Was Jesus really born on December 25th, as Christianity purports? What does Scripture say?
The simplest calculation is based on Jesus being 30 years old when He started His ministry (Luke 3:23), and accepting the assumption that He ministered for 3 1/2 years; simply count backwards from the crucifixion during Passover in the month Nisan, 6 months to set his birthday in the month Tishri, which is in the fall (Sep./Oct.).
However, God focused on the life, death, and resurrection of the Jesus, not His birth. Religion, specifically Christianity, is focused on something that makes no difference; Jesus’ birthday.
I Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
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But, if you want to waste some time, and fight about something that does not matter … here is how to do it …
The calculation depends upon the date assigned to the “course of Abia (Abijah)” and determining which course-round (first, second, or third) that Zachariah, John the Baptist’s father, was in when serving his course in the Temple when he was visited by the angel Gabriel.
So, what is the “course of Abia (Abijah)”?
To form an orderly schedule, King David divided the sons of Aaron into 24 “courses” (groups) (I Chronicles 24:1-4, 28:13). Once these courses were determined, lots were drawn to assign when each group would serve (I Chronicles 24: 7-19). Each of the 24 courses of priests would begin and end their service on the Sabbath for a tour of duty of one week (I Chronicles 9:25, II Chronicles 23:8).
Eleazar had 16 son’s and Ithamar had 8 sons. The sons Eleazar, which includes Abia (Abijah), would serve one week each, alternating with the sons of Ithamar, for a total of 24 weeks.
To calculate the date of Jesus’ birthday, you have to determine the date assigned to each “course of Abia (Abijah)”. That will give you the day that Zachariah was in the Temple on each course of service, and possibly when he was visited by the angel Gabriel. With 52 weeks in a year, and 24 weeks in a cycle, and 3 high-sabbaths (which causes a shift in the cycles by 1 week a year), you can try to determine the course of Abia (Abijah) at the time in question. This requires that we find the start-date of temple service (because every year the courses shift by one-week) … which is not absolute, but somewhere about the year 350-300 B.C.
Without an exact start date, there is no possible way to make a definitive calculation. But if you want to waste some more time and energy …
The Jewish calendar for religious purposes (there are 3 different calendars used by Israel) begins on the first of the month Nisan, which is in the Spring (this calendar begins when the barley is ripe, so the actual date shifts from year to year).
The first course of priests, beginning with Jehoiarib, would serve for seven days. The second week would be the family of Jedaiah. The third week would be the high-sabbath festival of Passover, when all priests would be present for service. Then the schedule would resume with the third course of priests (Harim) on the fourth week. By the tenth week, since both Passover and Pentecost had occurred, that brings us to the 8th course of service, Abia (Abijah). After the 24th course was completed, the cycle of courses would repeat, so that in a given year each family of priests would have served in the Temple twice per year, not including the three major festivals.
Since the cycle of service began on the first sabbath of Nisan, and both Passover and Pentecost require all priestly courses to serve, the actual time that the 8th course would serve would be during the 10th week of the year on the first year during the life of David (which we cannot determine exactly) and then shift by one-week every year thereafter until the time of Zachariah’s service in the Temple. If the cycle had begun today, it would have occurred on the second Sabbath of the month of Sivan (May/June). If that service occurred on the 24th cycle, it would be the month Tishrei (Sep./Oct.). If that service occurred on the 40th cycle, it would be the month Shevat (Jan./Feb.)
Luke 1:23 tells us that John was conceived the day after his course of service. Therefore, John the Baptist could have been conceived shortly after the third Sabbath of the month of Sivan (May/June), the third Sabbath of the month Tishrei (Sep./Oct.), or the fourth Sabbath of the month Shevat (Jan./Feb.).
Since according to Luke 1:24-27, 36, Jesus was conceived six months after John the Baptist, you would have to know for certain which cycle Zachariah was serving in the course of Abia (Abijah) and when that course occurred at the time of Jesus.
From the 15th day of John’s birthday, which, because of the way the Jews do their various calendars you can never be positive, you then add six months and you have Jesus’ birthday.
There have been a lot of people wasting a lot of time and energy figuring and fighting over something that God isn’t even concerned with. If God wanted us to focus on the birthday of Jesus, He would have been more specific.
I Timothy 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
See also Christian, Christmas, Faith, Luke 2 Verified