How Many Years Ago Was Jesus Born?
When was Jesus’ birth, exactly? Although there is considerable disagreement on this, the bulk of New Testament scholars date the birth of Jesus to 4 B.C. or earlier. This is due to the widespread belief that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C. Herod’s significance in the account of Jesus’ birth (see Matthew 2) necessitates that Jesus was born before Herod passed away.
There are several problems with the current system of dating Christ’s birth. The problem of centuries is obvious, but some medieval calculations were also wrong or backward. Then again, no reputable Bible scholar taught that Christ was born in 1 A.D. Regardless of what the source says, the error in these calculations is clear and obvious. So here are some alternative dates that we can use instead. And, most importantly, how long ago was Jesus born?
Problems
The answer to the question, “How many years ago was Jesus born?” depends on how you count the years. Dionysius Exiguus, who lived in Rome in the sixth century C.E., calculated Jesus’ birth date using the Bible and historical chronicles of the Roman Empire. Since there was no concept of zero during this time, year zero was counted as year one. So when Jesus was born, it was in the year one. This is known as the “Common Era.”
Although many Christians believe that Jesus was born in the 4th century B.C., this is not entirely correct. The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was born on the eighth day of the week, generally interpreted as April 8. This date would make Jesus five BCE, and thus five years before the Gregorian calendar. This difference would make Jesus about thirty-eight years old at the time of His birth, making Him thirty-seven when He died.
Despite the difficulty of determining the exact date of Jesus’ birth, astronomical data and historical sources help us make an educated guess. For instance, in the fourth century BCE, the sun was at its highest point in the sky, so the birth of Jesus in the year four billion years ago is dated at the same time as the birth of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the Bible says that Jesus died on the cross on the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is usually celebrated during the time of the Jewish lunar calendar. Further, the Gospel of John says that Jesus had his last supper during the Passover holiday.
There are several ways to answer this question. One way is by using the traditional Gregorian calendar. In the sixth century, Dionysius Exiguus calculated the year Jesus was born. Other people later accepted this date, including the Venerable Bede of Durham. But today, the sixth-century Scythian monk Dionysius probably made the original mistake.
Conflicting dates
There are conflicting dates for Jesus’ birth and his death, and the exact date of Jesus’ birth remains uncertain. Some scholars claim that Jesus was conceived on March 25, and others believe that he was born on December 25. Either way, Jesus was born during an eventful time in history. But the date of Jesus’ birth is not the only debate surrounding the life of the Messiah.
There are some arguments against the idea that Jesus’ birth was four hundred years before the death of Christ. Josephus wrote about the birth of other Messiahs, including Jesus. However, his writings were written more than 40 years after Jesus’ supposed death. In other words, the conflicting dates for Jesus’ birth are unreliable. While some scholars argue that Jesus was not born until after his death, there is other evidence supporting his birth dates.
Some historians believe that Matthew and Luke disagree on this question. Although Matthew and Luke both agree that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, their nativity stories are very different. Matthew describes the birth of Jesus as a male, while Luke emphasizes the birth of Jesus’ parents as a female. Nevertheless, there are several points of agreement between the two accounts, which makes them worth examining.
Some scholars believe that December 25 and 6 were both valid dates for the birth of Jesus. Gnostic followers of Basilides celebrated Jesus’ birth on January 6, and the celebration was still going on as early as the 2nd century. The Armenian Orthodox Church still celebrates Jesus’ birth on January 6. Further, the early fourth century Greeks also celebrated Epiphany on January 5th or sixth.
Problems with the current dating system
Currently, BC/AD dating systems are used for calculating dates in history. However, these systems are problematic for Christians because they incorrectly date Jesus’ birth by seven years. The gospels, for example, say that Jesus was born around 23. Therefore, the Christian Church’s origins are around 26 C.E. and not 33 A.D. Moreover, the BC/AD system uses a wildly inaccurate calendar, which doesn’t represent the events that occurred at that time.
