Yes, Christ Was Really Born on December 25: a Defense of the Trad Date for Christmas

taylormarshall.com ^ | December 11, 2014 | Dr. Taylor Marshall

[NYer]

The Catholic Church, from at least the second century, has claimed that Christ was born on December 25. However, it is commonly alleged that our Lord Jesus Christ was not born on December 25. For the sake of simplicity, let us set out the usual objections to the date of December 25 and counter each of them.

Objection 1: December 25 was chosen in order to replace the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia. Saturnalia was a popular winter festival and so the Catholic Church prudently substituted Christmas in its place.

Reply to Objection 1: Saturnalia commemorated the winter solstice. Yet the winter solstice falls on December 22. It is true that Saturnalia celebrations began as early as December 17 and extended till December 23. Still, the dates don’t match up.

Objection 2: December 25 was chosen to replace the pagan Roman holiday Natalis Solis Invicti which means “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.”

Reply to Objection 2: Let us examine first the cult of the Unconquered Sun. The Emperor Aurelian introduced the cult of the Sol Invictus or Unconquered Sunto Rome in A.D. 274. Aurelian found political traction with this cult, because his own name Aurelianderives from the Latin word aurora denoting “sunrise.” Coins reveal that Emperor Aurelian called himself the Pontifex Solis or Pontiff of the Sun. Thus, Aurelian simply accommodated a generic solar cult and identified his name with it at the end of the third century.

Most importantly, there is no historical record for a celebration Natalis Sol Invictus on December 25 prior to A.D. 354. Within an illuminated manuscript for the year A.D. 354, there is an entry for December 25 reading “N INVICTI CM XXX.”  Here N means “nativity.” INVICTI means “of the Unconquered.” CM signifies “circenses missus” or “games ordered.” The Roman numeral XXX equals thirty. Thus, the inscription means that thirty games were order for the nativity of the Unconquered for December 25th. Note that the word “sun” is not present. Moreover, the very same codex also lists “natus Christus in Betleem Iudeae” for the day of December 25. The phrase is translated as “birth of Christ in Bethlehem of Judea.”[i]

The date of December 25th only became the “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun” under the Emperor Julian the Apostate. Julian the Apostate had been a Christian but who had apostatized and returned to Roman paganism. History reveals that it was the hateful former Christian Emperor that erected a pagan holiday on December 25. Think about that for a moment. What was he trying to replace?

These historical facts reveal that the Unconquered Sun was not likely a popular deity in the Roman Empire. The Roman people did not need to be weaned off of a so-called ancient holiday. Moreover, the tradition of a December 25th celebration does not find a place on the Roman calendar until after the Christianization of Rome. The “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun” holiday was scarcely traditional and hardly popular. Saturnalia (mentioned above) was much more popular, traditional, and fun. It seems, rather, that Julian the Apostate had attempted to introduce a pagan holiday in order to replace the Christian one!

Objection 3: Christ could not have been born in December since Saint Luke describes shepherds herding in the neighboring fields of Bethlehem. Shepherds do not herd during the winter. Thus, Christ was not born in winter.

Reply to Objection 3: Recall that Palestine is not England, Russia, or Alaska. Bethlehem is situated at the latitude of 31.7. My city of Dallas, Texas has the latitude of 32.8, and it’s still rather comfortable outside in December. As the great Cornelius a Lapide remarks during his lifetime, one could still see shepherds and sheep in the fields of Italy during late December, and Italy is at higher latitude than Bethlehem.

Now we move on to establishing the birthday of Christ from Sacred Scripture in two steps. The first step is to use Scripture to determine the birthday of Saint John the Baptist. The next step is using Saint John the Baptist’s birthday as the key for finding Christ’s birthday. We can discover that Christ was born in late December by observing first the time of year in which Saint Luke describes Saint Zacharias in the temple. This provides us with the approximate conception date of Saint John the Baptist. From there we can follow the chronology that Saint Luke gives, and that lands us at the end of December.

Saint Luke reports that Zacharias served in the “course of Abias” (Lk 1:5) which Scripture records as the eighth course among the twenty-four priestly courses (Neh 12:17). Each shift of priests served one week in the temple for two times each year. The course of Abias served during the eighth week and the thirty-second week in the annual cycle.[ii]However, when did the cycle of courses begin?

Josef Heinrich Friedlieb has convincingly established that the first priestly course of Jojarib was on duty during the destruction of Jerusalem on the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av.[iii]Thus the priestly course of Jojarib was on duty during the second week of Av. Consequently, the priestly course of Abias (the course of Saint Zacharias) was undoubtedly serving during the second week of the Jewish month of Tishri—the very week of the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of Tishri. In our calendar, the Day of Atonement would land anywhere from September 22 to October 8.

