Grace Thompson
The birth year of Jesus Christ is estimated to be between 7-6 BC or 3/2 BC, according to different sources. The Church does not teach that Christ was born in any particular year, and it is widely acknowledged that the calculations of Dionysius Exiguus, who created the Anno Domini dating system in AD 525, are probably slightly off. The estimate of 7-6 BC is based on the assumption that Herod the Great died in 4 BC, as recorded by Matthew, who mentions Herod slaughtering male infants two years old and under in Bethlehem. The Gospel of Luke also provides confirmation, recording that John the Baptist began his ministry when Jesus was around thirty years old, placing his birth around 3-2 BC. While the exact birth year of Jesus is not known, various ancient writings mention December 25 as the date of his birth, a date chosen by the Church due to its ancient origin and widespread acceptance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of birth | 3 or 2 B.C. |
| Other estimates | 6 or 7 B.C., 4 B.C., 1 B.C., 0 A.D., or A.D. 6 |
| Date of birth | 25th of December |
| Other dates | 20th of May, 28th of March, 19th or 20th of April, or 6th of January |
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What You'll Learn
- The date of December 25 was chosen by the Church due to its ancient origin and widespread acceptance
- The Anno Domini system of dating was created in AD 525 by Dionysius Exiguus
- The Gospel of Luke records that Jesus was about 30 when he began his ministry
- Herod's death is estimated to have been in 4 BC
- The date of December 25 is based on the belief that Jesus was conceived on the same day that he died
The date of December 25 was chosen by the Church due to its ancient origin and widespread acceptance
The exact date of Jesus Christ's birth is not known, and it is widely recognized that the calculations made by Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525 are slightly off. The estimate that Christ was born in 7–6 BC is based on the view that Herod the Great died in 4 BC. However, there are some problems with this dating, as it assumes that the star that guided the wise men to Jerusalem was first visible at the moment of Jesus' birth, and that it was visible for two years before their arrival. Other evidence from the Bible suggests that a date of 3–2 BC is more likely.
The Church chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th due to its ancient origin and widespread acceptance. The earliest mention of this date is found in the writings of Theophilus and Hippolytus from the 3rd and 4th centuries, respectively. While the Church selected this date, it is not declaring that it is the literal date of Jesus' birth.
One theory for the choice of December 25th is that it was based on the date of Christ's death. Tertullian determined that Jesus died on March 25th, which is exactly nine months before December 25th. According to early Christian tradition, the day of Jesus' death was also the same as the Annunciation, when Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and give birth to the Messiah.
Another theory suggests that the Church selected December 25th because of pagan celebrations during the same season. It is argued that the Church wanted to replace pagan holidays with Christmas, making it easier for more people to embrace the new religion. This theory, however, was not documented until the 12th century and is not without its problems. The first mention of a date for Christmas (c. 200) and the earliest celebrations (c. 250–300) occurred during a period when Christians were not heavily borrowing from pagan traditions.
The Church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25th in 336 during the reign of Emperor Constantine, who had made Christianity the official religion of the empire. The date was chosen to firmly establish Christianity and weaken the influence of pagan celebrations.
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The Anno Domini system of dating was created in AD 525 by Dionysius Exiguus
The exact date of Jesus' birth is not mentioned in the gospels or in any secular text. The date is estimated through two different approaches: one by analysing references to known historical events mentioned in the Nativity accounts in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, and the second by working backwards from the estimation of the start of Jesus' ministry.
The Anno Domini (AD) system of dating was created in AD 525 by Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis "the Short" or "the Humble"), an Eastern Roman monk. The term is Medieval Latin for "in the year of the Lord" but is often presented as "our Lord". The Latin form, rarely used in English, is "anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi" ("in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ"). Dionysius created a new system of numbering years to replace the Diocletian years used in older Easter tables, as he did not want to continue commemorating a tyrant who persecuted Christians.
Dionysius' system was to replace the Diocletian era, which had been used in older Easter tables. The last year of the old table, Diocletian Anno Martyrium 247, was immediately followed by the first year of his table, Anno Domini 532. Dionysius stated that the ""present year" was "the consulship of Probus Junior", which was 525 years "since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ". Thus, he implied that Jesus' incarnation occurred 525 years earlier, without stating the specific year of his birth or conception.
The Anglo-Saxon historian Bede, who was familiar with Dionysius Exiguus' work, used Anno Domini dating in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, completed in AD 731. Bede also regarded Anno Domini as beginning at the incarnation of Jesus Christ. However, the distinction between Incarnation and Nativity was not drawn until the late 9th century, when the Incarnation epoch was identified with Christ's conception, i.e., the Annunciation on March 25.
