Millions of people around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25, but most scholars agree that Jesus was not born on this date, or even in the year 1 AD.
Why is Jesus’ Birthday Celebrated on December 25?
Researchers speculate that the Roman Catholic Church chose December 25 because it coincides with the Winter Solstice and the festival of Saturnalia, a celebration dedicated to the Roman god Saturn.
According to scholar Ignacio L. Goetz in his book “Jesus the Jew: The Encounter of Truth, Politics, and Myth,” the Church may have adopted these popular pagan festivals or winter celebrations from other religions to commemorate the birth of Jesus.
Nonetheless, no one knows for sure what date He was born.
The Shepherds Adoring Jesus – Painting by Dutch artist Matthias Stomer. (Photo: Wiki).
The Death of King Herod
Some scholars believe that Jesus was born around 6 to 4 BC, based on the biblical account of Herod the Great.
In a plot to kill Jesus, King Herod ordered the murder of all boys under the age of two living around Bethlehem. This event is known as the Massacre of the Innocents and occurred shortly before Herod’s own death, but there is no concrete evidence to pinpoint the exact date of Herod’s death.
However, most scholars, including Peter Richardson and Amy Marie, as noted in their book “Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans: Second Edition”, use the information that Herod died in 4 BC, as recorded by Roman historians.
Yet, many other historians disagree about the year of Herod’s death, with some believing that the Massacre of the Innocents is merely a legend.
In his book “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth”, biblical scholar Reza Aslan writes that Herod’s massacre is “an event that has no verifiable evidence in any chronicles or histories of that time, whether Jewish, Christian, or Roman.”
The Star of Bethlehem
“The Star of Bethlehem” is believed to be a sign of Jesus’ birth. Other scholars have attempted to link this story to actual astronomical events to determine the year of His birth.
For instance, astronomer Colin Humphreys suggested that the legendary star was actually a slow-moving comet recorded by Chinese astronomers in 5 BC. However, Humphreys’ theory has been discredited.
The birth month of Jesus is also a controversial topic. Some argue that the Star of Bethlehem may have been the phenomenon when Venus and Jupiter aligned, creating a bright light in the sky, a rare event that occurred in June 2 BC. Others believe it was the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter that happened in October 7 BC.
Additionally, there is speculation that Jesus was born in the spring. Scholar Goetz argues that Jesus was born “in late spring of that year because women typically begin their pregnancies in the fall after the harvest and couples have enough money to hold weddings.”