Zacharias and Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist immediately after Zacharias served his course. This entails that Saint John the Baptist would have been conceived somewhere around the end of September, placing John’s birth at the end of June, confirming the Catholic Church’s celebration of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist on June 24.

The second-century Protoevangelium of Saint James also confirms a late September conception of the Baptist since the work depicts Saint Zacharias as High Priest and as entering the Holy of Holies—not merely the holy place with the altar of incense. This is a factual mistake because Zacharias was not the high priest, but one of the chief priests.[iv]Still, the Protoevangelium regards Zacharias as a high priest and this associates him with the Day of Atonement, which lands on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishri (roughly the end of our September). Immediately after this entry into the temple and message of the Archangel Gabriel, Zacharias and Elizabeth conceive John the Baptist. Allowing for forty weeks of gestation, this places the birth of John the Baptist at the end of June—once again confirming the Catholic date for the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist on June 24.

The rest of the dating is rather simple. We read that just after the Immaculate Virgin Mary conceived Christ, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John the Baptist. This means that John the Baptist was six months older that our Lord Jesus Christ (Lk 1:24-27, 36). If you add six months to June 24 you get December 24-25 as the birthday of Christ. Then, if you subtract nine months from December 25 you get that the Annunciation was March 25. All the dates match up perfectly. So then, if John the Baptist was conceived shortly after the Jewish Day of the Atonement, then the traditional Catholic dates are essentially correct. The birth of Christ would be about or on December 25.

Sacred Tradition also confirms December 25 as the birthday of the Son of God. The source of this ancient tradition is the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. Ask any mother about the birth of her children. She will not only give you the date of the birth, but she will be able to rattle off the time, the location, the weather, the weight of the baby, the length of the baby, and a number of other details. I’m the father of six blessed children, and while I sometimes forget these details—mea maxima culpa—my wife never does. You see, mothers never forget the details surrounding the births of their babies.

Now ask yourself: Would the Blessed Virgin Mary ever forget the birth of her Son Jesus Christ who was conceived without human seed, proclaimed by angels, born in a miraculous way, and visited by Magi? She knew from the moment of His incarnation in her stainless womb that He was the Son of God and Messiah. Would she ever forget that day?[v]

Next, ask yourself: Would the Apostles be interested in hearing Mary tell the story? Of course they would. Do you think the holy Apostle who wrote, “And the Word was made flesh,” was not interested in the minute details of His birth? Even when I walk around with our seven-month-old son, people always ask “How old is he?” or “When was he born?” Don’t you think people asked this question of Mary?

So the exact birth date (December 25) and the time (midnight) would have been known in the first century. Moreover, the Apostles would have asked about it and would have, no doubt, commemorated the blessed event that both Saint Matthew and Saint Luke chronicle for us. In summary, it is completely reasonable to state that the early Christians both knew and commemorated the birth of Christ. Their source would have been His Immaculate Mother.

Further testimony reveals that the Church Fathers claimed December 25 as the Birthday of Christ prior to the conversion of Constantine and the Roman Empire. The earliest record of this is that Pope Saint Telesphorus (reigned A.D. 126-137) instituted the tradition of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Although the Liber Pontificalis does not give us the date of Christmas, it assumes that the Pope was already celebrating Christmas and that a Mass at midnight was added. During this time, we also read the following words of Theophilus (A.D. 115-181), Catholic bishop of Caesarea in Palestine: “We ought to celebrate the birthday of Our Lord on what day soever the 25th of December shall happen.”[vi]

Shortly thereafter in the second century, Saint Hippolytus (A.D. 170-240) wrote in passing that the birth of Christ occurred on December 25:

The First Advent of our Lord in the flesh occurred when He was born in Bethlehem, was December 25th, a Wednesday, while Augustus was in his forty-second year, which is five thousand and five hundred years from Adam. He suffered in the thirty-third year, March 25th, Friday, the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, while Rufus and Roubellion were Consuls.[vii]

Also note in the quote above the special significance of March 25, which marks the death of Christ (March 25 was assumed to corresponded to the Hebrew month Nisan 14 – the traditional date of crucifixion).[viii] Christ, as the perfect man, was believed to have been conceived and died on the same day—March 25. In his Chronicon, Saint Hippolytus states that the earth was created on March 25, 5500 B.C.  Thus, March 25 was identified by the Church Fathers as the Creation date of the universe, as the date of the Annunciation and Incarnation of Christ, and also as the date of the Death of Christ our Savior.

