When Was Jesus Born?

I believe Dec, although probably not the 25th

 

Dr. Bob,
I have read all kinds of dates and explanations of those dates (dates ranging from early fall to spring).Who could be dogmatic about something like this without proper documented support.
This is certainly a can of worms. It will be interesting to follow and see what turns it takes.

 

POB, you really know how to evade a question!

I don't think anyone knows, but I've read that it seems spring was the most likely time since shepherds did not stay out with their sheep at night in the winter (according to what I read).

However, the site below gives a very interesting and detailed method for determining the birth of John the Baptist (based on his father being in the Temple and the yearly cycle of temple service) all based on the Bible. Then he goes to 6 mos. later and gets what he believes to be the time of Jesus' birth:

Not sure if it's right, but it seems very carefully thought out, using the Bible.

 

I believe this could very well be probably correct. Jesus died during Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There is prophetic significance to the Feasts of Israel as well as spiritual application.

 

Marcia:
The founder of the Christian Jew Foundation came up with a similar conclusion, but from a different perspective:
Premise 1: A Rabbi cannot start his ministry until attaining the age of 30 years.
Premise 2: The length of Jesus' ministry was 31/2 years. Half of a year, of course, is six months.
ASSUMING that He did not delay starting after His birthday, turning the calendar back six months from the time of the Passover you do indeed come to the time of the Feast of Tabernacles - God "Tabernacled" among man!

As far as absolutely proving a viewpoint right or wrong, no, that cannot be done. I do understand that there is a problem with the shepherds being out in the fields with the sheep at night during wintertime.

 

Dear Marcia,
I had to laugh at what you said. Avoiding the question was not exactly what I had in mind although It turned out that way. The fact still remains, there are several theories with no difinitive answer.To this day we have no verifiable, documentable,difinitive birthday of our Lord.
Thankyou for your great sense of humor. Also thankyou for the rest of your entry,it is interesting and it is a theory.

 

Now for a difinitive answer.
Question: When was Jesus Born?
Answer: On his birthday.

 

John A. Stormer, an author perhaps best known for his 1964 book "None Dare Call It Treason" (written prior to his salvation in 1965), has recently published a tract that claims that our Dec. 25 date for observing Christ's birth is probably a fairly accurate one.

His premise seems to be based on two major concepts:

1) The dating of the completion of Zacharias's [father of John the Baptist] priestly "course of Abia" ["Abijah" in the OT].

2) The time of the year in which the shepherds would most likely be with their flocks at night.

Although I don't recall reading anything before about how to establish the time of the year when the "Course of Abia" would have occurred, I do recall reading about when the shepherds would have been outside in the fields with their flocks at night.

All the reading I've come across regarding the shepherds seems to indicate that it would have been too cold at night for them to be outside with their flocks at night during our December time frame. Having spent some time in both the desert SW portion of the US and in an area only a few hundred miles from Israel (both courtesy of the US military), I can testify that it DOES get down right cold at night in those desert areas at that time of year.

However, Stormer states that the reason why the shepherds would have been with their flocks at that time of year was because that's when the ewes give birth to their little lambs. There would have been a need for the shepherds to have been with their flocks at night to help with the birthing of these lambs.

He also states that this would have been a perfect symbolism that the Lamb of God would be born during the same time that the animal lambs would be born.

Can't say that Stormer's right or wrong on his premises because I haven't studied the aspects that he points out, but he does make some interesting points.

Unfortunately LB Press doesn't seem to have a website so I guess that the only way for folks to obtain his tract ($0.35/ea) is via snail mail @ Box 32, Florissant, MO.

Any comments on his assertions?

 

The Bible seems to be silent on the specific date. That is interesting. Why didnt those that wrote the Scriptures include it? Why was it not recorded in the Early Church writings?

Was it because it was not meant to be celebrated?

 

In the fullness of time.

 

Oh, tell me, when was Jesus born, well, it was last button in the year,
Oh, tell me, when was Jesus born, well, it was last button in the year.

Well, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, outa November, the 25th of December, it was last button in the year.

Well, he was born by the virigin Mary, wrapped up in the swaddling, laid up in the manger, it was the 25th of December, it was last button in the year.

Well, there was a star in the east, and there was a star in the west, and you could hear the angels singing, well it was last button in the year.

 

The Lord was obviously born in Sept., six months after the passover. This can be ascertained in a number of ways, the most notable being the relation of His birth to John the Baptist. After John's father completed his priestly course of Abib, he returned to Elizebeth and conceived(Lu.1:23-24). That brings us to the last few days of June. Six months later Gabriel appeared to Mary(Lu.1:26). If anything, the Lord was conceived in Dec., not born in Dec. Dec. 25 is a pagan holiday which celibrates the false "christ child"-Kris Kringle. Tammuz is the supposed "virgin born" son that was conceived of samuramis(sp), the wife of Nimrod. Tammuz is supposed to be the reincarnation of Nimrod. Tammuz is the "sun god" that was worshipped by decorating the tree with silver and gold(Jer. 10:2-5). Note: I personally don't think there is anything wrong with celibrating the Lord's b-day on a certain day. I know who the True God and Eternal life is. I don't worship any other. I also know that Christmas is pagan, and has nothing to with Christ. However, I use this time to plant all the seeds I can to those who, to some degree, think of Christ as someone special.

 

Agree with the birth of Jesus in the 7th month of the Jewish calendar or Sept-Oct of our calendar.

What year was it? I say 8 B.C.

 

Dr. Bob

What leads you to this conclusion?

Not even the High Priest was told of His birth, Only lowly shepherds and men from the East.

 

In Yisrael a male is NOT even considered born
until they reach the 8th day, the day they are
circumcised. The years are split BC = before
Christ and AD = anno domioni (year of our Lord).
Here is how it came down, just as we were told:

December 25, 1BC - day 1
December 26, 1BC - day 2
December 27, 1BC - day 3
December 28, 1BC - day 4
December 29, 1BC - day 5
December 30, 1BC - day 6
December 31, 1BC - day 7
January 1, 1AD - day 8

 

When was He born?

Is not revealed--neither is the command to celebrate such.

Jesus said to remember His death not His birth.

Having Jesus' birth coincide with that of Tammuz and the feast of the Saturnalia by Divine fiat is highly unlikely.

Me thinks this be a doctrine commanded by man.

Sheep are not kept in the fields at night in the winter.

According to scripture the wise men were looking for a two year old--not a newborn. They were not at the stable at the birth--more likely on a long camel trip from the East. They found the young child in a house.

So what have we got: a tradition of men which coincides with the idol worship of the pagans. What concord has the temple of God with Belial?

Selah,

Bro. James

 

Christmas holiday should remind us not to hold too tightly to material things.

Material possessions can control and manipulate us; they become gods, or idols, over us. We must remember that this life is only temporary.

We are also on a pilgrimage to a Promised Land in eternity. We need to seek God’s kingdom, not earthly comfort.

Does Christmas make a mockery of Jesus' life?

 

agreed!