Annunciation

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For other uses, see Annunciation (disambiguation).

Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis, 1712. The white lily in the angel's hand is symbolic of Mary's purity ^[1] in Marian art.^[2]

The Annunciation (anglicised from the Latin Vulgate Luke 1:26-39 Annuntiatio nativitatis Christi), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning "Saviour". Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, nine full months before Christmas, the birthday of Jesus. According to Luke 1:26, the Annunciation occurred "in the sixth month" of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist.^[3]

Approximating the northern vernal equinox, the date of the Annunciation also marked the New Year in many places, including England, where it is called Lady Day. Both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches hold that the Annunciation took place at Nazareth, but differ as to the precise location. The Basilica of the Annunciation marks the site preferred by the former, while the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation marks that preferred by the latter.

The Annunciation has been a key topic in Christian art in general, as well as in Marian art in the Catholic Church, particularly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Contents  [hide]  1 The Annunciation in the Bible 2 Eastern traditions 3 Feast day 4 The Annunciation in the Qur'an 5 Annunciation in Christian art 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] The Annunciation in the Bible

Key articles on Mariology
General perspective Mother of Jesus
Specific views Anglican • Eastern Orthodox • Lutheran • Marian veneration • Muslim • Protestant • Roman Catholic
Prayers & devotions Hymns to Mary • Hail Mary • Rosary
Ecumenical Ecumenical views
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In the Bible, the Annunciation is narrated in the book of Luke, Luke 1:26-38:

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, ²⁷ To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. ²⁹ And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. ³⁰ And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. ³¹ And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. ³² He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: ³³ And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. ³⁴ Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? ³⁵ And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. ³⁶ And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing shall be impossible. ³⁸ And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

A separate annunciation, which is more brief but in the same vein as the one in Luke, is given to Joseph in Matthew 1:18-21:

Matthew 1:18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. ²⁰ But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

[edit] Eastern traditions

Gold saluto of Charles II of Naples, depicting the Annunciation on the reverse.

In Eastern Christianity Mary is referred to as Theotokos (Θεοτόκος="God-bearer"). The traditional Troparion (hymn for the day) of the Annunciation which goes back to Saint Athanasius of Alexandria is:^[4]

Today is the beginning of our salvation,

And the revelation of the eternal mystery!

The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin

As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace.

Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos:

"Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with you!"

The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the twelve Great Feasts of the church year. As the action initiating the Incarnation of Christ, Annunciation has such an important place in Eastern theology that the Festal Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is always celebrated on March 25, regardless of what day it falls on—even if it falls on Pascha (Easter Sunday) itself, a coincidence which is called Kyriopascha. The only time the Divine Liturgy may be celebrated on Great and Holy Friday is if it falls on March 25. Due to this, the rubrics regarding the celebration of the feast are the most complicated of all in Eastern liturgics. The Annunciation is called Euangelismos (Evangelism) in Greek, literally meaning "spreading the Good News".

St. Ephraim the Syrian taught that the date of the conception of Jesus Christ fell on 10 Nisan on the Hebrew Calendar, the day in which the passover lamb was selected according to Exodus 12. Some years 10 Nisan falls on March 25, which is the traditional date for the Feast of the Annunciation and is an official holiday in Lebanon.

[edit] Feast day

Main article: Feast of the Annunciation

Annunciation by Rubens, 1628

The feast of the Annunciation is usually held on March 25; it is moved in the Catholic Church, Anglican and Lutheran liturgical calendars when this date would fall during Holy Week or Easter Week or on a Sunday.^[5] The Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches do not move the feast, having special combined liturgies for those years when the Annunciation coincides with another feast; in fact in these churches a Divine Liturgy is celebrated on Good Friday when it coincides with the Annunciation.

When the calendar system of Anno Domini was first introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in AD 525, he assigned the beginning of the new year to March 25 since, according to Catholic theology, the era of grace began with the Incarnation of Christ. The first certain mentions of the feast are in a canon, of the Council of Toledo (656), where it is described as celebrated throughout the church., and another of the Council of Constantinople "in Trullo" (692), forbidding the celebration of any festivals during Lent, excepting the Lord's Day (Sunday) and the Feast of the Annunciation. An earlier origin has been claimed for it on the ground that it is mentioned in various works of which the earliest surviving manuscripts are later and may have been added to.^[5]

[edit] The Annunciation in the Qur'an

Main articles: Islamic views of Mary and Islamic view of Jesus

The Annunciation is also described in the Qur'an, in Sura 3 (Al-i-Imran - The Family of Imran) verses 45-51 (archaic translation):

⁴⁵Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.

And Sura 19 (Maryam - Mary) verses 16-26 also refers to it. Muslim tradition holds that the Annunciation took place during the month of Ramadan.^[6]

[edit] Annunciation in Christian art

Main article: Annunciation in Christian art

See also: Marian art in the Catholic Church

Annunciation by Murillo, 1655

The Annunciation has been one of the most frequent subjects of Christian art.^[7][8] Depictions of the Annunciation go back to early Christianity, with the Priscilla catacomb including the oldest known fresco of the Annunciation, dating to the 4th century.^[9] It is has been a favorite artistic subject in both the Christian East and as Roman Catholic Marian art, particularly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and figures in the repertoire of almost all of the great masters. The figures of the virgin Mary and the angel Gabriel, being emblematic of purity and grace, were favorite subjects of Roman Catholic Marian art, where the scene is also used to represent the perpetual virginity of Mary via the announcement by the angel Gabriel that Mary would conceive a child to be born the Son of God.

Works on the subject have been created by artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Duccio and Murillo among others. The mosaics of Pietro Cavallini in Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome (1291), the frescos of Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua (1303), Domenico Ghirlandaio's fresco at the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence (1486), and Donatello's gilded sculpture at the church of Santa Croce, Florence (1435) are famous examples.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation

CANCER AND THE "JESUS STORY"

In keeping with our study of the evolving life of Jesus as depicted chronologically in the New Testament in parallel with the path of the Sun though the Zodiac. The more we study the more we continue to see more interesting "parallels" concerning the life of Jesus as depicted chronologically in the New Testament as taken from the path of the Sun (personified as Jesus) through the Zodiac. We now follow the Sun through the Zodiac as it travels from Gemini to Cancer.

We left off with Matthew chapter twelve in our prior study of the Sun moving through Gemini and we noticed that the stories of Jesus and his disciples going through the grain fields plucking heads of grain to eat which is presented as a problem which really is not in Judaism as well as the opposition to healing on the Sabbath which again according to Judaism was never a problem. Hostility toward him has already been manifested (Matthew 8:10; 9:3, 10-13, 34), but here it becomes more intense but this is to be expected as the Sun moves to the Summer Solstice for right on the other side "darkness" awaits to overtake the Sun and his power. We mentioned that such unhistorical narratives were but literary ploys to create this increasing "tension" between the opposing Cosmic forces of "light" vs "darkness". We have at its best here the battles with personified darkness depicted in the healings of the man with a withered hand on the sabbath as well as the healing of the blind and mute man (Matt. 12:9-22). This opposition to light in the allegory of Pharisee opposition can be summed up:

Matt 12:14 14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. (KJV)

Astronomically and allegorically speaking "darkness" lies in wait to apprehend the Sun and take it to its ultimate death as the Winter Solstice. Again is must be said that if one studies Judaism he is hard pressed to see that these accounts were actual stories in a historical setting; rather, one comes to see these as but "literalizations" of the constant struggle between "light and darkness".

Following the text in chronological sequence we should come to some form of "division" or "separation" since the Sun in its path is now dividing the Sky in half. Following the New Testament narrative we find as we expected the Jesus speaking of "division" at this point in the text in keeping with the path of the Sun.

Answer for yourself: What could this reference to "division" mean?

Matt 12:25-37 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

Answer for yourself: Jesus is talking about "dividing" a house. Did we not see in another article that Jesus had mentioned that in His Fathers's house is "many mansions" and that this referred to the 12 signs of the Zodiac?

As noted before, the year was divided into 12 equal parts, or months. And to each month was appointed a heavenly symbol or astrological "Sign." Each of the 12 monthly signs was called a "House" of the heavenly Zodiac.

