​THE BIRTH OF JESUS

​THE BIRTH OF JESUS

Pinning down the exact date of Jesus Christ's birth is no easy task. The New Testament insists that it happened in the reign of King Herod, who ruled Judaea for more than thirty years, during which time he rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem and created vast palaces and fortresses in the desert outside the city. Unfortunately for the traditional chronology, Herod died in  B.C.E, four-year before the date commonly accepted for Jesus's birth. There is no other external evidence other than the gospel stories.

The Roman emperor Augustus had a governor called Quirinus in Syria, who decreed that his subjects must be taxed, but this was in about 6C.E., ten years after Herod's death. And there is no evidence he required people to return to their ancestral homes.There is no evidence of a visit to Judaea y three wise men or of a massacre of children by Herod(though his reputation for cruelty makes this possible).

None of which is to deny that a child was indeed born around this time who grew up to become powerful teacher and healer, and whose death some thirty years later led to extraordinary and enduring changes. But the familiar Bible stories-- the journey to Bethlehem, the inn, the shepherds, the magi, the flight into Egypt--are more likely mythological accretions. The Gospels give no indication of month --or even the season--of the birth. Early Christians celebrated it on January 6, but from the fourth century 6, but from the fourth century onwards, the birth of christ was celebrated on December 25
Editor: Atul Prabhakar