Many Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth on the day known as
“Christmas” or “Nativity” (from the Latin “Nativitas”:
birth), on the 24/25 of December. The truth is that the Bible never mentions
the date of his birth; but the emphasis is on his death (14 of Nisan, on the
Feast of Passover) and his resurrection (the Sunday of the Passover week, on
the Feast of Firstfruits). However, even though it does not mention the exact
date of his birth, we can work out on what season it happened because of other
clues that we can find in the Bible; which point to September or October, and
not to December.
Let’s see what the Scriptures reveal about this…
a. John’s Birth
We can figure out the time of the year Jesus was born based
on the information that we find about the birth of John the Baptist (who was
Jesus’ cousin).
Based on what Luke says, we know in what period John was
conceived, because it is known on what dates his father Zechariah had to serve
in the Temple (Luke 1:5-14). Zechariah belonged to the order of priests who
were assigned to the eighth turn of service (1 Chronicles 24:7-19). Therefore,
he had to serve in the week of the 8 to the 14 of the third month of the Hebrew
calendar (which in the Gregorian calendar coincides with June). Zechariah’s
wife conceived when he returned from this service in the Temple, just as angel
Gabriel had said (Luke 1:11-22).
Now that we know when John was conceived, we can deduce when
Jesus was conceived, based on what is written in the Gospel of Luke…
(Luke 1:23-27) And when his
time of service was ended, he went to his home. (24) After these days his wife
Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, (25)
“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away
my reproach among people.” (26) In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent
from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, (27) to a virgin betrothed to
a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was
Mary.
If John was conceived on the last days of the third month
(June), then Jesus was conceived six months later, on the last days of the
ninth month (December).
(Luke 1:34-37) And Mary said
to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (35) And the angel
answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called
holy—the Son of God. (36) And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old
age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was
called barren. (37) For nothing will be impossible with God.”
John was born on Nisan, close to the Feast of Passover
(March/April), while Jesus was born six months later (September/October), exactly
when the Feast of Tabernacles (Heb. Sukkot) was being celebrated. Nine
months before the Feast of Chanukah, and it is likely that he was conceived
during that time.
HE WILL MAKE
TABERNACLE
Surely it is no coincidence that John described Jesus’ birth
using a word related to Tabernacles…
(John 1:14) 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 that was translated as “dwelt” in Greek is: Skenoo, which literally means, to
make a tabernacle, encamp.
The Lord not only came to dwell among his people on his
first coming, but he will also “make tabernacle” on his second coming…
(Ezekiel 37:24-28) “My servant
David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall
walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. (25) They shall dwell in
the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and
their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and
David my servant shall be their prince forever. (26) I will make a
covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And
I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary
in their midst forevermore. (27) My dwelling place shall be with them, and
I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (28) Then the nations
will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary
is in their midst forevermore.”
In fact, His plan is to “make tabernacle” among us forever.
(Revelation 21:1-3) Then I saw a
new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away, and the sea was no more. (2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the
dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will
be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
b. Shepherds in the
Field
Another reason why we know that Jesus was not born in
December is because on that moment, the shepherds were in the field with their
sheep. In Israel, during the month of December it is very cold, and shepherds
don’t go out to the fields with their sheep because of the rain, let alone
during the night because of the cold. Jesus’ time of birth has to coincide with
the dry season of Israel which ranges from May until October, when the
shepherds took their sheep to the field, even during the night.
(Luke 2:7-8) And she gave
birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in
a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (8) And in the same
region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night.
If Jesus was born
during Sukkot, there is a chance that he was born under a Sukkah (a temporary
hut for the Feast of Sukkot), instead of an actual stable – although it could be
both things at the same time (Genesis 33:17). On the other hand, if they
arrived at the time of the Feast, it would be hard to find a place to lodge in
because all the towns neighboring Jerusalem would be filled with travelers.
(Luke 2:1-8) In those days a
decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. (2)
This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. (3)
And all went to be registered, each to his own town. (4) And Joseph also
went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of
David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of
David, (5) to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with
child. (6) And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. (7)
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and
laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (8) And
in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over
their flock by night.
In conclusion, we can see that the Bible does not say the
exact date in which Jesus was born, but it is clear that it was not in
December, but around September or October, probably during the Feast of
Tabernacles (Heb. Sukkot).
Note: For more information
about the origin of Christmas, you can read the following posts:
Origin of Christmas II: SaturnaliaOrigin of Christmas III: Other Traditions
Origin of Christmas IV: Prohibition and Rebirth
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