Was Jesus really born on December 25th?

For years now, I have been convinced of the accuracy of December 25th, 1BC, as the birthdate of Jesus Christ, if not actually, then very close.

Although I fully admit I cannot prove it, I believe I can make a compelling case for it, using Scripture and other sources.

First, the Scriptures tell us that Jesus ministry began when He was about 30 years old, in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar- about AD 30. Give or take 3 years for ''about 30'', and Jesus age in 30 AD was between 27 and 33. His ministry lasted about 3-3 1/2 years, we could conclude that His death, about Tiberius' 18th year, and during the tenure of Pontious Pilate, had to have occurred around 33-34 AD. However, the Scriptures tell us that He died on a Friday, immediately preceding the Passover. 30 AD and 33 AD are the only years possible. Since His ministry lasted at least three years after 30 AD, April 3rd, 33 AD is the only possible date for the Crucifixion of Jesus.

Interestingly enough, many learned Scripture scholars insist that a prophecy from the 9th chapter of the Book of Daniel, affixes the date of the death of the Christ on exactly that date.

Going back to our approximate age of Jesus in AD 30 as between 27 and 33, His approximate age at death would be 30-36. This places His birth between 3 BC to 3 AD.

For Jesus to have been born after 1 AD would make it impossible for Him to have been born during the reign of Herod the Great as the Scriptures tell us He was. So we now have about a 4 year span of when He could have been born.

This entire range would have allowed him to be born under Herod the Great, be about 30 in AD 30 (Tiberius' 15th year) and to have died under Tiberius Caesar, Herod Antipas and Pontious Pilate.

The clincher is the Bible's proclamations that Caesar Augustus had ordered a Census while Quirinius was acting as Governor. The only possible date that places Jesus birth under Herod the Great, Augustus, Quirinius and a census is between the years 3BC to 1AD.

This likely places the year of His birth at 3BC-1AD, his age at Tiberius 15th year at 30-33 and the age of His death at 33-36, in 33 AD...... pretty much as the Church calendar prescribes.

Now that we have established an approximate year of Christ's birth, what would establish a date?

5THERE 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. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. The Course of Abia would have served twice in the temple, in June and then again in October. If it were the June service, Elizabeth would have been in her sixth month in December when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and She conceived. This means that in cold December, Mary would have traveled-alone- in to the hill country to visit her cousin. This is highly unlikely, even more unlikely than the much objected to sheep in the fields.

This would have meant John the Baptist would have been born in March, with Jesus birth coming in September. Plausible, but I feel unlikely.

1) The large crowds suggested surrounding the service of Zechariah suggest the October service which would have coincided with the feast of Tabernacles. Large crowds would have been unlikely in June.

2) Climate. Using the assumption that December is too cold for the sheep to have been in the field, watched by Shepherds, actually serves to highlight a very compelling argument that that is exactly where they would have been.

As this chart indicates, September in southern Israel is still hot and very dry, while December is very comfortable and the hills are lush with grass and vegetation, beyond the city of Bethlehem after 3 solid months of rain. The grass in the hills in September is parched and barren after 4 dry months.

Smith's Bible Dictionary, under the heading 'Palestine: the Climate', explained the rarity of snow in southern Palestine, while it conceded its more frequent occurrence in the northern parts of the land. The mean temperature at Jerusalem during December is said to run around 47 to 60 degrees F. It certainly would not hurt sheep to be out at night in that sort of temperature. The Dictionary further states:

"As in the time of our Saviour (Luke 12: 54), the rains come chiefly from the S. or S.W. They commence at the end of October or beginning of November, and continue with greater or less constancy till the end of February or middle of March, and occasionally, though rarely, to the end of April. It is not a heavy continuous rain, so much as a succession of severe showers or storms with intervening periods of fine bright weather, permitting the grain crops to grow and ripen. And although the season is not divided by any entire cessation of rain for a lengthened interval, as some represent, yet there appears to be a diminution in the fall for a few weeks in December and January, after which it begins again, and continues during February and till the conclusion of the season."