The BC/AD system has several problems. First, it misrepresents the birth of Jesus by seven years. Furthermore, Dionysius wasn’t responsible for these dates. Instead, he aimed to date the events that took place during the incarnation of Jesus of Nazareth, and he never gave a satisfactory answer. So the problem remains: no one knows when Jesus was born.
It is difficult to know when Jesus was born by the Bible. According to the Bible, King Herod, the father of Jesus, had consulted with wise men from the East to determine the date of his birth. However, this was almost four centuries ago, so he couldn’t have talked to them if the birth of Jesus had occurred in A.D. 1. Another problem is that many people try to date Christ’s birth using the life of Herod, who ruled Palestine and the eastern Mediterranean. Moreover, such attempts have a lot of problems.
Lastly, the LDS prophets did not explicitly comment on the date of Jesus’ birth. However, they did make general comments about the birth of Jesus. Hence, there are a lot of contradictions in the current dating system. In this article, we will examine a few of them. In addition to the LDS prophets, we will also examine the differences in the LDS prophets’ comments on the date of Jesus’ birth.
Alternative dates
Some Christian scholars question the date of Jesus’ birth. Many have suggested that it was sometime between March 9 and May 4, 5 B.C. This period includes Passover, the most auspicious time for a Messiah to be born. Other historians, however, are less certain. In any case, alternative dates for when Jesus was born should be explored carefully. But which one is more likely? Here are some alternatives to determine Jesus’ birth date.
First, the date of Jesus’ birth is linked to the sun. This is an argument from the early Church, as early Christians equated Jesus with the sun. Genesis 1:14-19 cites that the sun was created on the fourth day of creation, so a partial eclipse is unlikely to have such a profound impact on the public mind. However, a partial eclipse, as we have learned, is not a sufficient reason to reject this theory.
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that there is no contemporary evidence that the birth of Jesus was on March 25. Instead, the Church’s most reliable sources point to a birth date of January 6. This date is also the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, which celebrates the coming of the Light into the world. Both dates are compatible with all of the historical evidence—alternative dates for when Jesus was born have several advantages.
Another argument for alternative dates for when Jesus was born is the lack of mention of a date in the Bible. The Bible does not mention a specific day or time, but the passage of Luke 2:7-8 tells us that Jesus was born at a time when shepherds were tending sheep. This implies that the time of Jesus’ birth would have been close to that of Herod’s birth. In addition, the account mentions the magi’s report of a star. Most modern scholars agree with this view.
The biblical account of Jesus’ birth
The Biblical account of Jesus’ birth tells of the king of the Jews being born in Bethlehem. This event occurred during the reign of King Herod the Great and is related to the story of the birth of the infant Jesus. Jesus was reared in Nazareth and was not formally named until he was three. However, there is some controversy surrounding the exact date of his birth. Here is an overview of the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth.
The Bible describes Jesus’ birth in detail, but the story is often based on the Gospel of Luke. The gospel contains the story of Mary’s pregnancy, her appearance before the angel Gabriel, and the birth of the baby Jesus. Luke also describes the couple’s journey to Bethlehem, which was a town where the census took place. The birth takes place after the couple has lived together for three years and is announced by an angel.
The Bible’s account of Jesus’ birth is a powerful story that Christians must understand and remember. Christians should read this birth narrative with a fresh perspective and recognize the significance of the baby Jesus in a manger. As the son of God, Jesus would rule over Israel forever. But before he could rule, Caesar Augustus commanded a census of the Roman domains. As a result, the infant Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town in the land of Israel.
The three main gospels give a very different accounts of the birth of Jesus. For example, Matthew and Luke mention Jesus as a carpenter’s son, while John and Luke do not mention his occupation before entering the public ministry. Nevertheless, Jesus was the true Light of the world, and his mission was to heal the sick and marginalized. Furthermore, his preaching and miracles caused him to gain popularity and become the savior of the world.
