As Christmas approaches, we turn our attention to the Birth of Christ.  But when did this actually happen.   It wasn’t on December 25^th.  In fact, it wasn’t even in December!  By the end of this study, you’ll know when Jesus was born and have all the facts needed to support the correct date.

As many know, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  King David was also born there – this isn’t a coincidence.  Nothing in the Bible is a coincidence – remember that as we go through this study. 

We read in Luke 2 verse 41 – every year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover.  Mary and Joseph were likely very committed to their faith, which is why God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, but also to teach Jesus about their faith and culture.

And if they were so committed to their faith as to attend Passover feast every year, they likely also attended other feasts in Jerusalem.  But Bethlehem, why did they stop there?  We’ll get to that in a bit.

Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, which is up in the northern part of Israel – a long walk to Jerusalem.  Nearly 90 miles of walking – which would take a few days.  This further supports their commitment to their faith.

It is common knowledge that flocks in that region are kept out in the fields overnight from about April to October. From November to March is the cold, rainy season in Israel, the flocks were kept inside. Snow is not unusual in the Bethlehem region during their winter, but even without snow, the nights are quite cold – much too cold for shepherds to be living outdoors.  This suggests that the shepherds wouldn’t have been outside in the winter overnight.

Another point of consideration is that the Roman government would be unlikely to irritate the population by requiring the people to travel to register for the census (or taxes) during the difficult, even treacherous winter weather.  The more pacified the population, the less likely a revolt.  Romans knew this well.

All of this means it’s unlikely that Jesus was born in the winter – or December.

So when was he born?

We’ll start by working our way backwards.  And I’m going to begin with a reading from the Talmud.  Our Rabbis taught “during the last fourty years, before the destruction of the temple, the Lot for the lord did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson colored strap become white; nor did the western light shine; and the doors of the temple would open by themselves.”

Let me explain more about what this means.

Each year, on the day of atonement, a lot was cast to determine which goat would be the scape goat and which would be slaughtered in sacrifice.  Some years, the lot was in the right hand.  Some years it was in the left.  The then designated scape goat then had a crimson cloth tied to it, representing the sins of israel.  The custom was to cut a portion of the cloth and tie it to the temple doors.  The strap then turned white to signify the successful atonement of Israel.

Inside the temple is a lamp called the Ner Ma’aravi – it’s the westernmost light of the Menorah in the Holy Place.  The light was to always be lit throughout the night, then used to light the other lamps of the menorah.  Beginning after 30 AD, the lamp would go out each night.  More oil was put in – people checked the oil more frequently, but it still went out.

Lastly, the temple doors began opening on their own each night.  It was declaried this as a sign of impending doom that foreshadowed the destruction of the temple – which of course was destroyed in 70 AD.

This is recorded in history.  As fact in the Talmud

So, we have the temple as destroyed in 70 AD – But for the 40 years preceding this, we have these temple events recorded by the Rabbi and Priests.  Events that have, quite literally, more than a 1 in a trillion chance of happening.

This takes us back to 30 AD.  The date of the Crucifixion, which we know is Passover.  Jesus dies, and fulfills the role of the temple, after which – the temple doesn’t work like it used to – and the rabbi write about it, unsure of what it means because they completely missed the meaning of Jesus and when he did during his time on Earth.

Some people claim the Crucifixion is 33 AD, but it doesn’t align with historical facts.  The temple was destroyed in 70 – this is historical fact, 40 years of temple events happened and were written about, which puts us right on Passover, 30 AD.  So now we know the end point for the life of Jesus.

But can we know the beginning?  Let’s work our way from the other side, forward.

King Herod is believed to have died in April in 3 or 4 BC.   The Works of Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 17, Chapter 6, Paragraph 4  highlights this as the timeframe, noted by a lunar eclipse just before Herods death.  Keeping the centrality of Israel in these stories, there was a visible total eclipse on March 23 and on September 15 in 5 BC, then another on March 12, 4 BC.  The most probable eclipse was the one that occurred on March 12, 4 BC. 

