close but different results (December 25 and January 6).
The notion that creation and redemption should occur at the same time of year is also reflected in ancient Jewish tradition, recorded in the Talmud. The Babylonian Talmud preserves a dispute between two early-second-century C.E. rabbis who share this view, but disagree on the date: Rabbi Eliezer states: “In Nisan the world was created; in Nisan the Patriarchs were born; on Passover Isaac was born … and in Nisan they [our ancestors] will be redeemed in time to come.” (The other rabbi, Joshua, dates these same events to the following month, Tishri.)14 Thus, the dates of Christmas and Epiphany may well have resulted from Christian theological reflection on such chronologies: Jesus would have been conceived on the same date he died, and born nine months later.15
In the end we are left with a question: How did December 25 become Christmas? We cannot be entirely sure. Elements of the festival that developed from the fourth century until modern times may well derive from pagan traditions. Yet the actual date might really derive more from Judaism—from Jesus’ death at Passover, and from the rabbinic notion that great things might be expected, again and again, at the same time of the year—than from paganism. Then again, in this notion of cycles and the return of God’s redemption, we may perhaps also be touching upon something that the pagan Romans who celebrated Sol Invictus, and many other peoples since, would have understood and claimed for their own, too.16
8. Louis Duchesne, Origines du culte Chrétien, 5th ed. (Paris: Thorin et Fontemoing, 1925), pp. 275–279; and Talley, Origins.
9. Tertullian, Adversus Iudaeos 8.
10. There are other relevant texts for this element of argument, including Hippolytus and the (pseudo-Cyprianic) De pascha computus; see Talley, Origins, pp. 86, 90–91.
11. De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis domini nostri iesu christi et iohannis baptistae.
12. Augustine, Sermon 202.
13. Epiphanius is quoted in Talley, Origins, p. 98.
14. b. Rosh Hashanah 10b–11a.
15. Talley, Origins, pp. 81–82.
16. On the two theories as false alternatives, see Roll, “Origins of Christmas.”
St. Ephrem the Syriac ( 373) also considers that Moses shut a lamb on the tenth day of Nisan (April), a type of the Son Who shut Himself in the womb on that same tenth day (April 10) [Hymns on Nativity, 5:14]. He continues to say that in January – when the seed is hidden in the earth – the Ear of life (Shebal Haye: ܫܶܒܰܠ ܚܰܝ̈ܶܐ, Jesus) sprouted forth from the womb (ibid, 4:31). Again Ephrem says that the number ten is a little crown which crowns the head of the Manhood of our Lord Jesus (ibid, 9:6). Hence, according to St. Ephrem the Syriac, Nativity used to be celebrated on January 10th!
I find getting the birth of jesus through Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant when mary came to tell Elizabeth of conception. If this is so the conception would have been dec. 24 or 25th.
But, however, the majority (of Christians) have by this time induced the belief in their mind that it is pardonable if at any time they do what the heathen do, for fear the Name be blasphemed. Now the blasphemy which must quite be shunned by us in every way is, I take it, this: If any of us lead a heathen into blasphemy with good cause, either by fraud, or by injury, or by contumely, or any other matter of worthy complaint, in which the Name is deservedly impugned, so that the Lord, too, be deservedly angry. Else, if of all blasphemy it has been said, By your means My Name is blasphemed, we all perish at once; since the whole circus, with no desert of ours, assails the Name with wicked suffrages. Let us cease (to be Christians) and it will not be blasphemed! On the contrary, while we are, let it be blasphemed: in the observance, not the overstepping, of discipline; while we are being approved, not while we are being reprobated. Oh blasphemy, bordering on martyrdom, which now attests me to be a Christian, while for that very account it detests me! The cursing of well-maintained Discipline is a blessing of the Name. If, says he, I wished to please men, I should not be Christ’s servant. But the same apostle elsewhere bids us take care to please all: As I, he says, please all by all means. 1 Corinthians 10:32-33 No doubt he used to please them by celebrating the Saturnalia and New-year’s day! [Was it so] or was it by moderation and patience? By gravity, by kindness, by integrity? In like manner, when he is saying, I have become all things to all, that I may gain all, 1 Corinthians 9:22 does he mean to idolaters an idolater? to heathens a heathen? to the worldly worldly? But albeit he does not prohibit us from having our conversation with idolaters and adulterers, and the other criminals, saying, Otherwise you would go out from the world, 1 Corinthians 5:10 of course he does not so slacken those reins of conversation that, since it is necessary for us both to live and to mingle with sinners, we may be able to sin with them too. Where there is the intercourse of life, which the apostle concedes, there is sinning, which no one permits. To live with heathens is lawful, to die with them is not. Let us live with all; let us be glad with them, out of community of nature, not of superstition. We are peers in soul, not in discipline; fellow-possessors of the world, not of error. But if we have no right of communion in matters of this kind with strangers, how far more wicked to celebrate them among brethren! Who can maintain or defend this? The Holy Spirit upbraids the Jews with their holy-days. Your Sabbaths, and new moons, and ceremonies, says He, My soul hates. By us, to whom Sabbaths are strange, and the new moons and festivals formerly beloved by God, the Saturnalia and New-year’s and Midwinter’s festivals and Matronalia are frequented — presents come and go — New-year’s gifts — games join their noise — banquets join their din! Oh better fidelity of the nations to their own sect, which claims no solemnity of the Christians for itself! Not the Lord’s day, not Pentecost, even it they had known them, would they have shared with us; for they would fear lest they should seem to be Christians. We are not apprehensive lest we seem to be heathens! If any indulgence is to be granted to the flesh, you have it. I will not say your own days, but more too; for to the heathens each festive day occurs but once annually: you have a festive day every eighth day. Call out the individual solemnities of the nations, and set them out into a row, they will not be able to make up a Pentecost. (Tertullian. On Idolatry, Chapter XIV, c. 155 – c. 240 AD)
The Apostolic Constitutions state that Jesus was born in the 25th of the 9th month on the Hebrew calendar using a solar year instead of a lunar year reflecting essene connection. Amazingly, this is the first day of Chanukah. When translating calendar dates, they determined whether to start the year during March or April. Thus the 25th of the month in some calendars used March as a start, while others used April. So if you see march vs april thats a 1 month difference
Julian calendar was originally used, so this further explains the change. So when Julian was used, the 25th of the 9th month was around our December 10th. When the calendar was changed to gregorian, December 25th became the new date. The churches starting in April, they ended up having January 6th as the 25th of the 9th month.
So I believe the origin of the date is from early christians connection with judaism. The first day of chanukkah is an amazing suggestion offered by apostolic constitutions that makes a lot of sense
Constantine was a worshiper of the sun-god Mithras and December 25th was Mithras’ birthday, and later that day became adopted as Christmas. A few decades after Christmas was adopted by Rome, the Roman Catholic saint John Chrysostom preached the following in 387 A.D.:
“The festivals of the pitiful and miserable Jews are soon to march upon us one after the other and in quick succession: the feast of Trumpets, the feast of Tabernacles, the fasts. There are many in our ranks who say they think as we do. Yet some of these are going to watch the festivals and others will join the Jews in keeping their feasts and observing their fasts. I wish to drive this perverse custom from the Church right now…If the Jewish ceremonies are venerable and great, ours are lies…
Titus says:
nothing to do…who celebrate..let them celebrate..???? simple as it..religion is true in eyes of their follower.. so ..whatever
You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.
2 Kings 16:4
And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
They set up for themselves sacred pillars and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.
Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, Slaying the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks?
Jeremiah 2:20
“For of old I have broken your yoke and burst your bonds; And you said, ‘I will not transgress,’ When on every high hill and under every green tree You lay down, playing the harlot.
Jeremiah 3:6
[ A Call to Repentance ] The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot.
Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.
Ezekiel 6:13
Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain are among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever they offered sweet incense to all their idols.
Jeremiah 10:2-5
2 Thus says the Lord:
“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
They are upright, like a palm tree,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”
7 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men 9 He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand:
Would like to read an article from the focus of the Jewish Feasts/Festivals as Jesus would have held and celebrated and fulfilled. This would give the forward focus of fulfilling the end times, from God’s plans for all people. Just a thought that a female theologian might mention conception and 9 months of pregnancy, 2 timings every mother would count. Jesus fulfilled Passover for all. An unchanging marker in God’s timing.
John Andreoli says:
DR McGowan. I do not remember the book but I think it was about the life of Constantine and in it Constantine deliberately chose December 25 in an effort to conveniently and firmly establish Christianity as the official religion of the Roman world, and to wipe out the memory of the Roman pagan celebration that had always been celebrated on December 25th.
odinga says:
There is entirely too much fuss over the birth of Yeshua. So much so, untit we get caught up in all the pagentry of superstitious mythical events that were in circulation hunderd of years before the presence of Yeshua. Today, we make mockery of his birth as being December 25th the date of several saviors of mythical eras. Further, what the Church has done is unforgiveabe, establishing a new faith, Christianity. Yeshua was never a Christian nor preached or practiced any of its dogmas or creeds.
Under the present system of Christianity, one has to be wealthy to celebrate December 25th as our Savior’s birthday. He came for the poor, widows, orphans, marginal, sergrgated, downtrodden, and these are shut out of the Chrisitain holidays…. We must move back to the Way Movement and live according to Yeshua’s beliefs!!!
David Levandusky says:
To state that Jesus was born in in December or in the Spring is not Biblical correct. John’s Gospel makes it very clear that Jesus was born in the Fall season of the year. Luke says Jesus began His ministry when he was about 30 years old. The synoptic Gospels share his Baptism and 40 days wilderness temptation just before his actual ministry began. John shares in John chapters 1-3 that Jesus after his baptism in February went 40 days into the wilderness and was tempted and then came back to the river Jordan. It is now Spring time and near Passover time. It is in the beginning of Jesus public ministry. Jesus attends the wedding of Cana in Galilee, spends some a few days in Capernaum and then goes to Jerusalem at Passover time. Let’s work this backward. Luke says at His baptism he was about 30 years old. His baptism would had to have been in February after which he went 40 days in the wilderness temptation and then came back to Nazareth, Cana. Capernaum and on to Jerusalem. All this in less than couple weeks time. Remember He is 30 years old at this time in the Spring Passover time. If He is 30 ears old at this time and we know he died about 3 and half years later at Passover time then we need to work backwards from Passover time to the 6-8 months earlier. Passover time to 6-8 months earlier would account for His birth being in the Fall season of the year – not winter. More than likely around the Feast of Tabernacles time. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us….” John 1:14. MY personal opinion from my own observations in the scriptures. Be sure to get a copy of my published book “The Last Eleven Days of Jesus – Countdown to Passover, Crucifixion and Resurrectiion.” Info. at David [email protected].
Terry S. says:
I could be mistaken, but our tradition of celebrating birthdays was not around in Jesus’ time. Birthdays may not have been celebrated or commemorated as they were later. I read that the tradition among his people was to celebrate the recognition of age for everyone, on the first day of the new year. That maintained a general record of age, but also implied that the celebration of an individual birthdate was not all that important. Another avenue not listed here is the obvious repetition of God’s timeline. We are now beginning to understand that God ordained feasts (more aptly named rehearsals) to prepare His people for significant events in the future. All of the Jewish springtime feasts were fulfilled by Jesus during His life and death. The fall feasts have yet to find their fulfillment in our timeline. Nevertheless, Jesus’ birth narrative seems to best coincide with the feast of Tabernacles. This feast celebrates the children of Israel’s first night of freedom from Egypt… wherein they had to spend the night in makeshift shelters… but also took comfort from the very real presence of God among them (Emmanuel). We know that His birth was the fulfillment of prophecy, as outlined by Isaiah and others… but also discerned by Babylonian scholars (wisemen) who were more than likely dispersed Jews who also studied the prophecies. In studying the correlations between the feasts, their practices, and the very specific and symbolic fulfillment of them by Christ, and in realizing that either His conception or birth was a major event in God’s timeline, I can only surmise that God would have embedded it within His preordained feasts.
Terry Cress says:
I find the arguments regarding specific dates of Jesus’s life and death humorious. What we need to be cognizant of is, who he was and what he did while he was here on earth. Lest we forget, he is God and has the authority and ability to do “history” as he wishes, including the end of it!
