What are the Christian Roots of Christmas? Part III: Dating the Crucifixion and Conception of Christ: How the Biblical Gospels and Historical Accounts Provide the Christian Roots for Christmas

By: Bryan Ricardo Marini Quintana

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recorded the account of Christ’s Crucifixion in 33 AD during Passover around the late 60s AD at the earliest, until the early 100s AD at the latest, ranging across 40 to 70 years after Jesus’ Death, with this festival celebrating the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt on the 15^th of Nisan in the Jewish Calendar. Additionally, the Historians Cornelius Tacitus (56-120 AD) in The Annals and Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD) in The Antiquities of the Jews wrote external reports in the 1^st and 2^nd century AD from a Roman and Jewish perspective of the event. Firstly, Tacitus asserted in Book 15 that Christ was Crucified during the reign of Emperor Tiberius (42 BC-37 AD) between 14 to 37 AD and that the population referred to his followers as Christians, who Emperor Nero (37-68 AD) blamed for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. Secondly, Josephus commented in Book 18 that Jesus declared himself the Messiah by achieving miraculous feats. Both resonate with the New Testament’s Gospels when these Historians mentioned Christ’s Crucifixion at the hands of Pontius Pilate, a governor of the Roman Province of Judea from 26 to 36 AD.

On one side, Matthew 27, Mark 15, and Luke 23 concurred that Jesus died on the 15^th of Nisan, but John 19 stated instead the 14^th, a day before Passover. Early Christians believed the 14^th of Nisan corresponded with Christ’s Condemnation on the Cross, converting the date for the Julian Calendar (Introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC) into roughly March 25^th. Correspondingly, the 14^th or 15^th of Nisan ranges from March to April 25^th in the Gregorian Calendar (Reformed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 AD). Since Jesus was Crucified on a Friday near Passover around 33 AD, according to the Julian Calendar, the 15^th of Nisan would correspond with the 3^rd of April. However, in the Gregorian Calendar, the day would fall instead on the 7^th of April. By identifying the Gospels’ dating and the Early Christians’ beliefs, the Messiah’s Death occurred on March 25^th. When combining this with the Ancient Jewish Tradition of Prophets such as Moses fulfilling the ‘Integral Age,’ then Christ must’ve been Conceived the same day he was Crucified. This means that the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel happened on March 25^th, and Mother Mary bore God’s Son to give birth 9 months later, around December 25^th. Overall, when accessing the New Testament’s Gospels, the Ancient Judeo-Christian Traditions, the Theologians of Early Christianity, and External Sources from Historians of the Period, the evidence concludes that Jesus’ Birthday is on December 25^th.

Dear reader, enjoy the holidays with your families and remember to take some time off to commemorate the Birth of Christ. The Western Voyager wishes you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a Cheery Feast of the Three Kings! Thank you for reading this Series on the Christian Roots of Christmas. To explore more research articles, make sure to visit the website and subscribe to the newsletter!