We celebrate Christmas on December 25th each year, but is that really Jesus’ birthday? Almost certainly no. We celebrate Christmas on that day because Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor declared it be held on that day in the year A.D. 320. Scholars believe he did this because Christians were already celebrating Christ’s birthday on that date, which was the Roman holiday Saturnalia, a festival of light returning, to avoid persecution. Constantine did away with the pagan holiday and declared the 25th to be Christmas.
In fact, many believe the Bible indirectly teaches that Jesus was born on the first day of the Jewish festival called The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). The evidence is very compelling. John said Jesus came and “tabernacled” (dwelt in English translations) with us in John 1:14. The Feast of Tabernacles was a Jewish holiday that celebrated “God coming and dwelling with us”. It begins on 15th day of the Jewish month of Tishri (our September/October). It celebrates Moses’ building God a tent in the desert. During this joyous, seven-day celebration, the Jews go outside and live in booths (tents) to remind them that God is with us and that this earth is not our true home.
The Feast of Tabernacles holiday is called the “Season of our Joy” and the angel told the shepherds, “Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be to all people.” The holiday is also called “The Feast of Nations”, because it was to be celebrated by all peoples after the Messiah came (Zechariah 14:16).
The swaddling cloths that Mary wrapped Jesus in give another clue. During the Feast of Tabernacles, strips of cloths were used to light the 16 vats of oil in the court of women. Even the word “manger” is symbolic here. It is the same word used for “booth” in the Old Testament. (Genesis 33:17)
The Bible says Jesus was circumcised on the “eighth day”. This was Jesus’ eighth day, yes, but it is also the name of a day on the calendar, called Shemini Atzeret, which is the day after the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. That’s why many believe Jesus was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Joseph would have been required to be in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles, and Bethlehem is only 5 miles away. He could have easily visited Jerusalem from there.
But that’s not all. The Magi may have been Jews from Babylon who had remained there since Nebuchadnezzar captured them - or possibly Chaldeans who knew about Judaism from Daniel. They respected the Jewish traditions and, during the Feast of Tabernacles, would have stayed out in "booths" (Leviticus 23). These were made with branches for a roof so they were deliberately see-through - so you could see the sky through them. This is probably how the Magi saw the star of the Messiah!
There is even more evidence. The Bible says that John the Baptist was six months' older than Jesus (Luke 1:36). You can calculate that John the Baptist was born in the month Nisan, which is our March/April. Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, was in the division of Abijah, and Jewish Scholars say they were in the temple in the tenth week of each Jewish year. When you add nine months from when he was in the temple you find that John the Baptist was born in the spring.
John the Baptist, then, could have born during Passover. To this day, the Jews put out a plate for Elijah during their Passover dinner because he is prophesied to return before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). Jesus said John the Baptist was the return of Elijah and fulfilled that prophecy when he was born (Matthew 11:14). Many believe, then, that Elijah did return during Passover, just as expected.
Revelation 12: 1-5 says "a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about give birth. Then another sign appeared in the heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. It's tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who 'will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.' And the child was snatched up to God and to his throne." Scholars say this is the constellation alignment in the fall of 2 B.C. Tishri 15 of 2 B.C. was September 15th. So I believe Jesus' birthday is September 15th.
In fact, many believe the Bible indirectly teaches that Jesus was born on the first day of the Jewish festival called The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). The evidence is very compelling. John said Jesus came and “tabernacled” (dwelt in English translations) with us in John 1:14. The Feast of Tabernacles was a Jewish holiday that celebrated “God coming and dwelling with us”. It begins on 15th day of the Jewish month of Tishri (our September/October). It celebrates Moses’ building God a tent in the desert. During this joyous, seven-day celebration, the Jews go outside and live in booths (tents) to remind them that God is with us and that this earth is not our true home.
The Feast of Tabernacles holiday is called the “Season of our Joy” and the angel told the shepherds, “Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy that will be to all people.” The holiday is also called “The Feast of Nations”, because it was to be celebrated by all peoples after the Messiah came (Zechariah 14:16).
The swaddling cloths that Mary wrapped Jesus in give another clue. During the Feast of Tabernacles, strips of cloths were used to light the 16 vats of oil in the court of women. Even the word “manger” is symbolic here. It is the same word used for “booth” in the Old Testament. (Genesis 33:17)
The Bible says Jesus was circumcised on the “eighth day”. This was Jesus’ eighth day, yes, but it is also the name of a day on the calendar, called Shemini Atzeret, which is the day after the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. That’s why many believe Jesus was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Joseph would have been required to be in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles, and Bethlehem is only 5 miles away. He could have easily visited Jerusalem from there.