John 14:2 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (KJV)

The signs of the zodiac have been called at times the "houses of the Sun," and also they are considered as the day or night "mansions" of the planets. Religiously minded astrologers, indeed, refer to the zodiacal signs as the "many mansions" in the Father's house, of which Jesus speaks in the Gospels.

Answer for yourself: Is it a coincidence that at this point in the path of the Sun, personified as Jesus, that we should expect to find something either in the sayings of Jesus or in his life having to do with "division" since the Sun just reached its apex of ascension and begins its southward trek back down the Sky? What we see is that at the Summer Solstice the increase of light and the victory over the foe of darkness has reached its maximum point and the Sun begins to travel backwards now as if dividing the Sky in half. Such is the division I speak. And this is exactly what we find.

The Summer Solstice falls at the precise moment when the Sun's power is at its zenith. It is the time of year when the noon Sun appears to be farthest north from the celestial equator. "Solstice" is Latin for "Sun stands still" (sol "Sun" and sistere "to stand"). Summer Solstice is so named because to the naked eye the Sun appears stationary in its northern and southern progression. The Sun is directly over the tropic of Cancer at the Summer Solstice. From the moment of Summer Solstice, the Sun immediately begins to wane. The journey into the harvest season has begun. Midsummer has been one of the important solar events throughout the evolution of humankind. It was an indicator that the year was about to begin waning, thus Winter would be again returning. Although not all the ancients were as precise in the calculations from an astronomical point, you can be sure that they were keenly aware of the sun's progression, and did most assuredly know when Solstice was upon them, as the Sun appeared to stand still in its northern progression.

But that is not all.

Answer for yourself: What should we expect to find at the Summer Solstice? The word Solstice comes from the Latin term "solstitium," which translates into English as "Sun standing still." As mentioned it is at the Summer Solstice that we should expect to see the Sun standing still for three days around Solstice, as the Sun rises and sets in nearly identical places before continuing its backward movement southward in the Sky on its way to the Winter Solstice and that is exactly what we see. We have seen in prior studies that the Ancients thought the Sun had died for 3 days at the Winter Solstice due to its cessation of movement in its path in the Heavens but now as well we see that in the teachings of Matthew we find the mention of this "3 day" period as well as connected to a teaching coming from Jesus.

Answer for yourself: Where do we find Jesus teachings this reference to this 3 days in the path of the Sun as correlated to the depiction of his life chronologically in the Gospels?

We find it in Matthew again in Jesus' teaching of Jonah being in the belly of the great fish for 3 days.

Matt 12:40 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (KJV)

Answer for yourself: Does this 3 day reference to Jonah at the Summer Solstice as mentioned by Jesus correspond astronomically to the 3 day reference to Jesus being in the tomb of earth for 3 days at the Winter Solstice? Yes.

Answer for yourself: What is the Astronomical link? There are periods of 3 days with both the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice when the Sun appears "to stand still" which was interpreted by the Ancients as "death" and this is applies both to Jonah, in the middle of the Gospel story as in the middle of the year, and to Jesus as well at the end of the Gospel or should I say at the end of the "Jesus Story" at the Winter Solstice. To any "thinking believer" it is hard to deny what we see here especially when we consider the unique timing in the gospels for these solar events to occur and the teachings the appear concerning Jesus as these times as well.

Answer for yourself? Why should we have expected to find Jesus teaching about Jonah (since he could not use his death for an example since he had not died yet)? Well you see Jonah appears to be dead for 3 days in the belly of the whale only to be presented alive after 3 days exactly as does the Sun at the Summer Solstice.

Answer for yourself: What do we see hidden in the story of Jonah in the belly of the fish for 3 days? We see that Jonah's message to the non-Jewish world was a message from God of "repentance" connected with "salvation".

Here we find astronomical symbolism consecutively in the texts once again and our Astrotheology continues in the life of Jesus as depicted in the New Testament.

It appears more evident as we continue our study into the unbelievable parallels between the depiction the "Jesus Story" and the Zodiac that the original authors of the New Testament had no intention of making their book into a biography and never for a moment intended to be made into that. They were merely rewriting the oldest story in the world, that of the zodiac.

Answer for yourself: How could this be coincidence over and over again?

Next we continue with the text of Matthew only to find Jesus departing from his family because he cannot take them with him. Again we speak of "division" and "separation".

Matt 12:46-50 46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (KJV)

Answer for yourself: What does this mean? Spiritually speaking God is teaching mankind as before that the "2nd birth" requires living in "repentance" and "sanctification" or separation from worldly things symbolized by Jesus' family for example. Darkness is waiting to challenge the child of God and life will be full of assaults by "darkness" upon a child of "light" and to win the battle of the Soul requires "repentance" and "sanctification" and we see that here in the Constellation of Cancer. We are to learn from the path of the Sun that the Soul of man is capable of "backsliding" as the Sun moves backwards at this time but if we are vigilant to feed ourselves continually the "bread from God" and practice "fruitfulness" and "good works" in a life lived in constant repentance then such a defeat by "darkness" need not be our plight. Again we see the evolution of the Soul laid our for mankind through the "Jesus Story" as it is the personification of the path of the Sun through the Zodiac.

Again that always puzzled me during the early years of my study of Jewish Roots for Judaism teaches that one that forsakes his family, in a natural sense, is worse than an infidel and yet we have Jesus, the presumed Messiah, doing the very same thing in the Gospels. Jews believe marriage and family life are gifts from God. For Jews, home is a special place where they can share their lives with their family and with God. Of course when a Jewish Rabbi or person reads Jesus denial of his family they are bewildered to say the least and knowing how Judaism views the family and the importance of the family this does not bode well for Jesus being their Messiah as you might expect. But this passage makes perfect sense when viewed Astronomically. We have followed the path of the Sun up to now in its travels through the Zodiac and its related stars. We have seen the Sun pass through hundreds of stars comprising these 6 prior constellations as its climbed to its zenith in the Sky. Now it must take a perilous journey back into darkness thus leaving its solar friends behind.

But we are not through yet.

Cancer was originally called the birth month of Jesus. Capricorn (December 22- January 19) is, as we saw in the earlier article in this series, the birth month of the Christ, and on the twenty-fifth of December down the centuries the birth of the world savior has been celebrated but in very ancient days, the birthday of the infant Sun gods was in Cancer. We are told: "The birthday of the infant Jesus, being arbitrarily set by the priests, produces a serious discrepancy, as we are told he was born in a manger. The manger is found in the sign of the Summer Solstice, the constellation Cancer, which was called the gate of the Sun through which souls were said to descend from their heavenly home to earth, just as at the Winter Solstice in December, they were said to return to their heavenly or celestial home, the constellation Capricorn, the other gate of the Sun. Capricorn was the sign from which sungods were said to the born at the Winter Solstice and made sacred to the sons of light." (E. Valentia Straiton, The Celestial Ship of the North, Vol. II, p. 205).

This dim constellation, Cancer, the faintest of the entire Zodiac, contains no stars brighter than fourth magnitude, none of which are distinguishable by the naked eye. Quite possibly, Cancer's only claims to fame is inclusion in the Signs of the Zodiac and the beautiful Praesepe (meaning "hive," "crib" or "manger"), also known as the Beehive Cluster. In earlier times, this Cluster was also referred to as "Little Cloud" and "Little Mist" and was the basis of an early method of forecasting the weather. According to Pliny, if Praesepe were not visible in a clear sky, then it foretold the coming of a violent storm. The astronomers of both Ancient Greece and Ancient Arabia perceived the Beehive Cluster as the crib of the infant Jesus, with two of the nearby stars (known collectively as the "Aselli" or "Asses") on either side representing donkeys (or maybe a donkey and an ox) feeding on hay from the manger.

Ironically the astrological symbol for the sign Cancer has no relation at all to the crab. It is composed of two "asses" tails, and these again link up the gospel story with the story of the manger.

Answer for yourself: Again is this just coincidence or is there Astrotheology throughout the "Jesus Story"?

I direct your attention to the picture where it is clearly seen that two asses are present in the manger scene that again betrays the Astronomical symbolism behind the nativity story as we have previously seen.

Answer for yourself: Do we see again in the picture the "nimbus" or the "solar halos" around the heads of baby Jesus and Joseph and Mary? Notice if you will the solar mythology noted in the picture in the form of the "halos" or "nimbus" on the heads of the characters which again betrays Solar symbolism. In connection with the birth of Jesus two asses appear, the one on which the Virgin rode down to Bethlehem, prior to the birth, and the other on which she rode to Egypt, after the birth.

