When was Jesus born, exactly? The precise date, including the year, is a mystery. The standard date of AD 1 was determined by a 6th century monk named Dionysius Exiguus of Scythia Minor. But for some time scholars and theologians have said Dionysius probably was off by four or five years.
Dionysius set out to create a system that placed Jesus’ birth at the center of history — all years are either BC, before Christ, or AD, Anno Domine, which is Latin for “year of Our Lord.” We do not know what calculations he used to determine which year was AD 1. Even so, Dionysius’ numbering system for the years has been carried over into the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted nearly everywhere on our planet. Some of us, however, prefer the nonsectarian abbreviations BCE, before the common era, and CE, common era.
What clues we have for the date of Jesus’ birth are given in the nativity narratives in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. So let’s take a look.
Jesus’ Birth in the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew chapter 2 tells us that Jesus was born When King Herod ruled Judea. And who was Herod? Herod was a Jew who was allied with the Romans. He conquered Jerusalem for Rome in about 37 BCE and was rewarded by the Roman Senate with the title King of Judea. He plays a large role in the Matthrew nativity story.
It’s from Matthew that we learn of the visit of the Magi, or Wise Men. The Magi often are identified as Zoroastrian priests of Persia, although the gospel doesn’t explicitly say that. Matthew tells us that the Wise Men came to Jerusalem to seek the newborn king of the Jews. When Herod heard this he asked scribes and priests to tell him what this meant, and he was told the messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Herod had all the male children in Bethlehem killed to eliminate his rival. But Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus had escaped to Egypt. So, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was born while Herod was alive. But the historical record tells us that Herod died in 4 BCE. For this reason, a great many scholars and theologians believe Jesus must have been born no later than 6 BCE to 4 BCE.
You might wonder if we could tie down when the Massacre of the Innocents happened. Unfortunately, there is no credible historical corroboration of that event. (See “Did Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents Really Happen?” by Adrian Warnock of Patheos.) For that matter, theologians have long debated exactly when the Magi arrived in Jerusalem. Generations of church Christmas pageants have the Wise Men arriving at the manger in Bethlehem with the shepherds and angels. But if the star of Bethlehem appeared at the moment of Jesus’ birth, it would have taken the Wise Men at least ten days, probably more, to journey from Persia (or wherever they lived) to Bethlehem. For that reason the visitation of the Wise Men is formally observed on January 6, the Epiphany.
Oh, and about the star of Bethlehem — a NASA scientist has proposed it might have been a comet that appeared for several days in 5 BCE. See Ainsley Brown, A NASA Scientist Believes The Star Of Bethlehem Was Likely A Comet at All That’s Interesting.
Jesus’ Birth in the Gospel of Luke
The second chapter of Luke begins with Caesar Augustus issuing the decree that caused Mary and Joseph to leave Galilee and travel to Bethlehem. Augustus ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BCE until his death in 14 CE, so we’re in the right ballpark. The decree, according to Matthew, was a census that required people to travel to their ancestral town to register and pay a tax. Luke tells us that Joseph belonged to the house and lineage of King David, who was born in Bethlehem. So off to Bethlehem he and Mary went, a journey of about 90 miles.
But then Luke adds that this was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. (For Roman census purposes, Judea was considered part of Syria.) Does that help us? Not really. It appears Quirinius, a Roman aristocrat, wasn’t put in charge of Syria and its census taking until 6 CE. There is historic corroboration of a census led by Quirinius in 6 CE. But now what do we do with King Herod? A great many arguments (for example) have been put forth over the years to claim that the date of this census was earlier, but perhaps the author of the Gospel of Luke was confused. If you eliminate the troublemaking Quirinius the year that all the Gospel narratives (and a NASA scientist) seem to settle on is 5 BCE.
The Season of the Year
Now, what about the date? The Julian calendar, upon which the Gregorian calendar was based, did exist when Jesus was born. But the gospels are silent on that point. Luke gives us a clue about the season of the year, however. Angels visited the shepherds, Luke tells us, who were watching their flocks by night. This suggests spring lambing season.
There is no record the birth of Jesus was commemorated in any way by early Christians. In the third century the Catholic Church in Rome fixed the date of Jesus’ birth as December 25. This was possibly to take attention away from the old pagan festival of Saturnalia, held around the same time. Saturnalia was a multi-day festival that had long been popular in Rome. But there are other explanations. For example, Kevin P. Considine, an adjunct professor at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, says the December 25 date was derived from the work of an early Christian theologian named Tertullian (ca. 155-220). Tertullian determined that Jesus had been conceived on March 25 of the Roman calendar. And December 25 is nine months later. See Considine’s article in the December 25 issue of U.S. Catholic, Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25?
And however you observe Christmas, I wish you a merry one.
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