When was Jesus really born?
Was Jesus really born on December 25 the day we celebrate as Christmas?
When we study the scriptures we find that God is very orderly and does things in a similar manner, such as making the things that happened to Jesus coincide with the Jewish feasts days. The very first Jewish holiday was Shabbot HaGadol (Palm Sunday) when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on the tenth of Nissan. The Jewish law was to “take a lamb into your home on the tenth of Nissan”, Jesus came into their home on the tenth of Nissan, as the Lamb of God. “Kill the lamb on the fourteenth of Nissan” (Passover), the Lamb of God was killed on the fourteenth of Nissan (Passover). He became the Bread of Life (the feast of unleavened bread) on the fifteenth of Nissan (a High Holy sabbath) and was resurrected on the feast of Firstfruits (on the seventeenth of Nissan). So, what does this have to do with when he was born? Read on.
Was Jesus’ birthday celebrated by the early Fathers?
None of the early Christian Fathers mentioned Christ’s Birthday. The earliest mention of December 25 as Jesus’ birthday comes from a mid-fourth-century Roman almanac that lists the death dates of various Christian bishops and martyrs. The first date listed, December 25, is marked: natus Christus in Bethlehem Judeae: “Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea.” Pope Julius I declared Dec. 25 as the official day of His birth. Then 14 years earlier 336 AD Constantine celebrated it on Dec. 25. The most loudly touted theory about the origins of the Christmas date(s) is that it was borrowed from pagan celebrations. The Romans had their mid-winter Saturnalia festival in late December; barbarian peoples of northern and western Europe kept holidays at similar times. To top it off, in (274 C.E. as opposed to A.D.), the Roman emperor Aurelian established a feast of the birth of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun), on December 25. Christmas, the argument goes, is really a spin-off from these pagan solar festivals. According to this theory, early Christians deliberately chose these dates to encourage the spread of Christmas and Christianity throughout the Roman world: If Christmas looked like a pagan holiday, more pagans would be open to both the holiday and the God whose birth it celebrated.
Lets start this investigation as biblical detectives and study all the clues from the Word of God and see where they lead.
. The "lambing season" is directly relevant, like all mammals reproduction, to the time of mating.This only occurs naturally in the sheep world with the declining day light in the autumn.The reason being that, in the evolutionary world, the offspring would appear in the spring when the grass starts to grow in order to feed the mother ewe so milk production is maximized. According to Penn State and other authorities sheep give birth in the Spring.
· Luke 2:8 This verse states that there were shepherds in the fields watching over their flocks by night. First of all, shepherds only watch over their flocks at night in the spring for this is when sheep bear their young and they want to watch for the young being born. This is the only time of the year that sheep bear their young around March/April the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month in the Jewish calendar. God knew they were watching for the birth of the lambs so He sent them to see the birth of the Lamb of God.
· Exo 12:3 (Palm Sunday) States that the Passover lamb must be one year old. This means Jesus was one year old at the time of Passover, so He must have been born the year before. For He was the Passover Lamb.
By this we see that Jesus was born during Passover and died at Passover. The central events of Jesus' life take place on Hebrew Holy days.
· Although the New Testament does not tell us where in Bethlehem that Jesus was born, the Old Testament does. Micah 4:8 States, "And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." Thus the Old Testament clearly states that the Messiah would be born at the "tower of the flock (Hebrew:Migdal Eder a watch tower of the flock). A passage in the Mishnah (Rabbinic Interpretation of Scripture called the "Oral Torah"[Click here for the quote] When was Jesus really born? leads to the conclusion, that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices, and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. This Watchtower was where they house the sacrificial lambs about to give birth. It wasn't a normal dirty smelly stable as you would think, but it was a very clean place. It was kept spotless for sacrificial lambs. He was born in Bethlehem the very place that the Rabbi’s kept the sacrificial lambs for the Temple sacrifice. Our sacrificial Lamb was fulfilling Hebraic laws. Also, in Micah 5:2-5 "But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.
· Exo 12:3 States that the Passover lamb must be one year old. This means Jesus was one year old at the time of Passover, so He must have been born the year before. For He was the Passover Lamb.
· The Holy days of Israel. The central events of Jesus while on this earth all took place on Hebrew Holy days. Palm Sunday is the first Hebrew holiday given to Israel. Exo 12:3 Says to take the lamb to your house on the tenth of Nisan and keep it for four days until the 14th (Passover) when the lamb is sacrificed. When the people are taking the lamb to their house, God is taking His Lamb to His house. Also He dies on Passover, He is raised on the Feast of Firstfruit when the first fruit is offered up to God. Pentecost is a Hebrew holy day also, it is called the Feast of Weeks. So since He died on Passover. . . when was He born?