Close to the sign Cancer are two bright stars, one called Asellus Borealis, or "the northern ass", and the other, Asellus Australis, or "the southern ass". Besides these two Solar symbolisms mentioned above there is also the third time, when Christ is made to ride into Jerusalem during his brief moment of triumph on Palm Sunday seated on the back of an ass, a symbol of patience and humility the crown jewels of greatness.

Answer for yourself: Did we not already see that in entering the holy city of Jerusalem that Jesus comes for Bethany, or "Beth-Anu" meaning "the house of the Sun"? We previously saw that in the "Egyptian Pyramid Texts" that we first find a unique play on words when we look at the word Bethany.

Answer for yourself: Where did Lazarus supposedly live? He is mentioned at living at Bethany.

Answer for yourself: Do you remember that we saw that the word "Bethany, when translated back into the Egyptian language is "Beth-anu" and it means the House of the Sun? Should we not expect Jesus, as the personified Sun, to be traveling the ecliptic of the House of the Sun?

In Greek mythology we read of the savior Dionysus riding upon two asses, which afterwards he had changed into celestial constellations. Jesus is pictured as riding into Jerusalem upon the two asses, i.e., upon as ass and colt, the foal of an ass.

Matt 21:5-7 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. (KJV)

The Gospels instruct us that Jesus (personified as the Sun) enters Jerusalem riding upon two asses.

Answer for yourself: Did you notice that in the above passage Jesus is made to enter into Jerusalem riding "two" asses and not one? Is that not rather strange let alone difficult? How does any human being, let alone Jesus in this story, ride TWO animals at once? Is this a reference to Astrotheology and we not recognize it in the texts? This clearly shows you that the derivation of this story is purely astronomical. Let it also be said that in Babylonia the symbol of the zodiacal constellation Cancer, in which the Sun reached the highest point of its apparent path at the Summer Solstice, was the ass and foal. This New Testament passage, in mentioning "the ass and the colt" refers to two prominent stars which the Sun rides (crosses) within the constellation of Cancer (the sign of the Summer Solstice). The stars are Asellus Borealis (Northern Ass) and Asellus Australis (Southern Ass).

EL 4 DE JULIO (4/7)/INDEPENDENCIA DE EEUU Y EL SABADO ...

REVELATION AND PROOFS:
JESUS CHRIST WAS BORN ON MAY 23, 33 B.C.^©

Aristeo Canlas Fernando, Peace Crusader

A spirit, a holy spirit, THE Holy Spirit, who I and several other people talk to, revealed that Jesus Christ was born on May 23.  I first heard this date in 1983.  No year; just the date May 23.  It is the same with the crucifixion and death of Jesus which He revealed as August 17.  No year; just the date August 17.  But from one of the His sermons which is called Panambitan or Pleading, I deduced that the year of His crucifixion was 1 BC.

When we connected to the Internet in 1999, I sought the help of Bible scholars and calendar experts in newsgroups and discussion forums to determine if there is any ring of truth in Jesus being crucified on August 17, 1 BC.  No one was able to help me.  I was even mocked and scoffed at such a ridiculous date.  Unable to get such help, I embarked on my own research to satisfy my own curiosity.  After four years, from 1999 to 2003, I found out that the Holy Spirit is correct in His revelation.  The results of that study with several notable findings are found at http://aristean.org/crucifyidx.htm.

With the crucifixion date verified, I then tried to find out if there is any ring of truth in the May 23 date.  Many agree that Jesus was not born on December 25 because the date just does not harmonize with the accounts in the Bible.  Please read about Christmas Day on December 25 in many Internet websites. 

Most place the birth at 1 BC, that is why our year, like today, 2006, is the number of years from His supposed birth.  Some say that He was born in 4 BC.  Others in 6 BC.  But usually, it is around that time.  This study found the year to be 33 BC.

Most scholars place the age of Jesus when He died at 33 years.  They arrived at this age by adding three Passovers mentioned in the Bible (John chapters 2, 6, and 13) during His ministry to age 30 when He started it (Luke 3:24).  However, if Jesus lived for 33 years, then, He could have been born on May 23, 34 B.C.  But then in my research since 1999, I found out that the Jews were using lunar years to express the passage of time.  The equivalent of 33 lunar years is 32 solar years.  Hence, Jesus must have been born on May 23, 33 B.C.

This study determines if Jesus was born on May 23 as the Holy Spirit revealed, and in the year 33 B.C.  Among the references used are the Bible, accounts of the respected Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, eclipse table prepared by Fred Espanek, Jewish calendars, Jewish festivals and fasts, calendar converter of Timothy James Forsythe, moon phases by Stellafane, Pasiong Mahal (Holy Passion), and the Aristean Cycle.

Quotations herein are from the Holy Bible, King James Version, and from the Works of Flavius Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews and The Wars of the Jews (or The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem) as translated by William Whiston found on the Internet at  http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/JOSEPHUS.HTM.  These quotations are included in this manuscript in order that the reader need not have to refer to the source but know exactly straight away what the source states.  These quotations are not included in the copyright of this manuscript.  The King James Version of the Holy Bible is used instead of any other versions because the Holy Spirit recommended this version as it is nearer the truth.

Table 1 summarizes the events around the time of the birth of Jesus Christ in about a five-month window, from the day when an eclipse of the moon occurred to the Jewish Passover Festival held after King Herod’s death, and the return of the Holy Family from Egypt, including the revelations of the Holy Spirit of His birth date and the arrival of the three kings.  Most other dates were derived from known or given dates.

Table 1.  Summary of events around the time of the birth of Jesus Christ.

1. Eclipse of the moon; order of King Herod of the burning of Matthias and his companions alive for raising the sedition
   Saturday, March 30, 33 BC ( Nisan 15, 3728)
   
               Josephus mentioned that an eclipse of the moon occurred on that very night when Herod ordered the burning of Matthias and his companions alive for raising the sedition.
   
   Antiquities, Book XVII, Chapter 6, Section 4: “Now it happened, that during the time of the high priesthood of this Matthias, there was another person made high priest for a single day, that very day which the Jews observed as a fast. The occasion was this: This Matthias the high priest, on the night before that day when the fast was to be celebrated, seemed, in a dream, to have conversation with his wife; and because he could not officiate himself on that account, Joseph, the son of Ellemus, his kinsman, assisted him in that sacred office. But Herod deprived this Matthias of the high priesthood, and burnt the other Matthias, who had raised the sedition, with his companions, alive. And that very night there was an eclipse of the moon.” 

            This lunar eclipse is of great significance in the determination of when King Herod and his son Antipater died, what that Jewish fast was, when the Passover Festival was held then, and consequently, the verification of the birth date of Jesus Christ that the Holy Spirit revealed. 
            A lunar eclipse occurs only during full moon.  There were two lunar eclipses in 33 BC, both partial, as follows: one on April 1 (Julian calendar date) at 21:13 Universal Time (U.T. - time in London, England used as reference time), Greatest Eclipse, and the other, on September 25 at 07:13 U.T. (Source from the Internet: Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC, Lunar Eclipses, 100 BCE to 1 BCE).  April 1 is chosen because it occurred in the evening that made the eclipse visible in Jerusalem.  September 25 is not chosen because it occurred in the morning (Jerusalem time), hence, the eclipse was not visible there. 
            April 1, 33 BC, a Julian calendar date, is equal to March 30, 33 BC in the proleptic Gregorian calendar, and 21:13 U.T. when greatest eclipse occurred is equal to 23:13 or 11:13 PM Jerusalem Time.  The equivalent of the date in the Jewish calendar is Nisan 15, 3728.  It is full moon during the fifteenth of a lunar month.

Note that this eclipse occurred during the month of Nisan.  At present, the Passover Festival is held in this month.  However, before the reformation of the Jewish calendar in 358/359 AD, the Passover Festival was held in whichever month in the Jewish civil lunisolar calendar the first month of the 12-lunar-month religious calendar falls.  See No. 18 below for further explanation.

