Harold W. Hoehner
The Day
of Christ's Birth
"The
traditional date for the birth of Christ from as early as
Hippolytus (ca. A.D. 165-235) has been December 25th. In the
Eastern Church January 6th was the date for not only
Christ's birth, but also the arrival of the Magi on Christ's
second birthday, His baptism in His twenty-ninth year, and
the sign at Cana in His thirtieth year. However Chrysostom
(A.D. 345-407) in 386 stated that December 25th is the
correct date and hence it became the official date for
Christ's birth in the Eastern Church (January 6th was still
considered the day for the manifestations of the coming of
the Magi, the baptism, and the sign at Cana.
Although the exact date may not be pinpointed it seems that
there is a relatively old tradition of a midwinter birth,
therefore a date in December or January is not in itself
unlikely.
The one objection raised for the winter date is the fact of
the shepherds attending their flock in the night (Luke 2:8).
Usually, it is noted, the sheep were taken into enclosures
from November until March and were not in the fields at
night. However, this is not conclusive evidence against
December being the time of Christ's birth for the following
reasons. First, it could have been a mild winter and hence
the shepherds would have been outside with their sheep.
Second, it is not at all certain that sheep were brought
under cover during the winter months. Third, it is true that
during the winter months the sheep were brought in the from
the wilderness. The Lukan narrative states that the
shepherds were around Bethlehem (rather than the
wilderness), thus indicating that the nativity was in the
winter months. Finally, the Mishnah (Shekalim 7:4) implies
that the sheep around Bethlehem were outside all year, and
those that were worthy for the Passover offerings were in
the fields thirty days before the feast, which would be as
early as February, one of the coldest and rainiest months of
the year. Therefore, a December date for the nativity is
acceptable.
In conclusion, the exact date of the birth of Christ is
difficult to know with finality. However, a midwinter date
is most likely. It is clear that Christ was born before
Herod the Great's death and after the census. In looking at
the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke one would need to
conclude that Christ was born of Mary within a year or two
of Herod's death. In looking to some of the other
chronological notations in the Gospels, the evidence led to
the conclusion that Christ was born in the winter of 5/4
B.C. Although the exact date of Christ's birth cannot be
known, either December of 5 B.C., or January of 4 B.C. is
most reasonable."
Harold W.
Hoehner, "Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ"
(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1981) pp. 25-27
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