Although astrologers don’t want to be associated with the Grinch who stole Christmas, evidence from both Biblical and historical sources as well as a star map of the ancient sky suggests that Jesus was born much earlier in the year, most likely in late May, when the sun was in the astrological sign of Gemini.
According to astrologer Christine Arens, historians convincingly argue against the December 25 date, when Christians over the world usually commemorate Christ’s birth.
She believes that May 29, 7 BC is a more likely date.
Although historical records are scarce, Arens claims that Scripture gives some crucial time indications.
The appearance of angels heralding the birth of Jesus to shepherds tending their flocks at night, for example, is described in Scripture.
“The mating season for the sheep native to this region runs from October to December.
With a five-month gestation period, all of the new lambs would have been born by late May, and shepherds would be out in the fields by night, keeping an eye on their flocks to ensure none of the newcomers got lost.
“What this tells us is a late-spring birth date for Jesus,” she argues, adding,
“On March 13, 4 BC, a lunar eclipse was visible in Judea, and the Roman historian Flavius Josephus recounts about Herod’s illness and death.
Because the Bible says Herod was still alive when Jesus was born, his birth must have occurred before this date.”
Another biblical hint: Mary and Joseph had journeyed to Bethlehem to register for their taxes at the time of Christ’s birth.
Three such tax requests were dispatched from Rome, according to ancient Roman records, in 28 BC, 8 BC, and 14 AD.
“The date of 28 BC is probably too early, and the date of 14 AD is clearly too late.” “The tax call of 8 BC is most certainly the one referred to in Scripture,” Arens added.
Astrologers may quickly generate a star map using contemporary technology that depicts the heavens exactly as they would have appeared to ancient astrologers more than 2000 years ago. In terms of astrology, the year 8 BC was not particularly eventful, but the next year, 7 BC, was.
“Given the distances and communications difficulties, it’s likely that most Jews would have registered for taxes the year after the call, or in 7 BC, when the skies better described the events unfolding,” she added.
The narrative of the three Wise Men who followed a star to Christ’s birthplace is well-known among Christians. These Wise Men, or Magi, were most likely astrologer priests from the star worship of Orion.
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What is the true date of Jesus’ birth?
After the Roman Emperor Constantine I converted to Christianity and sanctioned Christianity in 312, church leaders worked to appropriate the winter solstice festivals, allowing for a more seamless conversion of the emperor’s subjects to Christianity. Church officials may have justified Jesus’ birthday celebration in late December by claiming that since the world was reportedly founded on the spring equinox (late March), God would have conceived Jesus on that day as well. The Virgin Mary, who was nine months pregnant with God’s son, would have given birth to Jesus on the winter solstice nine months later.
The celebration of Christ’s birth spread from Rome to other Christian communities in the west and east, and by December 25, most Christians were celebrating Christ’s birth. Other winter-solstice rites followed by diverse pagan communities, like as the lighting of the Yule log and decorations with evergreens by Germanic tribes, were also included to the Roman holiday. Christmas was first recorded in the English language as Christes maesse, which meant “Christ’s mass” or “Christ’s festival” in Old English. St. Nicholas of Myra, a saint who is thought to visit youngsters with gifts and warnings just before Christmas, was a prominent medieval feast. This legend grew into the present tradition of leaving gifts for children delivered by “Santa Claus,” a shortened version of St. Nicholas’ Dutch name, Sinterklaas.
Is it true that Jesus’ birthday is in June?
According to research conducted by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jesus was born between early and mid-April, although theologian, biblical scholar, and author Ian Paul suggests September or late March.
Why is it said that Jesus was born in the month of June?
By charting the emergence of the ‘Christmas star,’ which the Bible claims guided the three Wise Men to Jesus, astronomers have estimated that Christmas should be in June. They discovered that a bright star that appeared above Bethlehem 2,000 years ago pinpointed Christ’s birth date as June 17 instead of December 25.
Is it true that Jesus had a wife?
An ancient book is reigniting a controversy that has raged for centuries: Was Jesus Christ married?
Of course, the majority of Christians believe he wasn’t. Karen King, a Harvard Divinity professor, exhibited a shred of papyrus dating from the fourth century today. She told a group of experts in Rome that this astonishing line was written in Coptic: “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife…’ “
In a press release, King stated, “Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was not married, despite the lack of trustworthy historical evidence to support that assertion.” “This new gospel does not establish that Jesus was married, but it does show that the issue only arose as a result of heated disputes about sexuality and marriage. Christians have differed since the beginning over whether it is preferable to marry or not, but it took almost a century after Jesus’ death for them to start using Jesus’ married status to buttress their perspectives.”