In the Syrian Church, March 25 or the Feast of the Annunciation was seen as one of the most important feasts of the entire year. It denoted the day that God took up his abode in the womb of the Virgin. In fact, if the Annunciation and Good Friday came into conflict on the calendar, the Annunciation trumped it, so important was the day in Syrian tradition. It goes without saying that the Syrian Church preserved some of the most ancient Christian traditions and had a sweet and profound devotion for Mary and the Incarnation of Christ.

Now then, March 25 was enshrined in the early Christian tradition, and from this date it is easy to discern the date of Christ’s birth. March 25 (Christ conceived by the Holy Ghost) plus nine months brings us to December 25 (the birth of Christ at Bethlehem).

Saint Augustine confirms this tradition of March 25 as the Messianic conception and December 25 as His birth:

For Christ 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.[ix]

In about A.D. 400, Saint Augustine also noted how the schismatic Donatists celebrated December 25 as the birth of Christ, but that the schismatics refused to celebrate Epiphany on January 6, since they regarded Epiphany as a new feast without a basis in Apostolic Tradition. The Donatist schism originated in A.D. 311 which may indicate that the Latin Church was celebrating a December 25 Christmas (but not a January 6 Epiphany) before A.D. 311. Whichever is the case, the liturgical celebration of Christ’s birth was commemorated in Rome on December 25 long before Christianity became legalized and long before our earliest record of a pagan feast for the birthday of the Unconquered Sun. For these reasons, it is reasonable and right to hold that Christ was born on December 25 in 1 B.C. and that he died and rose again in March of A.D. 33.

Taylor’s new book The Eternal City also makes an argument in defense of the traditional BC/AD dating as being 100% accurate.

---

[i] The Chronography of AD 354. Part 12: Commemorations of the Martyrs.  MGH Chronica Minora I (1892), pp. 71-2.

[ii] I realize that there are two courses of Abias. This theory only works if Zacharias and Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist after Zacharias’ second course – the course in September. If Saint Luke refers to the first course, this then would place the birth of John the Baptist in late Fall and the birth of Christ in late Spring. However, I think tradition and the Protoevangelium substantiate that the Baptist was conceived in late September.

[iii] Josef Heinrich Friedlieb’s Leben J. Christi des Erlösers. Münster, 1887, p. 312.

[iv] The Greek tradition especially celebrates Saint Zacharias as “high priest.” Nevertheless, Acts 5:24 reveals that there were several “chief priests” (ἀρχιερεῖς), and thus the claim that Zacharias was a “high priest” may not indicate a contradiction. The Greek tradition identifies Zacharias as an archpriest and martyr based on the narrative of the Protoevangelium of James and Matthew 23:35: “That upon you may come all the just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.” (Matthew 23:35)

[v] A special thanks to the Reverend Father Phil Wolfe, FSSP for bringing the “memory of Mary” argument to my attention.

[Verginius Rufus]

When Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar in 46 B.C., December 25 was the winter solstice and March 25 was the vernal equinox. The length of the year was set at 365 days with an extra day every fourth year, so 365.25 days.

Unfortunately the actual length of the year is not exactly 365.25 days. Every 128 years the calendar was off by one day, which is why Pope Gregory had to reform the calendar in 1582 by dropping 10 days (so the day after October 4 was October 15). He wanted to get the calendar back to what it was in A.D. 325 at the time of the Council of Nicaea, when the rules for calculating Easter were adopted. At that time the vernal equinox was March 21. The winter solstice falls on December 21 or 22. The reason it doesn't fall on December 25 is because Pope Gregory wasn't interested in getting the calendar back to how it was in Julius Caesar's day.

[Vermont Lt]

It takes a few days for payments to settle before the end of the year.

Creating a holiday that links so well to New Year day, it is a natural. Shut it down, let the year end trades settle. Call it a year.

Judaism indicates their genius once again.

[mountn man]

Luke 1:21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days 23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. 24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months,when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

Zachariah was of Abijah, whose service time at the temple was the 8th lot. Zachariah would have served the 10th week of the year.

Luke tells us that
"23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. 24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months,

Therefore John was born around Passover.

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

According to Luke, Mary was told about Jesus, by an angel, in Elizabeths 6th month.

Luke also tells us
39 "In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

So we know that Jesus is about 6 months younger than John. John was born near Passover, so that means Jesus was born around or during Sukkot.

[Cowgirl]

Conceived in tabernacle and born on Nizzon 1. Jonathan Cahn has an excellent study on this.

