Well Merry Christmas. I know we can't be accurate about the date of our Saviors birth, but at least we have a day we come together and make a big deal about it. It shouldn't be the only day we celebrate His coming though, because He came to seek and to save the lost. So, Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope you have a blessed holiday season. And Happy Birthday Jesus. And in regards to when His birthday might be, I copied the following out of one of my study books. Enjoy.
7. When was Jesus born?
a. What year was Christ born?
1) Jesus was born in 4 or 5 BC.
Why is this a BC date?
2) Our modern calendar was not established until centuries after the time of Christ. Dionysius the Monk who first prepared it for Pope John I (525 AD) simply miscalculated.
3) How do we know Christ was born this early? Herod the Great, who tried to murder the baby Jesus, did between March 29 and April 11 of 4 BC.
b. What Day was Jesus born?
1) In answering this question, any dogmatic positions must be rejected, such as:
a) The dogmatic position that Jesus was born on December 25th (the traditional date of the Western Church).
b) The dogmatic position that Jesus was born on January 6th (the traditional date of the Eastern Church).
c) Any dogmatic position regarding an Exact date. We simply cannot know with total certainty and must hold our opinions somewhat tentatively.
d) The dogmatic position that Jesus could not have been born on December 25. The evidence against this date is not nearly as strong as some propose.
2) While no dogmatic position can be accepted with absolute certainty, we do have indications that give us some general idea concerning the date of Christ’s birth.
a) The date of the death of Herod the Great.
1] Herod died between March 29 and April 11, 4 BC
2] The Gospel narrative necessitates that Christ’s birth occurred at least 2 months before Herod’s death.
3] This makes January of 4 BC the latest possible date for Jesus’ birth.
b) The Angelic Announcement to Zacharias concerning the birth of John.
1] Zacharias was of the priestly course of Abia. (Lk 1:5)
2] We cannot know with absolute certainty the date of the priestly courses. However two historical sources mention which course was on duty when the temple was destroyed by the Romans on August 5, 70 AD.
3] Calculating backwards through time and the priestly courses, we arrive at the date of October 2-9 for the course of Abia the year before Christ’s birth.
4] Adding 6 months of Elisabeth’s pregnancy before Mary conceived and the 9 months of Mary’s pregnancy, we arrive at the end of December of 5 BC for the birth of Christ.
c) The earliest traditions indicate a mid-winter birth.
d) The earliest mention of a specific date of Christ’s birth is by Hippolytus (165-235 AD) who gives December 25 as the date.
e) John Chrysostom stated in 386 AD that December 25 was the correct date and this tradition has dominated ever since.
f) As was noted earlier, arguments against a mid-winter birth from the shepherds abiding in the field are not valid.
g) An early Jewish source notes December 25 as a fast day celebrating an unknown event. Many believe that the event was Christ’s birth.
h) December 25 was also the date of a perverse pagan fertility ritual, the feast of Saturnalia, associated with the religion of “Mystery Babylon” (Babel), Nimrod, Tammuz, and Semerimus.
1] This was supposedly the time of the birth of Tammuz. The fact that December 25 coincides with this pagan holiday is the chief reason for questioning the date as the actual time of Christ’s birth.
2] Many of the traditions associated with our modern Christmas observances arose from this pagan festival.
i) In conclusion, we note:
1] We know that Christ’s birth almost certainly occurred in late December of 5 BC or early Jan of 4 BC. The only 2 specific dates ever proposed which have ever gained real acceptance fall within these time limits.
2] There is actually more evidence for the December 25 date than any other.
3] WE cannot be dogmatic about the true date of the first “Christmas”.
a. What year was Christ born?
1) Jesus was born in 4 or 5 BC.
Why is this a BC date?
2) Our modern calendar was not established until centuries after the time of Christ. Dionysius the Monk who first prepared it for Pope John I (525 AD) simply miscalculated.
3) How do we know Christ was born this early? Herod the Great, who tried to murder the baby Jesus, did between March 29 and April 11 of 4 BC.
b. What Day was Jesus born?
1) In answering this question, any dogmatic positions must be rejected, such as:
a) The dogmatic position that Jesus was born on December 25th (the traditional date of the Western Church).
b) The dogmatic position that Jesus was born on January 6th (the traditional date of the Eastern Church).
c) Any dogmatic position regarding an Exact date. We simply cannot know with total certainty and must hold our opinions somewhat tentatively.
d) The dogmatic position that Jesus could not have been born on December 25. The evidence against this date is not nearly as strong as some propose.
2) While no dogmatic position can be accepted with absolute certainty, we do have indications that give us some general idea concerning the date of Christ’s birth.
a) The date of the death of Herod the Great.
1] Herod died between March 29 and April 11, 4 BC
2] The Gospel narrative necessitates that Christ’s birth occurred at least 2 months before Herod’s death.
3] This makes January of 4 BC the latest possible date for Jesus’ birth.
b) The Angelic Announcement to Zacharias concerning the birth of John.
1] Zacharias was of the priestly course of Abia. (Lk 1:5)
2] We cannot know with absolute certainty the date of the priestly courses. However two historical sources mention which course was on duty when the temple was destroyed by the Romans on August 5, 70 AD.
3] Calculating backwards through time and the priestly courses, we arrive at the date of October 2-9 for the course of Abia the year before Christ’s birth.
4] Adding 6 months of Elisabeth’s pregnancy before Mary conceived and the 9 months of Mary’s pregnancy, we arrive at the end of December of 5 BC for the birth of Christ.
c) The earliest traditions indicate a mid-winter birth.
d) The earliest mention of a specific date of Christ’s birth is by Hippolytus (165-235 AD) who gives December 25 as the date.
e) John Chrysostom stated in 386 AD that December 25 was the correct date and this tradition has dominated ever since.
f) As was noted earlier, arguments against a mid-winter birth from the shepherds abiding in the field are not valid.
g) An early Jewish source notes December 25 as a fast day celebrating an unknown event. Many believe that the event was Christ’s birth.
h) December 25 was also the date of a perverse pagan fertility ritual, the feast of Saturnalia, associated with the religion of “Mystery Babylon” (Babel), Nimrod, Tammuz, and Semerimus.
1] This was supposedly the time of the birth of Tammuz. The fact that December 25 coincides with this pagan holiday is the chief reason for questioning the date as the actual time of Christ’s birth.
2] Many of the traditions associated with our modern Christmas observances arose from this pagan festival.
i) In conclusion, we note:
1] We know that Christ’s birth almost certainly occurred in late December of 5 BC or early Jan of 4 BC. The only 2 specific dates ever proposed which have ever gained real acceptance fall within these time limits.
2] There is actually more evidence for the December 25 date than any other.
3] WE cannot be dogmatic about the true date of the first “Christmas”.
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