Bible Timeline · About 6 to 4 BC

The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem

Jesus was born in Bethlehem about 6 to 4 BC, before Herod the Great died. Mary, a virgin, gave birth and laid Him in a manger. Angels told shepherds, Magi followed a star, and old prophecies came true.

Read it in the Bible: Luke 1-2 Matthew 1-2 Micah 5:2 Isaiah 7:14 Galatians 4:4-5

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea about 6 to 4 BC. That sounds strange, since BC means before Christ, but Matthew and Luke both say He was born while Herod the Great was king, and Herod died in 4 BC. The monk who later set up our AD calendar was a few years off. Mary, a young virgin engaged to a carpenter named Joseph, gave birth in David's hometown and laid her Son in a manger. Angels announced it to shepherds, and Magi from the east followed a star to worship Him. It is the moment Christians call the incarnation, God becoming a human being.

When Was Jesus Born?

Matthew 2:1 says Jesus was born during the time of King Herod. Luke 1:5 places the announcement of John the Baptist's birth in Herod's days too. Most historians date Herod's death to 4 BC, so Jesus was born before then. Herod killed the boys of Bethlehem two years old and under, which suggests Jesus may have been up to a year or two old by then. That gives a range of about 6 to 4 BC.

Luke 3:23 says Jesus was about thirty when He began His ministry, which fits that range well.

Luke also mentions a census when Quirinius was governor of Syria, Luke 2:2. Josephus records a census under Quirinius in AD 6, which is too late. Scholars have offered several answers. There may have been an earlier registration, Quirinius may have held an earlier post in Syria, or Luke's Greek may mean the census before the one under Quirinius. We do not have enough records to settle it, but Luke was careful elsewhere with names and titles.

Why Is the AD Calendar Off by a Few Years?

In AD 525, a monk named Dionysius Exiguus, which means Dennis the Small, was working out tables for the date of Easter. Instead of counting years from the reign of a Roman emperor who persecuted Christians, he counted them from the birth of Jesus. That gave us AD, anno Domini, the year of our Lord.

Dionysius did his best with the sources he had, but he placed Jesus' birth a few years too late. By the time anyone noticed, the whole Western world was using his calendar. So we live with the slightly odd fact that Jesus was born a few years before Christ. The Anno Domini article in the church history section explains more.

What Happened at the Birth of Jesus?

An angel named Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth and told her she would have a son. She asked how, since she was a virgin.

“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34 to 35

Joseph planned to quietly end the engagement until an angel told him in a dream to take Mary as his wife and name the child Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins, Matthew 1:21.

Then Caesar Augustus ordered a census. Joseph, from the family of David, had to go to Bethlehem.

So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4 to 7

The word translated inn may mean a guest room in a family home. Houses were often full during a census, and animals were sometimes kept on the ground floor. Either way, the King of kings slept in a feeding trough.

Who Visited the Baby Jesus?

First came shepherds. Shepherds were not respected people in those days. They were rough working men. Yet God sent them the first birth announcement.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! Luke 2:10 to 11

Later came the Magi, wise men from the east, probably Persia or Babylon, who studied the stars. They saw His star and came to Jerusalem asking where the King of the Jews was born. The priests pointed them to Bethlehem from Micah 5:2.

On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11

The Bible does not say there were three Magi. That idea comes from the three gifts. It also says they came to a house, not a stable, so they likely arrived some months later. People have suggested the star was a joining of planets, a comet or a miraculous light. We do not know.

After the Magi left, an angel warned Joseph, and the family fled to Egypt until Herod died. Then they settled in Nazareth.

Was Jesus Really Born on December 25?

The Bible does not give a date. Some note that shepherds were out in the fields at night and suggest spring, though flocks near Bethlehem could be out in winter too.

The first record of Christians in Rome celebrating Jesus' birth on December 25 comes from AD 336. Some think the date was picked to replace Roman winter festivals. Others think early Christians calculated it, believing Jesus was conceived on March 25, the same date they gave for His death, and adding nine months. Many Eastern churches celebrated on January 6, and the Armenian Apostolic Church still does. The Christmas article in the church history section tells that story.

What Prophecies Did Jesus' Birth Fulfill?

Matthew and Luke show again and again that this birth was planned long before. Some key examples:

Born of a virgin, Isaiah 7:14, fulfilled in Matthew 1:22 to 23.
Born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2, fulfilled in Matthew 2:5 to 6.
From the family of David, 2 Samuel 7:12 to 16, fulfilled in Luke 1:32 to 33.
A Child called Mighty God, Isaiah 9:6.
Called out of Egypt, Hosea 11:1, fulfilled in Matthew 2:15.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel Micah 5:2

The Messianic Prophecies list on this site walks through many more of them.

What Does the Birth of Jesus Mean for You Today?

The birth of Jesus means God did not stay far away. He came close, as a baby, into a poor family, in a small town, under a cruel king. Paul put it this way.

But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4 to 5

Jesus came at just the right time in history, after centuries of prophets, exile, Greek language and Roman roads had set the stage. He came to make people into God's children. The angels sang peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests, Luke 2:14. That good news of great joy was meant for all the people, and it still is.

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Questions People Ask

What year was Jesus born?

Jesus was born about 6 to 4 BC. Matthew and Luke say He was born while Herod the Great was king, and Herod died in 4 BC. The AD calendar, created by Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525, placed Jesus' birth a few years too late.

Was Jesus born on December 25?

The Bible does not give a date for Jesus' birth. The first record of Christians celebrating it on December 25 is from Rome in AD 336. Some think the date replaced Roman winter festivals, while others think it was calculated from a belief that Jesus was conceived on March 25.

How many wise men visited Jesus?

The Bible does not say. Matthew mentions three gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh, so people assumed three wise men. Matthew says they came to a house, so they probably arrived some time after the birth.

Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?

Joseph had to go to Bethlehem for a Roman census because he was from the family of David, and Bethlehem was David's hometown. This fulfilled Micah 5:2, which said a ruler for Israel would come from Bethlehem.

What does incarnation mean?

Incarnation means God becoming flesh. Christians believe that in Jesus, the eternal Son of God became a real human being, born of Mary, without stopping being God. John 1:14 says the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

Sources

← Herod the Great and the Temple Jesus Knew Jesus at the Temple at Age 12 →

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