[UCANSEE2]

SO... is this one of those religious threads where posters attack each other and spew hate due to differing beliefs ?

[mountn man]

Luke 1 tells us when John was conceived and that Jesus was conceived 6 months later.

So we have a good idea of when they were born.

[kiryandil]

He was born and that's all I care about, and I celebrate that everyday.

What you said.

[Vigilanteman]

I get that Jesus was born about six month after John, but I don’t get where John was born about Passover time. Help me out here.

[DesertRhino]

The sole custodian? Ever hear of the orthodox church? Its the one the Catholics broke away from.

[JudyinCanada]

No. If we are supposed to have an official day to celebrate His birth, He would have let us know when that was.

[editor-surveyor]

We are not to celebrate his birth, we are to obey his Father's teachings.

Not obeying his Father's teachings places you in the condition of willful sinful disregard.

The Father has sworn that such would not find his rest.

Psalms 95:

[8] Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
[9] When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
[10] Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
[11] Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Hebrews 4:

[1] Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
[2] For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
[3] For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
[4] For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
[5] And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
[6] Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
[7] Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts

Ecclesiastes 12:

[13] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Yeshua said:

John 14:

[15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.
[16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
[20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

How do you suppose it will affect your salvation if your willful actions make him a liar?

.

[RaceBannon]

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Birth of Yeshua (Jesus) during Succoth

By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)

 

In this study I will attempt to show how we can learn the birth date of Yeshua[1] from the Bible.[2] Many have said that Mashiach[3] could not have been born on December 25. While these reasons may be true, there is a deep mystical reason why the Catholic Church chose this date. We will explain this after we have determined the Mashiach’s true birth date, because this is critical to understanding the mystical reason for December 25 as His birth date.

 

Ok, so when was Yeshua born? To figure this out, we will need to look at the Tanakh[4] and begin to understand the way that King David structured the services in the Temple. Our starting point is:

 

Luqas (Luke) 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

 

From this we learn that John the Baptist's father was part of the Levitical priesthood family known as Abijah. Since Zechariah was a priest, we know that John was also a priest of the family of Abijah. Next we learn when Abijah served during the biblical year:

 

I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 24:1 These were the divisions of the sons of Aaron: The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests. With the help of Zadok a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelech a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering. A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar's descendants than among Ithamar's, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar's descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar's descendants. They divided them impartially by drawing lots, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar. The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites--one family being taken from Eleazar and then one from Ithamar. The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, The third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, The fifth to Malkijah, the sixth to Mijamin, The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, The ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, The eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, The thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, The fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, The seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, The nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, The twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty-second to Gamul, The twenty-third to Delaiah and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of HaShem, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as HaShem, the God of Israel, had commanded him. As for the rest of the descendants of Levi: from the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah. As for Rehabiah, from his sons: Isshiah was the first. From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath. The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth. The son of Uzziel: Micah; from the sons of Micah: Shamir. The brother of Micah: Isshiah; from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The son of Jaaziah: Beno. The sons of Merari: from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri. From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. From Kish: the son of Kish: Jerahmeel. And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. These were the Levites, according to their families. They also cast lots, just as their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated the same as those of the youngest.

 

There were twenty-four (24) courses, or families, of priests. Abijah was the eighth course. King David divided them and gave them instructions concerning the time they were to serve. King David did not make up these services or divisions, but rather HaShem instructed him in the way that He desired.[5]

 

HaShem's Spirit showed David how he was to divide the Priests and how they were to serve:

 

I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 28:11-13 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of HaShem and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of HaShem, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service.

 

The following verse indicates that the length of service for each of the twenty-four courses was seven days in the spring and seven days in the fall:

 

I Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 9:1-26 All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel. The people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants. Those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem were: Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah. Of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. Of the Zerahites: Jeuel. The people from Judah numbered 690. Of the Benjamites: Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Micri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah. The people from Benjamin, as listed in their genealogy, numbered 956. All these men were heads of their families. Of the priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the official in charge of the house of God; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer. The priests, who were heads of families, numbered 1,760. They were able men, responsible for ministering in the house of God. Of the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a Merarite; Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zicri, the son of Asaph; Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berekiah son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites. The gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their brothers, Shallum their chief Being stationed at the King's Gate on the east, up to the present time. These were the gatekeepers belonging to the camp of the Levites. Shallum son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his fellow gatekeepers from his family (the Korahites) were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the Tent just as their fathers had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of HaShem. In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was in charge of the gatekeepers, and HaShem was with him. Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Altogether, those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust by David and Shmuel (Samuel) the seer. They and their descendants were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of HaShem--the house called the Tent. The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north and south. Their brothers in their villages had to come from time to time and share their duties for seven-day periods. But the four principal gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of God.

