(Part 2)
In Part #1 of this study we surveyed the historical
evidence and noted that Dec 25th was not even mentioned in our earliest source
for proposed dates of Jesus Christ's birth. Two different traditions were cited
by Clément of Alexandria (c. 200 A.D.), demonstrating that even these were not
certain. Both were in the Spring. Both had the 25th day of different months as
possibilities. The Winter season, or Dec 25 never came up as an option until
the 4th century A.D. And there were, and still are other contending dates held
by ancient Christian communities. January 19 (some Armenian Christians),
January 6 (most Eastern Orthodox Christians). Thus the date of Jesus Christ's
birth remains in dispute, with various theories and conflicting evidence.
The following is some evidence for the more Jewish theory
that Jesus the Messiah was born during SUKKOT (i.e. "the Feast of
Tabernacles/Booths"). It is a theory only. Not a fact. But it has somethings
to commend it that the other Christian theories lack. What do you think?
1. The key to calculating the date of the birth of
Messiah is Luke 1:5 where we learn that Zechariah the father of John the
Baptist was a priest with the course of Abijah.
2. Long before John the Baptist's birth the Israelite
priests had been divided into 24 courses (1Chr 24). It may be helpful backdrop
to know that serving in the Jerusalem Temple was NOT a fulltime
"job." That is why there were courses, sort of like military reserve
units. When your course's time came up then you left whichever town or village
where you normally resided with your family and you went up to Jerusalem; first
for practice/training, then for actual temple service. We know from Josephus (a
Jewish contemporary of the Apostle Paul, a historian, and himself a priest --
Antiquities 7), that each course served for two separated weeks a year, Temple
service being demarcated by Israel's seasonal former rain (Spring and Summer)
and the latter rain (Autumn and Winter). There were also three additional weeks
during which all capable Israelite priests were required to serve: the three
pilgrimage festivals (Deu 16:16). Twenty-four times two is forty-eight, plus
three is fifty-one. Fifty-one weeks is 357 days, which fits nicely with
Israel's lunar-based calendar and year.
3. According to 1Chr 24:10, the course of Abijah was the
eighth course. From Josephus (Antiquities 7) and the Talmud (Ta'anit 4), we
know that the course of Abijah served the tenth week during the former rain
portion of the year (this is, again, because during PESAKH (i.e.
"Passover") and SHAVUOT (i.e. "Pentecost" or "the
Feast of Weeks") all of the priests served together (Deu 16:16).
4. Zechariah had his vision while serving in the course of
Abijah in the tenth week (It will become apparent that he was serving his first
yearly call-up, not his second, as the timing will show when we progress). Thus
Zechariah's vision took place during the tenth week of the year (The religious
year beginning at the first of the month of Nisan/Aviv, fourteen days before
Passover). We must add two additional weeks before John the Baptist could be
conceived, due to the purity laws (Lev 12:5; 15:19, 25). Sexual intercourse is
only permissible when a woman is not menstruating, and then there is a buffer
time-period to prevent intercourse during residual bleeding. So, with these
things in mind, it is most likely that John the Baptist was conceived in the
twelfth week of the Israelite calendrical year. That would place John the
Baptist's birth about forty weeks later, during the fifty-second week of the
year (12 + 40 = 52). Which brings us right to the MO'ED of PESAKH (i.e.
"Passover"). This chronology has John the Baptist being born at
Passover, the very time that Elijah the Prophet was commonly expected to
appear, at least according to Jewish tradition (seen, for instance, during the
Passover meal liturgy when a place at the table, seat, and special cup are set
for Elijah, and children open the door to look for the prophet during the
Passover meal liturgy).
5. Jesus Christ was conceived six months (about
twenty-five weeks) after John the Baptist's conception. This means that Jesus
would have been conceived -- not born -- around the thirty-seventh week, i.e.
during Hanukkah. If this be correct, then the light of the world was conceived
during the festival of lights. Since Hanukkah begins on the twenty-fifth day of
the month Kislev, this may account for the number twenty-five (25) appearing
around both of the speculated dates for Jesus' birth which were mentioned by
Clement of Alexandria (See part #1 of this study), and for the twenty-fifth day
of December that is the most celebrated date for Jesus' birth. Twenty-five may
be a vestigial memory of something significant that happened regarding Jesus'
earthly advent.