The Anno Domini dating system was not widely used until the 9th century. Its endorsement by Emperor Charlemagne and his successors helped spread its use throughout the Carolingian Empire. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, usage of AD gradually became more common in Catholic countries from the 11th to the 14th centuries.
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The Gospel of Luke records that Jesus was about 30 when he began his ministry
The calculation of Jesus' birth year is not essential to the Catholic faith, and the Church does not teach that Christ was born in any particular year. However, it is widely believed that Jesus was born several years before the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC. This is based on the Gospel of Matthew, which records that Herod ordered the slaughter of male infants two years old and under in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus (Matt. 2:16). This suggests that Jesus was born at least two years before Herod's death, indicating a birth year of 6 or 7 BC.
The specific age of 30 at which Jesus began his ministry may hold symbolic significance. In the Bible, the age of 30 is associated with the start of priestly or other ministerial service. For example, David became king at 30, and Joseph entered the service of Pharaoh at the same age. Additionally, the priests under the law entered their work at 30, as mentioned in Numbers 4 and 1 Chronicles 23-24.
While the Gospel of Luke provides valuable insights into the timing of Jesus' ministry and birth, it is important to note that there is limited information about Jesus' life between his birth and the beginning of his ministry. The Gospel of Luke focuses on Jesus' public ministry and its significance, rather than providing a detailed chronology of his early life.
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Herod's death is estimated to have been in 4 BC
The exact date of Jesus's birth is unknown, and it is widely recognised that Dionysius Exiguus's calculations are probably slightly off. However, Herod's death is estimated to have been in 4 BC, and it is believed that Jesus was born two or more years before that, suggesting a date of 6 or 7 BC for his birth. This estimate is based on the biblical account of Herod's attempt to kill Jesus by slaughtering male infants two years old and under in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).
The dating of Herod's death to 4 BC has been questioned, as some evidence suggests that it may be slightly too early. The assumption that the star was first visible in the east at the moment of Jesus' birth and that it was visible for two years before the magi's arrival is problematic. Matthew does not explicitly state that the star appeared two years before Jesus' birth, only that Herod ordered the killing of children two years old and under in Bethlehem after learning of Jesus' birth from the magi.
Another estimate places Jesus' birth in 3 or 2 BC, based on the Gospel of Luke, which records that John the Baptist began his ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, or AD 29 (Luke 3:1). Jesus began his ministry shortly after and was about thirty years old at the time (Luke 3:23). Deducting thirty years from AD 29 and taking into account the absence of a "Year 0", this indicates a birth year of 3 or 2 BC.
It is worth noting that the Church does not teach that Christ was born in any particular year, and the date chosen to celebrate his birth, December 25, was selected due to its ancient origin and widespread acceptance among Christians.
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The date of December 25 is based on the belief that Jesus was conceived on the same day that he died
The exact date of Jesus's birth is not mentioned in the Bible. The Gospel of Luke says that John the Baptist's conception was foretold to Zechariah when he was serving as a priest at the Temple in Jerusalem. It further mentions that Jesus's conception was announced when John's mother was six months pregnant.
> "For he [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since. But he was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25th."
However, this theory is not supported by any early Christian text. The Bible does not mention the date or time of year for the birth of Jesus, and early Christians did not celebrate birthdays, as it was considered a pagan practice. The New Testament gospels of Matthew and Luke associate Jesus's birth with the time of Herod the Great, who died in 4 B.C. This suggests that Jesus's birth took place two or more years before Herod's death, indicating a date of around 6 or 7 B.C. for Jesus's birth.
Other dates that have been proposed for Jesus's birth include May 20, March 28, April 19 or 20, September, and New Year's Eve. The approximate month of Jesus's birth has also been estimated to be around mid to late September, based on the conception of John the Baptist in June and counting forward nine months for human gestation.
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Frequently asked questions
The Church does not teach that Christ was born in any particular year. However, based on evidence from the Bible and the Church Fathers, it is estimated that Jesus was born between 7-6 BC or 3-2 BC.
The Anno Domini (AD) system of reckoning was created in AD 525 by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus. This system counts time from "the year of the Lord" and is still used today.
The Church chose December 25th due to its ancient origin and widespread acceptance. While there is no official teaching, this date was chosen to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, not as the literal date of his birth.
Various ancient writings, especially in the East, place the celebration of Jesus' birth on January 6th, combining it with the Epiphany. Other proposed dates include May 20, March 28, and April 19/20.
Modern theologians and historians have debated the accuracy of Dionysius Exiguus' calculation. The exact date of Jesus' birth is not known, and it is universally recognized that Dionysius's calculations are probably slightly off.