There were also two lunar eclipses in 34 BC: one on April 13 (Julian) at 4:16 U.T. or 6:16 AM Jerusalem time, and one on October 7 (Julian) at 7:00 U.T. or 9:00 AM Jerusalem time.  Both of these eclipses occurred during the day in Jerusalem, hence, they could not have been observed there but were observed elsewhere in the world.  This is one reason why 34 BC is discounted as the year when Jesus was born.
            Note that Matthias and his companions were burned alive on a Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath day.  King Herod might have scheduled this punishment to be meted out on this day to have maximum exposure when Jews congregate for their Sabbath.  He seemed to be issuing a warning and a deterrent to anyone plotting any seditious acts.

http://aristean.org/birthmay23.htm

1. Jewish fast
   Sunday, March 31, 33 BC ( Nisan 16, 3728)

           
            Josephus mentioned that there was a Jewish fast the day after the eclipse of the moon as quoted in No. 1 above.  If King Herod burned Matthias and his companions alive on Nisan 15 when a lunar eclipse occurred, this Jewish fast must have been held on Nisan 16.
            Excluding the Day of Atonement on Tishri 10 as commanded in the Old Testament, the Jews presently have five fasts during the year, namely: Fast of the fourth month, Tammuz 17; the fifth month, Av 9; the seventh month, Tishri 3; the tenth month, Tevet 10; and Esther on Adar 13.  Zechariah 8:19 states only the first four fasts, which were all about the fall and destruction of Jerusalem brought down by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and all happened in Judaea, to quote: “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.” 
            The Fast of Esther was therefore a later addition.  The origin of this fast is traced in the story of Esther while the Jews were exiled in Babylonia.  Before the reformation of the Jewish calendar in 358/359 AD, the Fast of Esther was held on Nisan 16 (Esther 3:12, 4:16).  When the Passover Festival was fixed on Nisan 14-21, the Fast of Esther was moved to Adar 13 to be with the associated Feast of Lots or Purim.  Details about this fast is found at http://aristean.org/jewishfasts.htm.  

1. King Herod sought cure for his ailments
   Sometime in April and/or May, 33 BC (sometime in Nisan, Iyyar and/or Sivan, 3728)
   
               After King Herod ordered the burning alive of Matthias and his companions, he sought cure for his ailments.  Josephus described his ailments and his desire to find cure:
   
   Antiquities, Book XVII, Chapter 6, Section 5: “But now Herod's distemper greatly increased upon him after a severe manner, and this by God's judgment upon him for his sins; for a fire glowed in him slowly, which did not so much appear to the touch outwardly, as it augmented his pains inwardly; for it brought upon him a vehement appetite to eating, which he could not avoid to supply with one sort of food or other. His entrails were also ex-ulcerated, and the chief violence of his pain lay on his colon; an aqueous and transparent liquor also had settled itself about his feet, and a like matter afflicted him at the bottom of his belly. Nay, further, his privy-member was putrefied, and produced worms; and when he sat upright, he had a difficulty of breathing, which was very loathsome, on account of the stench of his breath, and the quickness of its returns; he had also convulsions in all parts of his body, which increased his strength to an insufferable degree. It was said by those who pretended to divine, and who were endued with wisdom to foretell such things, that God inflicted this punishment on the king on account of his great impiety; yet was he still in hopes of recovering, though his afflictions seemed greater than any one could bear. He also sent for physicians, and did not refuse to follow what they prescribed for his assistance.”
   
   
2. Jewish Sabbath
   Saturday, May 18, 33 BC (Sivan 5, 3728)
   
               This day was a Sabbath day.  Joseph and Mary would not have started their long journey to Bethlehem on such a day.  The law allows only a Sabbath day’s journey (Acts 1:12) and this is only for a few kilometers.
   
   

1. Departure of Joseph and Mary from the city of Nazareth for Bethlehem
   Sunday, May 19, 33 BC (Sivan 6, 3728)
   
               Joseph and Mary were residing in the city of Nazareth in Galilee but had to go to the city of Bethlehem in Judaea temporarily.  Even though Mary was due to give birth within the month, they were obliged to go to the family’s place of origin to register.  Joseph was from the house and lineage of King David who was from Bethlehem.
               Joseph and Mary must have started their long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem after the Saturday Sabbath. 
   
   Luke 2:1-5: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David;) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.”
   
   
2. Birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem
   Thursday, May 23, 33 BC (Sivan 10, 3728)
   
               Jesus was born in the evening of May 23, 33 BC in Bethlehem after midnight.  The Holy Spirit revealed this date.  The first visitors of Jesus were the shepherds who were looking after their flock in the field that night.  An angel announced to them the birth of a Savior, who is Christ the Lord and who they could find in the city of David wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger (a manger is the eating or feeding trough in a stable).
              
   Luke 2:6-20:  “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.  And they came with hast, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her hear.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”
   
               Because of the abundance of pasture, the shepherds were out in the field to move their flocks from one place to another.  They might be far away from home, so they just camped in the field in the evening with their flocks.  The evenings were not that cold since it was springtime and summer was approaching (May 23 is a spring day in Jerusalem.).  They watched and kept guard of their prized, pure-bred lambs, which were without blemish, to prevent wolves from attacking them and thieves from stealing them.  They supply these lambs to the temple in Jerusalem where they are sacrificed.  Bethlehem is not far away from Jerusalem. 
               Mary was still a virgin when she was betrothed to Joseph.  She was a virgin when she gave birth of Jesus as prophesied by Isaiah 700 years earlier. 
   
   Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” 
   Matthew 1:23: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.
   
   
3. Circumcision of Jesus Christ
   Thursday, May 30, 33 BC (Sivan 17, 3728)
   
   Luke 2:21: "And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb."
   Leviticus 12:3:  “And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.”
   
               On His eighth day, He was circumcised and was named Jesus.  This must have happened in Bethlehem. 
               The start of an event, in this case, is the birth of Jesus, designated as day 1.  So as the law commands, the male child has to be circumcised on the eighth day.  This is equal to seven days after the male child is born.
               The Holy Spirit said that on the eighth day, a child should be baptized to take away the original sin.  Jesus did not have that original sin but He was baptized anyway to be an example.
   
   
4. Arrival of the three kings to pay homage to the infant Christ in Bethlehem
   Thursday, June 6, 33 BC (Sivan 24, 3728)
   
               June 6 is the date the Holy Spirit revealed as to when the three kings arrived to pay homage to the Christ child.  It is the 15^th day from the birth of Jesus or 14 days after He was born.  The Christian churches celebrate Three Kings on January 6.  The Roman Catholic Church calls it the Epiphany of the Lord whereas the Greek Orthodox Church calls it Epiphany Day.  January 6 is 12 days from His assumed birth on December 25.  The number of days is close enough though, 12 days against 14 days.
   
   Matthew 2:9-11:  “When they had heard the king (Herod), they departed; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
                 
               According to the Holy Spirit, they were kings whose names were Balthazar, Gaspar, and Melchor, and were from three different kingdoms in the East – Sheba, Arabia, and Persia.  They just met along the way to Jerusalem.
               The prophecies in Psalm are fulfilled:
   
   Psalm 72:10-11,15:  “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.  Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.  And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba …”
    
               After a few days, the three kings departed into their own country via another way after God warned them in a dream that they should not return to King Herod. 
   
   Matthew 2:12:  “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” 
   
   

1. Arrival of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem
   Wednesday, May 22, 33 BC (Sivan 9, 3728)
   
               Bethlehem is about 110 km (69 miles) south of the city of Nazareth.  At this time of the year in Israel, the sun rises at 5:40 AM and sets at 7:32 PM, a total day length of 13 hours and 52 minutes.  Assuming that they started their journey at 5:45 AM when the sun rose and stopped at 6:45 PM, and had rest for two hours for meals and other necessities, they would have traveled for 11 hours per day.  Assuming that normally a person walks about 4 km per hour, he would have covered 40 km in a day.  But because Mary was pregnant, they were not able to travel at this rate.  Assuming that their rate was 2.5 km per hour, they would have traveled about 27.5 km in a day.  So it must have taken them four days to reach Bethlehem. 
               When they arrived there, Joseph asked his kindreds who were descendants of the royal line of kings (King David, in particular) or relatives if they could allow them to live with them for a while.  No kindreds or relatives received them and no one pitied them in their condition because they were poor.  They could not afford to stay in an inn.  God made Joseph and Mary poor and humble to be a model, an example, to all mankind. 
               In their quest to find accommodation, they reached the outskirts of the city.  They found a cave, a shelter for cattle and sheep and other animals, and they entered it.  And since the farm animals were out in the field to graze because of abundant grass, the cave was available and they stayed there for the night.
              

