Scientists Debate When Christ Was Born

Historically, Jesus of Nazareth was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. In many countries he is regarded as the Son of God who became human and as the long-awaited Messiah foretold in the Hebrew Bible. This latter belief gave him the name “Christ.” Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. In addition, the modern calendar counts years from the year of his birth.

But was he really born on that day? The British portal IFL Science reports on what scientists say. In general, there is not enough contemporary evidence to determine the exact date of Jesus’s birth. The traditional view of December 25 is also not supported.

“First of all, there was no such thing as a ‘year zero.’ But even if there had been, Jesus was not born at that time. The canonical Gospels of Matthew and Luke, written a full generation after Jesus’s life, provide some historical context, but they contradict each other. Matthew mentions the birth as having taken place during the reign of Herod the Great. Luke says the birth occurred during a census conducted by Quirinius (Cyrenius), the Roman governor of Syria,” the article notes.

That census took place in AD 6. Herod, however, died at least seven years earlier, and possibly as many as ten. Other censuses were also conducted in the period before Christ. Scholars tend to regard the reference to Herod as more plausible than the others, so a birth date between 6 and 4 BC is generally considered more realistic.

Another theory, based on the Star of Bethlehem, suggests that the sign in the sky was in fact a comet. This would place the birth of Jesus in 5 BC.

Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?

In the early centuries of Christianity, believers did not celebrate Christmas. Easter, and later Epiphany, only began to be observed in the second century AD. The earliest known reference to the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 dates from the third century AD and is attributed to Hippolytus of Rome. It took several more decades for the holiday known as Christmas to become part of Christian tradition.

For years, scholars have debated whether Jesus was actually born on December 25 or on another day of the year. Winter and spring appear to be the most likely seasons, but there is no evidence in the canonical (or non-canonical) Gospels.

“Since the 13th century, people have noted a connection between December 25 and the Roman festival of Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun, which marked the period immediately after the solstice, when days begin to lengthen. The full name of the festival is Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, which translates from Latin as ‘the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun.’ ‘Natale’ is still what Italians call Christmas today,” the authors note. | BGNES