6. Jesus would have been born forty weeks later (around
week seventy-seven, that is week twenty-five of the following year), and this
brings us to the time of the Autumn MO'EDIM ("appointed times"), of
which SUKKOT is the third, and the last MO'ED of the seven (four during the
Spring and three during the Autumn).
7. There are some indications that Jesus was actually
born during SUKKOT:
A. Bethlehem was "booked solid" when Jesus was
born This was probably NOT due simply to Caesar Augustus' census (Luk 2:1, 2)
because registration for censuses usually took place over a period of time,
usually a year. On the other hand, every male Jew was required by law to come
yearly to Jerusalem for SUKKOT (Deu. 16:16). It would appear that Joseph was
taking advantage of a time when he would normally be in Jerusalem anyway, in
order to also take care of his duty to register in Bethlehem for the census.
Besides, Joseph likely had relatives living in Bethlehem. But room was scarce.
According to Josephus and others, we know that Jerusalem overflowed during
these MO'EDIM, and that the nearby village of Bethlehem (about five miles from
Israel's capital city) also filled up quickly. This background knowledge seems
to explain all of the relevant data, biblical and extra-biblical.
B. Jesus was born in a stable. One Hebrew word for an
expedient (i.e. "quickly set-up") stable is "SUKKAH" (as in
Gen 33:17 -- the plural of SUKKAH is SUKKOT ["tabernacles/booths"]
... often spelled in English as SUCCOTH) so it is possible that Jesus was born
in a SUKKAH, i.e. tabernacle/booth. This does not automatically come into
conflict with the very ancient tradition of Jesus being born a cave-stable,
since the SUKKAH could have used part of the outside rock structure as one of
its walls. Animals are not required by the Torah/Law to dwell in SUKKAHs
whereas Jews are, with some concessions made under extenuating circumstances.
Like childbirth. Mary could have been in the cave part to actually give birth.
C. If Jesus were born on the first day of SUKKOT then he
would have been circumcised on the "eighth great day" a festival
following SUKKOT. This day was the original "SIMKHAT TORAH"
("Rejoicing [in the] Torah"), which is now held the following day in
Rabbinic Judaism. So incarnated Jesus would have entered the Abrahamic covenant
on the day of "rejoicing in the Torah."
D. When the angels appeared to the shepherds they made a
statement which closely echoes the ancient SUKKOT liturgy "... behold, we
have come to declare to you glad tidings of great joy" (Luk 2:10-11).
E. In Judaism, one of the noted symbolisms explained
about the holiday of SUKKOT is the flimsiness of human beings dwelling in
"tabernacles" (bodies) of flesh. This may be reflected in John's
declaration: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt [lit 'tabernacled']
among us ..." (Joh 1:14).
8. In Mat 2:7-8, 16 it is recorded that Herod killed all
the male children two and under. The fact that he killed such a wide range
indicates that he did not know quite how long ago Messiah had been born. Jesus'
parents fled to Egypt until they heard that Herod was dead. They returned to
Bethlehem in time to perform Mary's purification ritual in the temple and
Jesus' dedication on the 40th day after his birth (as required by the Torah --
Luk 2:22-38). By this time Herod had to have already been dead or they could
not have safely come to the temple in Jerusalem. Herod had to therefore have
died sometime during the 40 days between Jesus' birth, and his dedication 40
days later. Herod is known from historical sources to have died in September of
4 B.C. So it seems likely that Jesus was born in the Autumn (this would then
rule out Zechariah's serving during Abijah's second course of the year, since
that would place Jesus' birth in the Spring and not allow for Herod's death
during the 40 days after his birth in the Fall).
-Michael Millier
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