Date of Birth of Jesus

It might seem obvious that Jesus was born in the year 1 (of the Christian era, AD, Anno Domini). However, the Christian calendar was only developed around 500 years later, and it took another 500 years before it was generally accepted. As it happens, the Monk (named Dionysius Exiguus) who developed the concept, was apparently off in his calculations by around 4 years, as to exactly when Jesus was born. This results in the fact that Jesus was apparently born in around 4 BC, an odd statement!

The actual calendar that was used during Jesus' life was the Roman calendar. His family would have described His birth to have occurred in (probably) 750 AUC.

Historically, it is known that Herod the Great died in 4 BC, and the Gospels mention him, so Jesus was born prior to his death.

Luke gives the age of Jesus at His Baptism as "about thirty years" (Luke 3:23). This would put the time of the Baptism as being about 26 AD. Historical records show that Herod the Great had begun the reconstruction of the Temple in 20 BC, so the "forty and six years" mentioned by the Jews at the first Passover during Jesus' public Ministry (John2:13-22) brings us to about 26 or 27 AD for that first Passover. This again suggests that Jesus was probably born around 4 BC.

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Scientifically, astronomers have determined that a very rare series of "conjunctions" of the brightest planets (among the brightest things in the night sky) occurred during 4 BC. Some suggest that this might be an explanation for the "star in the East". The logic behind this seems weak, partly because travelers from the East would have had to see something in the WESTERN sky to be drawn toward the West and Bethlehem. If they saw any bright object in the eastern sky, it seems that they would have gone toward India!

Date of Birth of Jesus

The Date Of The Nativity Of Our Lord

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So much, that is generally accessible, has of late been written on this subject, and such accord exists on the general question, that only the briefest statement seems requisite in this place, the space at our command being necessarily reserved for subjects which have either not been treated of by previous writers, or in a manner or form that seemed to make a fresh investigation desirable.

At the outset it must be admitted, that absolute certainty is impossible as to the exact date of Christ's Nativity, the precise year even, and still more the month and the day. But in regard to the year, we possess such data as to invest it with such probability, as almost to amount to certainty.

1. The first and most certain date is that of the death of Herod the Great. Our Lord was born before the death of Herod, and, as we judge from the Gospel - history, very shortly before that event. Now the year of Herod's death has been ascertained with, we may say, absolute certainty, as shortly before the Passover of the year 750 A U C, which corresponds to about the 12th of April of the year 4 before Christ, according to our common reckoning. More particularly, shortly before the death of Herod there was a lunar eclipse (Jos. Ant. xvii. 6. 4), which, it is astronomically ascertained, occurred on the night from the 12th to the 13th of March of the year 4 before Christ. Thus the death of Herod must have taken place between the 12th of March and the 12th of April, or, say, about the end of March (comp. Ant. xvii. 8. 1).

Again, the Gospel - history necessitates an interval of, at the least, seven or eight weeks before that date for the birth of Christ (we have to insert the purification of the Virgin, at the earliest, six weeks after the Birth, The Visit of the Magi, and the murder of the children at Bethlehem, and, at any rate, some days more before the death of Herod). Thus the Birth of Christ could not have possibly occurred after the beginning of February 4 BC, and most likely several weeks earlier.

This brings us close to the ecclesiastical date, the 25th of December, in confirmation of which we refer to what has been stated in vol. i. p. 187, see especially note 3. At any rate, the often repeated, but very superficial objection, as to the impossibility of shepherds tending flocks in the open at that season, must now be dismissed as utterly untenable, not only for the reasons stated in vol. i. p. 187, but even for this, that if the question is to be decided on the ground of rain - fall, the probabilities are in favour of December as compared with February, later than which it is impossible to place the birth of Christ.

2. No certain inference can, of course, be drawn from the appearance of 'the star' that guided the Magi. That, and on what grounds, our investigations have pointed to a confirmation of the date of the Nativity, as given above, has been fully explained in vol. i. ch. vi... (see specially p. 213).

3. On the taxing of Quirinius, see vol. i. pp. 181, 182.

4. The next historical datum furnished by the Gospels is that of the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry, which, according to Luke, was in the fifteenth year of Tiberius, and when Jesus was 'about thirty years old' (Luke 3:23). The accord of this with our reckoning of the date of the Nativity has been shown in vol. i. p. 264.

5. A similar conclusion would be reached by following the somewhat vague and general indication furnished in John 2:20.

6. Lastly, we reach the same goal if we follow the historically somewhat uncertain guidance of the date of the Birth of the Baptist, as furnished in this notice (Luke 1:5) of his annunication to his father, that Zacharias officiated in the Temple as on of 'the course of Abia' (see here vol. i. p. 135). In Taan. 29 a we have the notice, with which that of Josephus agrees (War vi. 4, 1, 5), that at the time of the destruction of the Temple 'the course of Jehoiarib,' which was the first of the priestly courses, was on duty.