Richard Bonnette says:
May God be with you all!
Please stop using C.E., people. It has no significance and means absolutely nothing. You should be using the accurate terms B.C. and A.D., because that has been used for 2,000 years and is still used today, it is historically accurate, symbolically significant, and solemnly Christian.
Now, the date December 25 cannot be and is not a myth. We have much historical evidence supporting this date, and it is not enough to start doubting it simply because it is so far away from our current time today. We should also not try claiming that it is simply a secular holiday for selling gifts or presents; because companies only got their presents and gifts from advertising these gifts as necessary during Christmastime (otherwise, no one would both buying them, because a lot of companies make pretty useless toys that are neat but truly pointless for our Salvation). We should not be too quick to judge our history just because people doubt the Christian religion and want to discredit it.
The first point is that the time of the birth was historically based on the time of Zachariah’s entering into the Temple of Jerusalem, which was a significant event and only occurred once a Year, and only one priest could ever, in his lifetime, enter the Temple to offer a sacrifice. The time Zachariah went to the Holy Temple was in modern calendar today September. and that was when he is told his wife Elizabeth would conceive a son; and we are told in the Biblical history by the angel Gabriel that Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary was conceived, which would place Mary’s conception at March 25. It is not at all foolish to assume that nine months later, the Christ-child was born (Christ means the chosen one). That would place this date on December 25. What happened after Christ’s death was the spread of the Christian religion: a religion completely untolerated by the pagan Roman government, which had a plenitude of immoral and selfish gods to use to excuse or satisfy their own selfish and immoral desires. The years of harsh persecution by the pagan followers lead the Christians to only practice the faith privately and could not publish or announce important dates like December 25 except by word of mouth and in secret books safe from Roman destruction (there were actually prices on people’s heads who had the Bible or any important Christian work) — and in the Bible, where it was not directly said (probably because all the Apostles already knew the day and did not expect that such doubt would arise from not specifically writing it – also because not everything is contained in the Bible). That we may doubt our history is not the point. That we should, however, disregard the obvious historical recordings in exchange for our own meager and scantily supported theories, is truly an unscientific, unfair, and unjust way of analyzing history.
The second point here is that Mary was still alive after the death of Christ — If Christianity was just started, do you know how many Christians (including the Twelve Apostles of Christ) would be fervently asking Mary when was the date she bore her Son into the world? And how hard do you think it is for a mother to forget the date she bore her only son into the world? Have you ever your mother when you were born, only to realize she forgot? How about when a mother’s son dies in one of the most agonizing ways? Will she ever forget the day that son was born? Will she forget when he died, especially when his friends and family remember him so clearly and love him so dearly?
Sirs, I ask you not to trust this scholarly work published here. It is not based on the full available history of Christianity. And he is not a person who knows much about Christianity, let alone about the birth of the One who would redeem the world.
I would advise searching for “The Faith of the Early Fathers” (which has three volumes of ancient letters and works written or attributed to famous early Christians in instruction and explaining the faith), and other saints like St. Augustine’s treatises, or like searching the Catholic Church’s boatload of historical books, and other reliable resources, who continued to carry on the Sacred Tradition passed on from the Twelve Apostles.
By the way, how hard do you think it will be for the Twelve Apostles to forget the birth and death of their own leader, the One Who, with more power, authority, and goodness than anyone they had known before, asked them to carry on the work of Salvation for the entire human race?
Are you for real buddy? The gospels were written, at earliest, 30 years after Jesus died. They contradict themselves all over the place, and give no rational reason to believe they are accurate or true. If you want to just be a believer and go with the Bible as being an historic book, that is your choice, but do not sit here and chastise people that are able to be objective when searching for truth. People like you are the problem in the world. You operate based on belief and not knowledge.
Yeshua was born on Sukkot, The feast of Tabernacles. This can be found in scripture if you read carefully. The key to knowing when he was born can be found in Luke 1:8, “…Zechariah, of the division of Abijah…” With a list of priestly division in 1 Chronicles 24:7-18. 
I MYSELF DO NOT TAKE 12-25 AS JESUS BIRTHDAY BECAUSE CHRISTMAS IS A MAN MADE HOLIDAY.
GOD DID NOT GIVE CHRISTMAS TO US AS JESUS BIRTHDAY IT WAS MAN MADE ONLY DOING IT HIMSELF.
I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT JESUS WAS NOT BORN ON DECEMBER 25.
THE BIBLE DO NOT TELL US ABOUT WHAT DAY ARE MONTH CHRIST WAS BORN.
IT IS NOT KNOWN TO MAN TODAY ON WHAT DAY ARE MONTH THAT JESUS WAS BORN.
IT IS ONLY ONE PERSON NO WHAT DAY CHRIST WAS BORN THAT IS HIS FATHER GOD HIMSELF IS THE ONLY NO.
MAN WILL NEVER NO THE DAY ARE MONTH JESUS WAS BORN
IT IS NOWHERE IN THIS WORLD CAN TELL YOU THE DAY & MONTH OF CHRIST BIRTHDAY.
NO ONE WILL EVERY NO IT. UNTIL GOD LET US NO WHAT DAY & MONTH IT IS. ONLY GOD CAN GIVE THE ANSWER R TO JESUS BIRTHDAY.
Of course, no one really wants to believe that Jesus’ birth is celebrated on December 25th because of assimilating pagan dates with Christian ideology, but that is precisely what this article found In It’s research, so face it! Now, let’s move on! Or should I say, let’s return to God’s Instructions about His Appointed Times in Leviticus 23. this is His Calendar by which He would carry out His Great Plan of Redemption for mankind. We see that the Seventh Day Sabbath is the first day that He sanctifies and sets apart for a Holy day of Remembrance of Creation, and a day of Rest and Convocation and Worship. Then God speaks about a day in which He will Redeem mankind who He has created. That is Passover, Nissan 14,Unleavened Bread teaches us how to walk a sanctified life by feasting on His Unleavened (Holy) Bread (Word). First Fruits hidden day that is ‘sandwiched’ within the 7 day Festival, on the Day after the Sabbath of UB, therefore, always on a first day of the week (our Sunday) not on a set date. Are you getting the picture? Jesus died on Passover, His sinless body was buried in the earth but did not suffer decay (Unleavened). He rose as the First Fruit, the Bread Of Life, of those who would one day follow in the Resurrection of the Righteous, those who lived a sanctified life of Faith. Forty days later as Jesus gathered with his Diciples, he told them to wait a little while longer (50 days) for the Promise of the Father, which was the Festival Of Shavuot (Weeks, 7 wks = 49 day’s plus one= 50 dys. Most call this day Pentecost. These were the Spring Feasts. The Fall festivals are: Yom Teruah or Day Of Trumpets (mostly referred to as Rosh haShana, but listed in Lev 23 as the day of hearing the Trumpets. Ten days later is the Day Of Atonement/Yom Kippur, a Judgment Day of sorts, then five days later, the Festival of Tabernacles, this lasts 7 days with a bonus Eighth Day Celebration and special Sabbath. Do you see this picture? Jesus, whose Hebrew name is Yeshua, will return at the Sound of the Trumpet, He will Judge the Living and the dead, and then He will Tabernacle among us forever more. Tabernacles is also known as the feast of the Ingathering, when all the Sheaves/souls are harvested and gathered/assembled together for a most wonderful Marriage Feast. A Hebrew wedding lasts for 7 days. Messiah, the Lamb of God will have a Grand Ceremony! Most refer to this as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!! And the Eighth Day will usher in the New Beginning of the Millennial Reign with the King of Kings, who was born, by the way, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when he came to dwell among us as the book of John describes. The Hebrew word for Tabernacles or Booths is Sukkot, a temporary dwelling made to commemorate our leaving Egypt/Slavery to Sin, Living not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the Father (remember the Unleavened Bread?) Knowing God’s Calendar, the Birth of Yeshua our Savior and Messiah becomes much clearer.
As previously stated, many agree, and rightly so, it wasn’t in December. Luke gives us a huge clue. If we can establish the birth of John, we can know the birth of Yeshua (Jesus, His Greek nick name;) Zachariah’s term of Temple service was the course of Abijah, which was the Eighth course in the year. Chronicles tells us there were twenty-four courses, so, that’s two courses of service a month. Beginning with the month of Nissan, Zechariah served in the fourth month. Nine months later brings us to the Spring month of Nissan, the month of Passover, when John was born to Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin, who was six months pregnant when Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus then was born in the Fall at Sukkot or Tabernacles, probably the first day of Tabernacles and thus circumcised on the Eighth Day! Why do you suppose that the Roman government chose that particular time to tax the people? Because they could collect a huge amount from people coming up to Jerusalem to a Pilgrimage Feast, rather than trying to collect taxes in smaller outermost towns. Also, there was no room in the inns, because such a large number of people were traveling to their families’ place of origin and to observe Sukkot. I hope this sheds some light on this subject and that this also causes people to re-read the scriptures with all this in mind.
You have well said it well…
This idea that Jesus was born and crucified on the same date reminds me of the traditional Buddhist belief that the Buddha was born, became enlightened, and died all on the same date–the full moon of May–also with no actual historical or scriptural evidence to support it. It may be that knowing one important date and wanting to know another one makes it easy to combine the two–the known and the unknown–into one. People just can’t stand not knowing something that they consider to be important.
“The claim used to be made that December 25 developed in opposition to the Mithras myth, or as a Christian response to the cult of the unconquered sun promoted by Roman emperors in the third century in their efforts to establish a new imperial religion. However, these old theories can no longer be sustained. The decisive factor was the connection of creation and cross of creation and Christ’s conception.”
Adar 12th month (Feb/Mar)	Spring rains	Almond in bloom / flax harvest
Aviv 1st month (Mar/Apr)	Barley harvest begins
2nd month (Apr/May)	Barley harvest completed
3rd month (May/Jun)	Dry season	Wheat harvest begins
4th month (Jun/Jul)	Wheat harvest completed / first
Av 5th month (Jul/Aug)	Summer heat	Vintage (grape harvest) begins
Elul 6th month (Aug/Sep)	Date harvest / summer figs
From the above, one can see that the harvest season in ancient Israel began in Adar (Feb/March) and continued by stages into autumn. The barley harvest began in March-April: the first sheaf being cut and waived in the middle of Aviv, which could be any time between 21st March and the middle of April. It is the same in modern Israel.
So, the farms couldn’t be made available to sheep for grazing until after the 4th month when harvest is completed. The sheep at that time could glean the stubs and remains from the harvest. Then in the 7th month plowing begins. The sheep would have to be moved out of the field as the plowing progresses, the sheep can’t be allowed to interfere with the plowing.
Therefore, sheep are in the “field” only in the 5th through the 7th months, or August through September/October. The shepherds might have been able to leave their flocks safely when they are in the farm areas where the food is plentiful for the sheep and where the dangers of the wilderness are not present. That is a way for them to be able to go see the baby Jesus.
In conclusion, doesn’t it appear that Jesus was born September or October rather than in December?
Just like when I birthed my own children, it was a time of celebration for a gift had been given.
Its a time of reflection and what the bible does say about Christ’ birth. I don’t believe these date issues are inherently wrong, for God judges the heart.
Ive observed in this life that just about any and everything can be made to look ugly, wrong even vile.
The bottom line for me is, that’s its meant for good, not for evil.
That is why the song was put on the very day of that particular pagan festival that the Christians were now co-opting, and saying what is really to be celebrated today, what is really to be acknowledged and confessed and proclaimed is the Gospel of Christ.
That the nativity is not of the physical sun in the sky being born in the springtime, as the days get longer, but it is the nativity of Christ, our God.
The song begins, “Your nativity, O Christ, our God, has shone to the world the light of wisdom.” It is the light of knowledge, actually. “Wisdom” is an incorrect translation here. It is the light of knowledge, meaning that it is Christ’s birth that brings the real light, the spiritual light, to the world—not the physical light, but the real light, the light of God, which is the light of knowledge, the light of wisdom.
