When Was Jesus Born?

In 440 A.D. the church officially declared December 25 as the birth date of Christ. The reasoning for selecting this date has less to do with scholarly or religious evidence and more to do with a pagan feast that was celebrated on this date by the masses of people from whom the church was looking to gather a following.

This pagan feast was called Saturnalia and was a tradition from Babylonian priests to Roman pagans. December 25 was celebrated as the birthday of the sun god, which was observed near the winter solstice. Church leaders and apostles in the Bible picked this day as the official day when Christ was born in the hopes that more pagans would become interested in and convert to Christianity.

The Birth of Jesus

Despite the widespread celebration on December 25, Bible passages suggest Jesus was born at a different time of year. It is unlikely that Jesus was born in the winter month of December. Passages in the Bible, writings of the Apostles and other recorded histories indicate that it is more likely that Jesus was born sometime in either September or October.

Jesus in Bethlehem

It is widely believed that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which today is called Palestine (although it used to be called Judea). Bethlehem is approximately six miles (10Km) south of Jerusalem.

December is a very cold month in Palestine, the place where Jesus is said to have been born. This cold weather would have made it unlikely that it would have been the time when Jesus was born. Luke 2:8-12 suggests that the shepherds were in the fields at this time of Jesus' birth, which would mean that the time of year would most likely be spring or fall, as this is the time of year that the shepherds were in the fields.

Jesus' Death

Religious scholars and historians do know that Jesus lived for 33 1/2 years and that he died at the feast of Passover, which is around Easter time. This evidence also suggests that a more accurate birthday for Jesus would have been sometime in the month of September or October.

Historical Writings

Early writings present even more evidence that December 25 is not the true birth date of Jesus. The writer Iranaeus writes that Jesus was born in the forty-first year of the rule of Augustus. Augustus' reign began in the fall of 43 B.C., which strengthens the suggestion that Jesus was born in 2 B.C. in September or October. Another man, often regarded as the "Father of Church History," Eusebius (A.D. 264-340), writes that the birth of Jesus occurred during the 42nd year of Augustus' reign and twenty eight years after the death of Anthony and Cleopatra. Again, this suggests that Jesus would have been born in the fall and not in December.

Jesus and John the Baptist

Finally, it is widely accepted that Jesus was born around the same time as John the Baptist. Assuming that John the Baptist was not born premature, his birth would have taken place some time around the beginning of April, 2 B.C. Evidence suggests that Mary conceived Jesus in late December, so it would follow that Jesus would have been born about 9 months later, or sometime in September.

Conclusion

So when was Jesus Born? Perhaps no one will ever know the exact date of his birth. There is much debate amoung historians and religious scholars about the date of Jesus' birth. Neither historians nor religious scholars have found any text or document in which the exact birth date of Jesus has been recorded.