Amazingly, there are those who still erroneously believe that Jesus was born on December 25.For many decades, we have told the world, along with many other sources, that this is simply not the case; however, the world at large has generally ignored this information. It is a bonanza for businesses that care only for the sales of their products.
It is possible to know the approximate time of Jesus’s birth, which totally destroys the Christmas myth, which is such a big issue in today’s society, and can be a make-or-break time for many businesses, since many people spend so much money at this time of the year. But in the year 2025, very few seem to care, as it is a time to be merry, have a week or two off work and just enjoy oneself. There are those who may genuinely take this time seriously, thinking that they are worshipping Jesus even though they may realize that the date is wrong, and even that the roots of Christmas are of pagan origin, but that it is an exciting time for their children and the family. And yet, it is a practice which does not have God’s approval.
There is not one single reference in all 66 books of the Bible, and not one mention in early church literature pinpointing the date of Jesus’s birth. Obviously, God did not want us to know the date He was born!
However, we do celebrate Christ’s death. It is through His death and atoning Sacrifice that we are reconciled to God, and have forgiveness of sin.
Let us, very briefly, look at the biblical way of calculating the approximate time of Jesus’s birth. We will be looking at verses in just two books – Luke 1 and 1 Chronicles 24 to prove the approximate time of the year that the Savior of mankind was born.
Let us look at the biblical way of calculating this by reviewing Luke 1, where John the Baptist’s birth was announced to Zacharias. [We addressed this issue before, together with other aspects; compare our Q&A, asking and answering the question: “In your new book, ‘Jesus Christ — A Mystery,’ as well as in your booklet, ‘Don’t Keep Christmas,’ you state that Christ was not born on December 25th. Does the Bible give any indication as to when He was born?”. In this Q&A, we are elaborating on the passages in Luke 1 and 1 Chronicles 24.]
In Luke 1:5-9, we read:
“(5) There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. (6) And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (7) But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. (8) So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, (9) according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.”
There are two points to note here.
In verse 5, it states that the “division” or “course” was that of Abijah, and in verse 8, it says that “he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his “division” or “course” (compare Authorized Version).
These courses lasted 8 days, from Sabbath to Sabbath, and there were 24 of them, and the division of Abijah, like the others, would serve in the temple twice a year.
These divisions or courses are listed in 1 Chronicles 24. We read in verse 10: “…the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah.”
In verse 19, we read: “This was the schedule of their service for coming into the house of the LORD according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.
In his book under the heading “The Twenty-Four Courses,” the author Alfred Edersheim writes that each “course” of priests and Levites came on duty for a week from one Sabbath to another. So, going back to Luke 1:5, we see that John the Baptist’s father – Zacharias was of the course of Abijah – was the eighth course.
Let us continue reading this account in Luke 1:9-25:
“(9) … according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot (that is Zacharias) fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. (10) And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. (11) Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. (12) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. (13) But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (14) And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. (15) For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. (16) And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. (17) He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,” and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ (18) And Zacharias said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.’ (19) And the angel answered and said to him, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.’ (21) And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. (22) But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. (23) So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. (24) Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, (25) ‘Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.’”
And so, as soon as he finished his course—the eighth one—, he went home and his wife conceived.
By knowing the approximate date of John the Baptist’s birth, we should be able to arrive at the time of the birth of Christ, because Luke 1:26, 27, 36 tells us that Christ was just six months younger than John the Baptist. We will explain this in detail below.
All of this simply means the following:
- The courses started at the beginning of the sacred year.
- Zacharias served in the 8th course.
- Since the course of Abijah was eighth in order, Zacharias ministered in the ninth week rather than the eighth week because during the third week, all the priests were ministering the Passover season.
- The first course started around April 6 that year.
- Zacharias, serving in the ninth week, served from around June 1 to June 8 which was the time when the angel told him that his wife would conceive and bear a son to be called John.
- Zacharias could not have returned home on June 9 however, because that week began with a Holy Day (Pentecost), in which his course ministered, along with the other 23 courses. This extra service kept him in Jerusalem until Sivan 12 (June 15). At that time, he could return home and his wife conceived which was mid-to-late June.
- As the gestation period is 280 days, we arrive at about Nisan 1 – probably late March.
- As Jesus was 6 months younger than John [see below], we add 6 months to late March – which means that Jesus was born in late September or perhaps in early October.
We know that there were two courses a year and this course (or division) referred to, must have been the first course of the year because:
- The guest chambers became available around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles.
- Taxation (compare Luke 2:1-5) came just after the autumnal (fall) festival season; and
- Christ’s ministry was for 3½ years and as He was crucified at Passover, He was born 3½ years earlier which takes us back to the autumn. To elaborate, Luke 3:23 states that Jesus started His ministry around age 30). The Book of John mentions three Passovers: John 2:13; John 6:4 and John 11:55), with the last Passover leading to Christ’s arrest and crucifixion, fitting within Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) of the Messiah’s coming and being “cut off” in the middle of the final week. Compare chapter 6 of our free booklet, “When and How Will Christ Return?”
Going back to the Scriptural evidence, and showing in more detail that Jesus was in fact 6 months younger than John the Baptist, let us look at Luke 1:26:
“(26) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth…”
This is where Christ’s birth was announced to Mary. The sixth month referred to here is the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, as explained below.
Continuing with verses 27-36:
“(27) to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (28) And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’ (29) But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. (30) Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. (31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. (32) He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. (33) And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’(34) Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ (35) And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (36) Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.”
As stated above, the sixth month referred to here is the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, as verse 36 says that this is the 6th month for her who was called barren.
Mary was to become the mother of Jesus – and conceived (verse 31) when Elizbeth, her cousin, was six months pregnant, as it says here in verse 36 which confirms the “sixth month” as mentioned in verse 26. And so, when John the Baptist was born in mid-to-late March, Mary was 3 months pregnant. Six months later, Mary gave birth to Jesus in approximately late September or maybe even early October—we simply do not know exactly, but it occurred around that time. God has not made this date known, but surely would have done so had He wanted us to celebrate it.
Additional evidence is the fact that Jerusalem and the surrounding towns were very crowded with visitors at the time that Jesus was born – His parents had to take accommodation in a stable. The autumnal festivals occur in the seventh month of the sacred year as we know from Leviticus 23, corresponding to our September/October. This was also the time of the year when taxes were collected, as mentioned previously.
We can prove from many sources the paganism of Christmas (compare our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas”). December 25is just another day – there is nothing sacred or holy about it. Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, God’s Feast days and not the world’s pagan holidays – like Christmas – will be kept by everyone, worldwide. And that is such a wonderful thing to look forward to!
Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link