When Was Jesus Born? Year, Date, and What the Bible Says
Breadcrumb: Bible Reference > Bible Facts
When Was Jesus Born? The Short Answer
The Bible does not give a day, a month, or a year for Jesus' birth. It gives other indicators through citing public history. Matthew places the birth in the reign of Herod the Great, who died around 4 BCE. Luke ties it to a census under Caesar Augustus and later says Jesus was "about thirty years old" when his ministry began in the fifteenth year of Tiberius, around 28 or 29 CE. Put together, these clues point to a birth most likely between 6 and 4 BCE. December 25 is the date the Western church chose centuries later for theological reasons, not a date the Bible records.
Every December people ask whether Jesus was really born on Christmas Day. It is a fair question. Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 are so familiar that many assume the Bible must name the date. Instead, the Gospel writers anchor the birth in public history: named rulers, an imperial census, a journey to Bethlehem. Those details let us place Jesus' birth in a narrow window, even if the exact day is lost. For the events themselves, see What Happened When Jesus Was Born? and The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-7).
| Clue | Where | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Born "in the time of King Herod" | Matthew 2:1 | Before Herod's death, usually dated to 4 BCE |
| Herod kills boys "two years old or under" | Matthew 2:16 | Jesus may have been up to two when the magi came, pushing the birth earlier |
| A census under Caesar Augustus | Luke 2:1 | Augustus ruled 27 BCE to 14 CE |
| "While Quirinius was governor of Syria" | Luke 2:2 | Debated; Quirinius' best-known census was in 6 CE |
| Shepherds in the fields at night | Luke 2:8 | Possibly a milder season, but not decisive |
| John begins preaching in Tiberius' fifteenth year | Luke 3:1 | About 28-29 CE |
| Jesus "about thirty years old" at the start of his ministry | Luke 3:23 | Counting back gives a birth just before the turn of the era |
Read together, the clues favor 6 to 4 BCE. See Who Was King When Jesus Was Born?, Who Was Emperor When Jesus Was Born? and How Old Was Jesus When He Began His Ministry?
What Matthew tells us: the reign of Herod
Matthew opens his birth story with a time stamp: "In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem" (Matthew 2:1). Everything that follows depends on Herod still being alive: the visit of the magi, Herod's fear of a rival king, the killing of Bethlehem's children and the family's flight to Egypt.
Most historians date Herod's death to 4 BCE, based largely on the first-century Jewish historian Josephus. So Jesus was born before then. Matthew adds another hint. Herod ordered the death of every boy in and around Bethlehem "who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men" (Matthew 2:16). That suggests some time had passed between the birth and the magi's visit, which is why many scholars lean toward 6 or 5 BCE.
Matthew's main interest is not chronology but identity. He opens his Gospel by calling Jesus "the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). Jesus is the promised king, the true Son of David, born under a ruler who wore the crown but feared losing it. See The Herodian Dynasty Family Tree, Genealogies in the Bible from Adam to Jesus and Who Was Abraham in the Bible?
What Luke tells us: Augustus and the census
Luke sets the birth on a wider stage. "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria" (Luke 2:1-2). Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the town of David, because of that decree. See Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem? and Where Was Jesus Born and Why Was He Laid in a Manger?
This is the thorniest detail in the whole question. Josephus records a census in Judea under Quirinius in 6 CE, ten years after Herod's death. Luke knew about that census too. In Acts he mentions "Judas the Galilean," who "rose up at the time of the census" (Acts 5:37; see Gamaliel's Counsel (Acts 5:33-42)). So how does a birth before 4 BCE fit a census under Quirinius?
Interpreters offer three main answers:
An earlier role for Quirinius. Quirinius may have held an administrative or military post in the region before he became governor in 6 CE, and an earlier enrollment may have begun under his oversight.
A different reading of the Greek. The word translated "first" can sometimes mean "before," giving: "This registration took place before Quirinius was governor of Syria." It is possible grammar, though a minority view.
A compressed memory. Some scholars conclude that Luke, writing decades later, linked the birth to the best-remembered census of the era.
No answer settles the matter. What is clear is Luke's purpose: Jesus is born inside public history, under the most powerful ruler in the world, and that ruler's decree unwittingly brings the Son of David to David's town. See Who Were the Roman Governors in the New Testament? and Acts and the Roman Empire.
What year was Jesus born?
Luke supplies the other end of the timeline. John the Baptist begins preaching "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius" (Luke 3:1), which most historians place around 28 or 29 CE. Soon after, Jesus is baptized and begins his ministry, "about thirty years old" (Luke 3:23). "About" is a round number, not a birth certificate, but counting back roughly thirty years lands just before the turn of the era. That fits Matthew's Herod marker. See Luke 3 Chapter Summary, How Long Was Jesus' Ministry? and What Year Did Jesus Die?
Why not 1 AD or "year zero"?
It seems strange that Jesus was born "before Christ." I struggled with this on my New Testament exam in seminary. The reason is our calendar, not the Bible. In the sixth century, a monk named Dionysius Exiguus calculated the year of Jesus' birth and built the BC/AD system around his estimate. His count appears to have been a few years too late. Our calendar also has no year zero: it moves straight from 1 BCE to 1 CE. So the familiar answers, "0 AD" or "1 AD," both miss the evidence of Matthew and Luke. See When Did Jesus Live? and A Biblical Timeline.
