The Date of Christ's Birth

The actual date of Christ's birth is not found in any historical records. Early Christians appear not to have celebrated Christ’s birthday, at least not publicly, due to their being persecuted by the Romans and others. There is no New Testament record of Christmas celebrations, and no date is given for the Nativity. Although the birth of Jesus Christ is observed on December 25th each year, it is generally recognized as not being the actual date of His birth. Since it is unlikely that flocks of sheep would be roaming the hills at night in winter, many have guessed that the birth actually occurred in the spring or summer. In the LDS scripture Doctrine and Covenants, Section 20:1, it is revealed that the actual date of Christ’s birth was April 6th, although no year is given.

Christmas was once a moveable feast celebrated many different times during the year. Early Christians often celebrated the Nativity in September, which was during the Jewish Feast of the Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). In 320 AD, Pope Julius I introduced the 25th of December as the immovable day to celebrate Christ’s birthday, to replace pagan celebrations with the Christian one. The date was chosen to coincide with the pagan Roman celebrations honoring Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (the god of light), to celebrate the return of the sun, announcing that winter is not forever, that life continues, and inviting all to stay in good spirit. The Roman celebrations came on or just after the winter solstice, between December 20th and 22nd, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

Chinese astronomical records of comets and novae have assisted modern astronomers to identify three comets that would have been visible in both the Far and Middle East in 6, 5 and 4 BC. Modern astrologers point to the conjunction of Jupiter with the star Regulus and with Venus in 2 B.C. One of these new astral markers could have been the star that led the Wise Men to Bethlehem. (See Star of Bethlehem).

In the 6th Century, Roman astronomer Dionysus Exeguus reformed the calendar to pivot around the Birth of Christ. However, his calculations, based on the year of the founding of Rome, were off by a few years. It is therefore supposed that Jesus was born on April 6, between 6-2 BC.