SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EDITION – WHEN WAS JESUS ACTUALLY BORN? – A Bible & History Study - Letter from Great Britain – [12-23-24]

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[Lightly edited copy direct from Britt Mooney, a great writer and author of the book, "Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight"] Amazon synopsis: “God often asks us to do the impossible because, for Him, all things are possible. God is calling us―calling you―into His story. He’s asking you to trust that He is responsible for all the consequences of your obedience.

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DO WE KNOW WHEN JESUS WAS ACTUALLY BORN? Britain, and most of the Western world, sets aside December 25^th to celebrate Christmas. Our Christian heritage and culture revolves around this annual holiday. Schools have two weeks holiday, businesses close for a day and more, and companies give their employees extra vacation. But do we know the month and the year when Jesus was actually born? Was it really in December? While the Bible doesn’t specify a date for the birth of Christ, Scripture and history offer clues of when the Good News came to earth with the Newborn Christ.

What Does the Bible Say about the Time of Jesus’ Birth? Luke 2:8 describes shepherds “living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” when the angel announced the birth of Jesus. In Israel, shepherds usually kept their flocks outside from spring through early autumn during the milder weather. The winter months were too cold and rainy for the flocks to be outside, making it unlikely shepherds would have been in the fields during the winter months.

Luke 2 implies a warmer season, from the spring to autumn. Another clue comes from John the Baptist’s timeline. Luke 1 tells how John’s father, Zechariah, a Levite priest from the family of Abijah, saw an angel while serving in the Temple. Scholars suggest Zechariah would have been serving around late May or early June. Soon after, his wife Elizabeth conceived a son, John, and Luke further explains that six months later, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.

Gabriel announced that Mary would bear Christ. As a general timeline, this would place Jesus’ conception around the winter (December), placing his birth in September, in the early northern autumn. In September or early October, the Jews would have celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot. This festival celebrated God dwelling with his people while they lived in tents. Prophetic and historical books point to the Feast of Tabernacles and its importance when the Jews came back from exile [Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah].

The Bible doesn’t specify a day, but Jesus’ birth happened at God’s appointed time. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His son, born of a virgin, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.”

First enquiry: What Time of Year Did the Romans carry out a Census? Luke mentions Jesus’ birth during the Roman census. The Roman Empire conducted censuses for different reasons: taxation, military draft, and general control. While the exact timing for these censuses varied, they usually happened during the warmer months, often in the late spring or early summer when travel was easier.

The warmer weather allowed people from all over the empire to return to their hometowns to register without having to deal with the winter chill. Additionally, the summer or early autumn months wouldn’t disrupt the farming cycles of planting and harvesting. Historical Roman records exist and provide a glimpse into how and when these census arrangements were organised.

Luke 2 mentions a census ordered by Caesar Augustus just before Jesus’ birth. This required Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, King David’s home city. The journey would have been difficult for a pregnant woman. They most likely went on foot due to their poverty, and Scripture doesn’t mention a donkey or colt. The journey takes four or five days as Nazareth is 65 miles (105 km) north of Jerusalem (in a straight line), while Bethlehem is a hilltop town situated on a ridge near the edge of the Judaean desert, 5 miles (8km) south of Jerusalem. Luke doesn’t give a month for the census, but it’s likely it took place during warmer seasons, consistent with Roman practices.

Rome generally conducted censuses every 14-17 years although they sometimes happened more often depending on the ruling Caesar, the local needs, and the imperial situation. In Jesus’ time, the census system had become well organised, with officials and local governors working to coordinate registeration and record keeping. Judea operated under Roman rule but also had some local powers, and the administration generally followed the Roman tradition of the chosen season.

The records of this particular census under Caesar Augustus are lost. However, it’s clear that the census happened in the summer or early autumn. For Luke to mention this particular census, he placed Jesus’ birth directly within history that most people would have remembered. The records of that census would have existed in the first century.

As an aside, the census context also has an Old Testament connection. In 2 Samuel 24, King David ordered a census of Israel’s fighting men. This action violated Mosaic law and exposed David’s pride. The Law warned against a census for personal or military purposes since Israel’s strength came from God alone, not statistics or physical power (Exodus 30:12). David’s census shifted his focus to worldly resources which God viewed as the sin of pride and responded by sending a plague upon Israel. The plague only ceased after David repented and offered sacrifices.

The Roman census would have been seen by the Jews as a symbol of Rome’s control and oppression. Although it cannot be proved beyond all doubt, it seems reasonable that the census described in 'Lapis Venetus' was the same one that was ordered by Augustus in 8BC. Luke may have been in error when he included this detail to show how Jesus (called the Son of David) was humbly born under Roman rule but established a kingdom unlike any other, one based on peace, humility, and heavenly authority.