How Many Years Ago Was Jesus Born?
When was Jesus’ birth, exactly? Although there is considerable disagreement on this, the bulk of New Testament scholars date the birth of Jesus to 4 B.C. or earlier. This is due to the widespread belief that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C. Herod’s significance in the account of Jesus’ birth (see Matthew 2) necessitates that Jesus was born before Herod passed away.
There are several problems with the current system of dating Christ’s birth. The problem of centuries is obvious, but some medieval calculations were also wrong or backward. Then again, no reputable Bible scholar taught that Christ was born in 1 A.D. Regardless of what the source says, the error in these calculations is clear and obvious. So here are some alternative dates that we can use instead. And, most importantly, how long ago was Jesus born?
Problems
The answer to the question, “How many years ago was Jesus born?” depends on how you count the years. Dionysius Exiguus, who lived in Rome in the sixth century C.E., calculated Jesus’ birth date using the Bible and historical chronicles of the Roman Empire. Since there was no concept of zero during this time, year zero was counted as year one. So when Jesus was born, it was in the year one. This is known as the “Common Era.”
Although many Christians believe that Jesus was born in the 4th century B.C., this is not entirely correct. The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was born on the eighth day of the week, generally interpreted as April 8. This date would make Jesus five BCE, and thus five years before the Gregorian calendar. This difference would make Jesus about thirty-eight years old at the time of His birth, making Him thirty-seven when He died.
Despite the difficulty of determining the exact date of Jesus’ birth, astronomical data and historical sources help us make an educated guess. For instance, in the fourth century BCE, the sun was at its highest point in the sky, so the birth of Jesus in the year four billion years ago is dated at the same time as the birth of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the Bible says that Jesus died on the cross on the day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is usually celebrated during the time of the Jewish lunar calendar. Further, the Gospel of John says that Jesus had his last supper during the Passover holiday.
There are several ways to answer this question. One way is by using the traditional Gregorian calendar. In the sixth century, Dionysius Exiguus calculated the year Jesus was born. Other people later accepted this date, including the Venerable Bede of Durham. But today, the sixth-century Scythian monk Dionysius probably made the original mistake.
Conflicting dates
There are conflicting dates for Jesus’ birth and his death, and the exact date of Jesus’ birth remains uncertain. Some scholars claim that Jesus was conceived on March 25, and others believe that he was born on December 25. Either way, Jesus was born during an eventful time in history. But the date of Jesus’ birth is not the only debate surrounding the life of the Messiah.
There are some arguments against the idea that Jesus’ birth was four hundred years before the death of Christ. Josephus wrote about the birth of other Messiahs, including Jesus. However, his writings were written more than 40 years after Jesus’ supposed death. In other words, the conflicting dates for Jesus’ birth are unreliable. While some scholars argue that Jesus was not born until after his death, there is other evidence supporting his birth dates.
Some historians believe that Matthew and Luke disagree on this question. Although Matthew and Luke both agree that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, their nativity stories are very different. Matthew describes the birth of Jesus as a male, while Luke emphasizes the birth of Jesus’ parents as a female. Nevertheless, there are several points of agreement between the two accounts, which makes them worth examining.
Some scholars believe that December 25 and 6 were both valid dates for the birth of Jesus. Gnostic followers of Basilides celebrated Jesus’ birth on January 6, and the celebration was still going on as early as the 2nd century. The Armenian Orthodox Church still celebrates Jesus’ birth on January 6. Further, the early fourth century Greeks also celebrated Epiphany on January 5th or sixth.
Problems with the current dating system
Currently, BC/AD dating systems are used for calculating dates in history. However, these systems are problematic for Christians because they incorrectly date Jesus’ birth by seven years. The gospels, for example, say that Jesus was born around 23. Therefore, the Christian Church’s origins are around 26 C.E. and not 33 A.D. Moreover, the BC/AD system uses a wildly inaccurate calendar, which doesn’t represent the events that occurred at that time.