It may be noted that the traditional date for the birth of Christ falls in this period of the diminution of rainfall toward the end of December.

The former rains would have produced grass on the hills, and the fine bright weather intervening between the rains, with temperatures averaging 55 degrees F. would be excellent for sheep grazing on the hills east of David's royal city.

In fact, the very argument used to impugn the December birth argues against the June birth!

If we are to believe a fall/winter trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem (about 90 miles) by Joseph and Mary by donkey is implausible, how then can we believe that Mary traveled 85 miles to see her cousin Elizabeth, on foot, by herself? Is it reasonable to conclude that Joseph would have allowed such a trip?

Logic seems to dictate that the Course of Abia in question was in fact, in October. This would, like the climatological data, place Christ's birth near the end of December.

To me, the weight of scriptural evidence and logic leans toward the end December, rather than September birth. Yet, is there more evidence? I would argue that there is.

The mysterious scriptures concerning the star that led the Magi to Jesus are a great point of conjecture. The scriptures are elsewhere, silent on this star so we can only guess based on what we know.

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. The Escape to Egypt 13When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. There are many astronomical events that some have tried to make fit the mold. For me, the most tantalizing is the fact that The planet Jupiter stood directly over Bethlehem on exactly December 25th, 2 BC

As tempting as it is, I don't want to use known astronomical evidence to buttress the case because, for all we know, maybe only the Magi saw the star.

The early church is the best indicator. Though Christmas detractors insist that the celebration of the Nativity did not exist until chosen by the church to supplant a pagan feast in the 4th or 5th century, this argument is simply untenable.

Celebration of December 25th as the Nativity is known to have dated back at least as far as 127 AD under Bishop Telesphorus in Rome. This would have likely been the very first fully post-Jesus generation in the history of the Church so second-hand knowledge of the Savior's birth would have been quite strong.

There are at least two early records of massacres that are recorded as having occurred on the ''day of the Nativity''. The first was reported to have occurred in the catacombs circa 161-180 AD and the second in 300 AD under the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian.

During the time of Clement of Alexandria (220 AD), it was widely accepted as knowledge that Jesus was born on the 25th day of the month, although December was only 1 of 5 different months suggested.

Throughout the third century, it was commonly believed that Jesus birth coincided with the Winter Solstice. John Seldon would write, years later that when the Church was in it's infancy, the Winter Solstice fell on the 8th of the Kalends of January or, what we know as December 25th.

The Apostolic Constitution declared, still in the 3rd century, that the 25th day of the -then- 9th month was to be officially recognized as the birth date celebration of Christ.

Though none of these things alone (or together) prove the December 25th case, they do prove widespread existence of it's observance hundreds of years prior to the dates given by the conspiratorialists and unbroken, nearly all the way back to the time of Christ Himself.

1) The Biblical, logical and historical case argues much stronger, by far, for December 25th than for any other calendar date.

2) The argument that the date was invented out of whole cloth, solely to counter paganism (or adopt it) is patently absurd.

I have not read all your points yet but to begin with your claim that Scripture places the birth of Christ under Herod the Great is incorrect. The Herod that is mentioned in scriptures is Herod the Great’s son. We know this from, among other clues in Scriptures, Matthew 14:3 where Herod places John the Baptist in prison for: “Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife”. Herod and Philip were the sons of Herod the Great and both were Tetrarchs (regional rulers). Herod the Great died about 4 years before the birth of Christ.

Furthermore, I believe any discussion regarding the date of the Crucifix need take into account the extensive research Sir Robert Anderson conducted and recorded in his book The Coming Prince which is available for free online on many sites. He places the Crucifix in the month of April, 32AD.

I agree with much of your Biblical reasoning, but why wouldn’t the date that Jesus first “tabernacled” with us be the date He was miraculously conceived? Isn’t that when He truly began to dwell with man on earth? If His conception was 12/25, His birth would be at the end of Sept.

