When was Jesus born?

Biblical scholars readily tell us that it was most likely not on December 25, AD 0. Why?:

C. SENANAYAKE

When were shepherds in the fields?

Israeli meteorologists tracked December weather patterns for many years and concluded that the climate in Israel has been essentially constant for at least the last 2,000 years.

The temperature in the area of Bethlehem in December averages around 44 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius) but can drop to well below freezing, especially at night. Describing the weather there, a press release in 1990 states that the area has three months of frost: December with 29 F. (minus 1.6 C.); January with 30 F. (minus 1.1 C.) and February with 32 F. (0 C.).

Snow is common for two or three days in Jerusalem and nearby Bethlehem in December and January. These were the winter months of increased precipitation in Christ’s time, when the roads became practically unusable and people stayed mostly indoors.

This is important evidence to disprove a December date for Christ’s birth. Note that, at the time of Christ’s birth, the shepherds tended their flocks in the fields at night. “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,” wrote one Gospel writer, “keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8).

A common practice of shepherds was keeping their flocks in the field from April to October, but in the cold and rainy winter months they took their flocks back home and sheltered them.

The Companion Bible, Appendix 179 says: Shepherds and their flocks would not be found ‘abiding’ (Gr. agrauleo) in the open fields at night in December (Tebeth), for the paramount reason that there would be no pasturage at that time. It was the custom then (as now) to withdraw the flocks during the month Marchesven (Oct.-Nov.) from the open districts and house them for the winter.

The census described by Luke

Other evidence arguing against a December birth of Jesus is the Roman census recorded by Luke. “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augusts that all the world should be registered... So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem..., to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son...” (Luke 2:1-7).

The Roman and Judean rulers knew that taking a census in winter would have been impractical and unpopular. Generally a census would take place after the harvest season, around September or October, when it would not seriously affect the economy, the weather was good and the roads were still dry enough to allow easy travel.

For such an agrarian society, an autumn post-harvest census was much more likely. Luke’s account of the census argues strongly against a December date for Christ’s birth.

Magi from the east

The Scriptures tell us that there were wise men (scholars) who came from the east looking for the birth of the Messiah, saying “we have seen his start in the east”. Who were these scholars from the east? Why were they looking for a Jewish Messiah? Matthew 2:1-6 says:

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his start at its rising, and have come to pay him homage. When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” (Micah 5:2)

Babylon was known as “the land to the east.” At the time of the birth of Jesus, the largest Jewish population was actually in Babylon, not in Palestine. Nearly five hundred years earlier, the entire nation of Judah had been carried away captive into Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Only a small colony of Jews returned to Palestine after sixty-three years of captivity. The greater number of them remained where they had established homes in the land of Babylon.

The Greek for ‘wise men’ is magoi. It is possible that the wise men from the east where Jewish rabbis who had been anticipating the coming of the Messiah because of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy (Daniel (9:24). They had spotted a new star in the sky and took it to be a sign of the coming of the Messiah.

At the very least, even if the wise men were not Jewish, they would have been influenced by Daniel’s writings. At an earlier time, Daniel had been the Master of the Magi of Babylon (Daniel 2:48; 4:9; 5:11), so anything Daniel wrote would have been important to even Gentile magi. Parts of the book of Daniel are even written in Aramaic (the international language of the eastern Gentiles), so that it could be read by them.

The Star and the feast of Tabernacles

There is one time of the year when Jews would typically look at the stars. That time was during the Festival of Tabernacles. Jewish believers would build a tabernacle or booth known as a ‘sukkah’ out of green tree branches.

They would eat their meals and sleep in this sukkah for eight days. It was customary to leave a hole in the roof of the sukkah so that one could look at the stars. If the magoi were Jewish, then Jewish ‘wise men’ celebrating the feast of Tabernacles would have noticed the appearance of a new star.

Of course, if the magoi were Gentile, it is still likely that a new star would have been noticed by them rather quickly. The Babylonian magoi excelled at astrology. As a matter of fact, the Babylonians are generally credited with the birth of astrology.

The year of Jesus’ birth

Jesus was born while Herod the Great was still living (Matthew 2:1). Wise men appeared in Jerusalem asking about “one who has been born king of the Jews?” Of course, this upset Herod, who had been given the title ‘King of the Jews’ by the Roman Senate.

Herod talked to the wise men secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared (Matthew 2:7). The wise men then journeyed to Bethlehem and found Jesus, Mary and Joseph in a house (Matthew 2:11) and they bowed down and worshipped Jesus.

When the wise men did not return to give Herod a report, “Herod realised that he had been outwitted by the wise men. 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 wise men” (Matthew 2:16).

This tells us that Jesus may have been born two years before the appearance of the wise men and the death of Herod. Herod died the spring of 4 BC (according to the Jewish historian, Josephus).

Let’s assume that the star appeared at Jesus’ birth. Let’s also assume that Herod was already close to death when the wise men appeared. It was the custom in ancient Israel to count the years of one’s age from the date of conception - in other words, when a child is born he is one year old until his first birthday (this is still a practice in some oriental cultures).

Therefore, Herod actually killed the children under two years according to the way that age is calculated today. This would mean that Jesus had to have been born in 6 BC (if Jesus was one year old) or 5 BC (if Jesus was under one year and Herod was just being extra careful).

So then, when was Jesus born? Nothing is absolutely certain, because we are dealing with implications and assumptions. The moral of the story is, if it’s in the Bible, you can take it to the bank. If it’s not in the Bible and December 25th is not, then you’re taking your chances.

The purpose of this article is not to suggest that we change the day of Christmas or the year of our calendars! It is go give added meaning and insight to our Lord’s birth, particularly from a Jewish perspective. But shouldn’t we celebrate Jesus’ birthday on the correct day?

It is really mattered to Jesus when we celebrate His birth, then He would have made the exact day crystal clear with absolute certainty. What we celebrate is far more important than the day we celebrate it on. For example, the United States celebrates Presidents Day in February, but this doesn’t mean that all the presidents were born in February.

The essential fact is that God did appear in flesh Himself in time and space (1 John 4:2). He was born from a woman on a specific day in a specific year, walked among us, died for our sins, was raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven. This is what we celebrate at Christmas: God was (and is) within us!