When Was Jesus Born?

The date of Jesus' birth is up to extreme debate, but today we will try our best to answer this question. Note this article is an attempt to detail his human birth, as Jesus is God his divine nature would of course have always existed. Some of the first details we get of Jesus' birth is in the Gospel of Matthew where it is said that, "...Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem," (Matthew 2:1 KJV). This is extremely helpful information as if we know the time King Herod reigned, we can get very close to his birth. However, there are thousands of people named Herod, so which Herod? Well, in verse 22, it notes, "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee," (Matthew 2:22 KJV). Herod the father of Archealus is the Herod we need. Now, how long did he reign? 33 years, from 37 to 4 bc. (2)

In The Gospel of Luke, we read, "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she(Mary) brought forth her firstborn son(Jesus), and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn," (Luke 2:1-7 KJV).

Luke tells us that while Augustus was ruling, Jesus was alive. Caesar Augustus ruled from 27 BC to 14 AD, this narrowing down or range by 10 years. (1)

This thus leaves a range of 23 years. In Luke, we also see there was a census. "This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria," (Luke 2:2 KJV). The only possible census this could be referring to is Quirinius' census in 6 BC. (3) Some have argued over the exact date of this census, but most believed it to be around 6-4 BC. However, most historians agree with 6 BC. Based on these three historical figures, we are able to deduce that Jesus was likely born in 6 BC, 4 BC at the latest.

Works Cited:

(1) Grant, Michael. "Augustus". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augustus-Roman-emperor. Accessed 26 December 2022.

(2)Perowne, Stewart Henry. "Herod". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Nov. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-Judaea. Accessed 26 December 2022.

(3) The Cambridge Ancient History. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 1996. (P. 140-160).