Date of Christ's Birth

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Old Testament Prophecies

  1. Genesis 3:15
  2. Genesis 12:1-3
  3. Genesis 49:8
  4. Numbers 24:17
  5. Micah 5:2
  6. Daniel 9:24
  7. Ezra 7:12

 

NOTES FROM THE MESSAGE ARE BELOW THE LINKS FOR STUDY

 

Useful Links to Study From

For more information consider these links:

 

  1. Jupiter and Regulus in 3 BC
    1. For information and a video clip on Jupiter and Regulus in 3 BC go to: http://www.thestarofbethlehemmovie.com/index.php
    2. Written details of Jupiter and Regulus in 3 BC: http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/CHRDAT.TXT
    3. Jupiter and Regulus in 3 BC with images and a chronology: http://www.creationevidence.org/research_papers/star_beth/starbeth1.html
    4. Jupiter and Regulus in 3 BC discussed: http://www.clarkfoundation.org/astro-utah/vondel/ChristmasStar.html
    5. CBN News concerning 3 BC: http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/news/011225a.aspx
    6. A Star Gazer’s Newsletter: http://www.delmarvastargazers.org/newsletter/jan04/page1a.html

 

  1. Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC
    1. The Theory: http://www.btinternet.com/~prgreetham/Wisemen/theory1.html
    2. The Triple conjunction Theory with diagrams: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~lightandlife/triple.htm
    3. Notes with Good Diagrams: http://www.usbible.com/Astrology/when_was_jesus_born.htm

 

  1. All the possible Star Theories are here: http://www.btinternet.com/~prgreetham/Wisemen/theory.html

 

  1. The Census and Quirinius

 

    1. http://blue.butler.edu/~jfmcgrat/jesus/quirinius.htm
    2. http://www.ankerberg.com/Articles/editors-choice/EC1205W3C.htm
    3. http://christiancadre.blogspot.com/2004/12/luke-census-and-quirinius-matter-of.html

 

  1. Herod’s Family Tree
    1. http://www.imt.net/~gedison/bible/herod.jpg
    2. How Herod’s kingdom was divided after his death: http://www.emersonkent.com/images/maps/herods_kingdom.gif
    3. The Herod’s of the Bible: http://www.bcv.vic.edu.au/cc/media/HerodFamilyTree.gif

 

The Date of Christ’s Birth

  1. 5 BC (749 A.U.C., Rome dated years from the year Rome was founded.  A.U.C. means ab urbe condita “from the founding of the city”.  1 A.U.C. = 753 BC)
  2. The date of Jesus’ birth was first identified by the bishop in Rome around 185 AD as being December 25.
  3. Most likely Jesus was born in December of 5 BC or the following month of January in 4 BC (750 A.U.C.)
  4. 2007 AD would be the Roman year 2760 A.U.C.

 

The Census

  1. Luke 2:1-3
  2. A Census indicated taxation was coming.
  3. Quirinus was governor of Syria from 6-9 AD
    1. The census of this time (between 6-9 AD) is referred to in Acts 5:37 and may have been the second census that Luke referred to.
    2. The use of the word “first” or “prota” (prwth) can also mean “before”.  So this verse could simply be saying this census came before Quirinus’ census.  Most likely it refers to the first census that Augustus called for in Luke 2:1.  The second census came in 6-9 AD.
    3. Quirinus would have been stationed in Syria previously in 6-4 BC.
  4. A Census was called for at this time by Ceasar Augustus to help identify how many people were in Herod’s kingdom.
    1. Herod had began to fall out of favor with Augustus around 7 BC
    2. Herod had executed two of his sons, Alexander and Aristobolus, in 7 BC
    3. Then before his death Herod changed his will three more times to name a different son each time as his successor
    4. Antipater was chosen to replace the executed Alexander and Aristobolus
    5. In 5 BC Antipas was named to replace Antipater
    6. Then five days before he died Herod had Antipater killed and named Archelaus as his successor as King of Judea.
    7. The Rome had to approve each of these changes.

 

 

The Star

  1. Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC

 

Matthew 2:1,2:

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who

has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and

have come to worship him.’ ”

  1. “Magi”
    1. Went straight to Herod who was constantly protected
    2. Isaiah 60:6,7,8,9
    3. Numbers 24:17
  2. “from the east”
  3. “born king of the Jews”
  4. “his star”
    1. 7 BC (747 A.U.C.) Jupiter and Saturn formed a conjunction in the constellation of Pisces 3 times that year in May, October & December.
    2. 6 BC (748 A.U.C.) Mars joined this conjunction.
    3. The astronomical tables of the Chinese  reveal that a comet first appeared in 4 BC (750 A.U.C.).  This comet would have been seen as the Magi left Jerusalem and would have appeared to go before them in the direction of Bethlehem and then to stand over Bethlehem.
  1. “in the east”
    1. This is the singular form of the word “astar”  asthr
    2. It is used in the plural in verse 2:1
    3. The translation should be “rising”.  They saw his star rising.
    4. This is not talking about a star but refers to some constellation or alignment of the planets and stars.
  1. “we. . .  have come”
  2. “to worship him.”

 

  1. Jupiter and Regulus in 3 BC

 

  1. Herod is said to have died in 4 BC but if a translation error in the writings of Josephus in 1544 is corrected then Herod would have died in 1 BC.
  2. Psalm 19  and Romans 10
  3. Jupiter is named after the great Roman God.  Jupiter is the King planet
  4. Regulus is a star named for the word Regal. 
    1. To the Babylonians it was Regulus Sharu which meant “king”. 
    2. To the Romans it was Regulus Rex which also meant “king”
  5. The planet Jupiter and the star Regulus passed each other and formed a conjunction in September of 3 BC which was the beginning of the Jewish new year.
  6. Between September 3 BC and June 2 BC Jupiter pass Regulus three times due to retrograde causing Jupiter to appear to move backwards as the earth moved.
    1. The stars move consistently since they appear to move as the earth rotates.
    2. Planets, like Jupiter, are also orbiting like the earth.  Some times planets (wandering stars) seem to move backward or stand still when viewed from the rotating and orbiting earth.  This creates what is called retrograde.
    3. Retrograde caused Jupiter to appear to fall behind Regulus three times that year only to catch up and reform the conjunction.
  1. The conjunction of the King Planet (Jupiter) and the King Star (Regulus) caused the magi to take note in 3 BC.
  2. This all occurred in the constellation Leo which is the lion which is used to represent the tribe of Judah.
  3. Behind Leo would arise Virgo or the Virgin
  4. In December of 2 BC Jupiter would have retrograded and if viewed from Jerusalem looking toward Bethlehem it would actually have appeared to stop over the city of Bethlehem for six days with no movement.  One of those days was December 25. 

 

Either of the above could have been the cause of the magi’s trip to find the King of the Jews.