1. Courtesy call of the three kings to King Herod
   Wednesday, June 5, 33 BC (Sivan 23, 3728)
   
    Matthew 2:1-8: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.  When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.  Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child: and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.”
   
               The three kings dropped in the palace of King Herod to invite him to see and pay homage to the newly-born King of the Jews.  Herod called the Chief Priest and scribes and asked where the Messiah would be born.  They said “Bethlehem” as Micah prophesied. 
   
   Micah 5:2 : “But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” 
   
   

1. Travel of King Herod to the Jordan River to find cure for his ailments; wicked plan to slaughter the illustrious men in the Hippodrome
   Sometime between June 6 and July 4, 33 BC (Sometime between Sivan 24 and Tammuz 21, 3728)
   
   After King Herod met the three kings, he went to the Jordan River in his attempt to find cure for his ailments.  It was here where he bathed himself in the hot baths at Callirrhoe.  He had lost hopes of recovering so he paid his soldiers and their commanders and left some sums of money to his friends. 
                 From the Jordan River, he was to return to Jerusalem but since he was very ill, he did not proceed anymore.  He stopped at Jericho which is 57 km (36 mi) from Jerusalem, about at least a day’s travel.  Here, he took residence at the Royal Palace until his death a few weeks later.  At Jericho, he is nearer Herodium where he commanded to be buried.  He might have preferred to stay here to die instead of dying in Jerusalem.  He might not have been that popular especially among the predominantly Jewish populace of Jerusalem even though he was a practicing Jew (he was of Arab origin from both parents).
               It was in Jericho where King Herod hatched his wicked plan of gathering the illustrious men of the entire Jewish nation and shutting them in the Hippodrome to be slaughtered.  He ordered them to come to him under pain of death.  Because it was ordered by the king, they obliged and came.  They were assembled at the Hippodrome where he ordered them shut up inside.
              
   Josephus narrated this travel and the King Herod’s wicked plan.
   Antiquities, Book XVII, Chapter 6, Section 5-6:  King Herod “went beyond the river Jordan, and bathed himself in the warm baths that were at Callirrhoe, which, besides their other general virtues, were also fit to drink; which water runs into the lake called Asphaltiris. And when the physicians once thought fit to have him bathed in a vessel full of oil, it was supposed that he was just dying; but upon the lamentable cries of his domestics, he revived; and having no longer the least hopes of recovering, he gave order that every soldier should be paid fifty drachmae; and he also gave a great deal to their commanders, and to his friends, and came again to Jericho where he grew so choleric, that it brought him to do all things like a madman and though he were near his death, he contrived the following wicked designs. He commanded that all the principal men of the entire Jewish nation, wheresoever they lived, should be called to him. Accordingly, they were a great number that came, because the whole nation was called, and all men heard of this call, and death was the penalty of such as should despise the epistles that were sent to call them. And now the king was in a wild rage against them all, the innocent as well as those that had afforded ground for accusations; and when they were come, he ordered them to be all shut up in the hippodrome.”
    
   Josephus repeated this account.
   Wars, Book I, Chapter 33, Section 6:  “He then returned back and came to Jericho, in such a melancholy state of body as almost threatened him with present death, when he proceeded to attempt a horrid wickedness; for he got together the most illustrious men of the whole Jewish nation, out of every village, into a place called the Hippodrome, and there shut them in.”
    
2. Last day of Mary’s 40 days of impurity
   Tuesday, July 2, 33 BC (Tammuz 20, 3728)
   
               In Leviticus 12:1-4, it states how long a woman who gives birth to a boy is unclean.  In the case of Mary, she was unclean for 40 days. 
              
   Leviticus 12:1-4: "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean.  And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.  She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days.  She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.’"
   
   
3. Purification rite of Mary and presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem; return to Nazareth
   Wednesday, July 3, 33 BC (Tammuz 21, 3728)
   
   The Holy Family traveled to Jerusalem, 10 km (6.25 miles) north of Bethlehem, for the purification rite of Mary and for the presentation of Jesus to the Lord at the Temple.  Mary, after completing the 40-day purification period, was able to enter the Temple.  They might have taken at least two and a half hours for this travel.  
              
   Leviticus 12:6-8:  "When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.  Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement for her.  And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood.  This is the law for her who has born a male or a female.  And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons-one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering.  So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean."
   
               Since Joseph and Mary were poor, they could not afford to offer a lamb, so they just brought two young pigeons -- one for burnt offering and the other as a sin offering.
   
   Luke 2:22-24:  "Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.’"
    Exodus 13:1-2:  "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.'"  This is repeated in Exodus 13:12: "that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be Lord's."
   
               Presently, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates this presentation of the Lord as Candlemas.  The Anglican Church called it the Presentation of Christ in the Temple while the Greek Church called it Hypapante (Meeting), referring to the meeting of the righteous and devout Simeon and Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:25-35).  These are held on February 2.
               After the rites at the Temple in Jerusalem, the Holy Family left to return to Nazareth. 
   
   Luke 2:39 :  “And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.”
   
               The people in Jerusalem became troubled since that presentation of Jesus in the Temple.  They learned of the pronouncements of the shepherds from Bethlehem who visited Jesus when He was born.  They became more troubled when the three kings came to Jerusalem looking for the newly-born King of the Jews a month earlier. 
               Why did the Holy Family not return to Nazareth after Jesus was born and after registering for the census?  Was it because Nazareth is somewhat far to go back and forth to Jerusalem?   Jesus was the firstborn so He had to be presented to the Lord, and the presentation was at the temple in Jerusalem.
   
   
4. Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt by night to escape the slaughter by Herod’s soldiers
   Thursday, July 4, 33 BC (Tammuz 22, 3728)
   
   On their first night of travel to Nazareth in the north, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream advising him to take his family and flee to Egypt.  This means that they headed back south going to Egypt. 
   
   Matthew 2:13-15:   “And when they (the three kings) were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.  When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt.  And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.”
   
               There was moonshine to guide them through the night in their travel since it was the last quarter of the month.  And the night was warm being summer.
   
   
5. Order of King Herod to arrest the three kings or bring over the Christ child
   Thursday, July 4, 33 BC (Tammuz 22, 3728)
   
   King Herod learned of the trouble that was brewing in Jerusalem because of the birth of the new King of the Jews who he thought was his competitor for power.  After waiting for some time, Herod realized that the three kings tricked him by not reporting back to him after they found the young child.  He ordered his soldiers to go to Bethlehem and arrest the three kings who visited him in his palace in Jerusalem a few weeks earlier.  If they did not find the three kings, he wanted them to bring over the child.  His soldiers followed his orders but returned empty-handed.  The three kings were long gone.  The Holy Family had already left for Nazareth after the rites at the Temple.
   
   
6. Slaughter of the innocents
   Friday, July 5, 33 BC (Tammuz 23, 3728)
   
   Failing to find the three kings or the child, he ordered his soldiers to slaughter the innocent children by decapitating them and draining the blood from their bodies, which almost muddied the streets of the city.  The Holy Spirit said that 15,000 children were killed excluding the fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters of these children (who might have resisted). 
   
   Matthew 2:16-18: “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.  Then, was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning.  Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.”
   Jeremiah 31:15:  “Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.” 
   
               Rachel, during their journey from Bethel to Ephrath (Bethlehem), died while giving birth to Benjamin as stated in Genesis 35:16-21. 
               Josephus, though, did not mention this slaughter of innocent children in his account of events in King Herod’s life.  The event might have been kept in secrecy to allay fears or to raise any suspicion of those shut in the Hippodrome.
   
