When was Jesus Born?

It is commonly believed that Jesus was born on December 25, but no where do the scriptures tell us the date of His birth. 

Regarding December 25

The Catholic Encyclopedia has this to say about the assignment of December 25 for Christ’s birthday.

 “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts; Origen, glancing perhaps at the discreditable imperial Natalitia, asserts … that in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday;”

“In 385, therefore, 25 December was not observed at Jerusalem. … Cyril … asks Julius to assign the true date of the nativity "from census documents brought by Titus to Rome"; Julius assigns 25 December.”

Thus, it was not till after 385 AD that Christ’s birth was officially celebrated on December 25 and at that time only by the Catholic Church.  Celebrating Christmas was unknown among Baptist churches until modern times.  (19th-20th Century)

The Priestly Course of Abia

Do the scriptures indicate when Jesus was born?  As stated earlier, there is no specific date given for Christ’s birth.  However, the Bible does leave us a trail of clues that provide us with a reasonable estimate of the time of year when Jesus was born. 

John the Baptist was conceived six months before Jesus (Lu 1:36).  To ascertain the time when Christ was born we begin with conception of John the Baptist.

Lu 1:5  There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

Immediately following the fulfillment of Zacharias' course, Elisabeth conceived John the Baptist. Luke 1:23-24

If we can determine when the course of Abia takes place we will be able to determine the approximate time of Christ’s birth.

What Were the Priestly Courses?

One Hebrew 12 month year is 51 weeks long.  Each or the courses served twice (independent of the feasts) for a total of 48 weeks.  All the priests served during the weeks of the 3 great feasts bringing the total to 51 weeks.  Thus, each course served at least 5 times a year.  However, since the Hebrew calendar was a lunar, rather than solar calendar. An extra or 13th month was occasionally added to realign the Hebrew calendar with the solar year.  Based on the available evidence, it appears that some priests would serve during the extra weeks in addition to their usual 5 other weeks.

What Time of Year Did the Courses Start and Which Course started it?

The first month of the ecclesiastical calendar was Abib (Nisan):

Ex 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 

Gill's Commentary notes: the vernal equinox, for this month of Abib or Nisan answers to part of our March and part of April;

The vernal equinox is the first day of Spring when the length of day and night are exactly 12 hours each.

Ex 23:15  Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)

Es 3:7  In the first month, that is, the month Nisan…

Abib was later called by its Chaldean name Nisan.  Since then, the two names are used interchangeably to refer to the first month.

Because Jehoiarib was the first Priestly Course (1Ch 24:7) it started on Abib (Nisan) 1.  From this day, it is possible to calculate week by week when each course took place.

As we shall see, it is important to establish when the first priestly course Jehoiarib, starts in order to establish the time of the Abia course.

Conception of John the Baptist

Luke 1:5-25 gives the account of John's conception where we learn:

And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, … Luke 1:23-24

After Zacharias finished his week of ministering at the temple (i.e. finished the course of Abia), he returned home where Elisabeth's conception of John is assumed to have taken place within only a few a days if not immediately upon his return.

Conception of Jesus

Elisabeth hides her pregnancy up till the fifth month:

And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months...Lu 1:24

At the beginning of the sixth month we read of the conception of Jesus in Mary:

When was Jesus Born?

From the end of the Priestly Course of Abia when John the Baptist was conceived to the conception of Jesus is 6 months.  Forty weeks from the conception of Jesus is his birth.  Following the time chart below, Zacharias would have returned home the week of May 16-22 at which point John would have been conceived.  Six months later places Mary's conception of Jesus in the week of November 14-20.  According to the Time Chart below, following forty weeks of gestation, Jesus would have been born on or near August 27.

Why Use Abia's First Ministration During the Year and Not the Second?

Since there were 24 courses, each course repeated at least twice (apart from the 3 feast days) during the year.  A logical question to ask would be, Why couldn't or shouldn't the birth of Christ be established using Abia's second ministration during the year? (October 31-Nov 6 on the time chart below)   

Luke 2:8-20 states that there "were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night".  According to historians, shepherds in Palestine only keep their flocks out during the warm dry months of Spring and Summer.  They keep their sheep in the sheepfold during the cold, wet months of fall and winter.  If the birth of Christ is calculated from the second ministration of Abia, this would place the birth of Christ in February, which is ordinarily the coldest and wettest time of year in Palestine.  Unless February was unseasonably warm, this would not be in harmony with the testimony of Luke 2:8.

Luke 2:1-5 states: 

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

The end of winter would be an unlikely time of year to force people to travel for taxation due to the cold and rain normally prevalent.  Money to pay taxes would also be in short supply until later in the year when the harvests began to come in.  The time of taxation would point towards a later date in the year such as August or September.

While Zacharias was filling his first ministration, he would have been at the temple two weeks in a row for the course of Abia and the Feast of Weeks.  If the angel appeared to Zacharias during the Feast of Weeks that might explain Luke 1:10 which states:

 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

Ordinarily a multitude would not be present during the day to day service at the temple.  However, the angel might have appeared on a regular Sabath day apart from a special Sabath such as the Feast of Weeks.

Time Chart

The conception of John the Baptist would have taken place the year before the birth of Jesus.  Thus, the Time Chart begins in 5 BC.

Conversion of the Hebrew to Gregorian (Modern Calendar) was made using the Rosetta Calendar.