That was on the 9 - 10 Ab of the year 823 A U C, or the 5th August of the year 70 of our era. If this calculation be correct (of which, however, we cannot feel quite sure), then counting 'the courses' of priests backwards, the course of Abia would, in the year 748 A U C (the year before the birth of Christ) have been on duty from the 2nd to the 9th of October. This also would place the birth of Christ in the end of December of the following year (749), taking the expression 'sixth month' in St. Luke 1:26, 36, in the sense of the running month (from the 5th to the 6th month, comp. Luke 1:24). But we repeat that absolute reliance cannot be placed on such calculations, at least sofar as regards month and day. (Comp. here generally Wieseler, Synopse, and his Beitrage.)

Nativ'ity of Christ

The birth of our Lord took place at the time and place predicted by the prophets (Gen. 49:10; Isa. 7:14; Jer. 31:15; Micah 5:2; Hag. 2: 6-9; Dan. 9:24, 25). Joseph and Mary were providentially led to go up to Bethlehem at this period, and there Christ was born (Matt. 2:1, 6; Luke 2:1, 7). The exact year or month or day of his birth cannot, however, now be exactly ascertained. We know, however, that it took place in the "fulness of the time" (Gal. 4:4), i.e., at the fittest time in the world's history. Chronologists are now generally agreed that the year 4 before the Christian era was the year of Christ's nativity, and consequently that he was about four years old in the year 1 A.D.

(Easton Illustrated Dictionary)

Actual Scientific Data Regarding the First Full
Moon after the Vernal Equinox (U.S. Naval Observatory)

The first table below gives the Julian calendar dates and Greenwich times of the astronomical vernal equinox for the years 25 BCE to 38 CE inclusive. (Israel Local Time is two hours later than Grennwich Mean Time). The second table gives, for these years, the Julian calendar dates and Greenwich times of the astronomical Full Moons which occurred on or after the date of the equinox, and the dates and times of the astronomical New Moons on or preceding, and after, the date of the equinox. The days of the week are given for the equinoxes and the Full Moons, from which the days of the week may readily be found for the New Moons.

The times given in the tables are accurate to within two or three hours for 25 to 5 BCE, and one or two hours for 4 BCE to 38 CE.

* Midnight at the beginning of March 23.

