DATE AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF JESUS' BIRTH
It is undoubtedly true that Jesus is the reason for this period of celebrations, which over the centuries has been seen and revisited. Despite what films and theatrical performances would have us believe, the story of Jesus' birth is less complicated than many think.
Between the difficulty of reconciling different versions and the 2000 years of interpretation and popular culture layered on them, much of what people commonly know about the story of Jesus' birth, from the date to where it took place, is very different from what the Gospels and historical documents say.
Christmas has as its main meaning, the religious one. In fact, it celebrates the birth of Christ, the Messiah prophesied in the Bible, whom the Jews have been waiting for thousands of years.
The prophecies about the Messiah can already be read in the book of Genesis, but the first prophecy of the birth of the Saviour of the Jewish people is found in the book of Isaiah. In fact, more than 700 years before Jesus' birth, the prophet Isaiah provides a detailed picture of His conception, His birth, His life and His death.
In this specific case, we are interested in the birth, of which the prophet writes in chapter 7 verse 14 «Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.» And the fulfilment of this we find in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Matthew chapter 1 verse 23 «Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).»
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the Great, King of Judea, who supposedly reigned around 37 B.C. until his death around 4 B.C. There have been and still are many different debates and opinions on the exact date of His birth, but let’s consider the dates of Herod’s reign. After the birth of Jesus, the king had an encounter with the Magi of the East (Matthew 2:16) and following that, he had the children killed, innocent babies and toddlers the ages 2 and under (Matthew 2:1, 8); Jesus could have been even 2 years old when the wise men arrived at their destination, and it was not long after that episode to Herod’s death. Thus, we can say that Jesus was born around 4 B.C. or so. If we use the Roman method instead, we must calculate the time from the birth of Rome, the year that for us is 753 B.C. In this way, the year would be 753 ab urbe condita, 1 A.D. (as the year zero does not exist).
Fun Fact - The magi, these wise men, who deceived the wicked Herod, were neither kings nor three. In the Gospel of Matthew 2 verse 1, 2 we read, «Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him,» 'Wise men from the East,' not three. However, the gifts indeed brought to honour Jesus were three, as reported in verse 11 «And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.» And, yes, 'into the house'!
Western Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus every 25th of December. But is it really the correct date? Is it possible that that very day was in December? Let’s get a bit deeper.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a city in the south of Jerusalem, where in December the temperature varies between 14 and 8°C (even less). In the Scriptures, no specific date is mentioned on Jesus' birthday, and the early Christian teachers suggested different dates: November 18, a random Wednesday, April 28, March, September 29, and September 23. Regardless of the assumptions of these scholars, a careful analysis of the Scriptures themselves, however, clearly indicates that December 25 is an unlikely date for the birth of Christ, for two main reasons.
The first is that we know that at the time of Jesus' birth, the shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks (Luke 2:7, 8). In real life it could not have happened in December, for in Judea it is cold and rainy at that time of year and the shepherds could not have been with the flocks in the fields at night. Accordingly, the narrative suggests that Jesus may have been born in the summer or early fall.
The second reason is that Jesus' parents went to Bethlehem to register for a Roman census (Luke 2:1, 4). Such censuses were not carried out in winter, when temperatures dropped considerably, and roads were in poor condition. Taking a census in those conditions would have been counterproductive.
By eliminating December as a possible month of Jesus' birth, we can take the little information that the Bible and other historical documents offer us and do some maths. Thus, from the biblical accounts we can indicate autumn as the most probable period, this is based on the conception and birth of John the Baptist.
According to the Gospel of Luke 1:24, 36 we see that Elizabeth, John’s mother, was in the sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived. John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest who served in the temple of Jerusalem in the division of Abijah (Luke 1:5). Historical calculations indicate that this corresponded to June 13-19 of that year. It was during this time that Zechariah learned that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son (Luke 1:8, 13). After completing his service and returning home, the couple conceived (Luke 1:23, 24). Now, assuming that John’s conception occurred towards the end of June, the addition of nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John’s birth; and the addition of another six months (the age difference between John and Jesus) takes us to the end of September as the probable date of Jesus' birth.
Obviously, these are approximate calculations, but certainly more probable than 25 December.
Another myth to dispel, which will leave you speechless is that Jesus, ladies and gentlemen, was not born in a stable!
Let’s go step by step.
Why did Mary and Joseph have to face this journey, dangerous for pregnancy, also knowing that finding a safe place to stay overnight was very difficult?
Tradition tells us that the couple had been left without a place to spend the night and to safely give birth to the child and that for this unfortunate circumstance, they decided to seek refuge and camp in a stable heated by an ox and a donkey, where Jesus is supposed to be born. The Bible speaks of 'hotels' (katalyma) being fully booked. But actually, the term katalyma that is translated as 'hotel' is more specifically 'guest room'.
