A census like this would have been difficult, especially when you consider that everyone needed to return to their own town to register. In the first century, Rome included everything from Europe to parts of Africa, and from Syria to Spain. When would a census be taken?Ī census of the entire Roman world would be a serious undertaking. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t clues that can give us some ideas about when Jesus was (or wasn’t) born.
Does the Bible give any indications of Jesus’ birth date?Īs you can probably see, there aren’t any overt indications that Jesus was born on December 25. Then they began spreading the good news (Luke 2:1–21). The shepherds went and found the Messiah and worshiped Him. And then, out of nowhere, a host of angels appeared praising God. The angel told them about the Savior’s birth and where they’d find him. The shepherds were terrified of this visitor and the overwhelming glory of the Lord which accompanied him. While in Bethlehem, Jesus was born to Mary and he was placed in a manger because no legitimate room could be found.Īt the same time, an angel appeared to local shepherds who were watching over their flocks that night. So Joseph took Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem so they could be registered. Luke tells us that Caesar Augustus issued a decree requiring a census be taken of the entire Roman world, and everyone needed to go to their own town to register. A census requires Joseph and Mary to move When Joseph woke up, he followed the angel’s advice and married Mary. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20–21). But during the night he was visited in a dream by an angel who told him, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
He was a good man who didn’t want to shame her. When Mary’s soon-to-be husband found out about the pregnancy, he planned to break it off with Mary quietly.
Between the accounts in Matthew and Luke’s Gospels, we can put together the following details: Obviously, the New Testament is the best starting place for piecing together the most important facts about Jesus’ birth. But is that really the date that Christ was born? If not, can we pinpoint with any accuracy when Jesus was born? In the grand scheme of things, does it matter what day he was born? What the Bible says about the birth of Jesus We all know Christmas is the annual festival celebrating Christ’s birth-and December 25 is the date that’s commonly observed as Christ’s birthday. As crowds of shoppers begin their hunt for the perfect gifts, Christmas carols are blasting out of shopping-mall speakers everywhere. As soon as Thanksgiving’s over, many Americans begin stringing up their holiday lights, busting decorations out of storage, and looking for the perfect Christmas tree.
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