But that’s not all. The Magi may have been Jews from Babylon who had remained there since Nebuchadnezzar captured them - or possibly Chaldeans who knew about Judaism from Daniel. They respected the Jewish traditions and, during the Feast of Tabernacles, would have stayed out in "booths" (Leviticus 23). These were made with branches for a roof so they were deliberately see-through - so you could see the sky through them. This is probably how the Magi saw the star of the Messiah!
There is even more evidence. The Bible says that John the Baptist was six months' older than Jesus (Luke 1:36). You can calculate that John the Baptist was born in the month Nisan, which is our March/April. Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, was in the division of Abijah, and Jewish Scholars say they were in the temple in the tenth week of each Jewish year. When you add nine months from when he was in the temple you find that John the Baptist was born in the spring.
John the Baptist, then, could have born during Passover. To this day, the Jews put out a plate for Elijah during their Passover dinner because he is prophesied to return before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). Jesus said John the Baptist was the return of Elijah and fulfilled that prophecy when he was born (Matthew 11:14). Many believe, then, that Elijah did return during Passover, just as expected.
Revelation 12: 1-5 says "a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about give birth. Then another sign appeared in the heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. It's tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who 'will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.' And the child was snatched up to God and to his throne." Scholars say this is the constellation alignment in the fall of 2 B.C. Tishri 15 of 2 B.C. was September 15th. So I believe Jesus' birthday is September 15th.
2 B. C. works as the year because Luke 3:1 and 3:23 tell us that Jesus turned 30 years old 15 years after the Coronation of Tiberius Caesar which historians universally agree was in A.D. 14. When Dionysius Exignus, the Ukranian monk who declared the years that we still use, set the calendar, he used the January after Jesus’ birth as “the year of our Lord” – Latin: Anno Domini or A.D. 1. He may have set the calendar based on the January after Jesus' first full year.
Some scholars – even Christian scholars – have long stated that Jesus must have been born between 6 and 4 B.C. because of writings from Jewish historian Josephus stating that an eclipse occurred shortly before the death of Herod the Great and a known eclipse occurred in 6 B.C. Astronomers now say another eclipse occurred on December 29th of 1 B.C. Herod could easily have died in 1 A.D when Jesus was still two years old, which would fit right in with Matthew 2:16.
John 2:20 says the Temple in Jerusalem had been under construction for 46 years. It is universally agreed upon that Herod began renovations on the Temple “around 19 B.C”. If Jesus was 32 in 30 A.D., remembering that there was no year zero, then the Temple construction would have begun right when historians say it was.
Back to the birth date. This story is about to take an interesting twist: If Jesus was born on Tishri 15, he would have been conceived of the Holy Spirit on or near our Christmas Day. We may well be celebrating the day Jesus' life truly began on planet earth – the day he was conceived. A life begins at conception and it is fitting that we celebrate all of Jesus' life, not just after he was born. We make a big deal out of Christmas and well we should. For one thing, the world's economy would immediately collapse if we removed Christmas from the calendar. Whether or not you are a believer, your world would end as you know it if you took away the Christian faith.
A final thought: The Jewish holiday Hanukkah always falls near Christmas. The Hanukkah Menorah is said to represent Israel, “a light unto the nations” (Isaiah 42: 6). It would be fitting if Jesus was conceived during Hanukkah because, as the Messiah, he is indeed the Light of the World.
Some scholars – even Christian scholars – have long stated that Jesus must have been born between 6 and 4 B.C. because of writings from Jewish historian Josephus stating that an eclipse occurred shortly before the death of Herod the Great and a known eclipse occurred in 6 B.C. Astronomers now say another eclipse occurred on December 29th of 1 B.C. Herod could easily have died in 1 A.D when Jesus was still two years old, which would fit right in with Matthew 2:16.
John 2:20 says the Temple in Jerusalem had been under construction for 46 years. It is universally agreed upon that Herod began renovations on the Temple “around 19 B.C”. If Jesus was 32 in 30 A.D., remembering that there was no year zero, then the Temple construction would have begun right when historians say it was.
Back to the birth date. This story is about to take an interesting twist: If Jesus was born on Tishri 15, he would have been conceived of the Holy Spirit on or near our Christmas Day. We may well be celebrating the day Jesus' life truly began on planet earth – the day he was conceived. A life begins at conception and it is fitting that we celebrate all of Jesus' life, not just after he was born. We make a big deal out of Christmas and well we should. For one thing, the world's economy would immediately collapse if we removed Christmas from the calendar. Whether or not you are a believer, your world would end as you know it if you took away the Christian faith.
A final thought: The Jewish holiday Hanukkah always falls near Christmas. The Hanukkah Menorah is said to represent Israel, “a light unto the nations” (Isaiah 42: 6). It would be fitting if Jesus was conceived during Hanukkah because, as the Messiah, he is indeed the Light of the World.