This new gospel also tells us that some early Christians thought Jesus was married, according to King.
Is it more likely that Jesus was born in December or June?
The idea that Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem for the Roman census was another key story point surrounding Jesus’ birth and parents Mary and Joseph’s trek to their homeland, Bethlehem. The census would not have taken place in the winter, or in December in particular, because turnout would have been expected to be low.
When it comes to determining when Jesus was born, many Christians use the birth of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, as a starting point. Six months before Jesus was born, John was conceived. If his birth is taken into account, Jesus’ birth falls in the month of June. The United Church of God claims that Jesus was born between June 13 and 17.
According to author William Walsh, who wrote The Story of Santa Claus in 1970, the Christian decision to make December 25 the global festival to commemorate Jesus’ birth was made in the hopes of converting pagans to Christianity. It was considered as a middle ground between conflicting viewpoints.
Church services are held on both December 25 and December 24, or Christmas Eve, around the world.
Is it true that Jesus was born in July?
(AP) BETHLEHEM, Occupied West Bank According to new archaeological evidence, Jesus was born in the late summer or early fall of the year 12 B.C., and Halley’s comet was the star that guided the three wise men to Bethlehem.
Although the notion contradicts traditional Christian views regarding Jesus’ birth date, Biblical expert Jim Fleming believes the location of his birth, near the modern-day Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, is correct.
Fleming is the dean of the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies, a non-profit educational center, and teaches historical geography and archaeology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
He established the nondenominational center ten years ago to provide Bible classes to Protestant ministers, Roman Catholic priests, and lay school teachers.
Scholars in the 4th century analyzed New Testament passages to determine that Jesus was born on December 25, the year 1 A.D.
However, it appears they made a mistake in guessing, Fleming, 42, said during a session for students and journalists hosted by the government press office in collaboration with the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Fleming said his theory regarding the birth of Jesus was based in part on an unpublished paper by Jerry Vardaman, a professor of archaeology at Mississippi State University’s Cobb Institute of Archaeology in Starkville, Miss.
According to Fleming, modern academics have discovered evidence suggesting Jesus was born before the year 1 A.D., including a reference in the Book of Matthew that King Herod was alive at the time of the Messiah’s birth. According to him, Herod is thought to have died in 4 B.C.
Furthermore, according to Fleming, academics have discovered that the census that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, as recorded in the Book of Luke, was most likely held in 12 B.C.
According to Fleming, a tablet known as the Aemilius Secundus inscription, discovered 300 years ago in Beirut, Lebanon, was recently decoded, and researchers revealed that Quirinius, the governor of Syria, ordered a census in 12 B.C.
Vardaman agreed with Fleming’s interpretation of his work when contacted by phone. He went on to say that the Aemilius Secundus inscribed tablet is presently in the Venice Museum in Italy.
The census that sent Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem was taken out while Quirinius was governor, according to the Book of Luke.
The couple journeyed from Nazareth, where they lived, to Bethlehem, Joseph’s hometown, where the baby Jesus was born, according to Luke.
Because of the reference in Luke to shepherds in the fields surrounding Bethlehem being the first to realize a new king had been born, Fleming believes the traditional Dec. 25 birthdate is probably incorrect.
Shepherds’ flocks were not allowed on fields once they were plowed in October or November, according to Fleming, to allow the dry ground to absorb the winter rains.
Shepherds, on the other hand, were urged to graze their sheep in late summer and early fall so that they might eat the stubble of cultivated crops and fertilize the fields, according to Fleming.
As a result, he believes it is more likely that Jesus was born between late July and early October.
The Star of Bethlehem, according to Fleming, was an early apparition of Halley’s comet.
According to calculations by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of Pasadena, California, Halley’s comet was seen in approximately 12 B.C. Halley’s comet, which reappears every 75 years, was visible in about 12 B.C.
The wise men, according to the Book of Matthew, saw the star twice, which corresponds to the appearances of Halley’s comet. Before passing behind the sun and reappearing, the comet is visible for several weeks.
The wise men’s perception that the star guided the way to Bethlehem, according to Fleming, could have come from the tail of Halley’s comet.
A silver star inside the grotto of the Church of the Nativity marks the traditional location of Jesus’ birth. Although the star may not pinpoint the exact place, Fleming believes Jesus was born close to the church’s location.
According to archeological data, the church, which was built in the 4th century, is positioned on the outskirts of biblical Bethlehem, where an inn could have been found, he claimed.
Bethlehem is a 50,000-strong mixed Moslem and Christian town on the Jordan River’s West Bank, which Israel took from Jordan during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.