The Bible does not reveal the actual date on which Jesus was born. His followers preferred commemorating the date of his death rather than his birth and no records indicate that his birth was ever celebrated during the first 200 years of church history.
Around 200 AD, the desire to celebrate Jesus’ birth touched off debates regarding which date to use. By the mid-300s, December 25 had gained popularity and by the early 400s, that date had come to be accepted as Christmas Day.
Is it possible to determine when Jesus was born? The Bible provides a few clues which may be used to make an educated guess.
Birth of Jesus - After John the Baptist was Born
Luke 1:5-23 records that the angel Gabriel visited Zachariah, while he was serving his priesthood duties, and told him that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son. He was to be named John and he would have “the spirit and the power of Elijah.” Once Zachariah returned home from his service, Elizabeth became pregnant.
The rotation schedule for priests to serve was laid out in 1 Chronicles 24-27. Zachariah, being of the division of Abijah, would have served twice a year: in both June and December. Assuming that Gabriel appeared to Zachariah during his first term of service, Elizabeth could have become pregnant near the end of June or early July. Their son, known as John the Baptist as an adult, would have been born nine months later in March, when the Jews celebrated Passover.
Since the Jews believed that Elijah would return whenever Passover was celebrated, it was customary to set a place for him in case he returned. Gabriel’s remark to Zachariah about John having the “spirit of Elijah” coincides with the idea that he was born at the time of Passover.
Luke states that Elizabeth was six months pregnant when her cousin Mary conceived, that would place Mary's conception in December, around Hannukah and Jesus’ birth sometime in September.
Birth of Jesus - When Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Luke 2:8 records that shepherds were “living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night” when angels announced to them the birth of the Savior. In Adam Clarke’s commentary on Luke 2, he states that shepherds kept their flocks in the field from about the time of the Passover until the first rains in October or November. Since the shepherds were out at night, he concludes that Jesus would have been born no later than September and writes, “On this very ground the nativity in December should be given up.”
Birth of Jesus - During the Census, Feast of Tabernacles and Michaelmas?
Joseph and Mary were required to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census ordered by Caesar Augustus. Most scholars believe that the census would have taken place after the fall harvest but before the winter months when inclement weather could severely restrict travel.
There are three other factors to consider:
- If John was born in March during the Passover celebration then Jesus would have been born six months later around September.
- When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, they could not find a room to rent anywhere. The crowded conditions they encountered could have been due to other census travelers but could also have been heightened by pilgrims coming to the fall Feast of Tabernacles.
- The early church celebrated September 29 as “Michaelmas”, the night when the angel Michael announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. This also happened to be the same date as the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles. According to John Taylor’s article "Correcting Popular Misconceptions About Jesus Christ's Birth": It would have at least been appropriate for Christ to have been born on such a date, for it was at His birth that ‘the Word was made flesh and dwelt (literally tabernacled) among us’ (John 1:14)
What Does the Date of Jesus' Birth Mean for Christians?
Biblical passages indicate that Jesus was most likely born in late September, not in December; however, December 25 has become so entrenched as Christmas Day that it will likely never change. Still, for those who wish to celebrate Jesus’ birth, Christmas Day can be viewed as an opportunity to remember the birth of the Savior who came into the world to save it from its sins.
Related Stories on the Birth of Jesus
Readers may also be interested in learning more about the Wise Men and the Birth of Jesus and what Matthew 2 reveals about the facts behind this popular Christmas story.
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