The BC/AD system has several problems. First, it misrepresents the birth of Jesus by seven years. Furthermore, Dionysius wasn’t responsible for these dates. Instead, he aimed to date the events that took place during the incarnation of Jesus of Nazareth, and he never gave a satisfactory answer. So the problem remains: no one knows when Jesus was born.
It is difficult to know when Jesus was born by the Bible. According to the Bible, King Herod, the father of Jesus, had consulted with wise men from the East to determine the date of his birth. However, this was almost four centuries ago, so he couldn’t have talked to them if the birth of Jesus had occurred in A.D. 1. Another problem is that many people try to date Christ’s birth using the life of Herod, who ruled Palestine and the eastern Mediterranean. Moreover, such attempts have a lot of problems.
Lastly, the LDS prophets did not explicitly comment on the date of Jesus’ birth. However, they did make general comments about the birth of Jesus. Hence, there are a lot of contradictions in the current dating system. In this article, we will examine a few of them. In addition to the LDS prophets, we will also examine the differences in the LDS prophets’ comments on the date of Jesus’ birth.
Alternative dates
Some Christian scholars question the date of Jesus’ birth. Many have suggested that it was sometime between March 9 and May 4, 5 B.C. This period includes Passover, the most auspicious time for a Messiah to be born. Other historians, however, are less certain. In any case, alternative dates for when Jesus was born should be explored carefully. But which one is more likely? Here are some alternatives to determine Jesus’ birth date.
First, the date of Jesus’ birth is linked to the sun. This is an argument from the early Church, as early Christians equated Jesus with the sun. Genesis 1:14-19 cites that the sun was created on the fourth day of creation, so a partial eclipse is unlikely to have such a profound impact on the public mind. However, a partial eclipse, as we have learned, is not a sufficient reason to reject this theory.
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that there is no contemporary evidence that the birth of Jesus was on March 25. Instead, the Church’s most reliable sources point to a birth date of January 6. This date is also the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, which celebrates the coming of the Light into the world. Both dates are compatible with all of the historical evidence—alternative dates for when Jesus was born have several advantages.
Another argument for alternative dates for when Jesus was born is the lack of mention of a date in the Bible. The Bible does not mention a specific day or time, but the passage of Luke 2:7-8 tells us that Jesus was born at a time when shepherds were tending sheep. This implies that the time of Jesus’ birth would have been close to that of Herod’s birth. In addition, the account mentions the magi’s report of a star. Most modern scholars agree with this view.
The biblical account of Jesus’ birth
The Biblical account of Jesus’ birth tells of the king of the Jews being born in Bethlehem. This event occurred during the reign of King Herod the Great and is related to the story of the birth of the infant Jesus. Jesus was reared in Nazareth and was not formally named until he was three. However, there is some controversy surrounding the exact date of his birth. Here is an overview of the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth.
The Bible describes Jesus’ birth in detail, but the story is often based on the Gospel of Luke. The gospel contains the story of Mary’s pregnancy, her appearance before the angel Gabriel, and the birth of the baby Jesus. Luke also describes the couple’s journey to Bethlehem, which was a town where the census took place. The birth takes place after the couple has lived together for three years and is announced by an angel.
The Bible’s account of Jesus’ birth is a powerful story that Christians must understand and remember. Christians should read this birth narrative with a fresh perspective and recognize the significance of the baby Jesus in a manger. As the son of God, Jesus would rule over Israel forever. But before he could rule, Caesar Augustus commanded a census of the Roman domains. As a result, the infant Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town in the land of Israel.
The three main gospels give a very different accounts of the birth of Jesus. For example, Matthew and Luke mention Jesus as a carpenter’s son, while John and Luke do not mention his occupation before entering the public ministry. Nevertheless, Jesus was the true Light of the world, and his mission was to heal the sick and marginalized. Furthermore, his preaching and miracles caused him to gain popularity and become the savior of the world.