But was Jesus really born on December 25 in the first place? Probably not. The Bible doesn't mention his exact birthday, and the Nativity story contains conflicting clues. For instance, the presence of shepherds and their sheep suggest a spring birth. read more
Two cases will be presented below: one case for a Tishri (Sukkot) birth, and the other for the traditional late December date. read more
If Jesus was born 280 days later it would place his birth on Sept. 29, 2 B.C. Some scholars interpret the 6 months to be in line with the Hebrew calendar or the August-September time frame. Since Mary's pregnancy commenced a little before the sixth month around July, Jesus would be born somewhere around March-June. read more
But by the 3rd Century Christians had begun to organise their ministry and debate the merits of various feast days to mark Jesus’ birth. Suggestions for Christmas included 21 March and 20 May. Yet by 336AD the Church of Rome, now accepted by the Roman Empire, had settled on 25 December. read more