Christian Life 

When was Jesus born?

In spite of the carol which sings of 'in the bleak mid-Winter' and in spite of any hard evidence regarding the time of Jesus birth it is highly unlikely that He was born in December.
 
first published 19/12/2010


With the schedule for temple duty fixed in Scripture,  Zechariah – in the line of Abijah (Luke 1:5) and allocated the 8th 2-week period of the Jewish year at the end of Tammuz (1 Chron 24:10) – would have been on temple duty around the end of June/beginning of July. (Nisan is the first month in the Jewish calendar.)

It was then that he received divine revelation concerning his wife Elizabeth becoming pregnant (Luke 1:11-13). Six months into that pregnancy (Luke 1:36) Mary was similarly shown that she was to 'be with child' (Luke 1:31).

It is therefore quite probable that Jesus was born in the Autum rather than at the end of the year.
In fact the shepherds wouldn't have been 'in their fields at night' in mid-Winter, nor would Caesar have been likely to have called a census which involved mass travel at that time of year.
 
Jesus birth small1

'Mouse-over' for the following Scripture references: 1 Chron. 24:10;  Luke 1:5; Luke 1:11-13;  Luke 1:31; Luke 1:36;  Luke 2:7
 
 

Christians Together, 01/10/2013


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Andrea M 05/01/2011 14:44
Who says there won't be any dogs in heaven?

"The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food." (Isaiah 65:25)
Paul Whitworth 05/01/2011 15:18
Brilliant! Better start that thread Annie.
Annie (Guest) 05/01/2011 17:25
O.K.I walked right into that one!I understand that all that Lion and lamb stuff is for the new earth - the one that Jesus reigns over after His return. the New Heaven is a different place altogether....still no dogs!Now then chaps, I don't have your superior knowledge of Scripture, so my contribution will be basic, but I do have a Pastor who I can call on for help when I'm stumped (is this allowed?)Otherwise I shall get out of my depth very quickly.
Martin Lisemore 05/01/2011 19:15
Annie, it's lovely to read you again after this, a difficult day.

May I also say welcome you to the CT forum and please become a member, then you will be able to see our personal contact details. I'll echo by brother Paul's words, 'So welcome to the forums, you'll fit in as well as anyone!' If you don't want to join, that's OK. I'll email Colin the Editor and ask him to give you my email address. You write to him at editor('at' sign)christianstogether.net

Please do correspond with me, I'd enjoy it so much and I'm sure I would learn much from you. But also, please join CT. We all learn from each other here. And yes, consult your pastor. Why not? You won't be out of your depth if you have a Bible in front of you. And a PS. I don't have superior knowledge of the Bible.

Annie (Guest) 05/01/2011 20:40
Difficult days seem to be par for the course the minuit we decide to follow Jesus - sorry you had one - just take a look at your beautiful clown collie and contemplate the relationship you have with him and your difficult day will fade into insignificance - it's almost yesterday by now - tomorrow awaits - God is already there. I will email Colin as you suggest and join your clan. Thank you Martin, and Paul, for inviting me. I look forward to talking with you all soon.
Right now I shall watch the BBC2 program "The Bear family and Me" Now that's how I see heaven on earth - having fun with wild and "dangerous" animals and just enjoying their company, just like Adam must have done in the Beginning......oh well......
P.S. Wish this forum thing had a spell checker!
Editor 05/01/2011 20:48
Admin note: To Annie and others -
Many site members keep some of their contact details restricted to other site members. Those who are members can log in to get access to the additional contact information.

If you log in Annie, you will get Martin and Peter's e-mail addresses. If you have forgotten your password I can reset it.
Annie Morris 06/01/2011 12:22
Mornin' guys, Apparently I joined up years ago...just forgot, so I re-registered and now I am legal and above board and raring to go (I think). I've never been in/to/at (which is correct?) a forum before, infact I'm not quite sure what a forum is - one of you clever and kind people will tell me no doubt. I don't have a problem admitting to my ignorance....how else can I learn? And I acknowledge that I'm not too old to learn! Just be patient please when i ask daft questions.
Annie Morris 06/01/2011 12:25
And please bear with me when I over-use the emoticons
I just love 'em! (Maybe I must grow up?)
Andrea M 06/01/2011 12:58
I love the emoticons too. They help add expression to your message.

Ed - can we have the facility to insert them individually into our message? An 'Edit' button would be helpful too.
Martin Lisemore 06/01/2011 13:05
Annie, don't grow up! It's just not worth it. I'm trying hard to go the other way now, before it's too late!

What's a forum all about? OK Here goes. It's like a public notice board in a supermarket. We write our opinions, experiences, points of view, refer to Scriptures etc., comment on an article Colin has posted for us, or start a new debate (animals in Heaven) and when they are posted, displayed, everyone can read them. People, like your dear self, come by and read, comment, give a different opinion, experience, understanding.

That way it begins to work like an online fellowship. And it just gets better. We've a couple of Pastors who post regularly, good stuff, and well worth reading and thinking about. Not all of us agree with each other, but by the grace of God we get on, just like in a fellowship.

Colin, the Editor, removes stuff which is offensive, distracting etc., so the forum is a decent, clean and reasonably sensible place to learn from others and also teach others. We try to keep to the point, but often deviate a little. Actually, we're well off the point sometimes, but Colin is a generous hearted man and let's us get on with it.

Surely the whole point of this forum is to glorify our Lord Jesus, by not neglecting to fellowship with the brethren.

Perhaps, for me, the strength of the CT forum is I may talk with other Christians, and those who are not yet Christian here, although I live hundreds of miles away in the East of England. I have a Scots wife, so maybe that qualifies me a little.

OK. That's about it for a forum. Not so clever, until you get involved with the engineering behind it, but a very kind place to be.

I guess you can now see my email address. Please do mail me, just as soon as you like. I look forward to it.


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Christians Together in the Highlands and Islands > Christian Life > When was Jesus born?