Was Jesus really born on December 25th?

A Newt One ^ | 12/18/08 | SonlitKnight

[NoDRodee]

Nice read but point about Magi off, They saw the star after Jesus Birth, would have taking them a lot of time to get to Bethlehem after Jesus birth.

[Just mythoughts]

Sounds like you are going to believe whatever you choose to believe. I will stick with what Luke had to say and accept that what ever day on the calender marked the shortest day of ‘sunlight’ was the day wherein Emanuel - God With us was conceived. John six months in the womb certainly recognized His presence. Now how did Luke know this?

It is interesting to me that events regarding Christ can be associated to 3 of the 4 days (’sunlight’) that mark season changes...

[DouglasKC]

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.

That's debatable from a scriptural standpoint. The strongest evidence against a Friday crucifixion/Sunday rising is this verse:

Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The only sign given by Jesus that he was sent by God was how long he would be buried: 3 days AND 3 nights. Some people take this to mean parts of days and nights, but even taking parts there's no way to add up to 3 days and 3 nights. The scripture Christ referred to was Jonah:

Jon 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Three days and three nights. I once asked a rabbi how long of a time period this was, or how long Jewish tradition considered it to be. He said basically around 72 hours. So the sign Christ was giving to the Jews was that he, the Lord, would be in the tomb for around 72 hours.

[SonlitKnight]

Nope — My funky wagnalls says April 1, 4BC

Your Funky Wagnalls is wrong. Only more recently has the January, 1 AD Eclipse been discovered.

The date of the birth of Christ hinges on just one thing, the statement
of Josephus (Antiquities 17.6-8) that Herod died shortly after an eclipse
of the moon. Astronomers supply the dates for such eclipses around those
years: None in 7 or 6 BC. In 5 BC, March 23, 29 days to Passover. Also in 5
BC. Sept. 15,7 months to Passover. In 4 B.C. March 13, 29 days to Passover.
3 and 2 B.C. no eclipses. In 1 BC. January 10, 12 1/2 weeks to Passover.

Of all those listed ONLY the January 1 AD allows for Jesus birth under Quirinius acting as Governor.

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.

Try again. The reign of Tiberius as Emperor began in 14Ad, putting his 15th year at 29/30 AD. http://www.roman-emperors.org/tiberius.htm

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.

Wrong again. If Jesus was born in June, Mary conceived, and traveled into the mountains in December.

[RoseThistle]

That’s a whole new conversation! LOL Isn’t there a weekly Sabbath and the High Holy Sabbath of Passover?

[WayneS]

The same basic evidence you offered could be used to support virtually ANY particular date in “late December”, since “late December” is the most specific range you yourself were willing to use to make your primary arguments.

Further, when certain groups decided that Christ was born on the “25th of the month”, weren’t they using the Julian Calendar? The Gregorian calendar we use today (and which Europe has used since the 1500s) is +/- 14 days off from the Julian (or at any rate it was that far off at the time of the Russian revolution - it may very well be even further out now, since the two calendars differ in their approaches to leap years). You don’t seem to have taken that into accoun in any of your arguments.

[DouglasKC]

That’s a whole new conversation! LOL Isn’t there a weekly Sabbath and the High Holy Sabbath of Passover?

That conversation could take weeks.. :-)

Yes, I believe the Friday/Sunday timeline took place because of either a general lack of knowledge about yearly sabbaths OR a deliberate attempt to separate scriptural events from what are considered "Jewish" holidays.

[murron]

I say, let them move Christmas to June, July, or whenever they want. Then we can have the Christmas celebration all to ourselves. Then when December rolls around, and all these other “Holiday” celebrations unfold, and no one shows up, or no one shows up to do “Holiday shopping”, or to buy “Holiday trees”, then we Christians can enjoy watching them all go Kerplunk!

[stefanbatory]

quick question: was not Jesus and ma and pa in Egypt until herod the great died? when they were told to return, they found his son on the throne and so continued to Nazareth...or have i my schooling a bit confused?

