When Was Jesus Really Born?

One of the problems about the development of traditions around Christmas is that people writing hymns or plays set Jesus’ birth in their own world rather than in what we know of the first century. In particular, many assume that Jesus was born in winter, since Christmas is celebrated in winter in the northern hemisphere. However, it is fairly widely recognised that the celebration of Christmas was not determined by the historical date of Jesus’ birth.

The Historical Existence of Jesus

To begin investigating this date, one must first address the question: was the birth of Jesus an historical event—that is, did Jesus exist? The consensus of scholars, including non-Christian scholars, is that a historical Jesus most likely existed and the later stories about “Jesus Christ” were told about him. The idea that there was no such historical person at all and that “Jesus Christ” was a purely mythical figure has been posited in one form or another since the eighteenth century, but is not taken seriously by anyone but a tiny handful of fringe scholars and amateurs.

The Origins of December 25th: Theological vs. Pagan

Turning to the myth that the date of 25th December was chosen to displace the pagan festival of Sol Invictus, research has demonstrated that this was 12th-century anti-Christmas propaganda. In relation to Sol Invictus, historical evidence shows that Sol Invictus was not placed on 12/25 until 354 AD when the Philocalian Calendar records this. Prior to this, the Julio-Claudian fasti inscriptions say Sun festivals were on August 8th, 9th, 28th, and December 11th. Furthermore, the feast of Saturnalia was never on 25th December either.

In reality, the date was set for theological rather than chronological reason. The December date comes from counting nine months on from the believed date of Jesus’ conception, March 25th, which was also (for theological reasons) believed to have been the same date that Jesus died on. There was an idea within early Christianity that if you were really holy you would die on the day you were conceived or born. The ancient Christian writer Tertullian stated that Christ suffered “in the month of March, at the time of the Passover, on the eighth day before the Calends of April.” That day would have been March 25th. If that was also the day of the Incarnation, it explains why the early Church set the date for Christmas nine months later on December 25th.

Alternative Dates and the Messiah's Star

Despite the dominance of the December tradition, early traditions claim that Yeshua was born in the spring. The oldest written records say he was born “a hundred and ninety-four years, one month, thirteen days” before the death of Commodus, which would work out to November 18. From the earliest times there appear to have been two contesting dates, December 25th in the West, and January 6th in the East of the empire.

To find more scientific evidence, we may look to the magi who had followed a star from the East to find the newborn Messiah. For millennia, the coming Messiah has been associated with the appearance of a star, as recorded in Numbers 24:17: “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” If the appearance of that particular star could be tracked down to a time frame, then ascertaining the birth date of Yeshua might be possible.

Comparison of Historical Dates and Traditions

The following table summarizes the various dates and festivals associated with the birth of Jesus and historical solar traditions based on the provided material:

Date	Significance / Source
March 25	Believed date of Jesus’ conception (Incarnation) and death.
December 25	Western tradition; calculated as nine months after March 25.
January 6	Contesting date for the birth and epiphany in the East of the empire.
November 18	Oldest written record based on the death of Commodus.
December 11	A historical date for a Sun festival prior to 354 AD.
August 8, 9, 28	Early dates for Sun festivals in the Julio-Claudian fasti.