kids encyclopedia robot

Date of birth of Jesus facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The date of birth of Jesus is not directly mentioned in the gospels or other old historical writings. Most experts who study the Bible think he was born between 6 BC and 4 BC. It's hard to know for sure because there isn't enough complete historical information.

Scholars try to figure out the year of Jesus' birth in a few ways:

  • They look at clues about historical events mentioned in the stories of Jesus' birth in the Gospel of Luke and Gospel of Matthew.
  • They work backward from when Jesus started his public work (his "ministry").
  • They look at ideas about stars and planets lining up in the sky.

The traditional date for Jesus' birth, December 25, was first officially stated by Pope Julius I in 350 AD. However, some people think this date might not be based on strong evidence. People have also tried to guess the day or season of his birth, sometimes by looking at descriptions of shepherds watching their sheep.

When Was Jesus Born?

Clues from Birth Stories

The stories of Jesus' birth in the New Testament (in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke) don't say the exact date or time of year he was born. Experts like Karl Rahner say that the writers of the gospels focused more on religious ideas than on exact historical timelines.

Both Luke and Matthew connect Jesus' birth to the time when Herod the Great was king. Matthew 2:1 says that "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king." Matthew also suggests Jesus might have been up to two years old when the Magi (wise men) visited. This is because Herod ordered all boys up to two years old to be killed, based on what he learned from the Magi (Matthew 2:16).

Luke 1:5 mentions Herod's rule just before Jesus' birth. Luke also says Jesus was born during a census (a count of people) when Quirinius was governor of Syria. The historian Josephus wrote that this census happened around 6 AD. Since King Herod died many years before this census (in 4 BC), most scholars don't think the census mentioned by Luke happened at the exact time of Jesus' birth. They generally believe Jesus was born between 6 BC and 4 BC, which is the year Herod died. Some scholars think the two accounts can be made to fit together, suggesting Luke might have been talking about a different census or a registration that happened before Quirinius became governor.

Other Gospel Clues

Another way to guess Jesus' birth year is to work backward from when he started preaching. Luke 3:23 says he was "about 30 years of age" when he began. Jesus started preaching after being baptized by John the Baptist. According to Luke, John began baptizing people in "the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar" (Luke 3:1–2). Scholars believe this was around 28–29 AD. If you count backward from this, it seems Jesus was likely born no later than 1 BC.

This idea is also supported by a verse in John 2:20. It mentions that the Temple had been under construction for 46 years when Jesus began his work during Passover. This would also place Jesus' ministry around 27–29 AD.

Ideas About the Star of Bethlehem

Many scholars think the story of the Star of Bethlehem is a religious story with a deep meaning, rather than a historical event. However, some people have tried to see it as a real event in the sky. If it was a real astronomical event, it could help date Jesus' birth using old star records or modern calculations.

One idea came from Johannes Kepler, a famous scientist. He thought the star might have been a "Great Conjunction" where the planets Jupiter and Saturn appeared very close together. Another idea from Professor Colin Humphreys suggests a comet in early 5 BC could have been the "Star of Bethlehem," meaning Jesus was born around April 5 BC. Other ideas include a close lineup of Venus and Jupiter in 2 BC.

The Anno Domini System

The Anno Domini (AD) dating system, which means "in the year of the Lord," was created in 525 AD by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus. He made this system to number the years in his Easter calendar. He wanted to replace an older system that honored a Roman emperor who had treated Christians badly.

Dionysius didn't clearly explain how he figured out the year of Jesus' birth. Some theories suggest he might have used the clue from Luke's Gospel that Jesus was "about thirty years old" when he started preaching, and then counted back 30 years from when he thought Jesus' ministry began.

It's also thought that Dionysius wanted to create a new calendar to stop people from worrying about the world ending. At that time, some believed the world would end 500 years after Jesus' birth. An old calendar system, Anno Mundi, which started from the creation of the world, suggested Jesus was born in the year 5500. This meant the year 6000 (around 500 AD) would be the end of the world. Since 500 AD had already passed in Dionysius's time, creating a new calendar based on Jesus' birth might have helped calm these fears.

Day and Season of Birth

Even though we celebrate Christmas in December, neither the Gospel of Luke nor Matthew say what season Jesus was born in. Some scholars argue that shepherds wouldn't have been grazing their sheep in winter, suggesting a different birth season. Others say that winters in Judea were mild enough, or that certain rules about sheep near Bethlehem allowed it.

Some historians, like Alexander Murray, believe that December 25 was chosen for Christmas because it was already a date for pagan festivals, not because it was Jesus' actual birthday. For example, the Roman festival of Saturnalia was held in December, and the festival of Natalis Solis Invicti (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) was celebrated on December 25. Christians might have chosen this date to show that Christ was more important than these pagan gods.

Another idea is that December 25 was chosen because of its symbolic meaning. After the winter solstice, the days start getting longer, with more sunlight. Christians saw this as a symbol of the "Light of Christ" coming into the world. This idea also connects to the celebration of John the Baptist's birth on June 24, near the summer solstice, because John said about Jesus, "He must increase; I must decrease" (John 3:30 NRSV).

In the early centuries of Christianity, the Lord's Day (Sunday) was the main celebration. Later, the Resurrection of Jesus (Easter) became a separate holiday. In the 2nd century, Epiphany began to be celebrated in Eastern Churches on January 6. The festival of Jesus' birth, which became Christmas, started in the 4th century in the Western Church, especially in Rome and North Africa.

The earliest source that mentions December 25 as Jesus' birth date is likely a book by Hippolytus of Rome from the early 3rd century. He thought Jesus was conceived (started to grow) at the Spring equinox (March 25), and then added nine months to get December 25 for his birth. March 25 was also thought to be the date of Jesus' crucifixion. Many people back then believed that important prophets were conceived into the afterlife on the same date they were conceived into the world.

John Chrysostom, a church leader in the late 4th century, also argued for December 25. He based his idea on a passage in Luke about an offering of incense (KJV), which he linked to a special Jewish holiday in early October. Then he counted fifteen months forward. However, this was probably a way to explain a date that was already chosen, rather than finding the actual birth date. John Chrysostom also wrote that the date of December 25 was well known among Western Christians from the beginning.

Other old writings that mention December 25 as Jesus' birth date include:

  • A letter from Evodius (reported by Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos).
  • A commentary by Victorinus of Pettau based on papers from Alexander of Jerusalem, which says Jesus was born "on the eighth day before the calends of January" (December 25).
  • Writings by Theophilus, bishop of Caesarea.

Finally, December 25 might also be connected to the Feast of Dedication, which happens on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. This would mean early Christians simply changed Kislev to December.

Some research by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suggests Jesus was born in early to mid-April. Other scholars, like Ian Paul, have suggested September or late March.

Shia View

In some Shia writings, the sixth Imam, Jafar As Sadiq, said about Christmas, "They have lied. Rather, it was in the middle of June. The day and night become even in the middle of March." This doesn't mean June 15th exactly, but rather a day close to the Spring Equinox.

See also

Images for kids

kids search engine
Date of birth of Jesus Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.