Was Jesus born on December 25?

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25? 

I have. I tend to wonder about things like this. Luke and Matthew don’t actually specify a date, though we know it was during the reigns of Augustus Caesar (31 BC to 14 AD)  and Herod the Great. Our modern calendar is based on Jesus’s birth, though scholars now agree that the fellow who came up with this calculation was a little off in the math, and Jesus was probably born between 7 and 3 BC. 

Sol Invictus and Strange Theories

The popular theory of December 25 claims that the early church fathers, attempting to convert more pagans, stole the date from the Roman winter solstice festival Sol Invictus, which means “Birth of the Unconquered Sun.” In fact, the Romans did not celebrate Sol Invictus until a century after the Church had established that date of Jesus’ birth, although Christmas did not become a holiday under centuries later. According to William Tighe in “Calculating Christmas,” the Emperor Aurelian established Sol Invictus in 273 AD in opposition to the Christians, who were gaining popularity in Rome. Therefore, it’s more accurate to say that the pagans stole the date from the Christians, and not the other way around.

How did the early church fathers come up with December 25? At the time, there was a strange theory that all great prophets were conceived and died on the same date. March 25 was the traditional date for Jesus’ death (there’s a whole bunch of calculations for that I won’t get into), and was, therefore, also believed to be the date of his conception. Fast forward nine months, and you get December 25.

December 25 had nothing to do with paganism. It had to do with math.

Still, there are other clues in the Bible that make it quite unlikely for Jesus to be born in December.

The Shepherds

Luke tells us the shepherds were out with their flocks at night. The only shepherds who would be outside at night with the flocks were children, usually the youngest boys or girls. When Samuel went to Jesse’s house to anoint the new king of Israel, the youngest son David was absent because he was out in the fields with the sheep. Adults would only be out at night during lambing season. Sheep are not the smartest animals; the ewes needed much help giving birth. Lambing season is spring—March or April. This theory would put Jesus’ birth in the spring. 

Yet there is another clue: the word for “fields” refers to farmed land, not wilderness or desert. The Torah commanded that farmers leave the corners of their fields for the poor to glean food. Once the gleaners were done, the shepherds could move their flocks in to eat up the leftovers. This would be well after the harvest, in August or early September. Shepherds would bring their flocks inside for the winter, so neither the flocks nor the shepherds would have been out at night in December. According to this scenario, Jesus would have been born in late summer or fall.

The Star

There have always been lots of theories about the “Star in the East” that guided the Magi to Bethlehem. Michael Heiser, the renowned Biblical scholar who wrote Unseen Realm, suggests that Jesus was born during the conjunction of Jupiter and the star Regulus on September 11, 3 BC. This date would work for the sheep being in the fields. It’s also a time when King Herod was still alive. While the traditional date for Herod’s death is 4 BC, many contemporary scholars like Heiser, Andrew Steinmann, and Ormond Edwards have pinpointed his death more accurately at 1 BC. 

There is even more corroboration for this date. Revelation 12 describes a woman crowned with 12 stars giving birth. 

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. (Revelation 12:1-2)

Jewish historians and biblical writers used signs in the sky to signify monumental events. John here accurately describes Virgo’s constellation as synonymous with the Virgin Mary. Advanced astrological software has confirmed that Virgo did indeed appear on September 11, 3 BC. On that date, the sun was in Virgo’s center, with the moon at her feet for just over an hour between sunset and moonset. The twelve stars could refer to the constellation Leo, which appears over the top of Virgo and is next in the zodiac. Leo, the Lion was an ancient symbol of the Lion of Judah—the tribe from which Jesus was descended. 

Guess what else? September 11 occurs during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is also called the Day of Trumpets, because the sounding of trumpets reminded people of God’s faithfulness and hinted at the coming of the Messiah. 

In the same way, trumpets will herald the return of Jesus on the Last Day, the Day of Judgment. 

September 11 drums up unpleasant memories—the day America was attacked by Islamic terrorists. I wonder if this wasn’t a coincidence. September 11, 2001, was, in many ways, a day of judgment. But that might be a subject for another blog.

Jesus Saves

In the end, does it really matter when Jesus was born? Of course not. The important thing is that He was born, He lived, He died, and He rose again to offer all those who believe in Him forgiveness and eternal life. Sometimes it’s still hard to wrap my head around that simple fact. His name was Yeshua, Jesus, “God Saves.” He came not as a king but as a helpless baby in a room full of animals in a tiny town. For most of his life, He had no home at all. No wonder so many scholars who had been watching and waiting for the birth of the Messiah missed it completely. 

This Christmas, amidst all the wonderful activity, the gifts, the parties, and the church celebrations, let’s remember and be thankful.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, 

he was crushed for our iniquities; 

the punishment that brought us peace was on him, 

and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53: 5

NOTE: If you want a more indepth discussion on the birth date of Jesus, check out this podcast.

Gina Detwiler is the author of the YA Supernatural Forlorn series and co-author with Priscilla Shirer of bestselling Prince Warriors series. Find out more at http://www.ginadetwiler.com/