We know that the spouses were travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census commissioned by Rome, which required that all individuals return to their ancestral cities to take part in it. Joseph’s family was originally from Bethlehem, and this makes us understand that he had members of his family there, that they could be brothers, cousins, uncles, or even just friends. So, the most likely interpretation, as New Testament scholar Stephen Carlson has argued, is that Joseph and Mary had gone to stay with their relatives but that there was not enough space in the guest room, typically located on the upper level of the house, to accommodate the imminent birth of a child.
More specifically, the design of traditional Palestinian village houses (up to the present day) gives meaning to the whole story. Most families lived in a one-room house, with a lower compartment to carry animals at night, and a back room, or a roof space for guests. The familiar living area usually had a cavity in the floor, full of hay, where animals fed. This type of room, with animals in the house at night, is evident in a few verses in the gospels (Matthew 5:15; Luke 13:10, 17).
As we read in the Gospel of Luke 2:7, there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the guest room of the house where they intended to stay; which, given the hospitality protocols of the time, was definitely the house of a relative. So, what does it mean that the katalyma had no space? Luke 2:7 says, «There was no room for that.» This could mean that the guest room could already be occupied, probably by other guests, who also came for the census. So, Joseph and Mary must stay in the main room of the house with the family, and there Mary gives birth, and the most natural place where to put the child is in the cavity full of hay (or manger). Or perhaps the guest room was not an appropriate place to give birth, as suggested by their traditional practices which at the time of birth, the future mother, went to the room downstairs, where the family kept the animals during the night, to give birth and only later was brought back into the living spaces of the house. So, Mary had to give birth in that room downstairs. And since that was a time of year when shepherds were out in the fields (Luke 2:8), the room was empty (the presence of animals is not mentioned in the Gospels).
What then led believers to believe that this was a real stable with animals?
Surely it was the reference to the manger. In those houses of the 1st century, the mangers were both outside and inside the house, and they were made of stones, not wood, so they certainly used one as an improvised cradle, despite not being near a stable.
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The idea that a pregnant teenage girl travelling during winter, with very low temperatures and giving birth in a stable, alone along with her husband, far from others, marginalised, is weird and culturally implausible. In fact, it is difficult to be alone in such contexts. Indeed, Kenneth Bailey in his Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, humorously quotes an early researcher: 'Anyone who has stayed with Palestinian farmers knows that, despite their hospitality, the lack of privacy is unspeakably painful. You can’t have a room for yourself, and you’re never alone day or night.
Therefore, in the history of Christmas, Jesus is not sad and lonely in a stable, and he needs our compassion. Rather, He is with family, with so many people going to visit Him. So, following the customs of the place and time, that’s where Jesus must have been born.
Despite all the evidence leading to the end of September, 25th December was popularised as a date to celebrate Christian Christmas. Eastern Orthodox Churches, celebrated the feast on January 6, the day the Western Christian Church celebrates the Epiphany, the physical manifestation of Christ to the world, symbolised by the visit of the wise men to Jesus.
In addition to the religious origin, Christmas celebrated on the 25th of December, also has pagan and secular roots. The one associated with the winter solstice that the Celts celebrated on the same date, is perhaps the most relevant; in fact, the Celts professed cults during which the worship of the sun was fundamental (Helilatria). Christianity probably used the figure of the sun, reconnecting it as a representation of Jesus Christ.
On the other hand, the Romans used to celebrate the Saturnalia; festivities dedicated to Saturn, god of agriculture, as a wish for peace and prosperity. The Bruma, as it was called by the Romans, marked the end of the coldest days, followed by their lengthening thanks to the solar gods. This used to take place a few days before Christmas, between 21 and 22 December, and it was customary to organise large banquets, to which slaves were also invited, and there were exchanging greetings, visits to relatives and friends, and small symbolic gifts. Also, very strong Christmas traditions of Western culture. From this pagan festival, it's taken the idea of December 25 as the date of birth of Jesus, the true sun.
We can read many articles by scholars and realise that there were many occasions related to December 25, the days just before or after, so it was probably easier to connect Jesus’ birth to an existing date, perhaps to gather more people to the Christian celebrations, or to avoid discords (just speculation). In fact, around 336 A.D., the emperor Constantine, converted to Christianity, established December 25 as the date on which Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. The choice of the date was not random, we have seen, that there have been various debates over time on the different dates and that the 25th must have been the most acclaimed, since Constantine often chose the most acclaimed point of view, to receive the least controversy.
To give further confirmation to the date to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ was Justinian in 529, who made Christmas (for Western Christians) the official feast of the Roman Empire with the date 25 December, a date that is still marked on our calendars as Jesus’ birthday.
Hope you enjoyed the reading!
Let me know if you have different information, something to add or to correct (with the source).
Thanks 😊
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