 

The Torah[6] commands the daily sacrifices that are referred to as 'Tamid' - continuous sacrifices that were offered every day of every year, one in the early hours of the morning and another during the mid-afternoon. (According to the Gemara,[7] the last time the Tamid was offered was on 17th Tammuz in the year 3830 - 70 CE - three weeks before the Temple was overrun by the Romans and ruined by fire and demolition. This was during the siege of Jerusalem and the supply of animals had run out.) Since the Tamid was an offering on behalf of all Israel, all Israel, as it were, should be present when it is offered. However, this is an obvious impossibility. Therefore, the mishna[8] states that all Israel were divided into twenty four mishmarot, watches, and each watch was to serve in the Temple for one week twice a year. Thus perhaps a better rendition of mishmeret would be 'duty roster'. However, since the number of people was far too large to give everyone a chance to serve twice a year it was highly likely that any given member of the roster might get a chance only once in a lifetime to actually serve for one week in the Temple. The priestly watches were changed every Shabbat after the Musaf[9] offering, and when they were changed the corresponding watches of the levites and the Israelites would also change.

 

The week of service began and ended on Shabbat, the Sabbath:

 

II Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 23:1-8 In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri. They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, The whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God. Jehoiada said to them, "The king's son shall reign, as HaShem promised concerning the descendants of David. Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, A third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the other men are to be in the courtyards of the temple of HaShem. No one is to enter the temple of HaShem except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the other men are to guard what HaShem has assigned to them. The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes." The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men--those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty--for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.

So, the week of service began and ended on the Sabbath.

 

The priests were divided into twenty-four watches, each watch taking a week of service at the Temple. During a watch's week the priests of that watch kept all of the sacrifices. However, during pilgrimage festivals all twenty-four watches equally divided the sacrifices that were offered on account of the festival.

 

In addition to their normal service, the Priests, all twenty-four courses, served for three extra weeks during the year:17

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:16 Three times a year all your men must appear before HaShem your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before HaShem empty-handed:

 

Now we need to do some arithmetic:

 

Twenty-four courses times one week equals twenty-four weeks that have been served by the twenty-four courses. Then we add the three extra weeks when all twenty-four courses served. We now have covered twenty-seven weeks.

 

A biblical year consists of twelve lunar months, of 29.5 days, which total 354 days. This is eleven days less than a solar year, of 365 days. This means that we have to cover twenty-four more weeks. Thus we can deduce that each course served a week at the beginning of the year, and a week at the end of the year. The Mishna agrees with this conclusion.[10]

 

(The number of days that differ from a lunar and a solar calendar, are made up by adding a leap month every two or three years. I do not yet know how the priests served these extra days.)

 

Each course, therefore, served for one week twice a year, and three weeks a year they all served. Each course, therefore, served a total of five weeks during the year.

 

Between the first and the eighth week of the year, two of the three times when all twenty-four courses served, intervened.

 

The eighth course would, therefore, serve during the tenth week having allowed for the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Weeks, which both occur during the first eight weeks of the year. This is the second Sabbath of Sivan,[11] and the week that follows (approximately Sivan 12-18).

 

Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist AFTER Zechariah had finished his Temple service. So, she would have become pregnant after the third Sabbath of Sivan (approximately Sivan 19-25):

 

Luqas (Luke) 1:23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.

 

If you go forward forty weeks, for a normal pregnancy, we see that John the Baptist was born on Passover. We would expect that this pregnancy would be perfectly normal because this is the mark of HaShem's handiwork, perfection!

 

It is interesting that John the Baptist was born on Passover, because one of the rituals of the Passover is to set a special place setting, for Elijah, and to open the door to welcome Elijah. Mashiach said that John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come!

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 11:7-15 As John’s disciples were leaving, Yeshua began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.

 

Exactly six months after John's conception, Mary conceives Yeshua:

 

Luqas (Luke) 1:23-33 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people." In (Elizabeth's) sixth month (of pregnancy), God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, To a young woman pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

 

If John the Baptist was conceived in the eleventh week, the third Sabbath week of Sivan,[12] Yeshua would have been conceived six months later in the month of Kislev. Mary would have conceived Yeshua after the third Sabbath of Kislev,[13] approximately Kislev 19-26. Kislev 25 is Chanukah.

 

It is noteworthy that Mashiach, the "light of the world", was conceived on the festival of lights (Chanukah)!