Dr. E. Jerry Vardaman offers archaeological evidence in support of the conclusion that the 12BC census was the census of Luke 2:2. A census is mentioned on an ancient tombstone called “Lapis Venetus” (stone of Venice). The tombstone was for a Roman officer who, under orders from Quirinius, made a census of Apamea, a city in Syria. Vardaman uses microletters on the tombstone to date the tombstone itself to 10BC. Microletters on the tombstone also state that the census of Apamea took place in the year that Quirinius was a Roman consul: “LA CONS P.S.QVIRINI” - the text reads: “year one of the consulship of P.S. Quirini.”

NB - The letter ‘L’ is the abbreviation for ‘year,’ the letter ‘A’ stands for the number ‘one’. Letters were used in ancient Greek and Latin to stand for numbers. In the Greek number system, the first letter represented the number ‘one’, the second letter represented ‘two’, etc. The abbreviation “CONS” stands for “consul” or “consulship.” And “P.S.QVIRINI” is the Quirinius mentioned in Luke 2:2. He is also mentioned by Josephus and by Dio, both of whom state that Quirinius was a Roman consul.

The usual year given for the consulship of P.S. Quirinius is 12BC. Based on this and other considerations, Vardaman dates this census to 12/11BC. Vardaman’s discovery of this microletter inscription on the Lapis Venetus provides important archaeological evidence concerning the year of the Birth of Christ. This inscription places the census at the time of Christ’s birth beginning in the first year of the consulship of Quirinius. (See Dr. Vardaman's Lecture 1 for detailed information about the Lapis Venetus, the microletters, and the census.)

Second enquiry – What does science say about the year of Jesus’ birth? While it is not known for certain, research detailed in the MailOnline suggest that Jesus may have been born during the spring, as the Roman census indicates. Speaking to the MailOnline, Professor Lawrence Mykytiuk of Purdue University in Indiana said: "It remains a humbling fact that despite various claims, no one in modern times is really certain of the exact year of Jesus’ birth."

Flavius Josephus wrote that there was a lunar eclipse shortly before ‘King Herod the Great of Judea’ died. According to the bible, Herod declared that all Jewish boys under the age of two must be killed. This would suggest that Jesus was born at least 24 months before King Herod's death. Potential death dates of the king, according to experts: December 29, 1BC, January 10, 1BC, March 13, 4BC and September 15, 5BC.

Professor Mykytiuk added: "Josephus also tells us, in two places, that the Jewish Passover occurred soon after the death of Herod the Great, because Passover is observed in the spring. The nearest date for Jesus’s birth seems to be the month of March, during the years 6, 5, or 4BC." References in Matthew’s gospel and in other ancient literature to the Star of Bethlehem, is stated to have appeared near the time of the birth of Christ.

In 525AD a Roman scholar and monk, Dionysius Exiguus, fixed the AD origin of our present calendar (Anno Domini - in the year of our Lord) so that Jesus was circumcised in the year 1AD on January 1 (8 days, counting inclusively, after his birth on December 25 the previous year). More recently dates ranging from 20BC to 10AD have been given for the year of the Nativity.

Jupiter and Saturn came together in a “Great Conjunction” in 2020 [Ed: quite a coincidence or a plan perhaps?] that was unlike any seen in nearly 800 years. The two planets appeared so close together in Earth’s night sky, on the winter solstice, they looked almost like a single object. That prompted some to dub the sight a “Christmas Star,” and others to wonder about a similar-sounding celestial event that coincided with the biblical first Christmas: the Star of Bethlehem. After all, the shepherds or Magi were instructed to look for an exceptional ‘star’ in the night sky whilst seeking Jesus’ birth place.

There’s some evidence that a pair of planetary conjunctions, not unlike the Great Conjunction, happened around the historically accepted time-frame for the birth of Christ that could potentially explain the Star of Bethlehem. But not everyone agrees. The Star of Bethlehem could have been a supernovae, or “guest stars” which have been consistently witnessed and recorded going back thousands of years. So if one had happened, other cultures likely would have taken note, especially in China.

The 5BC ‘Chinese star’ is often associated with the Star of Bethlehem due to the coincidence in dates and the time of year that it was observed. As such it is interesting to examine its visibility, based on what little is known about it from the contemporary chronicles, combining them with weather data, and other astronomical information.

And by estimating the peak brightness, researchers have even tied some remnants to events seen on Earth in the past. Yet telescopes haven’t found any evidence for a supernova remnant that synchronise with the timing of the Star of Bethlehem. In fact, the only supernova that was visible from Earth around the time of Christ’s birth actually happened in the year 185AD and was recorded by Chinese astronomers.

In the past, some interested astronomers have also suggested the Star of Bethlehem was a comet passing near Earth. These icy bodies from the distant solar system often shine quite brightly when they venture into the inner solar system and are heated by the Sun. They’re also known for visibly lingering in the sky for weeks or months at a time. And like supernovae, we also have historical records from other cultures regarding comets.