Then it says, “For by it”—the nativity—“those who worshipped the stars”—the stars are also suns, they are also shining lights in the sky—“were taught by a star.” In St. Matthew’s Gospel, the magi from the East are brought to where Jesus is born by a star. There is a special star in the sky that proclaims the birth of the Messiah, the nativity of the Messiah. Those who were stargazers, astrologists, who were worshipping stars, adoring stars, trying to find out the truth about creation in stars, are now taught by a star.
And what are they taught to do? They are taught “to adore you, to worship you, the Sun of Righteousness,” helios dikaiosynis, the Sun of Righteousness. That is from Malachi 4:2.
“And to know you,” and now we have this other expression, “the Orient from on high (the dawn from on high).” That is from St. Luke 1:78, from the Benedictus, from Zechariah’s hymn when John the Baptist is born.
The orient from high will visit us, it says, the dayspring on high, the oriens ex alto, as it says in Latin, the anatoli ex ipsus. This sun will come visiting us, “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace”(Luke 1:79). That is a quotation of Isaiah, and that is also found in St. Matthew’s Gospel.
In the Anglican Liturgy we are further reminded that the “oriens ex alto” came to deliver us “from the bondage of sin (Matthew 1:21), and [has enabled us to] receive power to become children of God (John 1:12).
Just as how the Jews in adapting the Babylonian Creation Myth (Genesis 1:1-2:3) and reinterpret it as a polemic against the gods of Babylon, so the Church used the Nativity of the “Sun of Righteousness” as a polemic against paganism.
Andrew McGowan’s article lacked the following important information, in regards to the use of December 25West, and January 7 in the East in the celebration of Christmas!
Due to a difference in the Georgian and Julian calendars, Jan. 6 marks Christmas Eve for many Orthodox churches and Christmas will be celebrated on the 7th.
The majority of the Orthodox churches worldwide use the Julian calendar, created under the reign of Julius Caesar in 45 BC, and have not adopted the Gregorian calendar, proposed by Latin Pope Gregory of Rome in 1582.
There are 13 days in difference between the two calendars, the Gregorian calendar being the one long adopted by Western nations. December 25 on the Julian calendar actually falls on January 7 on the Gregorian calendar. So strictly speaking, Christmas is still kept on December 25, which just happens to fall 13 days later on the Julian calendar.
For Orthodox Christians who have adopted the Gregorian calendar, Christmas falls on Dec. 25 as it does for others, and Jan. 6 marks the Epiphany, a Christian holiday that celebrates the revelation of God the son as a human being in Jesus. For those remaining on the Julian calendar, the Epiphany is celebrated on Jan. 19.
Adoption of the Gregorian calendar among Orthodox churches varies among jurisdictions within the denomination. Though many Orthodox in the United States have made the switch, former Soviet Union and Middle Eastern churches tend towards the “Old Calendar.”
Mithras was in “Christmas” LONG before Christ’s “birthdate” was even conceived by the Scythian monk named Dionysius Exiguus (or Dennis the Small). He also “invented” our modern day Easter tables (yet another assimilated pagan rite) and the Anno Domini (A.D.) method of reckoning years. All are grossly incorrect. See https://www.westarinstitute.org/resources/the-fourth-r/dionysius-exiguus/ and .
The only verse that refutes these facts is Matthew 2:22. Here is that passage in context:
Matthew 2:21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene. (NASB)
The problem with this passage is that the earliest extant manuscript containing Matthew 2:22 is from the FOURTH century! See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew#Background. The Background section appears as follows:
“The original versions of the Gospel of Matthew and the other gospels are lost. The oldest relatively complete extant manuscripts of the Bible are the Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Sinaiticus, which date from the 4th century. Besides these, there exist manuscript fragments ranging from a few verses to whole chapters. Papyrus 104 and Papyrus 67 are notable fragments of Matthew. These are copies of copies. In the process of recopying, variations slipped in, different regional manuscript traditions emerged, and corrections and adjustments were made. Modern textual scholars collate all major surviving manuscripts, as well as citations in the works of the Church Fathers, in order to produce a text which most likely approximates to the lost autographs.”
Further emphasis: “…variations slipped in, different regional manuscript traditions emerged, and corrections and adjustments were made.”
Were there not warnings not to add to nor take away from the Scriptures? So, either this passage has been tampered with or the passage in Luke has; they are incongruent. Herod the Great was not alive in 6 CE — during the census of Quirinius — as he died in 4 BCE; see .
Isn’t it interesting how the Book of Luke is discounted by most Biblical “scholars?” In fact, Luke and Acts were written to the same person: Mattathias ben Theophilus (aka the “most excellent Theophilus”) who served as the kohen gadol (high priest) in Jerusalem in 65-66 CE — prior to its fall to the Romans; see . Note: Caiaphas’ name was Yosef ben Caiaphas; the same pattern was employed to reference Theophilus.
How many of you have noticed the following in Biblical footnotes: “Not found in earlier mss (manuscripts)?” Yes, some passages in our Bible as well as church traditions have been manufactured and/or assimilated from paganism. Fortunately, the essential truths remain for our salvation.
Most Christians are unaware of the truth regarding Christmas; they just blindly follow “church traditions.” The truth was not actually known until the discovery and dissemination of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Now, we know with great certainty not only when Christ was born (the Feast of Weeks in 6 CE — around when Memorial Day is observed in America), but when John and He were conceived! Yes, much paganism was assimilated through the Catholic Church, and those false traditions carried over unchecked after the Protestant Reformation.
For those truly interested in the history of Christmas, The History Channel did an admirable job several years back in the documentary entitled “Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas;” see .
Some have asked: Why is this important? Bottom line: God does everything in accordance with His appointed times on His calendar. In fact, there are no appointed times during the winter months; see . Christmas is not of God; Christmas is about Mithra(s)! See .
If Revelation 12 references Yeshua’s birthday?
Then it was right after sunset, of 9-11-03 B.C.E. That astrological setup, happens about once every 30 years.
And then, if he was two weeks premature (not unusual for a first child, at 13 years of age), his conception would be about 12-26-04 B.C.E. Which began, at sunset of 12-25-04 B.C.E.
You cannot celebrate His birth – For no one, back then, celebrated birthdays, because they did not know when they were conceived. They counted your birth, as being your year one, already.
He told you to celebrate only His death.
Herod’s death, was close to the B.C.E. – C.E. dividing point. It was near the Passover, and an eclipse in Jerusalem, and there is an earthquake thrown in there, somewhere. It comes out to being 1 B.C.E., when you do the timeline. He was dying, and his sons were ruling in his stead the last 3 years.
He sent his troops out to kill the children up to two (one, to us); the wise men had showed up later, when the Holy Family were living in town.
The shepherds put the sheep in the harvested fields before October back then, in Israel. They eat up the straw and weeds, and so forth, and fertilize all of the fields with their droppings, in the winter.
Shepherds were not well liked; these nomads, were considered to be thieves. But the sheep and goat droppings, which convert the chaff and weeds to fertilizer, were desirable to the farming people, who lived in the small towns.
Bethlehem was pretty small, back then. A city back then, was like a village or a small town is, today.
Sheep need no shepherd watching over them, once they are closed in the fields, close to town. One guy, can handle a bunch of flocks. The lions and the wolves, are generally more up in the hills, and not close to the towns. The fields all had stone walls, and / or thorn hedges.
So, the shepherds showed up at the manger, right after Yeshua’s birth.
Herod’s sending out of the troops?
Would be by 9-11-02 B.C.E. Around then, not much later, as he died in the following spring.
Herod had his sons rule before, with the two sons he killed off. Josephus says of one of them, that he was effectively the king. They only lacked the crown itself.
The dating of Herod’s death to 4 B.C.E., is based upon extant coinage. But you often predated your rule, on the coins that you issued. This has been found, in the ancient world.
Most successions, were not as abrupt as people think that they were. You kept giving your son more-and-more power and authority while you lived, to try him out, to see if he was fit to rule.
The sons who Herod killed, also had coins made in their names, while Herod was still alive. These two, didn’t work out, as kings.
There are also 4 Jewish calendars, and the Roman one. And if you ruled for a part of a year?
To the Romans, that was a full year, of your reign. Your successor, thus began his reign on the first day of the following year, no matter when he actually started being Emperor.
All of that, has to be considered in analyzing the data.
The grain, the bread, is the sign of the Harvester, Virgo. She used to be shown holding a shock of wheat, or a loaf of bread.
The twin fishes, are the sign of Pisces.
Virgo, is fall; Pisces, is spring. Both of them, reference harvest seasons.
Unusable fish, of the catch?
Are fertilizer, for the spring planting. The Ancient World, was a hardscrabble existence. And anything which could be harvested, and sold, was.
The Ancients believed that your major stars, were designated by your birthdate. Your minor stars, are of the astrological sign, of 6 months later.
You do not believe that astrology has anything to do with the Bible? Then why the twins (Gemini) and the archer on horseback (Chiron; Sagittarius) in Genesis? The bulls of Egypt (Taurus) and the scorpions of Sinai (Scorpio) of the Exodus? The rams (Aires) and the scales of Judgment and good measure and the recording of the Books (Libra) of Canaanite Leviticus?
Then Pisces (the fishes) and Virgo (the Harvester; the bread; the grain) of the Galilee of the Gospels?
And today – The Promised Bearer of Living Waters (Aquarius) of the clay vessel, and the Spirit of God, the Lion of Judah (Leo) Within, of the Revelation
And Ophiuchus – the Serpent-Carrier – Overshadows Sagittarius – And the Serpent, is amongst a third of the Stars, of the sky. The constellation is that long…
Moses, has to fit in here, somewhere…
Yeshua likely was crucified on 4-3-33 C.E.; He would have been about 36, by then.
9-11-03 B.C.E. to 4-3-33 C.E., is 32 2 years 3 months and 3 days 3 months and 19 days. Which gives you, 34 years, 6 months, 22 days.
But if you add on the time in the womb?
You add on 166 days, or 5 months and 14 days. Which gives you, 35 years, 2 months, and 2 days.
35, relates to 3.5 – A time, times, and half-a-time, is 1 2 0.5 = 3.5.
It all works out – To make Christmas about His conception day, and Easter about His death, and the fall festivals, about His birth.
The twins (Gemini) and the archer on horseback (Chiron; Sagittarius) – The first 2,000 years.
The bulls of Egypt (Taurus) and the scorpions of Sinai (Scorpio) – The second 2,000 years.
The rams (Aires) and the scales of Judgment of the Books (Libra) – The third 2,000 years.
Pisces (the fishes) and Virgo (the Harvester; the bread; the grain) – The fourth 2,000 years.
The Spirit of God – The Lion of Judah (Leo) Within, of the Revelation – 1,000 years.
Total? 10,000 years.
The first 2,000, predate Abraham, still in Ur.
The next 2,000, take you to the start of the conquest of Canaan, via the enslavement, in Egypt.
The next 2,000, take you to the period of the destruction of Israel and Judah and the Temple, and Yeshua’s Time.
The next 2,000, take you up to today…
The final 2,000?
The Millennial Reign, of God On earth, for 1,000 years? Aquarius, represents that.
And then the 1,000 years, of the Release of the Dragon? Leo…
Happy Chanukah – Merry Christmas – Happy New Year.
He never reached 30 years of age; that is also consistent with the Scriptures. Those “scholars” who think His ministry lasted three years as three Passovers are mentioned fail to understand there is a Second Passover on the 14th of the second month per Torah (Law).
williame47 says:
From the Holy Scriptures we’re able to deduce the true date of the Messiah’s birth. Indirectly therefore, we celebrate it by following The Commandments and keeping (to the best of our ability) the High Holy Days of the Old Testament, which is what the writers’ of the New Testament did.
There is a significance to the days and times given us to observe and keep. These dates are not therefore to be confused with the days and times set by man in the name of their deity.
Shepards’ did not tend their (grazing) flocks in the middle of winter and there was no scriptural reason or census for the family of the Messiah to visit Jerusalem at that time!
robis says:
I have read or heard much of this before. However, it is a nice seasonal reminder. A woman in my diet club — a convinced Pagan — just reminded all of us of the Winter Solstice and that the event she celebrates is “much older than Christianity” which she believes simply co-opted the dates for its own purposes. As this article suggests, she would be using a comparative-religions approach to the interpretation of the Christmas event — an approach that is not as ancient, necessarily, as she supposes., and a view that some or many now question. The above article gives alternate perspectives, and for that I am quite grateful.