· The Magi. They were priests and astrologers and studied the heavenly bodies. Isa 60 prophesies of the Magi. It says arise and shine for the glory of the Lord has come upon you. Then it says that nations will come, kings will come, then it says that herds of camels will come bearing gold and frankincense and praising the Lord! In Mat 2:1-2 it says that magi came from the east saying where is the King of the Jews for we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him. Now when they came, Herod told them to let him know where the child is so he may worship him (He didn’t want to worship Him he wanted to kill Him). Herod died in 4 BC so Jesus had to be born BC not zero year. Now when the Magi came to Jesus they didn’t come to the manger for it was two years later. It says that they came to the house where He was staying. So, we know that Jesus was born between 4-6 BC.
· How did they know that Jesus was the king of the Jews? Well we know they came from Persia and Daniel was placed over the wise men Daniel 2:48. So Daniel was the one that gave them the countdown as to when Jesus would come. But, how did they know by looking at a star He would be King of the Jews? Around 6 BC we know that Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mars converged to make a bright light in the sky. One star, Jupiter, was linked to the King. Jupiter is known as the king planet. Yes, but, how did they know it was Jews. Well, there was an ancient Astronomer named Ptotleme who said, “The land of Judea and its surrounding region was linked to the Constellation Aries the Ram. So when it also linked Jupiter with Aries they know something great was happening in Judea. Astronomers say that this conjunction of planets only happens once every 6000 years. So, when did this convergence happen? It happened in 6 BC in the spring.
· Here’s another clue. Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia. This was the father of the coming baby named John the Baptist. If we can nail down the date he is ministering then we know that Jesus was conceived six months later. 1 Chronicles 24 it shows the 24 courses of the Priests which served twice a year making 48 services. Abijah was the eighth serving for one week. The only thing is we don’t know when it started, was it the first service or the second . . . that is until we discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. One of the scrolls had a calendar showing the date when each was fulfilled. Now there was also a writing in the Talmud (the writings of the Rabbis) which says that when the temple was destroyed on Sunday 70 A.D. it lists which priest was on duty. Now if you look backwards from the destruction of the Temple or look forward from the Dead Sea scrolls you see the time matches! His course started on the second term six months from the start Nissan 1. When you do the math you see that the time of Jesus' birth was the Month of Nisan on the first day of the month (March 20, 6 B.C.)! The first month of the year and the month of new beginnings!
· Now let’s go to the Vatican vaults and we find a writing by an early church father named Hippolitus. They say that it was he who fixed the date to December 25, but, if you dig further you find a censored writing showing that he crossed that out and said “No, He was born Nisan 1.
· Lastly, what is the type and shadow of the birth of Christ in the old Testament? It is the Tabernacle, because it is God with us! In John 1 it states that the Word became flesh and tabernacle with us John 1:14 MKJV. The word in Greek refers to the tabernacle in Israel and it was a symbol of God in the flesh. Now when was the Tabernacle set up? It was set up when Moses came from Sinai with the laws. How long does it take for a baby to gestate? Nine months. How long did it take to complete the Tabernacle? Nine months! God instructed Moses that the sanctuary was to be set up on the first day of the first month of the 2nd year after leaving Egypt (Exodus 40:2, 17). Doing a little bit of math we can conclude that the building of the sanctuary took nine months – the command to build it was given in the third month and the erection was in the first month of the 2nd year, therefore 12 – 3 = 9. God continuing to repeat Himself. Again, Nisan 1 the day when everything becomes new, old things are passed away and behold all things become new!
Also, God keeps his heavenly pattern this way: According to the Talmud, the three Patriarchs of the Jewish people-- Abraham (1813-1638 BCE), Isaac (1713-1533 BCE) and Jacob (1653-1506 BCE)--all were born and passed away in the month of Nissan.
When Jesus came the first time everything had to be perfectly in place. Joseph had to be in the royal line of David and Mary had to be in the bloodline of David, they had to meet and fall in love . . . everything in place! The same will happen when He comes for His bride the Church!!
Rabbi Johnathan Cahn has a great teaching on this subject and this is where I got a lot of my information. If you want to watch it you can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptlsXtTf6n0.
Remember: All this is speculative, for there are diverse views. This information is not meant to make people change their living habits, it is only showing research that has been done.
The Bible says: "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." (Romans 14:5 NIV).
"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day." (Colossians 2:16 NIV).
· Exo 12:3 States that the Passover lamb must be one year old. This means Jesus was one year old at the time of Passover, so He must have been born the year before. For He was the Passover Lamb.