   
7. Instructions of King Herod to Salome and Alexas to slaughter those in the Hippodrome; his attempted suicide; his order of the slaying of his son Antipater
   Tuesday, July 9, 33 BC (Tammuz 27, 3728)
              
   Antiquities, Book XVII, Chapter 6, Sections 5:  King Herod “sent for his sister Salome, and her husband Alexas, and spake thus to them: "I shall die in a little time, so great are my pains; which death ought to be cheerfully borne, and to be welcomed by all men; but what principally troubles me is this, that I shall die without being lamented, and without such mourning as men usually expect at a king's death. For that he was not unacquainted with the temper of the Jews, that his death would be a thing very desirable, and exceedingly acceptable to them, because during his lifetime they were ready to revolt from him, and to abuse the donations he had dedicated to God that it therefore was their business to resolve to afford him some alleviation of his great sorrows on this occasion; for that if they do not refuse him their consent in what he desires, he shall have a great mourning at his funeral, and such as never had any king before him; for then the whole nation would mourn from their very soul, which otherwise would be done in sport and mockery only. He desired therefore, that as soon as they see he hath given up the ghost, they shall place soldiers round the hippodrome, while they do not know that he is dead; and that they shall not declare his death to the multitude till this is done, but that they shall give orders to have those that are in custody shot with their darts; and that this slaughter of them all will cause that he shall not miss to rejoice on a double account; that as he is dying, they will make him secure that his will shall be executed in what he charges them to do; and that he shall have the honor of a memorable mourning at his funeral. So he deplored his condition, with tears in his eyes, and obtested them by the kindness due from them, as of his kindred, and by the faith they owed to God, and begged of them that they would not hinder him of this honorable mourning at his funeral. So they promised him not to transgress his commands.”

In 33 BC, the first month of the religious lunar calendar fell in the month of Av. 

Av is the eleventh month in the civil lunisolar calendar starting from the month of Tishri.  Av 1, 3728 was July 12, 33 BC.  The Passover Festival, a Jewish religious festival, was held from the 14^th to the 21^st day of the first month of the religious lunar calendar.  In 33 BC, it was held from July 25 to August 1. 

            In the Jewish calendar in ancient times, the sighting of the new moon heralded the start of a Jewish month.  God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the first day of the month as a joyful occasion in what is referred to as the New Moon Festival or Rosh Hodesh (Hebrew: Head of the Month).  The festival was a major festival imposing abstention from business and work.  The Jews visited the Temple of Jerusalem for a special sacrifice and held a family celebration.

The Aristean Cycle was used to determine when the first month of the religious lunar calendar fell in the civil lunisolar calendar in 33 BC.  The Aristean Cycle is found at http://aristean.org/aristeancycle.htm.

1. Death of King Herod; dismissal of the illustrious men in the Hippodrome; succession of his son Archelaus as king
   Saturday, July 13, 33 BC (Av 2, 3728)
   
   Salome and Alexas, before announcing the death of King Herod publicly, dismissed the illustrious men of the Jewish nation who were shut up in the Hippodrome. 
   
   Antiquities, Book XVII, Chapter 8, Section 2:   “But then Salome and Alexas, before the king's death was made known, dismissed those that were shut up in the hippodrome, and told them that the king ordered them to go away to their own lands, and take care of their own affairs, which was esteemed by the nation a great benefit. And now the king's death was made public, when Salome and Alexas gathered the soldiery together in the amphitheater at Jericho; and the first thing they did was, they read Herod's letter, written to the soldiery, thanking them for their fidelity and good-will to him, and exhorting them to afford his son Archelaus, whom he had appointed for their king, like fidelity and good-will.”
   
   

Josephus also noted the death of King Herod in Antiquities, Book XVII, Chapter 8, Section 1 and in Wars, Book I, Chapter 33, Section 8.  The first states “When he had done these things, he died, the fifth day after he had caused Antipater to be slain; having reigned, since he had procured Antigonus to be slain, thirty-four years; but since he had been declared king by the Romans, thirty-seven.”  The second states “Archelaus makes a funeral feast for the people, on account of Herod.” 
            King Herod was 70 years old when he died at the Royal Palace in Jericho.  The traditional date of his death is Shebat 2.  Presently, Shebat is the eleventh month of the religious lunar calendar falling sometime in January or February.  Shebat must have been chosen to agree with the account of Josephus that King Herod died before the Passover Festival and on the eleventh month.  Since the Passover Festival was placed in the month of Nisan, the eleventh month must be Shebat.            

It is true that King Herod died on the eleventh month of the religious lunar calendar and just before the Passover Festival.  During the time of Jesus, the religious calendar was not fixed to start in the month of Nisan.  It had twelve lunar months only and wherever its first month falls in the civil lunisolar calendar, that is when the Passover Festival was held and was the start of the year in the religious lunar calendar.

When King Herod died, the first month of the lunar religious calendar fell in the month of Av in the civil lunisolar calendar.  Av is the eleventh month of the civil lunisolar calendar which starts in the month of Tishri.  Av falls during the months of July and August.  So King Herod died sometime in July or August.  Using the second day of the month, he therefore died on Av 2, 3728 or July 13, 33 BC.  The Passover Festival was to be held on Av 14-21, 3728 or July 25-August 1, 33 BC, or 12 days after his death.  This death date now is logical since there were seven days of mourning plus the five days of build up of pilgrims to Jerusalem for the annual Passover Festival.

When the Jews reformed their calendar in 358/359 BC, they fixed the start of the religious calendar in the month of Nisan, sometime in March or April, when the Passover Festival is now held.  So with the fact that he died on the eleventh month and before the Passover Festival, his death was placed in the month of Shebat, the eleventh month of the religious calendar, and just before the Passover Festival.  It would be difficult to justify that he died in the month of Av which is at least eight months before the present Passover Festival so the Jews chose Shebat.

1. Funeral, and mourning the death, of King Herod
   Saturday to Friday, July 13-19, 33 BC (Av 2-8, 3728)
   
   Josephus described the funeral procession of King Herod.
   Antiquities, Book XVII, Chapter 8, Section 3:   “After this was over, they prepared for his funeral, it being Archelaus's care that the procession to his father's sepulcher should be very sumptuous. Accordingly, he brought out all his ornaments to adorn the pomp of the funeral. The body was carried upon a golden bier, embroidered with very precious stones of great variety, and it was covered over with purple, as well as the body itself; he had a diadem upon his head, and above it a crown of gold: he also had a scepter in his right hand. About the bier were his sons and his numerous relations; next to these was the soldiery, distinguished according to their several countries and denominations; and they were put into the following order: First of all went his guards, then the band of Thracians, and after them the Germans; and next the band of Galatians, every one in their habiliments of war; and behind these marched the whole army in the same manner as they used to go out to war, and as they used to be put in array by their muster-masters and centurions; these were followed by five hundred of his domestics carrying spices. So they went eight furlongs to Herodium; for there by his own command he was to be buried. And thus did Herod end his life.”
   
               King Herod was buried at Herodium which was only eight furlongs (one mile) away from the Royal Palace.
               Josephus also mentioned the traditional mourning of seven days in Section 4, as follows: “Now Archelaus paid him so much respect, as to continue his mourning till the seventh day; for so many days are appointed for it by the law of our fathers.”  This means to say that the seven-day mourning was completed before the Passover Festival started.
   
   
2. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
   Thursday to Thursday, July 25-August 1, 33 BC (Av 14-21, 3728) 
   
               The Aristean Cycle indicates that in 33 BC, the first month of the religious lunar year fell in the month of Av in the civil lunisolar calendar.  The month began on July 12, 33 BC.
               Passover is held on the 14^th day of the first year of the religious lunar calendar and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, from the 15^th day to the 21^st day of the month.  Together, they are herein called the Passover Festival or Pesach as the Jews call it.  In 33 BC, the Festival was held from July 25 to August 1.  This Festival is an important annual event that Jewish men are required to attend and come to Jerusalem. 
              