David Hernandez says:
“Lambs are born at the Christmas Season” _Is there evidence that Jesus was born at Christmas??
by John Stormer
For too many years, pastors and teachers have said, “Of course we don’t know when Christ was actually born- but the time of year is not really important.” Jehovah’s Witnesses and others have taught that Christmas was “invented” in the fourth or fifth centuries. The supposed goal was giving a “Christian” facade or influence to the wild pagan or Satanic holiday observances during the winter solstice (the shortest days of the year).
What’s the real story? Is there any real evidence that Jesus Christ _was born at Christmas? A careful examination of a number of seemingly _unrelated Bible passages gives clear indication that the Lord Jesus was _indeed born at Christmas time. Such study will give new emphasis to what _Christ came to do. It will also provide a much deeper appreciation of all _that is hidden in the Word of God which can be discovered by those who _prayerfully search the scriptures.
Every word in the Bible is there because God put it there. He has a _purpose for every one of His words. Therefore, seemingly casual listing of _periods of time, genealogical references, etc. have significance which can be _discovered through prayerful study.
In Luke Chapter 1, the Bible records seemingly unimportant details _about what a priest named Zacharias was doing when an angel announced to him _that he and his wife were to have a child. The child was to be John the _Baptist who would prepare the way for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Bible _further records that the Lord Jesus was conceived in the sixth month after _John the Baptist was conceived. Therefore, if the time of the conception of _John the Baptist could be determined, the birth date of the Lord Jesus could _be calculated.
The scriptures say (relevant passages are underlined): “There was in _the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of _the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name _was Elisabeth.
And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office _before God in the order of his course… ” Luke 1:5,8 _At this point Zacharias demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to his _duties as a priest. Even though he had been given the wonderful news by the _angel that he and Elisabeth would have a son, Zacharias stayed in the temple _until the days of his course were completed.
“And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration _were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his _wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months…” Luke 1:23-24 _The passage then describes how an angel came to Mary to announce that _she was to be the virgin mother of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. The _scripture says: _”And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a _city of Galilee, named Nazareth. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name _was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary…” Luke _1:26-27 _And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with _haste, into a city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and _saluted Elisabeth.” Luke 1:39-40
In Luke 1:5 and Luke 1:8, we are told that Zacharias was a priest of _the course of Abia and that he fulfilled his priestly duties in the order of _his course. To understand the importance of the course of Abia and its _bearing on the date of John the Baptist’s conception, it is necessary to turn _to 1Chronicles 24:1-10. This passage describes how a thousand years before _Christ, King David established the courses for priestly service in the coming _temple. Twenty-four courses were established and numbered by drawing lots – _twelve courses for sanctuary service and twelve for the government of the _house of God.
Members of each course would serve during a month starting with the _Hebrew month of Nisan. (Because of the way the Hebrew calendar fluctuates, _the month Nisan can start anytime between early March and early April.) The _sons of Abijah (the Old Testament spelling for Abia) were in the eighth _course. Priests of Abia like Zacharias would, therefore, have each _ministered for some days during the eighth month which in some years because _of the fluctuation in the Hebrew calendar started as early as the fifth day _of our month of October. Zacharias would have returned home when his days of _service were accomplished and John the Baptist could have been conceived _sometime between October 15 and the end of the month.
After conception the scripture says that Elisabeth hid herself for _five months. Then in the sixth month of her pregnancy (which, based on the _above calculation, would have started about March 15 and continued until _April 15) the angel announced to the Virgin Mary that the Lord Jesus would _be conceived in her womb by the Holy Ghost. If this took place on or about _April 1 a “normal” gestation period of 270 days would have then had the Lord _Jesus due on or about December 25. How about that!
There are other scriptural and natural indicators that confirm that _the Lord was born at Christmas time. IN the account of His birth in Luke _2:8, we read: _”And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, _keeping watch over their flock by night.”
My son-in-law, who has a degree in agriculture, after hearing the _above presentation, told me, “Certainly, the Lord Jesus was born at _Christmas. The only time shepherds spend the night in the fields with their _sheep is during the time when the lambs are born. The ewes become _’attractive’ to the rams in the month after June 21, the longest day of the _year. The normal gestation period is five months so the ewes start lambing _about mid-December.” He added: Isn’t it natural that the Lamb of God who _takes away the sin of the world would be born when all the other lambs are _born?
This “coincidence” was too amazing for me to accept until I checked _it out. A former teacher from the school where I am the administrator is _married to a Montana sheep rancher. She confirmed what I had been told. She _said, “Oh, yes! None of the men who have flocks are in church for weeks at _Christmas. They have to be in the fields day and night to clean up and care _for the lambs as soon as they are born or many would perish in the cold.” _Isn’t that neat? God’s Lamb, who was to die for the sins of the world, was _born when all the other little lambs are born. Because He came and died the _centuries old practice of sacrificing lambs for sin could end.
There is another neat confirmation that God had His Son born at _Christmas. The days at the end of December are the shortest (and therefore _the darkest days) of the year. Jesus Christ said, “I am the light of the _world.” So at the time of the year when the darkness is greatest, God the _Father sent God the Son to be the Light of the world.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life and was _therefore qualified to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind (which is _death). He paid it all- but all do not benefit from the wondrous gift God _bestowed on mankind at Christmas.
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as _received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them _that believe on his name.” John 1:11-12
If Zechariah saw the angel Gabriel in 6 BCE, Elizabeth would have conceived John a couple of days later, after Zechariah completed his service and went home. The burning of the incense takes place during the Day of Atonement. That day was Sept 22, 6 BCE. add a couple of days for Zechariah to return home and you could get close to Sept 25. Mary was visited by Gabriel 6 months later (or so), Mar 25 5 BCE. 9 Months later is Dec 25 5 BCE. This would allow time for Herod to seek the death of Jesus. Allowing a few months for the Magi to arrive and Herod would have hedged his bet by calling for the killing of every boy under 2. This would also allow time for the flight to Egypt and upon returning, Herod Archelaus would be king causing Joseph to settle in Nazareth.
If the early church did the calculations for themselves, they too could have arrived at a similar result.
Do you thinking, approximately dateline Jesus’ birthday is correct practise? It also this much distance between summer to the end of winter.
December 25 is the sun god’s birthday. Christians did not celebrate the sun god’s birthday, so were left out of the festivities. So that they could celebrate at that time of the year too, someone decided to call December 25th Jesus’ birthday. It is a lie inspired by Satan to entice Christians to celebrate the sun god’s birthday by calling it Jesus’ birthday.
Erwin says:
X’mas or Christmas is an insult to an Eternal God who needs “no” birthday celebration. God has no beginning and ending. X’mas is pagan in origin . Instead of rejecting paganism, some people embraced pagan practices.
Proverbs 13:13 warns, “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.”
The birth of Christ is “no” ordinary birth but an incarnation You cannot compare His birth to ordinary human being. Why? Because God manifested in the flesh to die for our sins.
Before He was born in Bethlehem, He appeared many times in the Old Testament.
Why insist to give Christ a celebration of His coming as a Messiah or His birth which is a false tradition of Roman Catholic.
X’mas is filled with half-truths. Any half-truth is not truth at all but lies. People celebrating X’mas are blinded from the truth and deceived by Lucifer, now called Satan the devil.
(a.) The Lord Jesus Christ never commands us to celebrate His birth, but to remember His death. His resurrection truly defeat sin, death and Hell.
(b.) The apostles and the first Church in Jerusalem never celebrated Christ’s birthday even once.
(c.) 25 December is not in the Bible — a gross violation of Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 20:5-6 and Revelation 22:18-19 resulting to the removal or blotting out one’s name in the Book Life. On Judgment Day whose name are not in the Book of Life will be thrown to the Lake of Fire.
Christmas is evil or ungodly. Fear God !
Before He was born in Bethlehem, He appeared many times in the Old Testament. Why insist to give Christ a celebration of His coming as a Messiah or His birth which is a false tradition of Roman Catholic.
C.Brian Ross says:
@ John (Dec 28th 2015)
“Eternity is so much more than a day, surely?”
“… the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light shall the nations walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates shall never be shut by day – and there shall be no night there;” (Rev 21:23-25).
“And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.” (Rev 22:5).
If there is no night, then eternity is surely only one day!!! The difficulty is on understanding that eternity is not “endless time”, but “timelessness”!
I deal with this, more fully, in my book “Great Words of the Faith” – available as an e-book. Details on my blog at:
crazyrev dot blogspot dot com (please make the necessary adjustments!).
johnc406 says:
At the end of the day, why do we waste so much time on speculation about this date? Does it really matter on what day/month/year our Lord was born? The miracle is Scritpure teaches clearly that His birth was the fulfillment of prophecies given hundreds of years prior, His vicory over sin and satan millennia prior.
Instead of all these sabbaths, why not celebrate the 4 miracles of birth/death/resurrection/ascension EVERY day? For surely the relegation of them to a single date each in the calendar dulls the joy of everything about our God?; Father Who made the gift in grace, Son who died in grace, Spirit who raised in grace.
Above all things, let us rather celebrate the promise of his return, for it is in that our hope is fulfilled .Eternity is so much more than a day, surely?
Also please check your facts…Tishri is NOT the month that immediately follows Abib or Nisan, Iyar or Ziv is (1 Kings 6:1). Nor is Tishri the 9th month after Abib (for that 9 month symettry you allude to) but is the 7th month. Thank you for your kind attention.
pst john says:
Jesus Christ was born on April 6th.
wOW!!! Lots of comments and ideas…many interesting, others — well……As to Shteef who is offended that Christians believe the multiple gods are untrue —when did this become news to you? Judaism was, and is, firmly monotheistic. Christianity grew out of the Jewish expectation — rife in the first centuries BC/AD — that a Jewish man would one day appear and He would be both Messiah and God. Read Isaiah and Micah, among others.
As for “Dr” who proclaims this “Krishna-mas” —no, not really. Kriishna was no virgin birth. And while his birth story is unusual, it is not more so than the birth story (alleged) of Alexander the Great, Buddha, or others. But not virginal — and certainly not monotheistic or something prophesied as a solution to the sins of mankind.
And Hinduism’s influence on Western European development is curious but doubtful.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL…and remember, Jesus is the Reason for the Season.
The above article, however, was informative and I really enjoyed it and am glad to
Dr. Saul Pressman says:
Yehoshuah ben Yoseph was born on September 2, 29 BC and
was executed by the Romans on April 3, 33 AD.
Yehoshuah ben Yoseph was born September 29, 2 BC
and executed by the Romans on April 3, 33 AD.
Scientists, researchers and followers: Please, don’t use the word “Christianity” after Constantine. “Roman Catholicism” or “Catholicism” are appropriate names.
Mike Barkworth says:
the most realistic argument fir Christmas does really seem to be the fact that early persecuted Christians chose a day that coincided with a Pagan festival to prevent persecution, and sol invictus would have been a big one, however iyt is unlikely that it would have been chosen if it was so far from the correct time from the onset
I have a problem with the Author’s usage of C.E, rather then AD. How can I take serious, a “Biblical” article which sells out to secularism and political correctness.
Cynthia Taylor says:
Can you tell me what the equivalent of Nisan 21 4 BC is in the Gregorian Calendar?
Yeshua Ben Joseph was light conceived June 21st in the year 5 BC.
Nine months from June 21st is March 21st 4 BC. However in the appendex of Anna, Grandmother of Yeshua his brithday is written has having occurred in April of 4 BC. I am still seeking the exact date. This is consistent with new borns being first borns usually being a week or two late. Also Joseph ben Jacob and Mary Anna were in Bethlehem in the SPRING FOR THE CENSUS AND THE SHEEP WERE SHORN IN THE SPRING. He was not born December 25th nor January 6 nor in September. Read Clair Heartsong’s book, Anna, Grandmother of Jesus.
charles coryn says:
I find it hard to believe that a very prominent climate event such as the winter solstice did not command the attention of the leading elders, as it had from earlier times. Apparently the solstice was considered proof of the return of the longer days leading to the spring equinox and the planting season, and eventually the summer solstice and later harvesting.