Sure enough, in the year 5BC, Chinese astronomers noted the appearance of a “Broom Star” that many researchers have interpreted as a comet. Like supernovae, Chinese scholars noted many historic comets, and even recorded a number of times that meteor impacts killed people.

Scientific journals have been debating the idea, among other inspirations. It culminated in a 1977 story in The New York Times written by legendary science journalist, Walter Sullivan who suggested it could have been a comet, conjunction, nova or simply myth. Clearly, no consensus opinion has emerged in the decades thereafter.

People in the ancient world typically saw comets as symbols of pending doom or an evil omen of bad things about to happen. If a comet suddenly started shining brightly in the night sky, it’s hard to imagine three wise men would interpret it as a sign that their saviour had finally been born.

A triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurred in 7BC. At first glance, these illustrations look the same, but when comparing the positions of the planets with the background stars there is no correlation. On May 29, Jupiter passed Saturn (both moving right to left) for the first time. Jupiter passed Saturn again on September 30 with both moving to the right (west). Finally, the planets resumed eastward motion, and Jupiter passed Saturn for the third time on December 5. [Ref: Astronomy/Roen Kelly]

In the year 7BC, Jupiter and Saturn had three conjunctions in the same constellation, Pisces (the fish symbol noted by early Christians.) Because the planets move in their orbits at different speeds, and are located at different distances, sometimes they appear to pass one another in the night sky. They can also appear to hold still or move backward in the sky, which astronomers call retrograde motion.

This trick is like passing a slower car on the highway. As you get close to the other vehicle, it seems to hold still beside you. Then, as you pull away, it drops backward. The same thing happens as Earth zips around the Sun much faster than the outer planets. However, Jupiter is closer to the Sun than Saturn, so it also appears to move faster in our night sky. If Jupiter and Saturn had three close conjunctions in a relatively brief period of time, it’s easy to imagine that ancient astronomers (astrologers) would have taken note. And they also would likely have ascribed some meaning to the event.

These same astrologers wouldn’t have had to wait long for an even more striking planetary encounter. Four years later, in the summer of 3BC, Jupiter and Venus met in an event that would have looked much like the “Christmas Star,” also referred to as the Great Conjunction of December 2020.

On the morning of August 12 in 3BC, Jupiter and Venus would have sat just 1/10th a degree apart in the dawn sky. That’s one-fifth the diameter of the Full Moon. (The December 2020 conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn had an identical separation, albeit in the evening sky.) This wasn’t the end of the show, either. Venus and Jupiter continued their dance over most of the next year before finally appearing to merge into a single star in June.

The truth is, none of these events match up perfectly with the description of how events occurred in the Book of Matthew. The context is also in doubt because ancient people knew their planets well. Thus it would be odd to call a conjunction of multiple planets a “star.”

Furthermore, it’s hard to imagine how Herod could have been surprised by three wise men telling him about a new star. He surely would have seen any such bright or obvious object himself or at least by his close advisors.

According to the Bible, astrology is also heretical, which makes the idea of reading into the meaning of the stars a bit suspect in the first place. In the end, we’ll likely never know what really inspired the biblical record of the Star of Bethlehem. And, heresy aside, I hope and pray it brings good tidings for peace, joy, and love. Lord knows we need them right now. Source

· [Edited extracts from: The Star of Bethlehem: Can science explain what it really was? https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-star-of-bethlehem-can-science-explain-what-it-was/]

SO HOW DID DECEMBER BECOME THE MONTH TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS? A reasonable theory postulates that the Church chose December 25 for Christmas and comes from the influence of the Roman pagan festival of Saturnalia, a popular winter celebration of the god Saturn, one of Rome’s most celebrated holidays, Saturnalia (December 17-23) included feasting, gift-giving, and parties.

Around this time, the Romans celebrated the winter solstice, a period of the sun’s rebirth as the days began to lengthen. In 274AD, the Roman Emperor Aurelian established December 25 as the feast day of Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun), symbolising light conquering darkness.

Later church leaders likely saw the opportunity to purloin this holiday being already celebrated across the empire. Whilst local customs also existed, the Roman Empire universally observed this period. Christians used December 25 to point to Jesus, the true Light of the World (John 8:12). The idea was that by assigning Jesus’ birth to December 25, the church was able to support current culture and more easily have the pagans relinguish their festival and focus instead on worshipping Christ.

In 336AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine officially recognised December 25 as Christmas, making it part of the Christian liturgical calendar. The church in Rome began to observe Christmas on this day and the practice spread throughout the empire over the following decades. By the end of the 4^th century, most of the Western church had accepted December 25 as Christmas. Some Eastern churches, especially in Egypt and Syria, celebrate Jesus’ birth on January 6, which the West now calls Epiphany. This led to our modern December 25^th date for Christmas.