Owning sheep myself, I can tell you that if the pastures were lush, there is no way the shepherds would have gotten the sheep to head into town as they need to for lambing season. Those shepherds would not have left their sheep either. The sheep get used to patterns-come in from pasture to the lambing sheds, have their lambs, when the pastures are ready and lush again, they head back out with speed. Turning them around would be pretty difficult.

Your dating is simply unworkable.
1- Jesus could then, not have been born during the time Quirinius was Governor.

2- Evidence suggests Herod died in 1 AD

3- Under your scenario, Jesus would have been almost 40 years old in 15th year of Tiberius. Bible says ‘about 30’.

4. A December Conception would mean Jesus is born near the end of September when the fields would be bare, near end of dry season, with nothing for the sheep to graze on.

5-Mary traveling on foot into mountains in the dead of winter?

Your scenario just doesn’t work imo

Your dating is simply unworkable.
1- Jesus could then, not have been born during the time Quirinius was Governor.

2- Evidence suggests Herod died in 1 AD

3- Under your scenario, Jesus would have been almost 40 years old in 15th year of Tiberius. Bible says ‘about 30’.

4. A December Conception would mean Jesus is born near the end of September when the fields would be bare, near end of dry season, with nothing for the sheep to graze on.

5-Mary traveling on foot into mountains in the dead of winter?

Your scenario just doesn’t work imo

You need to read more carefully. I stated OPENLY that I could not PROVE that December 25th was the precise date. However, I think I made a strong case that it is, based on Scripture and history. The article gave evidence.

Others, who responded with “no” and “probably not” should not be offended that I ask if they have evidence.

“No” is not a very compelling argument.

The idea of the Christians “stealing” Dec. 25th from pagans is overblown in my opinion.

A Roman civil calendar of 354 has the 25th as the birth of the “unconquered”, i.e. Sol Invictus. An ecclesiastical calendar of the same date shows the 25th as Christ’s birth. The Roman cult of Sol Invictus is not an early one—it is Mithraic, which dates to the 1st century *at the earliest*, so it is no older than—and probably actually later than Christianity. In any case, saying that one stole from the other is largely speculation—they both appear at the same time.

Here’s the civil (i.e. pagan) calendar of 354. Hope you brushed up your Latin! :)

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/chronography_of_354_06_calendar.htm

There is other evidence that needs to be taken into account. Chrysostom said that the Romans celebrated Dec. 25th as Christmas “anothen” = “from the beginning.” and said that they calculated the date from the census records in Rome. Clement of Alexandria said that in his day (200s), people believed Christ was born on 25 Pachon or 25 Pharmuthi. Those are Egyptian months and would put the Nativity around April/May; but the “25” date is interesting.

Anyway, the various calendars in use back then and the possible ways of translating a date make it especially frustrating. Say Christ was born on 25 Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (i.e. Hannukkah). 25 Kislev was Jan. 6th in 4 B.C.—perhaps that’s how the date got attached in the East. Kislev is the 9th month, so perhaps some in Egypt made it the 25th of their 9th month (25 Pachon). And perhaps the Romans took the 25 date and considered the time of year and made it Dec. 25 (their 9th month being November).

There aren’t any pat answers for this. Neither did the early Church—which explains why a range of dates was suggested. And they’d know better than we would.

1- Jesus could then, not have been born during the time Quirinius was Governor.

He had two terms and two different titles.

2- Evidence suggests Herod died in 1 AD

Nope -- My funky wagnalls says April 1, 4BC

3- Under your scenario, Jesus would have been almost 40 years old in 15th year of Tiberius. Bible says ‘about 30’.

Where do you get your math??? 5BC to 26 AD is 30 years. 26 AD is the 15th year of Tiberius reign measured from 11 BC when he returned to Rome to become co-Emperor with Augustus who was seriously ill.

4. A December Conception would mean Jesus is born near the end of September when the fields would be bare, near end of dry season, with nothing for the sheep to graze on.

Nope -- that's winter. September is the fall harvest.

5-Mary traveling on foot into mountains in the dead of winter?

Winter is December not September.

Your scenario just doesn’t work imo

Discard your imo and try it again.

You're Welcome!!!

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