Noble says:
Amazing work Professor! -GWU Student
December 25th is NOT Winter Solstice, that is December 21st/22nd. People of Christ’s time all knew the correct date for that. Anyone claiming one was chosen because of the other is plain wrong – epic fail.
December 25th was NOT chosen because it was the birthday of Mithras, quite the reverse, Mithras was very late in its existence celebrated on December 25th by some following the date the Christians were using for Christ. There is no evidence Mithraism dated Mithras birthday at all till the 4th Century at the earliest.
There is NO evidence at all that Sol Invictus was celebrated on December 25th before the mid 4th Century, given there is plenty of evidence of Christianity using this well before that date the claim that dating Christmas Day followed that of Sol Invictus cannot be maintained.
It is clear that the Christians selected December 25th as they believed he was conceived and died on the same date (March 25th) and they believed a pregnancy was exactly 9 months. Whilst both these assertions are in fact highly improbable to know, they are clearly not taken from other religions but are based on what they believed from extrapolating via their own scripture. It was important to them at that time to have a single agreed day for all Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ. And so it goes on doing so now. Arguments over whether it really was December 25th or any other day are largely irrelevant.
Perhaps it would be much better to say that 25th December is the date Christians choose to make special remembrance of the Incarnation.
John the Baptist was conceived during the last half of the 4th, to the 5th month in the Hebrew year, Tammuz or Av because the priestly course of Abijah is in the last two weeks of Tammuz, and Elizabeth conceived when Zecharias’ course was over (Luke 1:23-24). I believe somewhere in the Talmud it says John the Baptist was born and died on Passover/ Pesach – 15th Nissan, which means he would have been conceived on the 15th of Av.
Mary conceived when Elizabeth was 6 mths pregnant (Luke 1:36), some time around the 15th of Shevat perhaps. This means he would be born 9 mths later on the around the 15th Tishrei – the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles/ Sukkot.
This was not simply a matter of two languages being used in opposite ends of The Mediterranean.
It was two distinctly different CULTURES: Greek mystical logical and (thanks in part to Blessed Augustine) Latin Empirical Rationalism.
This gradually helped lead to the Great Schism of 1054 A.D. (when the see of Rome separated from the sees of Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem)
By the time Sir Issac Newton’s work was published in 1733, six years after his death, no one in The West trusted the Greek East as a reference resource.
It is ironic that some use “Sola Scriptura” as their only means of determining the answer to this question, when it was the adoption of Sola Scriptura in The West which effectively cut off any consideration of the wealth of the history of The Church, largely formulated in the Greek East.
When we trip over the answer, it makes so much sense…
First, let’s be clear: there was a mixture of political influence (the emperor) and spiritual insight (the conciliar Bishops of The Church) AND Holy Tradition involved in coming up with December 25th.
You may think that never should have happened, and I won’t argue with you.
I’m happy, for the sake of unity within The Church, to follow the lead of the early Church Fathers and Mothers, no matter how they ultimately came to their decision.
When The Church was beginning the practice of commemorating the lives of saints, prophets and patriarchs, the date often used (as mentioned in the article) was the date of death, when known.
This would have been according to the JULIAN Calendar, also still used in some “Old Calendar” jurisdictions of eastern Orthodox Christianity.
Also, as noted, the dates of Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection had already been established as closely as possible, even though that canonical determination was skewed by the requirement that Easter NEVER come “before the Hebrew Passover”.
So, when the issue became a celebration of the day of the birth of Christ (who was to be CALLED Jesus in eight days), then the preeminent honor of THE FIRST DAY OF THE YEAR (January 1st) was given to THE FEAST OF THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST JESUS for it was also JESUS’ NAME DAY (known in some jurisdictions as THE FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME.
For in the practice of commemorating lives of saints, that day for each saint becomes their name day, in accordance with earliest Christian traditions.
Obviously, The Church did not want to use GOOD FRIDAY as The Name Day of Christ Jesus.
Once Christ Jesus’ name day was determined, it was a simple process of COUNTING BACKWARD EIGHT DAYS to get December 25th as A DAY OF COMMEMORATION (not a historical determination) of Christ Jesus’ birth.
Those feast days are STILL observed on January 1st in Orthodox Christian Churches, as well as some other traditions.
As an aside, the mention in the article of January 6th as an ORIGINAL date of the celebration of Christmas is simply wrong.
The practice of celebrating Christmas on that date (now January 7th) is still followed BY THE CHURCH in certain jurisdictions (i.e. Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine) because that is currently December 25th on the Julian Calendar.
When the Gregorian Calendar was adopted in The West in 1582, the difference between the two calendars was 10 days, which would have meant Christmas was celebrated on January 3rd in Old Calendar countries.
Since that time, the gap between the two calendars continues to widen, which means that since then you might find historical references mentioning Christmas celebrations on January 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th OR 7th.
[…] NOT saying the above is TRUE, just wondering where Christmas comes from. More on this topic in this link:  […]
Is it possible that 25.12. and 6.1. are the same day – the old and the new calendar? In Armenia Christmas is 18-19.1.? The day’ s place is secondary. One principle: Ecclesiastes 7:2. Birth day tradition was rare.
GRACE MAHAD says:
thank you all for your participation, JESUS IS LORD. when He is born in your heart and life. thats christmas.
why is christmas celebrated - RTH says:
[…] How december 25 became christmas – biblical archaeology Read andrew mcgowan’s article “how december 25 became christmas” as it originally appeared in bible review, december 2002. the article was first republished in. […]
Jezabel says:
You’re all delusional ! The only one using REAL facts is Kurt
Now that Christmas is over... - Page 6 - Christian Chat Rooms & Forums says:
[…] read 'How December 25 Became Christmas' by Dr. Andrew McGowan published by Biblical Archaeology: How December 25 Became Christmas – Biblical Archaeology Society As Dr. McGowan explains, the celebration of the birth of Christ derives from the early Christian […]
The gestational period for humans is 40 weeks, which is more than 9 months. If conception is March 25th, 40 weeks later is December 30th, not the 25th.
Melvin Heath says:
The Birth of Jesus, the Christ
The timing of birth of Jesus is a topic that has been the subject of debate for many years. There are many theologians that have openly started that the Birth of Jesus was not in December, and most likely not in the winter season. There are those who say that there is no way of telling when the birth of Jesus occurred, and that it does not matter as long as we celebrate it in the correct spirit and for the right reason.
What if there really is a way to know the real date of the Birth of Jesus, would it make a difference?
Remember that most of the treasures that are found in ALMIGHTY GOD’S Holy Word have to be dug out.
A nugget of wisdom may be found on top of the ground or laying in a stream, but the mother-lode vein of understanding will only be uncovered with diligent, and time consuming search.
What if the Holy Bible, ALMIGHTY GOD’S Holy Word, could actually tell us the day when the only begotten Son of God was born, would it make a difference to Christians, the Christian Church, would it make a difference to you.
Let us take a look at some verses of Holy Scripture and the words that they contain, to see what can be found.
The first 4 verses of Luke chapter one tell us of the importance and the reliability of what
Luke is about to tell us concerning Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist
and the time in which he served as a priest in the Temple.
1 For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things,
wherein thou hast been instructed. KJV
Verse 5 holds the key to unlocking the mystery we seek to understand.
The 8th course was named after Abijah as he was the first Priest to be appointed to that office for that particular time. Most Holy Bibles that have any kind of cross reference system, directing you from one verse that you might be reading to another, will most likely give you a cross reference from Luke 1:5 to I Chronicles 24:10.
This cross reference may be found at the end of the verse that you are reading, in a center column, or in a foot note found at the bottom of the page. I have checked 4 of our KJV versions, and 1 NIV, and all show the same cross reference
to I Chronicles 24:10 to tell us more about the COURSE OF ABIA / ABIJAH.
10. The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, KJV
This would have been the 8th course, or lot, as stated in
I Chronicles 24:1.
Each course or division would be for service of seven days, or one week.
Back to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, and his course, of Abia/Abijah, which would have been the 8th course or division which would have been the 8th week of the year.
This would be the 8th week of the Hebrew year. The Hebrew year uses the Lunar Calendar which was established
and governed by the New Moon, i.e. New Month which always began with the new moon.
The book of Exodus chapter 12, Moses and Aaron are instructed by ALMIGHTY GOD as to when the beginning of the year will be, which is the month of Abib, also known as Nisan.
2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months:
it shall be the first month of the year to you. KJV
OT:2320 Month / New Moon
chodesh (kho’-desh); from OT:2318; the new moon; by implication, a month: -month (-ly), new moon.
Then in Exodus 13:4 we are told the name of that month is Abib, also known as Nisan
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and
of beast: it is mine.
3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you
out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
4 This day came ye out in the month Abib. KJV
OT:24 Abib
‘abiyb (aw-beeb’); from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, i.e. a young ear of grain;
hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan
Knowing the name of the first month of the year, Abib, which ALMIGHTY GOD gave to Moses, we then can go to a Hebrew Calendar Website that converts the Gregorian Calendar Years to the Hebrew Calendar years.
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar that most of the world uses today and starts the year with January 1.
The Hebrew calendar Starts each month with the new moon. The month of Nisan, (Abib) starts in mid March to mid April depending on how the New Moon falls for that month, in that particular year.
The year, or 2 years that we are looking at would be Hebrew years 3760 and 3761, which takes us back to the last year before
the birth of Jesus, and the first year AD or CE, the year of the birth of Jesus. We are looking at 2 years due to the fact that John the baptist was conceived and born 6 months before Jesus. This would mean that the entire time period that we are looking at is a couple of days short of 17 months,
(Hebrew Calendar), 9 months 6 months 8 weeks.
9 months = the time period from John’s conception, to his birth.
6 months = Jesus was conceived 6 months after John, which means he would be born 6 months after John.
8 weeks = The 7 weeks before 1 week that Zacharias served in the temple just before John was conceived.
9 months 6 months 1 month and 26-27 days = 16 months and 26-27 days.
Please remember the Hebrew months only had 29 – 30 days, not 30 – 31 as the Gregorian calendar.
The year that John was conceived was Hebrew year 3760.
The first month of the Hebrew year 3760 was
Nisan / Abib.
Nisan / Abib 1, 3760, on the Gregorian calendar would have been March 25th, 1BC.
Zacharias served the 8th week of that Hebrew year in the temple, which would have been Iyar 20th, through Iyar 26th 3760, or on the Gregorian calendar it would have been May 13th through May 19th, 1BC.
John was born 9 months later which was Sh’vat 27th, 3761, or February 10th, 1AD, on the Gregorian calendar.
Jesus was conceived 6 months after John was conceived, which would have been Chesvan 27th, 3760. On the Gregorian calendar it was November 13th 1BC. Jesus was born 9 months later.
On the Hebrew calendar Jesus was born on Av 27th 3761, this would have been August 6th, 1AD ,or CE.
Please keep in mind that the birthday of Jesus will always remain the same on the Hebrew Calendar, it will always be the 27th day of the Hebrew month Av. However, because the Hebrew month has less days than the Gregorian month, his birthday on the Gregorian calendar will change each year to coincide with the Hebrew calendar. Most often, if not all the time, his birth date will fall within the month of August on the Gregorian calendar.
By the way, one of the reasons ALMIGHTY GOD gave us the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, was to be able to figure out the days, the months, and the years, so that HIS people could keep the festivals that HE commanded us to keep.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night;and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: KJV
Then PASTE to google, then left click on Go to website
Another item to consider.
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, KJV
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures,
they presented unto him gifts;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. KJV
GOD tells us that these men were WISE.
Please note that they came and gave gifts unto Jesus,
not to each other.
Ponder this for a moment, that if all the money and resources that was, is, and most likely will continue to be spent on Christmas gifts each year was taken and presented to the body of Christ, the Christian Church, and distributed to the the people who are truly in need, how exceedingly pleased, happy and joyful, GOD would be. To the homeless, the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, and those in prison. This is truly an opportunity for the Christian Church to glorify GOD and to share HIS love with the world. If you do not know or trust most Christian Churches or non profit organizations, than you could always find people in the area that you live in to give to help them through tough times.