FULL MOON				NEW MOON
On or next after date of equinox				On or preceding date of equinox		Following equinox
Julian Calendar		Greenwich		Julian Cal.	Greenwich	Julian Cal.	Greenwich
Year	Date	Time	Week Day	Date	Time	Date	Time
25 BCE	April 3	4 a.m.	Thu.	March 19	Noon	April 18	4 a.m.
24	March 23	9 p.m.	Mon.	March 8	2 p.m.	April 7	5 a.m.
23	April 11	9 p.m.	Sun.	Feb. 25	8 p.m.	March 27	9 a.m.
22	April 1	6 a.m.	Fri.	March 16	7 p.m.	April 15	6 a.m.
21	April 19	1 a.m.	Thu.	March 5	11 a.m.	April 3	7 p.m.
20	April 8	3 a.m.	Mon.	Feb. 23	4 a.m.	March 24	1 p.m.
19	March 28	5 a.m.	Fri.	March 14	4 a.m.	April 12	1 p.m.
18	April 16	0*	Thu.	March 3	Noon	April 2	2 a.m.
17	April 4	Noon	Mon.	March 21	8 a.m.	April 19	9 p.m.
16	March 25	4 a.m.	Sat.	March 10	8 a.m.	April 9	0*
15	April 13	5 a.m.	Fri.	Feb. 27	10 a.m.	March 29	1 a.m.
14	April 2	7 p.m.	Tue.	March 18	6 a.m.	April 16	7 p.m.
13	April 20	5 p.m.	Mon.	March 6	6 p.m.	April 5	4 a.m.
12	April 9	9 p.m.	Fri.	Feb. 24	11 a.m.	March 25	7 p.m.
11	March 29	10 p.m.	Tue.	March 15	Noon	April 13	8 p.m.
10	April 17	4 p.m.	Mon.	March 5	2 a.m.	April 3	Noon
9	April 5	10 p.m.	Fri.	March 22	11 p.m.	April 21	11 a.m.
8	March 26	11 a.m.	Wed.	March 12	3 a.m.	April 10	6 p.m.
7	April 14	Noon	Tue.	March 1	3 a.m.	March 30	7 p.m.
6	April 4	5 a.m.	Sun.	March 19	9 p.m.	April 18	Noon
5	March 23	6 p.m.	Thu.	March 8	5 a.m.	April 6	5 p.m.
4	April 11	3 p.m.	Wed.	Feb. 25	6 p.m.	March 27	4 a.m.
3	March 31	6 p.m.	Sun.	March 16	7 p.m.	April 15	4 a.m.
2	April 19	10 a.m.	Sat.	March 6	Noon	April 4	9 p.m.
1 BCE	April 7	Noon	Wed.	Feb. 24	0*	March 24	Noon
1 CE	March 27	9 p.m.	Sun.	March 13	8 p.m.	April 12	9 a.m.
2	April 15	7 p.m.	Sat.	March 2	10 p.m.	April 1	2 p.m.
3	April 5	Noon	Thu.	March 21	3 p.m.	April 20	7 a.m.
4	March 25	5 a.m.	Tue.	March 9	6 p.m.	April 8	9 a.m.
5	April 13	3 a.m.	Mon.	Feb. 27	3 a.m.	March 28	2 p.m.
6	April 2	11 a.m.	Fri.	March 18	3 a.m.	April 16	Noon
7	April 21	5 a.m.	Thu. (1)	March 7	8 p.m.	April 6	4 a.m.
8	April 9	6 a.m.	Mon.	Feb. 25	Noon	March 25	9 p.m.
9	March 29	9 a.m.	Fri.	March 15	10 a.m.	April 13	9 p.m.
10	April 17	6 a.m.	Thu.	March 4	4 p.m.	April 3	6 a.m.
11	April 6	7 p.m.	Mon.	March 23	10 a.m.	April 22	1 a.m.
12	March 26	Noon	Sat.	March 11	11 a.m.	April 10	3 a.m.
13	April 14	Noon	Fri.	Feb. 28	3 p.m.	March 30	5 a.m.
14	April 4	2 a.m.	Wed.	March 19	Noon	April 18	0*
15	March 24	7 a.m.	Sun.	March 9	2 a.m.	April 7	11 a.m.
16	April 11	0*	Sat.	Feb. 26	8 p.m.	March 27	4 a.m.
17	March 31	1 a.m.	Wed.	March 16	8 p.m.	April 15	4 a.m.
18	April 18	7 p.m.	Mon.	March 6	7 a.m.	April 4	7 p.m.
19	April 8	4 a.m.	Sat.	Feb. 23	Noon	March 25	3 a.m.
20	March 27	7 p.m.	Wed.	March 13	5 a.m.	April 11	9 p.m.
21	April 15	8 p.m.	Tue.	March 2	6 a.m.	March 31	10 p.m.
22	April 5	Noon	Sun.	March 21	1 a.m.	April 19	3 p.m.
23	March 25	11 p.m.	Thu.	March 10	11 a.m.	April 8	10 p.m.
24	April 12	6 p.m.	Wed.	Feb. 28	2 a.m.	March 28	11 a.m.
25	April 1	7 p.m.	Sun.	March 18	4 a.m.	April 16	Noon
26	April 20	Noon	Sat. (2)	March 7	7 p.m.	April 6	5 a.m.
27	April 9	4 p.m.	Wed.	Feb. 25	4 a.m.	March 26	5 p.m.
28	March 29	3 a.m.	Mon.	March 15	0*	April 13	2 p.m.
29	April 17	3 a.m.	Sun.	March 4	0*	April 2	5 p.m.
30	April 6	8 p.m.	Thu.	March 22	6 p.m.	April 21	9 a.m.
31	March 27	11 a.m.	Tue.	March 11	11 p.m.	April 10	Noon
32	April 14	9 a.m.	Mon.	Feb. 29	10 a.m.	March 29	8 p.m.
33	April 3	3 p.m.	Fri.	March 19	10 a.m.	April 17	7 p.m.
34	March 23	3 p.m.	Tue.	March 9	4 a.m.	April 7	Noon
35	April 11	8 a.m.	Mon.	Feb. 26	6 p.m.	March 28	4 a.m.
36	March 30	2 p.m.	Fri.	March 16	3 p.m.	April 15	3 a.m.
37	April 18	Noon	Thu.	March 5	7 p.m.	April 4	10 a.m.
38 CE	April 8	3 a.m.	Tue.	Feb. 22	7 p.m.	March 24	Noon

(1) Preceding Full Moon, March 22, 1 p.m.

(2) Preceding Full Moon, March 21, 9 p.m.

* Midnight at the beginning of the given date.

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