 

So, six months after John the Baptist was born, Yeshua was born. Therefore, since John was born on the fifteenth day of the first month (Nisan),[14] Yeshua would be born on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (Tishri[15])...six month later. The fifteenth day of the seventh month is known as Succoth, or the Feast of Tabernacles. By the way, that day was a full moon. In fact, the fifteenth day of every Biblical month is always full moon.

 

Yeshua (Jesus) was born on Succoth (The Feast of Tabernacles)!

 

We find an allusion to Yeshua's birth during Succoth in John's gospel:

 

Yochanan (John) 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling (succah) among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

Remember that a major theme of Succoth is JOY! With this in mind ...

 

Luqas (Luke) 2:4-11 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Mashiach the Lord.

 

And ...

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 2:7-12 Then Herod called the Magi[16] secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He 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." After 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. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On 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. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

Now that we have all of our dates, let’s arrange them so that we can understand the chronology:

 

First Year

Name

--------------------------

Nisan (March-April)

Iyar (April-May)

Sivan (May-June) 25 - John the Baptist is conceived.

Tammuz (June-July)

Av (July-August)

Elul (August-September)

Tishri (September-October)

Heshvan (October-November)

Kislev (November-December) 25 - Yeshua is conceived. (Chanukah)

Tevet (December-January)

Shevat (January-February)

Adar (February-March)

 

Second Year

Name

---------------------------

Nisan (March-April) 15 - John the Baptist is born (Passover)

Iyar (April-May)

Sivan (May-June)

Tammuz (June-July)

Av (July-August)

Elul (August-September)

Tishri (September-October) 15 - Yeshua is born (Feast of Tabernacles)

Heshvan (November-December)

Kislev (November-December)

Tevet (December-January)

Shevat (January-February)

Adar (February-March)

 

Difficulty

 

If each course served for a week in the spring and a week in the fall, how do we know that Yeshua was not born at Passover?

 

There are two ways to understand the answer. If we started our count during the eighth week of the fall term, then John the Baptist would be born at Succoth and we would not have the connection with Elijah at Passover. In addition, we would not have the connection of Yeshua being conceived at Chanukah.

 

That said, it is still possible that Yeshua was born at Passover. This does not present an insurmountable problems because of the bi-modality of the year. The triennial Torah reading cycle also suggests that in many ways Passover and Succoth are alike.

 

* * *

 

Ok, Yeshua was born on the festival of Succoth. So, when is Succoth? I am glad you asked that question. The following dates detail when we celebrate Succoth for the next few years:

 

Succoth Tishri 15, 5773 - Oct 1, 2012

Shemini Atzeret Tishri 22, 5773 - Oct 8, 2012

Simchat TorahTishri 23, 5773 - Oct 9, 2012

 

Succoth Tishri 15, 5774 – Sep. 19, 2013

Shemini Atzeret Tishri 22, 5774 – Sep. 26, 2013

Simchat TorahTishri 23, 5774 – Sep. 27, 2013

 

* * *

 

The Torah reading, in the first year of the triennial cycle, for the Sabbath closest to John the Baptist’s conception is: Bereshit (Genesis) 35:9 – 36:43.

 

This Torah portion recounts the time when Jacob renamed Israel, Rachel dies, birth of Benjamin, Reuben moves Jacob’s bed, Isaac dies, and the generations of Esau.

 

The Torah reading, in the first year of the triennial cycle, for the Sabbath closest to Yeshua’s conception is: Bereshit (Genesis) Gen. 15:1-21.

 

This Torah portion recounts the time of the covenant between the parts, and when Abraham was promised a son.

 

The Context

 

The birth of Mashiach did not happen as an independent event. It happened in time and within the context of world history which had been carefully prepared for this event. To begin to understand the context of His birth, I recommend that you examine other events that occurred at the time of His conception and birth. His birth was no accident. It is important to see Mashiach’s birth within the context of Succoth. In fact, I would suggest that it is impossible to understand the birth of Mashiach without celebrating Succoth. Further, we must see Succoth within the context of all the festivals in a year. This context will reveal some very interesting perspectives.

 

One other perspective will also help: The Biblical year is bi-modal[17] such that spring is a mirror image of fall. This is most evident within the festivals as we explored in my study titled rains. This bi-modality is also evident in the ancient Torah reading cycle commonly known as the triennial cycle. There are two such triennial cycles of three and a half years in a Sabbatical, or Shmita, cycle. There is an example of this ancient reading cycle at shmitatc.