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Some Christians resisted celebrating Christmas on December 25 due to the ties to pagan traditions. They argue that because the Bible doesn’t specify December 25 as the day of Jeus’s birth, we should avoid observing a day with a non-Christian background. Additionally, as discussed, the biblical and historical evidence point to a spring to autumn month for Christ's birth rather than December. Romans 12:2 encourages us to, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world,” which these Christians interpret as a call to avoid traditions from pagan sources.”

Some Christians argue Christmas has become too secular and materialistic, focusing more on getting gifts, or making money in commerce, rather than the true message of Christ’s birth. Most media and decorations around Christmas are made intentionally secular to be more inclusive. Nothing can be more inclusive for all people than the Gospel and God’s son sent to save the world.

In this view, December 25 causes distraction from Chrst, often willfully. It might be better to celebrate his birth in a simpler, in a less commercialised way, even on a different day. At the same time, many Christians continue to support celebrating on December 25. The world may commercialise it, or dismiss God through it, but the cultural and common date for Christmas can open opportunities to have spiritual conversations.

During the modern Christmas season, people may become more willing to hear the biblical message and consider the mighty work of Christ. Just because the world celebrates in wrong ways doesn’t mean believers need to. Christians are free to celebrate the birth of Jesus how and when they wish.

Early Christian leaders saw the potential to redeem the date associated with pagan celebrations to point to Jesus. Missionaries have done so throughout Christian history, using local customs or stories to point to a higher truth, like Paul in Athens (Acts 17). While the modern Christmas has become secularised, Christians can still redeem the season in new and creative ways.

Ultimately, the New Testament expresses these historical works (the birth of Christ, the death and resurrection) as simultaneous eternal events. Celebrating on a specific day can also be legalistic, as there’s no power in observing a day. The Old Testament days and traditions like Sabbath, Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles were completely fulfilled in Christ.

Being born of the Spirit with Christ within us, we live in these traditions every moment. We can celebrate Easter or Christmas as a day, but they are also realities in which to live (God with us, the cross, the resurrection). Paul says in Romans 14:5-6, “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.” Neither side should judge or condemn another.

Ultimately, celebrating Christmas on December 25 provides us with an opportunity to join together in remembering Jesus’ birth, even if the Bible doesn’t give a specific month or date. The focus must also remain upon honouring the birth of Jesus as living life in accordance with His words and spreading his message to the world.

The revised chronology of Christ's Birth, given the above information, and the revised dates for events in Roman history, my own chronology places the first census under Quirinius in 16/15BC. People at that time in history, as is much the same today, preferred to pay their taxes later, rather than sooner. Also, communication was difficult and slow, thus after a census/taxation decree was issued by the government in Rome, it took many months for word of this to spread among the people, and then longer for the people to make the journey to their place of birth.

The Gospel of Luke indicates that the city of Bethlehem was crowded at the time of Christ's Birth, since there was no room for the Holy Family at the inn, and the only place left for the Christ-Child was in a manger (Luke 2:7). It is more likely that Bethlehem would have been so crowded in the second year of the taxation (the “collecting year”), when people would need to meet a deadline for paying their taxes. In this reasoning, 12BC is my preferred date as the year of Christ’s Birth. [For more information on Biblical chronology, see chapter 4 of this book.]

AND FOR ME, THE CLINCHER IS THIS: “The records dated 10BC and 12BC are both known to be of Comet Halley. The former is a so-called “ghost record” with a date error. However, the Chinese records give an excellent idea of the movement and brightness of Comet Halley in 12BC.

It is known from the extremely early sighting in the morning sky that Halley must have been unusually bright in 12BC and to have become visible to the naked eye without prior knowledge of its position.

BLESSINGS & PEACE

Austrian Peter

FINALLY – FOR FURTHER READING: “The Extremely Improbable, Exceedingly Unlikely, Exceptionally Amazing Birth Of Christ”

The Extremely Improbable, Exceedingly Unlikely, Exceptionally Amazing Birth Of Christ

COMING NEXT:

• BOOM's Weekly Global Review tomorrow on Tuesday, December 24, 2024

• Letter from Great Britian NEW YEAR EDITION – Saturday December 28, 2024

REFERENCES:

• Introduction to the theory

• The Evidence from Eclipse and Comet Sightings

• The Antedating of Tiberius' Reign

• Chronology of Herod the great

• The Fall of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Second Temple

• The Census of Quirinius and the Lapis Venetus

• Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary

• Sabbatical Years Began in the Spring

• The Martyrdoms of James the Less and Mark the Evangelist

• Faith and Reason in Biblical Scholarship

• Related Articles (submissions invited)

• Questions and Objections (objections invited)

• Links

  

  [Ed: I don’t use AI, but if a reader could try it and see if AI agrees - that would be great]