· The Holy days of Israel. The central events of Jesus while on this earth all took place on Hebrew Holy days. Palm Sunday is the first Hebrew holiday given to Israel. Exo 12:3 Says to take the lamb to your house on the tenth of Nisan and keep it for four days until the 14th (Passover) when the lamb is sacrificed. When the people are taking the lamb to their house, God is taking His Lamb to His house. Also He dies on Passover, He is raised on the Feast of Firstfruit when the first fruit is offered up to God. Pentecost is a Hebrew holy day also, it is called the Feast of Weeks. So since He died on Passover. . . when was He born?
· The Magi. They were priests and astrologers and studied the heavenly bodies. Isa 60 prophesies of the Magi. It says arise and shine for the glory of the Lord has come upon you. Then it says that nations will come, kings will come, then it says that herds of camels will come bearing gold and frankincense and praising the Lord! In Mat 2:1-2 it says that magi came from the east saying where is the King of the Jews for we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him. Now when they came, Herod told them to let him know where the child is so he may worship him (He didn’t want to worship Him he wanted to kill Him). Herod died in 4 BC so Jesus had to be born BC not zero year. Now when the Magi came to Jesus they didn’t come to the manger for it was two years later. It says that they came to the house where He was staying. So, we know that Jesus was born between 4-6 BC.
· How did they know that Jesus was the king of the Jews? Well we know they came from Persia and Daniel was placed over the wise men Daniel 2:48. So Daniel was the one that gave them the countdown as to when Jesus would come. But, how did they know by looking at a star He would be King of the Jews? Around 6 BC we know that Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mars converged to make a bright light in the sky. One star, Jupiter, was linked to the King. Jupiter is known as the king planet. Yes, but, how did they know it was Jews. Well, there was an ancient Astronomer named Ptotleme who said, “The land of Judea and its surrounding region was linked to the Constellation Aries the Ram. So when it also linked Jupiter with Aries they know something great was happening in Judea. Astronomers say that this conjunction of planets only happens once every 6000 years. So, when did this convergence happen? It happened in 6 BC in the spring.
· Here’s another clue. Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia. This was the father of the coming baby named John the Baptist. If we can nail down the date he is ministering then we know that Jesus was conceived six months later. 1 Chronicles 24 it shows the 24 courses of the Priests which served twice a year making 48 services. Abijah was the eighth serving for one week. The only thing is we don’t know when it started, was it the first service or the second . . . that is until we discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. One of the scrolls had a calendar showing the date when each was fulfilled. Now there was also a writing in the Talmud (the writings of the Rabbis) which says that when the temple was destroyed on Sunday 70 A.D. it lists which priest was on duty. Now if you look backwards from the destruction of the Temple or look forward from the Dead Sea scrolls you see the time matches! His course started on the second term six months from the start Nissan 1. When you do the math you see that the time of Jesus' birth was the Month of Nisan on the first day of the month (March 20, 6 B.C.)! The first month of the year and the month of new beginnings!
· Now let’s go to the Vatican vaults and we find a writing by an early church father named Hippolitus. They say that it was he who fixed the date to December 25, but, if you dig further you find a censored writing showing that he crossed that out and said “No, He was born Nisan 1.
· Lastly, what is the type and shadow of the birth of Christ in the old Testament? It is the Tabernacle, because it is God with us! In John 1 it states that the Word became flesh and tabernacle with us John 1:14 MKJV. The word in Greek refers to the tabernacle in Israel and it was a symbol of God in the flesh. Now when was the Tabernacle set up? It was set up when Moses came from Sinai with the laws. How long does it take for a baby to gestate? Nine months. How long did it take to complete the Tabernacle? Nine months! God instructed Moses that the sanctuary was to be set up on the first day of the first month of the 2nd year after leaving Egypt (Exodus 40:2, 17). Doing a little bit of math we can conclude that the building of the sanctuary took nine months – the command to build it was given in the third month and the erection was in the first month of the 2nd year, therefore 12 – 3 = 9. God continuing to repeat Himself. Again, Nisan 1 the day when everything becomes new, old things are passed away and behold all things become new!
Also, God keeps his heavenly pattern this way: According to the Talmud, the three Patriarchs of the Jewish people-- Abraham (1813-1638 BCE), Isaac (1713-1533 BCE) and Jacob (1653-1506 BCE)--all were born and passed away in the month of Nissan.
When Jesus came the first time everything had to be perfectly in place. Joseph had to be in the royal line of David and Mary had to be in the bloodline of David, they had to meet and fall in love . . . everything in place! The same will happen when He comes for His bride the Church!!
Rabbi Johnathan Cahn has a great teaching on this subject and this is where I got a lot of my information. If you want to watch it you can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptlsXtTf6n0.
Remember: All this is speculative, for there are diverse views. This information is not meant to make people change their living habits, it is only showing research that has been done.
The Bible says: "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." (Romans 14:5 NIV).
"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day." (Colossians 2:16 NIV).