   Antiquities, Book XVII, Chapter 9, Section 3:   “Now, upon the approach of that feast of unleavened bread, which the law of their fathers had appointed for the Jews at this time, which feast is called the Passover and is a memorial of their deliverance out of Egypt, when they offer sacrifices with great alacrity; and when they are required to slay more sacrifices in number than at any other festival; and when an innumerable multitude came thither out of the country, nay, from beyond its limits also, in order to worship God, the seditious lamented Judas and Matthias, those teachers of the laws, and kept together in the temple, and had plenty of food, because these seditious persons were not ashamed to beg it. And as Archelaus was afraid lest some terrible thing should spring up by means of these men's madness, he sent a regiment of armed men, and with them a captain of a thousand, to suppress the violent efforts of the seditious before the whole multitude should be infected with the like madness; and gave them this charge, that if they found any much more openly seditious than others, and more busy in tumultuous practices, they should bring them to him. But those that were seditious on account of those teachers of the law, irritated the people by the noise and clamors they used to encourage the people in their designs; so they made an assault upon the soldiers, and came up to them, and stoned the greatest part of them, although some of them ran away wounded, and their captain among them; and when they had thus done, they returned to the sacrifices which were already in their hands. Now Archelaus thought there was no way to preserve the entire government but by cutting off those who made this attempt upon it; so he sent out the whole army upon them, and sent the horsemen to prevent those that had their tents without the temple from assisting those that were within the temple, and to kill such as ran away from the footmen when they thought themselves out of danger; which horsemen slew three thousand men, while the rest went to the neighboring mountains. Then did Archelaus order proclamation to be made to them all, that they should retire to their own homes; so they went away, and left the festival, out of fear of somewhat worse which would follow, although they had been so bold by reason of their want of instruction.”
    
               Archelaus who just took over the reign as king (though Caesar had not confirmed it yet) killed 3,000 of the pilgrims during the festival.  The pilgrims were bewailing the death of the Rabbins Judas and Matthias and their companions who his father, the late King Herod, ordered killed almost four months earlier.
   
   
3. Return of the Holy Family from Egypt
   Sometime in 33 BC (Sometime in 3728-3729)
   
   The stay of the Holy Family in Egypt was not long.  The angel must have told Joseph while in Egypt to return to Nazareth after King Herod died on July 13, 33 BC and after the Passover Festival.  Their return might have been in about August or September 33 BC.  They were foreigners in Egypt.  They have their own house in Nazareth to live in.  Joseph was already known as a carpenter in the city of Nazareth.  Travel at this time of the year was pleasant.  It was still warm unlike in winter when it was cold and rainy.
    
   Matthew 2:19-23 :  “But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.  And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Table 2.  The Jewish religious lunar calendar and civil lunisolar calendar from August 35 BC to May 31 BC.

            The proleptic Gregorian calendar dates were taken from the Internet, http://www.rumblefische.com/calendars/ entitled Yet Another Calendar Converter by Timothy James Forsythe.

            The relation of the Temple duty of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, to the conception of Jesus is found in a separate webpage on http://aristean.org/templeduty.htm.  This study adds credence to the biblical account of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was in sixth month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived.

The Christian calendar and the Spanish era
            Dionysius Exiguus is considered to be the inventor of the Christian calendar which counts the year starting from the birth of Jesus Christ.  However, this belief that Dionysius was the first to do so is not correct.  According to Sepp Rotwingl in his website, http://www.calendersign.com/en/to_turn_of_era2.php, “the era Cons or Spanish era, which existed since the second half of the third century, originating on the Asturian-Astabrian border area of the Iberian peninsula, counts 38 years more than the calendar of Dionysius.”  This means that the era reckons Jesus was born in 39 BC.  This is only six years from what was established in this study!  Jose Vives of Barcelona carefully studied the era Cons and discusses this in his "Inscripciones cristianas de la Espana Romana y Visigoda."   

Conclusion and notable findings

This webpage illustrates and proves that the revelation of the Holy Spirit regarding the birth of Jesus on May 23 and established to be in the year 33 BC is verified to be true and correct.

Among the notable findings discovered in this study are:

1. Jesus was born on May 23, 33 BC and not December 25, 1 BC.
2. The Jews were using two calendars during the time of Jesus, namely, a lunisolar calendar for civil usage and a lunar calendar for religious purposes.
3. The Passover Festival was celebrated during the first month of the religious lunar calendar.
4. The Passover Festival was wandering through the seasons.
5. Joseph and Mary were very poor that no kindreds or relatives received them when they arrived in Bethlehem.  They were only able to bring two pigeons to the Temple.
6. If King Herod could murder all possible rivals to his power, including his brother-in-law, Aristobulus III, and those who caused intrigues in the palace like his wife Mariamne, their two sons, Alexander and Aritobulus, and lastly, his first-born, Antipater, how much more could he had caused the slaughter of innocent children.
7. King Herod died on the second day of the eleventh month of the lunisolar calendar.
8. King Herod died a few days before the Passover Festival.
9. Archelaus, the son of Herod, has just assumed the kingship (to be confirmed by Caesar still) when the Passover Festival was celebrated.  He was able to complete the seven-day mourning before the Festival started.
10. The Jews used to observe a fast on Nisan 16.  This was the fast of Esther.  Nowadays, this fast is observed on Adar 13 to be with the associated Feast of Lots or Purim.

Hope for Christian unity
The birth date of Jesus is one cause of division among Christians.  The Western Church consisting of the Roman Catholics and Protestants celebrate the birth on December 25 whereas the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates it in January.  Who is correct between them?  Are both of them correct in placing the birth of Jesus during winter? 

Hopefully, one day, Christians will be united in celebrating the birth of Jesus on its correct date, May 23.  The revelation came from no other than the Holy Spirit.  This study has proven it to be correct and true.  When this united celebration comes true, it will be a religious one—solely for the birth of Jesus, God-incarnate, redeemer of mankind.  There will be no Santa Claus in this celebration.

 http://aristean.org/birthmay23.htm

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by Chris M. Halvorson

The Urantia Book says that Jesus was born "at noon, August 21, 7 B.C." (122:8.1). However, the authors do not say if this is a Julian Calendar date or a proleptic Gregorian Calendar date. That is, does the date refer to the calendar that was in use at that time; or does it refer to the current calendar, extended backward in time? More to the point, if Jesus' birthday is celebrated on August 21 of the current calendar, is that really the anniversary of his birth?

When the Julian Calendar was established, Julius Caesar set March 25 as the date of the vernal equinox, which was also taken by many people as the beginning of a new year. (The conception of Mithras—and subsequently, the incarnation of Jesus—was assumed to be at the start of a year, with the birth nine months later on December 25, the winter solstice.) Due to the imprecision of the Julian leap year system (viz., every fourth year, with the extra day added before February 25), the date of the vernal equinox drifted as the centuries passed. One of the goals of the calendar reform of Pope Gregory XIII was to reset the date of the vernal equinox to roughly the same date that it held at the time of the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, when the original method for calculating the date of Easter was established. To that end, the day following Thursday, October 4, 1582 (in the Julian Calendar) was declared to be Friday, October 15, 1582, the first official date of the Gregorian Calendar.

Besides this ten-day difference between the Gregorian Calendar and the Julian Calendar, the Gregorian reform also introduced a new leap year system. A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4, unless it is divisible by 100 but not 400; and the extra day is added after February 28. The Gregorian Calendar reform did not address the issue of when the numerical value of the year is incremented. In fact, January 1 was not universally recognized as New Year's Day until the early decades of the 20th century. It is now common practice to conceive of both the Julian Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar with January 1 as New Year's Day and the extra day in a leap year as February 29. In The Urantia Book, the year is incremented on January 1, rather than March 25. For example, consider the story of the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus and the twelve apostles. Paper 138 refers to the "five months of testing" for the apostles—personal work prior to the public work. This period is described as approximately the last five months of a year, namely, August to December of A.D. 26 (138:7.7, 138:8.1). Then, at the beginning of Paper 141, the public work is said to have begun on "January 19, A.D. 27". These facts definitely imply that January 1 is taken to be New Year's Day. Confirmation that the year does not increment on March 25 is given at the beginning of Paper 143. About five months after the start of the public ministry, and after spending some time in Jerusalem, Jesus and the twelve departed for Samaria "at the end of June, A.D. 27". Clearly, the year did not increment in March.

In this analysis, Julian dates will be indicated by "A.D." or "B.C." associated with the year; but Gregorian dates will use the Common Era, C.E., designation. (This is not to be confused with the C.E. and B.C.E. designations, meaning "Christian Era" and "Before Christian Era".) In the Common Era Calendar, the year number can be positive, negative, or zero (e.g., 1 B.C. is 0 C.E.). Since the Gregorian Calendar has fewer leap years, over the centuries, than the Julian Calendar, moving backward in time from October 15, 1582 C.E., the initial ten-day difference between the Julian Calendar and the proleptic Gregorian Calendar progressively decreases to zero. From March 1, A.D. 200 to February 28, A.D. 300, a given weekday has the same month and day in both calendars; and the Gregorian day is one less from March 1, A.D. 100 to February 29, A.D. 200.