Go to your local grocery store and let ALMIGHTY GOD LEAD you to those that could use help buying food and needed essentials.
There will always be those who have less than we do that we could give to as if we were giving personally to Jesus.
Giving to those who are not lacking what they need the things that are only wants, and not giving to those who want what they need to live is most unpleasing to ALMIGHTY GOD, our HEAVENLY FATHER.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me.
Americans are expected to spend over $469 billion shopping this holiday season. This is an astounding figure. For everyone out there who wants to “keep the Christ in Christmas,” perhaps it’s time for you to channel your outrage toward consumers, and away from people who opt for the phrase ‘happy holidays.”
Are we really worshiping the Lord, who said
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,” (Matthew 19:21), or simply worshiping consumption?
would have access to safe drinking water. Eighty percent of diseases in developing countries are caused by contaminated water. Over 2 million people are killed each year due to the use of
contaminated water, most being children under the age of five.
$600 million: This would pay for the surgeries of the estimated 2 million women in the developing world who are living with fistulas, an injury that occurs during childbirth in which a hole is created “between the birth passage and an internal organ such as the bladder or rectum.” The UNFPA provides a
description of the effects of fistulas:
“The smell of leaking urine or feces, or both, is constant and humiliating, often driving loved ones away. Left untreated, fistula can lead to chronic medical problems, including ulcerations, kidney disease, and nerve damage in the legs.” If Americans donated one-tenth of 1% of what they
spent on holiday shopping this year, we would be able to alleviate much of the suffering these women face.
$175 billion per year, for 20 years: In his book “The End of Poverty,” economist Jeffrey Sachs estimated that with this amount, we could end extreme poverty in the world. In other words, if Americans spent only $294 billion during the holiday season over the next two decades, nearly one billion people suffering from hunger would have adequate food sources;
the estimated 600 million people who survive on less than $1 per day would see a dramatic improvement in their standards of living.
$496 billion: This figure is admittedly a little more than Americans spend on holiday shopping, but not by much. With this amount, we could pay for every one of the U.S.’ safety net programs, such as food stamps, heating assistance, free and reduced price school meals, childcare assistance, low-income housing assistance, earned income tax credits, cash assistance, and unemployment insurance.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that these programs “kept approximately 15 million Americans out of poverty in 2005 and reduced the depth of poverty for another 29 million people.” And that was before the recession hit.
The latest statistics tell us that between 78% to 82%
of Americans claim to be Christians. This would mean that 78% to 82% of the total amount ($469 billion) spent on Christmas, is spent by Christians. This amounts to about $360 billion a year that could be used by the Body of Christ to help the poor and needy of the world. Even if half this amount was was given the Body of Christ, and used to those who are truly in need, what an impact that would make to spread the love of ALMIGHTY GOD.
Sir Isaac Newton (“Commentary on the Prophecies of Daniel.”) says the Feast of the Nativity, and most of the other ecclesiastical anniversaries, were originally fixed at cardinal points of the year, without any reference to the dates of the incidents which they commemorated, dates which, by lapse of time, it was impossible to ascertain. Thus the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was placed on the 25th of March, or about the time of the vernal equinox; the Feast of St. Michael on the 29th of September, or near the autumnal equinox; and the Birth of Christ at the time of the winter solstice. Christmas was thus fixed at the time of the year when the most celebrated festivals of the ancients were held in honour of the return of the sun which at the winter solstice begins gradually to regain power and to ascend apparently in the horizon. Previously to this (says William Sandys, F.S.A.),[Introduction to “Christmas Carols,” 1833.] the year was drawing to a close, and the world was typically considered to be in the same state. The promised restoration of light and commencement of a new era were therefore hailed with rejoicings and thanksgivings. The Saxon and other northern nations kept a festival at this time of the year in honour of Thor, in which they mingled feasting, drinking, and dancing with sacrifices and religious rites. It was called Yule, or Jule, a term of which the derivation has caused dispute amongst antiquaries; some considering it to mean a festival, and others stating that Iol, or Iul (spelt in various ways), is a primitive word, conveying the idea of Revolution or Wheel, and applicable therefore to the return of the sun. The Bacchanalia and Saturnalia of the Romans had apparently the same object as the Yuletide, or feast of the Northern nations, and were probably adopted from some more ancient nations, as the Greeks, Mexicans, Persians, Chinese, &c., had all something similar. In the course of them, as is well known, masters and slaves were supposed to be on an equality; indeed, the former waited on the latter.[The Emperor Nero himself is known to have presided at the Saturnalia, having been made by lot the Rex bibendi, or Master of the Revels. Indeed it was at one of these festivals that he instigated the murder of the young Prince Britannicus, the last male descendant of the family of the Claudii, who had been expelled from his rights by violence and crime; and the atrocious act was committed amid the revels over which Nero was presiding as master.] Presents were mutually given and received, as Christmas presents in these days. Towards the end of the feast, when the sun was on its return, and the world was considered to be renovated, a king or ruler was chosen, with considerable power granted to him during his ephemeral reign, whence may have sprung some of the Twelfth-Night revels, mingled with those in honour of the Manifestation and Adoration of the Magi. And, in all probability, some other Christmas customs are adopted from the festivals of the ancients, as decking with evergreens and mistletoe (relics of Druidism) and the wassail bowl. It is not surprising, therefore, that Bacchanalian illustrations have been found among the decorations in the early Christian Churches. The illustration on the following page is from a mosaic in the Church of St. Constantine, Rome, A.D. 320.
Just as Y’shua was not born in an inn, the ‘census’ was more likely to have been a Romano/Greek image of Tabernacles, because people did not have to return to their birthplace for a census, but would do their best to be there for this feast; Rome was not into Jewish Messiahs, and would do their very best to hide this idea as much as they could.
Stands to reason, really, especially because of the emphasis on Y”shua as a baby every year. When I celebrate my birthday, I celebrate the age that I have achieved, not the day of my birth. Rome maintains the image of Y’shua as a baby and Mary as the Queen of Heaven and the mother of God – totally untrue.
Commentary on Dan­iel, which was written c. 204 a.d., St. Hippolytus wrote: “For the first advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, was December 25th, a Wednesday, while Augustus was in his forty-second year,”
It seems to me that there is mention of December 25th before 4th and 5th centuries and before the holiday festivities became a concern. I suspect that the Birth of Christ was adopted for those holidays because it was already there.
After reading the author’s line of argument regarding ‘how December 25 became Christmas’, I would answer that it is quite clearly because it coincides with the pagan solstice festivities.
In the introduction it is acknowledged that the Bible offers few clues regarding when Christ was born. Nor are celebrations of Christ’s birth mentioned in the Gospels or the Acts, the date of birth is not given, and neither is the time of year. And the extrabiblical evidence from both the first and second century is equally silent regarding the date of the birth. As the writer acknowledges, there is no mention of birth celebrations amongst the very earliest of Christian writers. The writings of Mark and Paul make no reference to the birth of the Messiah, whilst those of Luke and John provide differing accounts of the event, with neither giving a date of birth. In the second century C.E. apocryphal writings such as the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and Proto-Gospel of James give details of Christ’s earthly ancestral heritage, but omit details of his birth. In consequence, one noticeable feature of Christian practice in the first two centuries following the birth of the Messiah is that his birthday was not marked.
One wonders whether the explanation for the absence of recorded information relating to the birth of Christ may be in some manner tied into the fact that King Herod had ordered the death of the infant. According to the Book of Mathew II, Jesus was born in a stable, and immediately following the birth Joseph gathered Mary and the infant child and fled as refugees under the cover of darkness to Egypt, where they remained until they received information that Herod had died. Under such circumstances, it is entirely possible that Christ’s date of birth was never accurately recorded. Such a scenario would account for why the early Christian writers could not state exactly when Christ was born with any degree of certainty, would it not? And if this was the case, can we today state with any authority that the Messiah truly was born on Christmas Day? Of course we cannot!
The author points to the fact that c.400 C.E. Augustine of Hippo refers to the Donatists, who the writer believes kept Christmas festivals on the 25th December, but refused to celebrate the Epithany on January 6th as it was considered innovative. Yet proof cannot be extrapolated that Christ was born on December 25th on the strength of this evidence, as earlier writers made no mention of this birth date. It was not until c. 200 C.E. that Clement of Alexandra made the first recorded written reference to the date of birth of Jesus Christ, and Clement stated that several dates had been given as potential possibilities. Here we encounter the dual problem of differing birth dates, and the fact that none of these dates were the 25th December. Evidently there was uncertainty, but it is clear that the general impression of early Christians was that Christ was born in the springtime, either 20th / 21 April or the 20th May. Of course, this ties into that fact that the shepherds were reportedly tending their flocks when Christ was born (Luke 2:8), which is a springtime / summer activity. As the author correctly notes, if Christ were born in December the sheep would have been corralled. Therefore, the earliest recorded evidence indicates that Christ was born in the summer months. Such a supposition is supported by the modern science of astronomy.
Research scientists have tracked the appearance of the ‘Christmas Star’, which the Bible states the three wise men followed to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus. Employing the St Mathew’s Gospel as a point of reference, Australian scientist Dave Reneke utilised complex computer software to chart the exact positions of all celestial bodies and map the night sky as it would have appeared over the Holy Land at the time of the birth of the Messiah. Mr Reneke pinpointed the planetary conjunction, which occurred in the constellation Leo, to the exact date 17th June 2 B.C. It was discovered that a bright star really did feature in the sky over Bethlehem 2,000 years ago – but the date of birth has been calculated as being the summer months, and 17 June in particular – not 25 December. It is believed that the Christmas star was a magnificent conjunction of the planets Venus and Jupiter, which came so closely together that they shone like a beacon of light. It is probable that the magi interpreted the light as the beacon sign that they had been waiting for and followed its trajectory eastwards to Bethlehem. There can be no certainty that this natural phenomenon was truly the Christmas Star, but it is a very strong candidate. Crucially, astronomy is a particularly precise science, and so it is possible to plot where the stars were, and in consequence, it certainly seems that this was the fabled Christmas star. Herein lies further evidence that Jesus was born in the summer months and not in December. We are left with the question of why December 25th came to be associated with the birth of Christ?
The writer acknowledges the commonly held belief that the notion that Christ was born on December 25 derives from Christianity’s adoption of pagan practices in order to encourage the spread of the religion. However, the writer quickly dismisses this suggestion on the grounds that such an act is not recorded in any early Christian writings. The author singles out the most significant problem with this theory as being the fact that the first mention of a date for Christmas (c.200) and the first celebrations of Christ’s birth that we know about (c.250) came at a period when Christians were not borrowing from other religions. Of course, the central flaw in this argument is that, as Clement of Alexandria makes clear, at that time Christ was purported to have been born in the springtime, either 20 / 21 April or 20th of May – certainly not December 25th. Yes, in the first few centuries A.D. the persecuted Christian minority were keen to keep themselves separate from the pagan majority, as the author rightly indicates, but it is at this time that the festivals of Christ’s birth were held in the summer months. The date of 25th December C.E is not cited as Christ’s date of birth until the middle of the fourth century, where it first appears in a Roman almanac. The problem here, as the writer duly notes, is that from the mid-fourth century onwards, that is the time that Christ’s birth is first associated with the date of 25 December, Christianity began to borrow practices from other religions. Incidentally, although early Christian writers do nothing to indicate that Christ’s birthday had been engineered to coincide with the festival of Saturnalia, this has clearly occurred, because the sources are initially silent on the date of birth, and when a date is finally mentioned by Clement of Alexandria, it is cited as being in the springtime, not December 25. Besides, the early Christian scholars are hardly likely to have voiced the fact that the calendar had tampered been tampered with if they were the one’s doing the tampering, were they? Indeed, Christian authors of the time readily note a connection between the Solstice and Jesus’ birth, with Jesus being described as ‘the true sun’.
In sum, modern astronomical evidence verifies the early Christian belief that Christ had been born in the early summer months. In fact, the distance between 20th May and 17th June is not that great at all, being as it is less than one calendar month. And, it should come as no surprise that Jesus’ date of birth was not legally recorded because his earthly parents were refugees fleeing the wrath of a tyrannical king. In the final analysis, it would seem that in the fourth century C.E. Christianity adopted the 25th December as the birthdate of Christ. And the reason for doing so was that it coincided with the pagan solstice festival. After all, Christianity has a long tradition of borrowing from other religions in order to attract followers to the cause.
