The Bible says in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but he does not tell us the date of his birth.
However, in all four Gospels we find references to Jesus as a “Nazarene,” which some see as an indication that Jesus was of Nazareth. As for the year of Jesus’ birth, the alternatives offered by historians are between 6 and 1 BC (BC).
Birthplace
Verses that say that Jesus was born in Bethlehem
Matthew 2:1
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea at the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.
(Matthew 2:1)
Matthew 2:6
But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the chiefs of Judah; because out of you will come a prince who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.
(Matthew 2:6)
Micah 5:2
But from you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, little among the clans of Judah, will come the one who will rule Israel; its origins go back to ancient times, to time immemorial.
(Micah 5:2)
Joseph, who was a descendant of King David, also went up from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to Judea. He went to Bethlehem, the City of David, to enroll along with his wife Mary. She was with child and, while they were there, her time was fulfilled. So she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and put him to bed in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
(Luke 2:4-7)
When the angels went to heaven, the shepherds said to each other: «Let’s go to Bethlehem, to see what has happened and that the Lord has made known to us». So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.
(Luke 2:15-16)
Verses that can imply that he was born in Nazareth
Mark 14:66-67
While Peter was downstairs in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s servants passed by. When she saw Pedro getting hot, she noticed him. “You were also with that Nazarene, with Jesus,” she told him.
(Mark 14:66-67)
Mark 16:6
Don’t be scared,” he told them. You seek Jesus the Nazarene, the one who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. Look at the place where they put it.
(Mark 16:6)
Matthew 2:21-23
So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and returned to the land of Israel. But, hearing that Archelaus was reigning in Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Warned by God in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and went to live in a town called Nazareth. With this he fulfilled what was said by the prophets: “They will call him a Nazarene.”
(Matthew 2:21-23)
John 1:44-46
Felipe was from the town of Bethsaida, the same as Andrés and Pedro. Philip looked for Nathanael and said to him: We have found Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and about whom the prophets wrote.
“From Nazareth!” Nathanael replied. Can anything good come out of it?
“Come and see,” Philip replied.
(John 1:44-46)
Historical data on the place of birth:
Most historians assert that there is evidence that the apostles’ and early church’s accounts of Jesus’ life are true. Archaeologists have verified the existence in biblical times of both Bethlehem and Nazareth, two very important places in the life of Jesus. However, mentions of Bethlehem are more abundant since Nazareth was a very humble and ignored place.
The star that guided the wise men of the East can be useful here. The wise men studied their topics of interest in detail and knew the biblical prophecies that spoke of a new king of the Jews who would be born in Bethlehem. That is why they were very attentive to the signs in the sky. The fact that they recognized the importance of the star by relating it to what they had read about this new king of the Jews and that they followed it shows great conviction on their part. They were sure that they would find the newborn king when they arrived in Bethlehem.
As for the fact that Jesus was called “the Nazarene”, he spent a good part of his life in Nazareth. His family’s house was there, it was Joseph’s homeland and it is normal that Jesus was considered a Nazarene. His family was established there and Joseph seemed to be a well-known carpenter in the area (Mark 6: 1-4).
The approximate year of your birth
To get the approximate date of Jesus’ birth we must look at biblical information, plus a variety of historical documents and sources.
1- Mentions of King Herod
Matthew 2:1-3
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea at the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.
“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” they asked. We saw his star rise and we have come to worship him. When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
(Matthew 2:1-3)
Matthew 2:16
When Herod realized that the wise men had mocked him, he was furious and had all the children under two years of age in and around Bethlehem killed, according to the time he had learned from the wise men.
(Matthew 2:16)
Matthew 2:19-20
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in Egypt in a dream and told him: “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who threatened to take his life have already died. life to the child.
(Matthew 2:19-20)
Historical facts about Herod: There are records indicating that Herod died in 4 BC and it is known that when Jesus was born Herod was still ruling over Judea. The Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, dates Herod’s death to the spring of the year 750 of the Roman calendar (the one in use there at the time).
There are also historical documents from New Testament scholars that confirm that Herod’s successor began to reign over Judea and Samaria during 4 BC That being said, it should be noted that a review of the Flavius Josephus manuscripts by the British Library and the Library of Congress indicates that manuscripts prior to the year 1544 place the death of Herod in the year 1 BC This information brings the date of the birth of Jesus even closer to the traditionally accepted date, the one that separates the calendar that we use today between years before Christ and after Christ.
2- The census, the reason why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem
Luke 2:1-5
In those days Augustus Caesar decreed that a census be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This first census was taken when Quirinius was ruling Syria.) So they all went to register, each one to his own town. Joseph, who was a descendant of King David, also went up from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to Judea. He went to Bethlehem, the City of David, to enroll along with his wife Mary.
(Luke 2:1-5)
Historical data on the census: There are two ancient inscriptions that support and confirm the fact that Quirinius led military expeditions in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire between 7 and 4 BC Therefore, it is considered quite likely that the census mentioned in the Bible did indeed happen at some point during those years.
3- The visit of the wise men from the East and the appearance of the star
Matthew 2:1-3
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea at the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.
“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” they asked. We saw his star rise and we have come to worship him.
When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
(Matthew 2:1-3)
Matthew 2:7
Then Herod secretly called the wise men and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared.
(Matthew 2:7)
Historical facts about the wise men and the star: The wise men of the East extensively studied their subjects of interest and were well acquainted with biblical prophecies (see Numbers 24:17 and Micah 5:2). Therefore, they paid close attention and set off as soon as they saw the big star.
According to astronomers, between the years 7 and 6 BC, the planets Jupiter and Saturn were very close to the constellation Pisces, which created a very bright glow. That may have been the sign they saw in the sky, the one that made them remember the prophecies they had read and that motivated them to begin the journey to meet the new King.
4- The pregnancy of Elisabet, the mother of John the Baptist
Luke 1:8-13
One day when Zacharias, because his group’s turn had come, was officiating as a priest before God, it fell to him, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. When it was time to offer the incense, the crowd gathered outside was praying. At this an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias to the right of the altar of incense. Seeing him, Zacarias was frightened, and fear seized him. The angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
(Luke 1:8-13)
Historical facts about Zechariah and Elizabeth:
We see that Zacharias (the father of John the Baptist) was part of the rotation of the temple priests. His house, the house of Abijah, was due the eighth rotation (1 Chronicles 24:10) in the tenth week of the priestly cycle to serve in the temple.
Historians estimate that his shift began in May and ended in June. Since Elizabeth became pregnant soon after, John the Baptist must have been born in the spring. According to the biblical account, Mary became pregnant when Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy (Luke 1:26-27). So if John the Baptist was born in March or April, Jesus must have been born in September or October of that same year.
Was Jesus born on December 25?
No, it’s pretty sure he wasn’t even born in December. Most likely, he was born in late September or early October.
Something that strongly supports this theory is the biblical scene of the appearance of angels to shepherds who were with their sheep in the field. Luke 2:8 says, “In that same region there were some shepherds who were spending the night in the field, taking turns tending their flocks.”
In that region of Bethlehem and throughout the area, the custom was that the shepherds went out into the fields with their flocks from spring until early October, when the weather was conducive to sleeping outdoors with their sheep. Therefore, it can be said with some certainty that Jesus must have been born at the latest, in early October.
You may be interested in these articles about Christmas: