John the Baptist was actually the individual born in March, not Jesus. Biblical and historical record places Jesus's birth sometime in Fall , most likely September.
What Biblical record? There is no date given in the Bible. What historical record?
Remember, Catholics don't place great importance on the actual date, but the date wasn't chosen at random. The Annunciation is on March 25 (a date with some Biblical support) and Christmas is celebrated nine months later. The CCC does not mention a date, indicating that the actual date is NOT important. The reason and message are what IS important.
Shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks at night at the time of Jesus' birth [Luke 2:7-8].
As temperatures become freezing in Judea in the winter time and weather is quite harsh at times shepherds are in shelter and not out grazing their flocks in the dead of winter. It is more likely that Jesus was not born in the winter taking this fact into consideration.
It isn't THAT cold in Judea in December. The average high temperature in Jerusalem in December is in the upper 50s and the low is in the lower 40s. Remember, low temperatures are typically in the half hour after dawn, so that the temperature in the early evening would be considerbly warmer than the lower forties. Also, we don't know the temperature that particular year. It could have been even warmer. The argument that it was freezing and the actions of shepards aren't consisent with such weather does not wash.
Jesus' parents came to Bethlehem to register in a Roman census [Luke 2:1-4].
Though no census is ever recorded by Roman historians the Romans would have most likely not called for such a census during the winter, forcing thousands of people to traverse the lands in harsh and deadly weather when they could do so in the summer.
On what basis? Did the Romans have a history of considering the needs of subject peoples, especially one they rather despised? Also, again, the weather isn't THAT bad.
We know Mary was in her sixth month of pregnancy when John the Baptist was born to Elizabeth and Zacharias [Luke 1:24-36].
So if we figure out when John was born we can find the month Jesus was born in. John's father, Zacharias, was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah [Luke 1:5] and it was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that his wife Elizabeth would have a child and after his service he traveled home and conceived John [Luke 1:8-13;22-24]. Historical calculations indicate this course of service corresponded to June of that year (late Sivan/early Tammuz). So if we take into account Zacharias did indeed return home right after this service then John was most likely conceived end of June/early July, so John was most likely born in March. Adding another six months, as Mary was 3 months pregnant at John's birth, Jesus would have been born in September.
I can also quote Iranaeus (disciple of Polycarp) and Eusebius ("father of Church history") as placing Jesus's birth in the Fall. But I think you get the point.
The fact is the Council of Nicea moved Jesus's birthday to December 25 to easy the conversion of Roman Mithraists to Christianity.
Remember, Catholics don't hold the date to be of vital importance. Christmas is about remember why we celebrate our faith and remembering the birth of He who founded it. It isn't even our most important holiday. I present the argument below not as a validation of the date being important, but as an academic exercise. As I have said before, scholars are not in unanimous agreement.
The Gospel According to Luke gives us the most information regarding the Birth of Jesus. In Luke 1:26, it says "
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, (27) to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David." Measureing the Jewish Calendar from Rosh Hoshanna, the sixth month frequently falls in March in the modern solar calandar. This is the time we celebrate the Annunciation.
Luke 1:31: "Behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus." It says WILL conceive. The conception has not happened yet. If we assume that the conception occurred shortly thereafter, it would be safe to assume that the birt occurred approximately nine months after the Annunciation. That would put the date of the birth of Christ in mid to late December.
I am not presenting this as authoriative, merely another interpretation. Frankly, once again it is not important to me the actual date of the birth of Christ. We simply do not know. What IS important, is to celebrate our Faith. We also need to remember the importance of not only Faith, but Love and Charity. This is the true meaning of the Christmas season. We should practice it year-round, but Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter provides us cause to remember what we should truly practice as Christians.