Was Jesus born in winter?
The Gospels give no season. The one detail people point to is Luke's: "In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8). Some readers take this to mean spring or summer, when flocks stayed out overnight. Others note that winters around Bethlehem can be mild and that shepherding practices varied, so flocks could be outdoors in December too.
The text simply does not decide the question. Luke's interest in the shepherds is not the weather but the audience. The first people to hear the news were ordinary laborers on a night shift, not rulers in a palace. See Angels, Shepherds and Jesus Born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-20) and The Gloria in Excelsis (Luke 2:14).
Why do we celebrate on December 25?
The earliest Christians did not celebrate Jesus' birthday at all. Their great feast was Easter, the resurrection. By about 200 CE, Clement of Alexandria could report that some Christians were trying to calculate the day of Jesus' birth, and they did not agree. The first clear record of a December 25 celebration comes from a Roman calendar compiled in 354 CE, reflecting practice in Rome a couple of decades earlier.
Scholars explain the choice of December 25 in two main ways.
The calculation theory. Some early Christian writers believed Jesus died on March 25 and that a great prophet's life began and ended on the same date. If Jesus was conceived on March 25, the day the church still keeps as the Annunciation, counting nine months forward gives December 25.
The sun theory. December 25 was close to the winter solstice and to Roman festivals of the sun. Christians may have chosen, or come to embrace, a date that proclaimed Christ as the true light at the darkest time of year (John 8:12; Malachi 4:2).
The two theories are not mutually exclusive. Either way, the church chose the date to proclaim a meaning, not to record a fact. At the darkest point of the year, Christians celebrate the Light of the World.
Why do some Christians celebrate on January 6 or 7?
Many churches in the East first celebrated Jesus' birth together with his baptism on January 6, the feast of Epiphany. The Armenian Apostolic Church still keeps Christmas on January 6. Many Orthodox churches celebrate on December 25 by the older Julian calendar, which currently falls on January 7 of our calendar. All of these traditions proclaim the same thing: God came near in Jesus. See Advent, Christmas and Epiphany Sermons and Christmas Liturgy.
What the Bible emphasizes most
The birth stories care more about who was born than when. Matthew names him Immanuel, "God is with us" (Matthew 1:23). Luke has the angel announce "a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11; see Messiah (Christ)). Both writers root that announcement in real history so readers will know it is not a fable.
The historical setting still matters. Jesus arrived in the last, paranoid years of Herod, in an occupied land counted and taxed by Rome. Knowing the likely timeline helps us feel the danger Mary and Joseph faced and the courage of their faith. But the gift of Christmas does not depend on the calendar. See Why Was Jesus Born of a Virgin? and Luke 2 Chapter Summary and Outline.
Pastor's heads-up: If I could simplify this conversation, I would say, it’s more important that we celebrate that Jesus was born and not when he was born. Jesus doesn’t have to be born in winter for us to celebrate his birth, life, death, and resurrection. Though the timing may be off, that should not prevent us from gathering to worship, to remember, and to give thanks.
Guardrail: 4 BCE is the majority view, not a certainty. Most historians date Herod's death to 4 BCE, but a minority argue for 1 BCE, which would move the window for Jesus' birth a few years later. Present 6 to 4 BCE as the best estimate, not a settled fact.
Guardrail: December 25 is not a pagan holiday in disguise. Popular claims that Christmas was simply taken over from a pagan festival go beyond the evidence. The date's origins are debated, and early Christian calculation played a real role.
Questions about when Jesus was born
When was Jesus born according to the Bible? The Bible gives no exact date. Matthew places the birth during the reign of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1), and Luke links it to a census under Augustus (Luke 2:1-2). Together these point to about 6 to 4 BCE.
What year was Jesus born? Most likely between 6 and 4 BCE, before Herod's death.
Was Jesus born in 0 AD or 1 AD? No. There is no year zero, and the monk who created the BC/AD system placed Jesus' birth a few years too late.
Was Jesus born on December 25? Probably not. The Bible gives no date. December 25 was chosen centuries later for theological reasons.
What month was Jesus born? No one knows. Suggestions range from spring to winter, but the Gospels do not say.
Did the early Christians celebrate Christmas? Not at first. Their focus was Easter. Celebrations of Jesus' birth developed in the third and fourth centuries, with different regions choosing different dates.
How old was Jesus when he died? If he was born around 6 to 4 BCE and died around 30 or 33 CE, he was in his mid to late thirties. See What Year Did Jesus Die?
Does the exact date matter for Christian faith? No. What matters is who was born: God with us, the Savior and Lord.
See also
Sources
Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, updated edition (Doubleday, 1993).
Jack Finegan, Handbook of Biblical Chronology, revised edition (Hendrickson, 1998).
Thomas J. Talley, The Origins of the Liturgical Year, 2nd edition (Liturgical Press, 1991).
Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, books 17-18.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version.