 

Why was December 25^th chosen by the Catholic church for the birth of Yeshua? There are two answers to this question. The first answer is the answer most commonly given. The second answer is a Jewish mystical answer that is almost never given.

 

The reason why the Catholic church chose December 25, has to do with the pagan festival of Saturnalia. I am not going to give the details about this festival, but it is instructive to note that most of the current customs of Christmas are borrowed from the celebration of Saturnalia. This reason is quite well known and is documented in many sources.

 

Those who have studied the Torah have understood a far deeper and more interesting mystical reason as to why the birth of the Mashiach was assigned to December 25. To understand this reason we will need to review a bit of Latin.

 

What is the meaning of September? In Latin, septem means seven and septimus means seventh; September was in fact the seventh month of the Jewish, or Biblical calendar. This calendar was in use by the whole world for most of the world’s existence. In 153 BC, the Romans reordered the calendar but kept some of the names that provided a hint as to its earlier origins. Remember that the Torah originally used numbers for the names of the months rather than actual names. The names in the current Jewish calendar were taken from Babylon by Chazal, our Sages, to provide us with a remembrance of our exile. In days to come, the numbered months will be restored by Mashiach.

 

What is the meaning of October? In Latin, octo means eight, reflecting the fact that October was the eighth month of the year.

 

What is the meaning of November? In Latin, novem means nine. November was the ninth month of the year.

 

What is the meaning of December? In Latin, decem means ten. December was the tenth month of the year.

 

Now that we have had our Latin lesson we can understand that December 25 can be understood as the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month. In fact, this is the terminology of the Torah. Now if we switch our brains from the Roman calendar to the Jewish calendar, we can relate to the fact that the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month is an allusion to Chanukah, which began on the twenty-fifth day and ended in the tenth month (Kislev 25 through Tevet 1 / 2). Recall that Chanukah was when Yeshua was conceived.

 

HaShem gave the Gentiles a hint that they could easily understand. He was hinting to Chanukah. To make the message even clearer, He gave the Gentiles the custom of decorating their Christmas trees, and homes, with lights. What do lights have to do with Christmas? Well, lets see; there was the star… Hmmm. Ok, so, what do lights have to do with Chanukah? I am glad you asked! Chanukah is also known as the Feast of Lights because of the miracle of the lights of the menorah in the Temple. Remember that the Maccabees had only enough pure oil to last for one day. Yet, when they kindled this one cruse of oil it burned for eight days! We celebrate this miracle by kindling a progression of oil lights in our homes for the eight days of Chanukah. Thus we see that the lights of the Gentiles point to Chanukah.

 

 

Some may say that Yeshua was The Light of the World; quoting from John 8:12 or John 9:5. They thus suggest that the Mashiach’s birth is a cause for the lights. What is really interesting about this argument is the fact that when Yeshua proclaimed that He was the light of the world, it was during Succoth. During Succoth, four huge lamps were set up in the courtyard of the women. The Talmud[18] says that there was not a courtyard in all of Jerusalem that was not illuminated by these lamps. The wicks were made from the worn-out priestly garments. Yeshua proclaimed Himself to be the light of the world while the people were gazing at the four lights which were called the light of the world. This quote, then, is not as fitting for Christmas as it is for Succoth, the day of Mashiach’s birth.

 

To further strengthen the connection of December 25 to Chanukah, it is useful to note that the Christmas holiday is celebrated by many from December 25 through January 1. This, too, is an eight day period which corresponds to the eight days of Chanukah.

 

Now, you know the real reason why December 25^th was chosen as the date of the Mashiach’s birth. Even though it is NOT when the Mashiach was born, it contains enough hints that the discerning student could use to find his way away from Christmas. It contained all the hints needed to cause him to celebrate Succoth and Chanukah as being HaShem’s dates, rather than celebrating man’s made up date of December 25. (For more insights on the festival of lights and Christmas, please see my study titled: Lights.)

 

Finally, it is worth nothing that Yeshua never celebrated Christmas. He never put up a Christmas tree. He never went to midnight mass or any Protestant service on Christmas.

 

Yeshua did, however, celebrate Chanukah:

 

Yochanan (John) 10:22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication (Chanukah), and it was winter. 23 And Yeshua walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

 

Yeshua did celebrate Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles):

 

Yochanan (John) 7:1 After these things Yeshua walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles (Succoth) was at hand. 3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. 4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. 5 For neither did his brethren believe in him. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. 7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. 9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. 10 But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.

 

Hakham Shaul (the Apostle Paul) then made the comment that should weigh heavily on all those who do not celebrate Succoth and Chanukah:

 

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Mashiach.