If Herod died just after the eclipse that happened in March of 4 BC, then Jesus would have been born before this.

Another point of note, is that Herod had a son named Antipater, who attempted to take over rulership.  In 5 BC Antipater was brought before Publius Quinctilius Varus, then Roman governor of Syria, charged with the intended murder of his father Herod. Antipater was found guilty by Varus; however, due to Antipater’s high rank, it was necessary for Caesar Augustus to approve of the recommended sentence of death. After the guilty verdict, Antipater’s position as exclusive successor was removed and granted to Herod. Once the sentence had approval from Augustus in 4 BC, Antipater was then executed.

Antipaters trial was in very late 5 BC, most likely December – and Josephus writes that he was found guilty and ordered to be killed.  Josephus also writes that he was killed 5 days before the death of his father, Herod – in March of 4 BC.   We know Herod must have died after he gave the order to kill all the infants.

Macrobius, one of the last pagan writers in Rome, wrote around the year 400 in his book “saturnalia”, the following:  “When it was heard that, as part of the slaughter of the boys up to two years old, Herod, king of the jews, had ordered his son to be killed, the emperor remarked, ‘it is better to be herod’s pig than his own son.’”

Here we have a connection to Herod ordering all boys under two years old to be killed, and the sentencing of his own son – of which, the Emperor knew of both – happened in mid to late December 5 BC.  We know that Herod chose to kill all boys under the age of 2 because he didn’t know when Jesus was born.

Three months before the sentencing of Antipater in December was the Feast of Tabernacles. 

Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Sukkot, or Feast of Booths, is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, when Israelites were required to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem.  During Sukkot, Jews constructed and decorated a temporary shelter called a sukka.

In Genesis 33 17 where Jacob built booths (or tabernacles; the Hebrew is sukkot being the plural form of sukkah) for his livestock, showing us that the Hebrew word sukkah (again, plural for sukkot) can also mean “livestock barn or manger”

This is a connection between the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, and the manger.  Jesus was born in a manger.  Could it be he was born in one of these temporary structures?

The Greek word for sukkah in Gen 33 17 is skenas meaning “habitation, dwelling or tabernacle” and is the same word used in John 1 verse 14 and Rev 21 verses 1 to 3 in reference to Jesus tabernacling with his people.  In this way, Jesus was born in a Sukkot, and into a Sukkot – where jesus, being in physical form, is a Sukkot of itself.  The physical body he was in was the habitation place for him to tabernacle among us during his time on earth. 

So if Jesus was born in 5 BC, on the first day of Sukkot, why were Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem instead of Jerusalem?

Because Ceaser ordered the census and taxes, be taken during the feast to not stir up the population.  Everyone was headed to Jerusalem already, it’s just easier.

When Mary and Joseph arrive, she’s showing signs of labor – they ask if there is any room anywhere.  Of course there is no room, because it’s both a feast week and the census.

So they journey out of Jerusalem, farther south to the next town – Bethlehem.  Just 5 miles more.

The “booths” or “mangers” are setup for the feast and Joseph and Mary find a place they can stay.

This means the birth date of Jesus is the first day of the feast of Tabernacles, 5 BC.  Saturday, September 16^th.

Is there any further support for this date?  Yes!

John 1 verse 14:  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The word “dwelt” here is skenas!  The word which means Tabernacle and Habitation.

Jesus came to “tabernacle” amongst us.  He arrived on the feast of tabernacles.

Most Christians understand that Jesus ministered for three and a half years.  That means that he began his ministry three and a half years before his crucifixion in April of 30 AD.  Three and a half years before that is October of 26 AD – shortly after the Feast of Tabernacles, or his Birthday.

This is further supported by the tradition of Rabbi’s being able to minister in the temple, once they are 30 years old.

So to conclude, Jesus was most likely born on September 16^th of 5 BC.  On the first day of the feast of Tabernacles.