Julius Caesar inaugurated his calendar reform in 46 B.C. However, he was killed in 44 B.C., before the occurrence of the first leap year under the new system. Those in charge of the Roman calendar misinterpreted the specification of the new leap years as being "on the fourth year", rather than "every four years". In ancient times, it was customary to count inclusively. For example, the resurrection of Jesus was "on the third day", Sunday. Friday, when he died, was counted as the first day. Although scholars agree that the first twelve leap years were every three years, they disagree about whether the first of those twelve was 43 B.C. or 42 B.C.; because 46 B.C. was an irregular year of 445 days, to transition from the previous calendar, making 45 B.C. the first regular Julian year. After the twelfth leap year (10 B.C. or 9 B.C.), Caesar Augustus clarified the counting of leap years and imposed a twelve-year moratorium on leap years (i.e., three leap years). Thus, depending on whether 10 B.C. or 9 B.C. was the last improper leap year, the first proper leap year was either A.D. 4 or A.D. 8, respectively.

Many of the dates in The Urantia Book include not only the month, the day, and the year, but also the weekday. For example, at the beginning of Paper 140, the ordination of the twelve is said to have occurred "on Sunday, January 12, A.D. 27". The inclusion of the weekday with the date indirectly indicates whether the date refers to the Julian Calendar or the proleptic Gregorian Calendar. It is a Julian date, because the Gregorian day of January 12 is Tuesday. Further indication that the dates in The Urantia Book are Julian dates, and that the authors are aware of the historical confusion about the early Julian calendar, is very ingeniously communicated by the authors, in keeping with the prohibition (in the revelatory mandate) against imparting unearned knowledge. Every B.C. date in The Urantia Book lacks an associated weekday; but the very first A.D. date, and almost every one after that, includes the weekday. Of particular interest, there are three A.D. dates prior to the possible leap day in A.D. 4, namely, Wednesday, March 16, A.D. 1 (123:4.9), Friday, April 14, A.D. 2 (123:6.7), and Thursday, September 13, A.D. 3 (124:1.7). The particular weekday specified with each of these dates implies that A.D. 4 was a leap year. If A.D. 4 had not been a leap year, then the weekdays would have been Thursday, Saturday, and Friday, respectively. Therefore, since A.D. 4 was a leap year, 10 B.C. was the last of the improper leap years before the hiatus.

Having cleared up the leap year uncertainties of the Julian Calendar, the precise relationship between the early Julian Calendar and the proleptic Gregorian Calendar has been established. Since 0 C.E. is a leap year, but 1 B.C. is not, from March 1, 1 B.C. to February 29, A.D. 100, the Gregorian day is two less than the Julian day. This is the relationship for most of the dates in The Urantia Book. For example, the resurrection was at 3:02 a.m. on Sunday, April 9, A.D. 30 (189:1.1). The anniversary of this event occurs on April 7 of the Gregorian Calendar. Continuing backward in time, the relationship between the two calendars now begins to reverse. Since –4 C.E. is a leap year, but 5 B.C. is not, the Gregorian day is only one less than the Julian day from March 1, 5 B.C. to February 28, 1 B.C. Likewise, since –8 C.E. is a leap year, but 9 B.C. is not, from March 1, 9 B.C. to February 28, 5 B.C., the values of the Gregorian and Julian days are again the same. Jesus' birthday is on the same day in the two calendars. This represents an incredible correlation of several apparently arbitrary human decisions that span more than sixteen centuries of history! Is it merely coincidence, or have some of the decisions about the calendar been guided by the hands of more objective minds?

Another benefit of ascertaining the actual leap years of the early Julian Calendar is the ability to assign weekdays to the B.C. dates in The Urantia Book. Jesus was born at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 21, 7 B.C. (–6 C.E.). Curiously, the 2000th anniversary of Jesus' birth was also on a Sunday, August 21, 1994 C.E. There are only twelve other B.C. dates in The Urantia Book. Three of them are simply the three days of the journey of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, namely, Thursday to Saturday, August 18–20, 7 B.C. (122:7.4,6). The first full date that is given in The Urantia Book is the birth date of John the Baptist. Adding the weekday, that date is Friday, March 25, 7 B.C. (122:2.7). Interestingly, John was born on the day that many people considered to be New Year's Day. In that sense, his birth literally heralded the dawn of the year that Jesus was born.

Another three of the B.C. dates in The Urantia Book are those of the three conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn during 7 B.C., namely, Sunday, May 29, Thursday, September 29, and Monday, December 5 (122:8.7). The next date is Tuesday, October 1, 4 B.C. (123:0.6), when Joseph had finally convinced everyone that it was time to return to Nazareth. Knowing that October 1 is a Tuesday, the trip to Nazareth most likely began on Sunday, October 6, 4 B.C. (123:0.6). Continuing forward in time, Jesus' brother James was born on Wednesday, April 2, 3 B.C. (123:1.5); Jesus received his Thought Adjuster on Wednesday, February 11, 2 B.C. (123:2.1); his sister Miriam was born on Saturday, July 11, 2 B.C. (123:2.3); and "Mary formally turned him over to Joseph for further instruction" (123:2.6) on Friday, August 21, 2 B.C., Jesus' fifth birthday. The next three specific dates in The Urantia Book are the three dates from A.D. 1, 2, and 3 that were mentioned above. They are the birth dates of Jesus' brothers Joseph and Simon and his sister Martha, respectively. Finally, the birth dates for James and Miriam have weekdays associated with them, just like the birth dates in The Urantia Book for all of the other six brothers and sisters of Jesus.

Why the 25th of December?

For centuries prior to Jesus' birth, people all over the world had celebrated around the time of the winter solstice. The Norse people in Northern Europe called their roughly twelve-day celebration of light and birth, yule. One of the yule traditions was to bring evergreens into the home, symbolizing life amid the darkness and cold of winter. Prefiguring Santa Claus, the god, Odin, was believed to ride the night skies, deciding who would prosper or perish in the new year.

Throughout the Roman Empire, the month-long celebration of the winter solstice by the lower classes was called Saturnalia, a time of feasting and revelry. But among the upper classes, the holiest day of the year was December 25, the birthday of Mithras, the sun god. This god of light was believed to have been born from the earth, paralleling Jesus' birth as "true man". Shepherds were said to have come to worship the young Mithras, after being told of his birth by angels.

Mithras was called the Mediator, because he was also the god of contracts and mutual obligation, again paralleling the Christian concept of Jesus as the mediator and new covenant between God and man. In addition, treaties were sanctioned by a common meal; so a common meal of bread and wine became a part of Mithraic worship services, very much like the remembrance supper. As a further parallel, at the end of his time on the earth, Mithras rode a chariot into heaven. In the Bible, Jesus' ascension is also depicted as a bodily ascent into the sky.

Early Christians did not celebrate Jesus' birth, only his resurrection; their focus was more on the Son of God, than the Son of Man. By the 4th century, many Christians believed that Jesus had been solely a spirit being; so the Church decided to begin celebrating Jesus' birth, to reinforce his humanity. However, by then, no one remembered the date of his birth. Since the birthday of Mithras was already a widely observed holy day, the Church simply declared December 25 to be the "Feast Day of the Nativity"; the feast day of the s u n became the feast day of the S o n. The Church also adopted and transformed many of the old winter solstice holiday traditions. For instance, to symbolize the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden, the indoor evergreen trees were decorated with apples, which became the Christmas tree balls of today. Decorations of holly became symbols of Jesus' crown of thorns.

Over the centuries, the celebration of Christmas has fallen in and out of favor with both the church and the state, its mixture of the sacred and the secular in constant contention with each other. Protestant churches in the United States did not begin to celebrate Christmas until the middle of the 19th century. History has shown that the need for celebration during the darkness of winter is deeply rooted in the human consciousness. Every generation gives birth to a new expression of the holiday. December 25 does not express the fact of Jesus' birth, but the spirit of rebirth that is the heart and history of Christmas certainly embodies the truth of the birth of an incarnate Son of the living God.