 

Let us become imitators of Mashiach!

 

* * *

 

Bibliography:

 

Rosh HaShannah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come, by Joseph Good

 

* * *

 

This study was written by

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David

(Greg Killian).

Comments may be submitted to:

 

Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian

4544 Highline Drive SE

Olympia, WA 98501

 

Internet address: gkilli@aol.com

Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/

 

(360) 918-2905

 

Return to The WATCHMAN home page

Send comments to Greg Killian at his email address: gkilli@aol.com

 

 

---

[1] Yeshua is how we say ‘Jesus’ in Hebrew.

[2] I learned many aspects of this study from Joseph Good in his book: Rosh HaShannah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come.

[3] I am using Mashiach without further qualification, to apply to Mashiach ben Joseph, which is not the normal Jewish way. The normal Jewish way is to that an ‘mashiach’ without qualification always applies to Mashiach ben David only. See Rambam’s Hilchot Melachim.

[4] Tanakh (Hebrew: תנ׳ך‎) (also Tanach, IPA: [ta’nax] or [tə’nax], Tenakh or Tenak) is an acronym that identifies the Hebrew Bible. The acronym is formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Tanakh's three traditional subdivisions:

Torah (תורה), meaning "teaching" or "law", includes the Five Books of Moses. The Torah is also known by its Greek name, "the Pentateuch", which similarly means "five scrolls".

Nevi'im (נביאים), meaning "Prophets". The Nevi'im are often divided into the Earlier Prophets, which are generally historical, and the Later Prophets, which contain more exhortational prophecies.

Ketuvim (כתובים), meaning "Writings", are sometimes also known by the Greek title "Hagiographa". These encompass all the remaining books, and include the Five Scrolls.

 

[5] This is in contrast to the way Catholics and Protestants make up their services.

[6] Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:2

[7] Ta'anit 26b

[8] Ta’anit 4:2

[9] additional

[10] Mishna - Bikkurim Chapter 3, Ta'anith 26a, Ta'anith 27a

[11] Sivan occurs in the May-June time frame.

[12] Sivan occurs in the May-June time frame.

[13] Kislev occurs in the November-December time frame.

[14] Nisan occurs in the March-April time frame.

[15] Tishri occurs in the August-September time frame.

[16] The Magi were Hakhamim (Rabbis), wise men, from the East, probably Bavel.

[17] Having two, six month, divisions.

[18] Succah 51a

[Verginius Rufus]

The traditional feast to celebrate the birth of John the Baptist is on June 24.

By the Roman calendar, June 24 is the 8th day before the Kalends of July, and December 25 is the 8th day before the Kalends of January.

I don't think there is anything in the New Testament that indicates the time of year that John the Baptist was born, or it would have been used to fix the feastdays.

St. John's, Newfoundland, is so called because John Cabot discovered it on June 24, 1497.

[verga]

Thank you

[Former Fetus]

so that means Jesus was born around or during Sukkot

I agree. It is a very appropriate time for God to "tabernacle" among men. Also, during the Millennium, the nations will be required to celebrate Sukkot. Why Sukkot, of all the Jewish holidays? Could it be because it is the King's birthday? Just wondering...

[editor-surveyor]

>> “I get that Jesus was born about six month after John, but I don’t get where John was born about Passover time. Help me out here.” <<

.
John was not born at Passover.

The scripture says that John was conceived after his father returned home after serving his course in the temple, the course of Abia.

Add nine months to that course, and you get his birth. six months later, at Sukkot, Yeshua was born.

[diverteach]

Joseph was from Bethlehem and Mary was from Nazareth. Therein lies a convenient excuse for Joseph to take his just married bride Mary, already six months pregnant away from Nazareth so she wasn’t accussed of premarital sex. So off to Bethlehem they go as it was time for the census. Folks in that time had to be counted where they were born. At the same time they were also to pay their taxes. So obviosly since Mary gave birth upon arrival in Bethlehem it must have been around April 15th ;o)

[editor-surveyor]

Cute nonsense.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

SO... is this one of those religious threads where posters attack each other and spew hate due to differing beliefs ?

---

All in the spirit of Christmas! I will have to study the article in more depth later. I always thought it wasn't in December but don't’ have the facts handy to get dogmatic.

I am immensely thankful the God who is outside of time came and entered our time to save us whenever he did it.

[SkyDancer]

I have no idea of what you are talking about. I just answered this post:

Yes, Christ Was Really Born on December 25: a Defense of the Trad Date for Christmas.

And I answered with: What difference does it make? (when Yashua was born) ... so what's all this with salvation and not adhering to this and that?