[Uri’el-2012]

Interesting article and thread.

People look everywhere except
in the Word of G-d for the answer

A thorough reading of Luke 1, John 1 and Chronicles
disregarding man made traditions will yield only one answer.

Yah'shua was born on the YHvH commanded
Feast of Tabernacles in early October.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai

[RoseThistle]

I love all these comments. I love God’s Word and believe it is true and documents itself over and over. It’s up to us to search it out and come to the truth at our own pace, with God’s guidance and fully digesting. There is a lot of passion here for searching and a lot of interesting facts to ruminate over. Thank you to everyone who has shared.

The main thing for Christians, it is true, is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That is A LOT of love from our heavenly Father.

[SonlitKnight]

I’d like to see you support that argument, please.

[SonlitKnight]

where is your evidence?

[dangus]

“Tabernacled among us” could also refer to the Feast of the Dedication of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, wherein the Spirit of God tabernacled among men at the time of Jesus. The date of that Feast is the 25th of the Kislev (which approximates December.)

[briarbey b]

Doesn’t matter. A mere tradition of men. No where did Christ instruct anyone to celebrate a Christ Mass. No where do I see where putting up a tree had anything to do with anything other than Jeremiah 10 where it says DON’T cut a tree from the forest and bring it in and decorate it with silver and gold. But what does that matter...people do what they want. God said if you love me you’ll obey me.
Who does that anymore? Oh the “vain imaginations of men.”

[thatjoeguy]

You are correct, my mistake there. They were in Egypt until Herod the Great died which was in 4BC when they came back shortly thereafter.

JB

[stefanbatory]

ahhh...so I did learn something in religion class!

[thatjoeguy]

LOL, They are good for something.

JB

[RoseThistle]

God calls Himself a green fir tree which represents everlasting life. I don’t know anyone who worships the Christmas tree and think that tree gave them life. If someone were to find themselves worshipping the tree, instead of God and Jesus’ dwelling with man, then I would say Jeremiah 10 pertains.

[Uri’el-2012]

The question is whether you believe and trust
the Holy Word of Elohim in Luke 1
or you trust the traditions of man

Yah'shua's birth on Sukkot
(Sukkot is the Feast of Tabernacles or booths,
where we live in temporary shelters.
Sukkot is when YHvH took on a temporary
garment to be with His People
and to die as the Lamb of G-d on Pesach
in order to bring salvation to all
who would call on His Name: Yah'shua
( YHvH is become my salvation)).

Sukkot as the date is supported by Elizabeth's
pregnancy of John the Immerser.
The time sequence is outlined by the
Holy Word of Elohim in Luke 1 with Zacharias.

Zacharias served as a high priest and
based on his tribe, we know when he served
(1 Chronicles 24:7-18) and when he was
struck dumb and when John was conceived.

John would have been born on Pesach.
Most Jews believed that Elijah
would come at Pesach to announce
the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).

Factor in when Miriam visited her cousin Elizabeth,
Elizabeth was six months pregnant (Luke 1:26)
Thus the timing of Yah'shua's birth can be ascertained.

John (1:14) tells us that Yah'shua was made flesh
and tabernacled among us.

The word "dwelt" in the Koine Greek is:

σκηνόω Strong's G4637 - skēnoō
1) to fix one's tabernacle,
have one's tabernacle,
abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent),
tabernacle
2) to dwell

Eight days after the beginning of Sukkot is
another Holy Feast Day called Shemini Atzeret.

Eight days after a Jewish male is born he is circumcised.

After the Eighth day comes the the most Joyous day:
Simchat Torah or
the rejoicing in the Torah (The Word of Elohim).

Nine months back from Sukkot is Chanukah
where the light entered the temple.

Biblical Dates for the Birth of Yochanan the Immerser
and for the Conception and Birth of Yeshua HaMashiach

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai