Christmas – Was Jesus Christ born on December 25th?

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When Christmas is celebrated, it is because of the birth of Jesus on December 25th. But is this actually the case, or is it just a tradition based on fiction? It wouldn’t be half as bad if this were the case, because this Christmas is based on paganism.

There are few certain statements

The only certainty about the birthday of Jesus Christ is that this day is not mentioned in the Bible. It is also certain that the Bible nowhere mentions the feast of the Savior’s birth. An equally certain statement is that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25th. This can be demonstrated using some connections.

The supposed “Herod mess”

Not all Christians know that at the time of Jesus Christ there was not just one Herod, but two Herods in succession. That’s why confusion always arises. It was Herod who, shortly after the birth of Jesus Christ, ordered the killing of the young boys in his territory and it was also Herod to whom Jesus Christ was delivered by Pontius Pilate. Herod was neither very young the first time nor very old the second time. There were two different Herods.

The first of the two was Herod I, or Herod the Great. He was born in 73 BC, was king of Judea, and died in Jericho in March of 4 BC. Herod himself was an Idumean (Edomite, south of Judah), appointed by Rome and therefore their puppet. His reign began in 37 BC.
The next Herod Antipas is the son of Herod the Elder. Huge. The son ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to 39 AD as a so-called “quarter prince” (tetrarch). He too was pulled by Rome’s strings. That was also Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded. For the sake of complete confusion, Herod Antipas’s partner, who claimed John’s head through her daughter, was called Herodine. 1)

Contemporary witness Josephus Flavius

One of the most important extra-biblical sources surrounding the time of Jesus Christ are the writings of Josephus Flavius. A Roman-Jewish historian, born in 37 AD and died in 100 AD in Jerusalem. He was also a contemporary of the first apostles and Christian community. He also witnessed the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Josephus Flavius ​​describes in his book “Jewish Antiquities” that Herod the Great died shortly after a lunar eclipse and was buried before the Passover began. In 4 B.C. There was a lunar eclipse in this region on the night of March 12th to 13th. This would mean that the time range for the birth of Jesus Christ would be defined within a very narrow framework. For Herod was alive when Jesus Christ was born.

The Bible mentions Herod the Great

The Bible mentions Herod the Great in Matthew 2:1:
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,“

This means that it is already clear that Jesus Christ, as paradoxical as it may sound, must have been born no later than March/April in 4 BC.

The birth year paradox

It is obvious that Jesus Christ could not have been born in the year “zero”. There is no year 0. 1 BC is immediately followed by 1 AD. This is particularly important if, for example, you want to determine a specific year based on a period of time with the beginning of BC and the end of AD. However, the calculator takes a zero into account. Therefore, one year must always be added. 150 BC plus 200 years is therefore not 50 AD, but 51 AD. (visible in the chronology)

That Jesus Christ was born “before his time” results from an original error in the dating of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius. According to this false assumption, the calendar has been aligned.

First interim balance:

– Birthday of Jesus Christ in March-April 4 BC

The governor of Syria

At the time of Jesus Christ’s birthday, Emperor Augustus ruled Rome. He had a census carried out based on targeted tax revenues. That was also the reason why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem together to register. It is described in Luke 2:2:
“(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)“

Kyrenius is the Greek pronounced name for Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (Source). He was a Roman senator and also temporarily governor of Syria. He lived from around 45 BC to 21 AD. According to the historian Josephus Flavius ​​in “Jewish War” his time as governor of Syria began in 7 or 6 BC.

Second interim balance:

– Birthday of Jesus Christ in March-April 4 BC.
– Birthday of Jesus Christ at the earliest 7 or 6 BC.

Shepherds and their flock of sheep

Luke 2:8 gives a good indication of the time of year when Jesus Christ was born:
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.“

Jerusalem and all of Israel are not located in a tropical region. The climate is more Mediterranean. The annual average temperatures within Israel vary depending on the location. While temperatures in lower areas can exceed 40°C in summer, it is significantly less warm at higher altitudes. Jerusalem is in the mountains and Bethlehem is even higher. In August the maximum daily temperatures reach around 30°C and in the months of December and January the temperatures are around 12°C. It is correspondingly colder at night.

Even more important than the temperature differences are the amount of rain depending on the season. The rainy season in this area is between November and March. The most common rainy days occur in the months of December and January.

Given this weather, it is unlikely that the shepherds will spend the night with their sheep under the open sky during the month of December.

Third interim assessment:

– Birthday of Jesus Christ in March-April 4 BC.
– Jesus Christ’s birthday was 7 or 6 BC at the earliest.
– Shepherds and sheep rarely go outside at night in December

6 months between John and Jesus

A further indication of the time of year when Jesus Christ was born is provided by the connections to the birth of John the Elder. Baptist and his parents. Zechariah was the father and Elizabeth was the mother of John.

Elisabeth became pregnant with John before Mary. Luke 1:26 shows that there is half a year between the beginning of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and Mary’s pregnancy.
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,“

This time gap is highlighted again in Luke 1:36:
“And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.“

Zechariah – Priest Department of Abijah

John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest from the division of Abijah (Luke 1:5). This department was on duty for one week in the eighth week of the year. This division was determined when defining the 24 classes of priests by lot. The eighth lot then fell on Abjiah, after Hakkor and before Yeshua. (1 Chronicles 24:10-11). In 24 departments, after a complete cycle for Abijas in the 32nd week, the next week of service followed.

Hebrew year and beginning of service

The Hebrew year begins with the 1st of Nissan. According to the Gregorian calendar in use today, the beginning of the year in Hebrew falls between March and April. Specifically, for example, the first Nissan, which came into effect in 5 BC, was on March 18th.
Zechariah therefore began his ministry 56 days (8 weeks) later. At that time it was the 26th of Sivan or in the year 5 BC the 10th of June. The second service session of the year for Zechariah began on the 16th of Kislev and this was November 25th in the year 5 BC.

Luke 1:8 shows that Zechariah was on his term of service:
“And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,“

Luke 1:23-24 records that after Zechariah’s ministry ended, Elizabeth actually became pregnant with John:
“And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,“

The start of Elisabeth’s pregnancy after her husband’s 8 days of service is either around June 16th or December 3rd.

Maria’s pregnancy 6 months later

Maria’s pregnancy began 6 months later. So either in mid-December or early June. As is well known, a pregnancy lasts 9 months. It follows that Jesus Christ must have been born either in mid-September or March of the following year.
But Herod the Great had already died in June. He died around mid-March. So only March remains and this again coincides with the other results already obtained.

Summary – conclusion:

– Birthday of Jesus Christ in March-April 4 BC.
– Birthday of Jesus Christ was 7 or 6 BC at the earliest. BC
– Shepherds and sheep rarely go outside at night in December
– Descriptions of John the Baptist confirm March

The birth year of Jesus Christ was most likely 4 BC, in the month of March. There is no way the birthday could have been in December.

Exact date is unimportant

The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter whether Jesus Christ was born in March or not. At least the connections described above point to this time of year. What is certain is that it could not have been December 25th.
But what is much more important is that it is irrelevant for people whether they know the exact birthday of Jesus Christ or not. If this were important, it would be in the Bible. As simple as that.

Conversely, it is very important to know why and for what purpose December 25th is apparently fictitiously celebrated as the birth of Jesus Christ. This can certainly be decisive for salvation.

What is Christmas on December 25th?

The world celebrates Christmas on December 25th every year. In Germany, as in many other countries, December 24th is already relevant with Christmas Eve. That’s obvious, because there are presents under the Christmas tree that evening.

Neither Christmas nor the Christmas tree, nor even the Advent wreath have anything to do with biblical descriptions (Info). Since Easter (Info), as it is celebrated, is undoubtedly based on pagan customs, it is not far-fetched that the same applies to Christmas.

Pagan tradition – Mithras cult

The Christmas tree only found its way into Germany in the middle of the 16th century. One could almost say that as a reaction to the Reformation that had already begun, the Roman Catholic Church wanted to increasingly express its pagan background.

December 25th is very close to the winter solstice and here you get much closer to the actual origin of Christmas. With the winter solstice the days become longer again. It’s like a new birth of the sun. One of the many names of the pagan “Sun God” is Mithras. A “god” who was born by his mother in a cave or rock grotto. Mithras practically emerged from the rock. A popular depiction can already be found in ancient Egypt with the mother Isis holding her little Horus in her arms. This looks “mistakeably” similar to the Mary-Jesus image (Info).

This Mithras “Sun God” is depicted partly with a Phrygian cap, partly with a crown like that worn by the Statue of Liberty in New York and usually with a sun disk behind his head, in connection with the right-legged cross. This right-legged cross, which is increasingly seen around churches, is the symbol of Mithras. Strictly speaking, Mithras is the bearer of light, because he stole it, including the crown, from the actual “sun god” Helios. Light bearer in Latin means “Lucifer”.
According to mythology, Mithra’s birth date is December 25th and her priesthood had to observe celibacy (Info). For the church leaders or elders according to the New Testament, the requirement was to have only one wife. The earthly priesthood was abolished anyway with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Christmas can be ticked off

Christmas is only fictitiously, as a deception, the birthday of Jesus Christ. For the Roman Catholic Church, however, it is definitely the birthday of “a Christ”, but this “anointed one” is completely different from the Jesus (the) Christ of the Bible.

The gospel requires neither commemoration nor celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Until his baptism, Jesus Christ is described almost only in passing. Only a few excerpts from his younger years can be found. His birth as a human being is of crucial importance, but not the exact date.

Jesus Christ was by no means born at the end of December. But the “Sun God” Mithras is exactly to the day. Any ceremony associated with light around this fictitious birthday is therefore not directed at the Savior, but rather at the one who was once allowed to carry the light and lost it due to his immense pride. The celebration of Christmas is therefore only a fake surface of commemoration of the Savior, but is intended to pay homage to the adversary.

1) An impressive parallel.
Herodine, Herod Antipas’s partner, had a personal problem with John the Baptist. He dared to criticize Herod because of his forbidden relationship with Herodine. However, Herod holds all state power. But Herodine, as we would say today, wore the trousers in the family. Herodine’s daughter enchanted Herod with her dance and he made her wish for something. Herodine urged her daughter to demand the head of John the Baptist. Herod felt compelled to do this because he made the promise in front of many witnesses.

Herodine is in control, gives orders over her daughter and Herod carries out. If you swap Herodine with the Roman Catholic Church, the daughter with the apostate Protestant churches, and Herod with the governments, you get an impressive example of the current goals. Another parallel can be found in the interaction between Jezebel, Ahab and Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21)..

Bible verses from King James Version