Dele says:
My conclusion: Although I was unable to read all above, but if Jesus was and is God, He cannot be born. So, the Bible did not give us His birthday and we should be careful of what we say about His birth. Creator God was not born, Jesus was presented as a sacrifice to us and we should not focus on His birth for He was from the foundation of the world; He cannot just be attached to a point in human history. If He has no birthday, He has no age, for God is ageless and Jesus as One of the Trinity is ageless for they are all one and the same. I was taught that Jesus was 100% God and 100% human when He was physically on earth. His divinity supersede His humanity; as a Divine being, He was not born by humans-He was a virgin birth, in-explainable though.
[…] Kiss  November 11 at […]
Modern scripture tells us that April 6th is the day that Jesus was born. The reference can be found in the book of The Doctrine and Covenants, section 20 verse 1.
In terms of the East celebrating on Jan 6th, that is actually December 25th on the Julian Calendar, once the West switched to Gregorian Calendar, the Julian calendar is 13 days late.
Links of Interest (11.8.2014) | Dr. Matthew R. Perry, Pastor says:
[…] How December 25 Became Christmas (Biblical Archaeology) […]
I am offended by this piece. You may have researched the reason behind the dates and the reason the Church chose the dates, but that doesn’t change the reason for the season is Jesus. Just because we chose dates that correspond to those dates doesn’t change the fact that Christmas should be centered around Jesus. Whether we celebrate it in winter, spring, summer or fall, the Christmas season is still about Jesus. As Christians we say the reason for the Christmas season is Jesus, not the reason we celebrate Jesus’s birth on December 25 is the reason for the season. All of you who responded to the greatness of the article and the author need a lesson in English. You clearly don’t understand how the language works.
Mark Nystedt says:
Luke tells us when Jesus was born. He assumed that we, the readers of his Gospel, would know that Mary and Joseph would make their census registration trip to Bethlehem during one of their three annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem. He also tells when Jesus’ cousin John was conceived (when his father of the clan of Abijah was on duty at the Temple; mid summer between Hanukkahs), and that Jesus was conceived six months later (Hanukkah; Jesus is the Light unto the World and Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights). That would put Jesus’ birth during the fall pilgrimage festival of Sukkot/Festival of Booths. Luke also tells us that Jesus was born when Quinarius was Governor – 4BC.
John would have been born at Passover. Jews set an extra setting or keep a door open for the arrival of Elijah and John is the Spirit of Elijah. The first Sukkah was the shelter that Jacob/Israel built for his animals; in Christianese, a manger. Jesus was born on the Feast of Mangers, 4BC ! ! !
Yes, during the Bible time “it was better to go to a house of mourning than to house of feasting”. Birth was as an empty vessel but death a full one. Nativity had no interest. However the Coptic church in Egypt solved a problem of “Jesus in Egypt”. They developed tradition of long time visit. As from BAR article puts forward there was yrs 200-300 when a bishop ordeded to sing by it night a hymn what is in the Easter Septuaginta: odai 14: “Doksa en hypsistois Theoo”, the prototype of later carols.(Consist also easter material, the communion hymn!) Two Christmas dates come from the beginning, other was feasted in Israel area and another locally. Also different calendars may point to the same day. 25.12. comes even from biblical calculations but the point is that Jesus is born. The time is framework of the christian feast.
Dennis Wingo says:
The commenters are much closer to the truth than the writer of the article.
It is possible to find out Jesus birth date by examining the courses in the temple for John’s father Zachariah.
….the start of the Feast of Tabernacles….
The month is right but the proper feast is the feast of the trumpets. The trumpeting heralds in the gospels as well as the entire concept of the types and shadows of old testament law conforming to illustrating Jesus support that date.
You can get rough estimate of the time of his birth by going back to the birth of John and the Angels announcement to Zachariah of the birth of John. The Bible does give these times. By using this calendar Christ’s birth seems to coincide with Hanukkah. Which wouldn’t that be just like God to fulfill a holiday, hanukkah is a festival of lights Jesus came to the world to bring light.
Christ’ birth is unknown so shall be his second coming. If any Christians wants to be really dogmatic about Christian festivities?! We should be following the Biblical festivities and calendar and not the pagan calendars and feasts.
[…] December 25th. Actually, nobody knows what his truth birthday is. If you want to do some digging, here’s a good website that might help you along. In short, theologians struggled to figure out the exact date, and […]
Sol invicta- feast is good for Jesus, the sun of the rightiousness. Original christians did not know birthday’ s feast, but dying was important as a step to the heaven. Martyrdom also was suitable in this mind. But in Egypt in the third century a coptic bishop ordered to sing “on that night” a song, which is the eastern Septuaginta “odae 14” “Doksa en hypsistois Theoo kai eirene epi tes ges”. It is found as a workinp up in Finnish Hymnbook, Virsikirja n:r 126 and in Evangelishe Gesangbuch (D) 180:3 with “Wir loben dich, wir beten dich” – beginning. (Holy Communion Hymn) This bishop “knew” the birthday of Jesus in the kind of east 6 or 7. January. Also the day of John the Pabtizer was a motive, age difference 6 months. More important as day, is that Jesus was born.
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Vol. 1, Iss. 4) | The CatholicNavigator says:
I hate to bring science into this conversation, but in regards to your second hypothesis, the idea that it is exactly nine months is a bit of a problem since the actual gestational period of a human being is 38-40 weeks. Maybe messiahs just take a little less time to bake, on average.
How December 25th Became Christmas | D's Blog says:
[…] indication that Jesus’ birth was not marked with similar festivities at that place and time.1As far as we can tell, Christmas was not celebrated at all at this […]
Cynthia Burdge says:
Reviewing Charles information, it becomes apparent that he has lost track of gestation calculations.
if John was conceived in mid December, he was born in September, not April. That makes
Jesus birth in January or possibly end of December. That would fit with the evidence of the new brilliant star. That is not myth, it is documented in astronomy records from China and Korea. Supernova have been documented to be visible to the naked eye up to 21 months. Contemporary astronomers believe it was likely a nova or supernova rather than a conjunction of planets. Roman historians also mention it appearing during the reign of Cesar Augustus, and it appeared on his coins . Those coins are also the first where he is titled PATER which was bestowed on him in February 2BC. That is documented in his Res Gestae which was carved on temples throughout the empire and can still be seen today in his temple in Ankara, Turkey. Contemporary rulers of states outside the empire also put stars on their coins next to the kings portrait, from Phraates IV of Parthia to Celtic tribes in Britain. This “new Star” outshone everything and was visible over a wide area and from Korea through the Middle East to Rome. there were astronomers whose full time job was to observe the heavens, because they associated their gods with certain constellations and felt the stars influenced events on earth. Herod , and every other ruler of that time,would have taken this new star very seriously. Since it occurred during Augustus’s reign he took it as a mark of special favor and approval from the gods and supported his deification at his death.
Get It Right and Prepare For The Coming of The Lord | christisourvictory says:
[…] Maybe. The standard story is that December 25 was adopted after Constantine’s conversion to Christianity because it was on a pagan holiday and the winter solstice. Christians then co-opted the holiday and Christianized it. What’s interesting is that the early church put almost no emphasis on celebrating the birth of Christ. They were much more concerned with the resurrection. It’s not until AD 200 where possible dates are mentioned for the celebrating of Christ’s birth. By about AD 300 there were two dates: December 25 (for the west) and January 6 (for the east). There does seem to be a tradition of December 25 long before Constantine’s conversion, so that’s why I say maybe. This article from the Biblical Archaeology Review gives a good summary of “How December 25 Became Christmas.”  […]
David Chislett says:
Great article. Here is another:
I believe the evidence presented, convinces me that Jesus was not born on December 25 which has all the trappings of Saturnalia and the god Mithras who was said to have been born on December 25. I believe a balmy night in the fall about late September or early October, 2 C.E was most likely the correct time. I would also like to bring up a side issue–two things that I don’t believe have been brought up is the mysterious “star” that led the magi and when did the magi actually get to Bethlehem (Matthew Chapter 2)? It has been assumed that God sent the star. Since the star apparently led the magi ( astrologers) to King Herod first instead of to Bethlehem, we wonder about the origin of this star. Herod, on being told of the birth and the star, told the astrologers to come back when they found the child and report to him so he could also do obeisance to the child. Of course Herod actually wanted to kill Jesus while still a child because he no doubt considered him a threat to his dynasty. This strange light, which most certainly was not actually a star, then led the magi directly to Jesus who was now a child in a home. The magi were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod and thus they went home by a different route.
Remember by now some time had passed since these astrologers first saw the star signaling Jesus birth, somewhere in “eastern parts.” Once Herod realized the magi had outwitted him, Matt. 2:16 says Herod ” fell into a great rage, and he sent out and had all the boys in Bethlehem and in all the districts done away with, from two years of age and under, ACCORDING TO THE TIME HE HAD CAREFULLY ASCERTAINED FROM THE ASTROLOGERS.” No one else is reported as having seen the “star”. Without God’s intervention the, child Jesus could have been killed. So why the star? Its origin seems sinister to me–an attempt to have the future Messiah killed . Who else besides Herod would like to see this child killed? 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, “For Satan him self keeps transforming himself into an angel of light.”
5.	The Bible is full of seemingly mundane, useless or even boring information and some treat it as unimportant and just read over it. Ever read Deuteronomy? Lots of numbers dealing with the Jewish tribes, why? After careful analysis one can determine that the Jewish Tabernacle encampment when view from a higher elevation formed a figure of the cross. I put it to you that everything in the Bible is there for a purpose and so the details in the Gospels about the times of the conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus are there for a reason.
6.	What clues of Jesus’ birth are in the Bible? The key to figuring out the birthday of Jesus is through the priestly duties of, Zecharias, the father of John the Baptist and subsequent references to the conception and birth of John. Bear with me as we delve into this.
a)	The date of this event can be determined from Zecharias’ duty as he was of the eighth course of Levite Priest. The twelve courses are explained in 1 Chronicles 24:7-19.
Luk 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
a)	John’s mother Elisabeth had conceived him shortly after her husband’s ministrations in the Temple were completed;
Luk 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Luk 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months
b)	This tells of the timing of John’s conception but not the date. We must go to an event in John’s life which is his age is known and count backwards to ascertain his conception and birthday. The Bible states the time John began his ministry. Since he was a Levite he could not assume priestly duties until his 30th birthday.
Luk 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
Luk 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Luk 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
c)	This establishes John was 30 years old in Tiberius’ 15th year corresponding to the year spanning 28 to 29 A.D. based upon when Tiberius was Emperor. (See para 6e.)
d)	Counting back from the destruction of the Temple (para 6h) and working out when the 8th course was in office at the time for conception for birth through 30 years of age for John puts the date Zecharias finished his duty was 13 Dec 3 B.C. This puts the birth of John at 19-20 Apr 2 B.C. (precisely on Passover of that year)
e)	The Bible tell us when the Holy Spirit conceived in Mary.
Luk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
f)	Since John was five months in the womb before Jesus that puts Jesus’ birthday at about 27 to 29 Sept 2 B.C., It is interesting to note at that moment in time was Israel’s Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashana) which was on 29 Sept 2 B.C.
g)	The Feast of Trumpets changes each year, much like Passover, because these are calculated according to a lunar calendar. And so, whereas the Feast of Trumpets fell on September 29 back in 2 B.C., it fell on sundown (1st of Tishrei) on September 16 in 2012 A.D. This is properly Jesus’ 2010th birthday according to the Hebrew calendar which in year 5773.
7.	With Jesus’ birthday known we can also now place him in a historical timeline to determine when his family departed to Egypt.
a)	He was not a new born and not in the manger when the Magi brought him gifts because the family was in a house. At this time the family fled into Egypt after the Magi departed.
Mat 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Mat 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Mat 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
b)	We know from the Bible and history that the young boys from the age of 2 and younger in Bethlehem and surrounding areas were killed by Herod’s men before his death on 14 Jan 1 B.C. so the family had fled before this date.
Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
This is prophesied in Jer 31:15; “Thus saith Jehovah: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not.”
8.	What do secular historians record about this period?
a)	The historian Josephus writes that King Herod dies during the year of an eclipse which was on 29 Dec 1 B.C.
b)	The Magillath Ta’anith Jewish scroll reports King Herod died on 14 Jan 1 B.C.
c)	The historian Ireaneous states that Jesus was born in the 41st year of Augustus Caesar’s rule.
d)	The historian Tertullian reports Augustus rule started 41 years before Jesus birth and died on 19 Aug 14 A.D., 15 years after he was born. This places Jesus’ birth in the year 2 B.C.
e)	Tiberius Caesar ascends to the throne after his father Augustus’ death.
f)	Tertullian also records in his histories that Jesus was born 28 years after the death of Cleopatra in 30 B.C. which also places Jesus’ birth in the autumn of 2 B.C.
g)	The son of King Herod, Archelaus, does not assume his late father’s throne but waits until Rome grants him leadership in Judea in 6 A.D. after the Census of Quirinius is taken. From the Talmud and Josephus.
h)	The Temple was destroyed when the 1st Levite Priest course of office had just started. (Jehoiarib) The Talmud and Josephus give this date as 5 Aug 70 A.D.
9.	These following passages I have added from Chuck Missler’s “The Christmas Story, What Really Happened?”
a)	Up till now each year at Christmas time on December 25th we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. After the New Year, we added another year to our calendar, which should remind us that the entire Western World reckons its calendar from the birth of the One who changed the world more than any other before or since. Yet, it is disturbing to discover that much of what we have been taught about the Christmas season seems to be more tradition than truth.
b)	Most serious Bible believers realize that Jesus was probably not born on December 25th. The shepherds had their flocks in open fields, which implies a date prior to October. Furthermore, no competent Roman administrator would require registration involving travel during the season when Judea was generally impassable.
c)	If Jesus wasn’t born on December 25, just when was he born? Although the Bible doesn’t explicitly identify the birthday of our Lord, many scholars have developed diverse opinions as to the likely birthday of Jesus.
d)	The early Christian church did not celebrate Jesus’ birth, and therefore the exact date was not preserved in festivals. The first recorded mention of December 25th is in the Calendar of Philocalus (AD 354), which assumed Jesus’ birth to be Friday, December 25th, AD 1. This was subsequent to Constantine’s Edict of Toleration in AD 313, which officially ended the government-sanctioned persecution of the Christians. The date of December 25th, which was officially proclaimed by the church fathers in AD 440, was actually a vestige of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, observed near the winter solstice, which itself was among the many pagan traditions inherited from the earlier Babylonian priesthood.
10.	In conclusion I believe a reasonable accounting can be made for the birthdate for Jesus. Also as another side note, the Hebrew tradition was not to celebrate birthdays, however, the Bible is full of announcements of his pending and actual birth. For what it’s worth.
11.	The Bible notes two birthday celebrations both ending with beheading executions, the Pharaoh’s butler and John the Baptist. Also Ecclesiastes makes mention of a birthdays importance, 7:1 A good name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than a birth day.
12.	So this as the date for the birth of Lord Jesus, what do we do with this knowledge?
13.	Why is it important that we know when Jesus was born? We certainly do not use this knowledge to celebrate His birthday—He tells us to commemorate His death, not His birth (I Cor11:23-26). The true date, however, destroys the entire foundation of the Christmas holiday. It also points to the proper time of His ministry, crucifixion and resurrection, helping to disprove the Good Friday—Easter Sunday tradition also. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, it renews our faith in God’s Word—that it is true, verifiable and historically accurate.
14.	In addition, we should know even these details so that we can provide common-sense reasons for our beliefs. We live in a world of compromise and confusion—especially in the realm of religion—and thus we must study and follow what is true so we will not be fooled by what is counterfeit. The Christmas season promotes a lie concerning the date of the birth of Jesus Christ. We need to do more than reject the world’s explanation; we need to know, prove and follow what is true.
If you follow the time as stated that Mary went to visit her cousin Elisabeth (the mother of John the Baptist) when her cousin was in her sixth month of pregnancy and the time Zacharias was returning from his course in the temple (when she would have gotten pregnant) it actually figures out to the end of September or the beginning of October.
The answer is actually simpler than all that. Revelation 12 tells the exact time of birth to the 45 min window. The Virgin clothed with the sun = Virgo-September, clothed with the Sun =Mid. The moon appearing at the feet of Virgo/Virgin only occurs every 30 years. astronomy software confirms that this occurred September 11, 3 B.C. The new moon confirms that this occured on Rosh HaShannah that year. It was also the fall lambing season. The animals used for sacrifice for even the pagan nations by Jews on Yom Kippur 10 days later were set apart specifically in the stables of Bethlehem. According to John Mosley L.A. Observatory there was also a convergence of Jupiter, Regulas and Saturn that day. In the Middle East and amongst Jews at the time, births are reckoned from the time of conception. Therefore, by back tracking from September 11, we arrive at December 25. So both dates of birth would be correct depending on which culture is reckoning the birth. Since Yehoshua/Jesus is for all people both birthdays are legitimate. Dec 25 is equivalent to the winter solstice in that when earth is at its darkest moment light will increase each day there after. It also occurs during Chanukah when the Eternal Light was relit and the temple (Also called the Light of the World) rededicated/revisited.
[…] By Nancy Mitchell When was Jesus born? Not on December 25th. Probably sometime in the spring, with an unwed mother and some dirty shepherds (and an angel choir) to celebrate the balmy night of his birth. So why do we celebrate his nativity at the very end of the year? Pagans. That’s when the Romans used to celebrate the winter solstice. It was their holiday, the story goes, and we stole it. Cleverly, we appropriated it, and made it all about a little baby born in a barn. Centuries before his birth, throughout the Roman world the end of December marked the celebration of ‘the waxing of the light.’* Living as we do in an age of electric lighting, I don’t think we truly understand darkness. I remember the first time I went camping. I was 14. I didn’t realize it was possible for it to be that dark. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. The tenuous light of a flashlight, the faraway light of the stars: I had never known I could be so grateful for these little things. The pagans understood darkness. They lived with darkness. On the winter solstice they celebrated the longest night of the year. It was an article of faith to them that the light would come again. They had not been forgotten. It would not be this dark ever again. I don’t think we understand darkness. Our world is full of injustice, and we are far more complacent than we ought to be. Sometimes I hate to read the news, because there are so many bad things happening and it seems so hopeless. It would be easier not to think about it at all. But there is no reason to be afraid. We can face the darkness and still rejoice, because we know that the night is already over. The true light that gives light to all men has come into the world.** On the night that he was born, the darkness began to abate. Peace on earth, said the angels, and goodwill towards men. It would never be this dark, ever again. The pagans understood darkness. They knew what it mean to wait, in darkness, for a long, long time. They loved the light, and they celebrated its return. How appropriate, then, for us to celebrate his birth at the darkest time of the year. Our light has come. *Two Roman winter solstice festivals were Brumalia and Saturnalia. The festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, or the birthday of the sun god, was celebrated in Rome on December 25, but it is unclear whether this festival predated Christmas or not. **This is John 1:9. ***Some scholars reject entirely the idea that the December 25th date was chosen for its coincidence with the Winter Solstice (or with the birthday of the sun god) and instead maintain that December 25th was chosen because it was nine months distant from March 25, celebrated as the day of the Annunciation. More on that here and here. […]
[…] As though the Incarnation is not an essential, miraculous, mysterious, wondrous faith event to be contemplated and meditated on and celebrated in… oh… say February. As though Jesus was really born on December 25th. […]
[…] [15] Finally, in about 200 C.E., a Christian teacher in Egypt makes reference to the date Jesus was born. According to Clement of Alexandria, several different days had been proposed by various Christian groups. Surprising as it may seem, Clement doesn’t mention December 25 at all. Clement writes: “There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20 in our calendar] … And treating of His Passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took place in the 16th year of Tiberius, on the 25th of Phamenoth [March 21]; and others on the 25th of Pharmuthi [April 21] and others say that on the 19th of Pharmuthi [April 15] the Savior suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21].” See: Clement, Stromateis 1.21.145. In addition, Christians in Clement’s native Egypt seem to have known a commemoration of Jesus’ baptism—sometimes understood as the moment of his divine choice, and hence as an alternate “incarnation” story—on the same date (Stromateis 1.21.146). See further on this point Thomas J. Talley, Origins of the Liturgical Year, 2nd ed. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991), pp. 118–120, drawing on Roland H. Bainton, “Basilidian Chronology and New Testament Interpretation,” Journal of Biblical Literature 42 (1923), pp. 81–134; and now especially Gabriele Winkler, “The Appearance of the Light at the Baptism of Jesus and the Origins of the Feast of the Epiphany,” in Maxwell Johnson, ed., Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2000), pp. 291–347. I am indebted to Andrew McGowan, on his article entitled, “How December 25 Became Christmas,” (). […]
Todd Reeder says:
I read there is no clear reason why December 25th was chosen. Some say it was used to get pagan people who celebrated the solstice on December 25th to celebrate Jesus birth and hoping they would learn from it and become Christian’s. I read it don’t work to well. Now you have Christian’s spending hundreds of dollars on gifts. Buying things people don’t need. Spending hours shopping and decorating and making food. And how much time do they spend during all of that remembering the reason for the holiday? Or telling people about Jesus? It looks like the pagan traditions took Christian’s away from Jesus; instead of bringing the pagans to Jesus. I was told Christians began celebrating on December 25th to escape persecution. So they adopted a pagan festival day to blend in with pagans to escape persecution.
Doesn’t sound Christian to me.
I heard people say that Jesus was conceived during the festival of lights Hanukkah. The light coming in to the world. And that he was born during the feast of tabernacles. Which would be 9 months later. Sounds logical to me. But I don’t believe a lot of stuff the bible says. Thousands of people read the same book and get different ideas of what it says. So how do you know who is right? People say don’t trust what you are told. Read it for yourself and see if it is true. Then there are people who say that you need to learn to interpret the bible. That is why preachers go to school to learn what they bible says. Some say the spirit teaches us what the bible means. Others say you need to learn from a school how to interpret what it means. They both can’t be right. Someone as to be right. And someone has to be wrong. And there are many things in the bible that make God seem to be cruel. The bible says that God allows Satan to steal the word from people so they don’t believe. And the bible says God allows Satan to blind people from the truth. So people may suffer and spend eternity in hell or where ever because God allows Satan to do things. And people suffer physically and mentally because God allows Satan to do stuff. Sounds cruel to me.
You said “According to John, Jesus is crucified just as the Passover lambs are being sacrificed. This would have occurred on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, just before the Jewish holiday began at sundown (considered the beginning of the 15th day because in the Hebrew calendar, days begin at sundown). In Matthew, Mark and Luke, however, the Last Supper is held after sundown, on the beginning of the 15th. Jesus is crucified the next morning—still, the 15th.”
Mark 14:12 says.
[ Jesus Celebrates the Passover with His Disciples ] Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” According to Mark 14:12 Jesus was still alive when they killed the Passover lamb. It sounds like one gospel says Jesus was killed when the Passover lamb was killed. And other gospels say he was alive when the Passover lamb was killed. How can someone trust the bible if there are two different stories?
Isis later resurrects her dead husband, and Tamerans honor this rebirth, and return of a noble king.
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With its original focus on the birth, the West naturally wanted to place the visit of the Magi some days afterward, hence their association with 6 January. However, Mr. McGowan’s implication that 6 January is NOW associated with the Magi in the East is false. The Magi are associated entirely with 25 December. The troparia and kontakia of the day feature them prominently. By the time you get to 6 January, the observance is entirely focused on Jesus’ *baptism* just prior to beginning his public ministry. This is why holy water is blessed on that day: the “blessing of Jordan” is felt to be particularly available.
amazing how people manage the Time, the Space of Time: TO precize the datum of Christ’s Birth day took near 4centuries…It means, in France, my country: from Henri the 4th till Now……
The way people conceive “Time and truth” seems appalling…