"Christ's Birthday" (DR. LUKE DATES
CHRIST'S BIRTH)
(After TV Chapel Pastor Arnold Murray) Page 1 of 2 (Nov 97)
"I...have carefully investigated
everything from the beginning...
to write an orderly account for you...
so that you may know the certainty of the things" Luke 1:3-4 NIV
"There was in the days of Herod,
the king of Judaea,
a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia" Luke
1:5
Deu 19:15 and 2 Cor 13:1 "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." Luke records that Simeon and Anna testified to the Messiah, Jesus, establishing the matter in Jewish law. Further, Simeon may well have been of that tribe, not of Judah. Anna, since she was living in the temple, must have been of Levi, the priestly tribe.
1 Chr 24:10 & 19 "...the eighth to Abijah, These
were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the
LORD...under Aaron their father" Cf. 2 Chr 23:8.
1 Chr 23:6 & 11 "And David divided them into courses among the sons of
Levi.... 11 And Jahath was the chief...but Jeush and Beriah had not many sons;
therefore they were in one reckoning, according to their
father's house." (See Josh 17:17)
Priestly assignments by David became gapped as clans disappeared.
Neh 12:1,12 "These were the priests and Levites who returned with
Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua: {12} In the days of Joiakim, these
were the heads of the priestly families:"
Listed returnees include-- Neh 12:17 " Abijah " 11thof
21. Abijah (Greek Septuagint Text is Abia)became the eleventh
in order. David
established that any weeks exceeding priestly clans be filled by larger clans
and, of course, Nehemiah would do likewise.
Further, Exodus chapter 12 indicates the Hebrew's year begins two weeks
before Passover. It is logical and probable that the day after Vernal Equinox
(our March 23) was the LORD'S new year day. Then the first Passover would have
been Abib 14 and our April 6.
Luke 1:5 "...Zacharias, of the course of Abia"(= Abijah) The Hebrew
year begins with the Passover season and, we suppose, the vernal equinox. Exo
12:2, 6 & 11 "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it
shall be the first month of the year to you. 6 And ye shall
keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month... 11
And thus shall ye eat it; ...it is the LORD'S passover."
Exo 13:4 & 15 "This day came ye out in the month Abib.
15 ...when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn
in the land of Egypt....
Recall that the original estimate of Jesus' birth year is flawed since
Herod of our Christmas story is known historically to have died in 4 B.C.
Recall Hebrews adapt Passover to the Lunar Cycle with little regard for Solar
reckoning. Months are of 29.5 (typically referenced as 30) days per month and
354 days per year, inserting an extra month (Ve-Adar) occasionally. The Solar
and our Julian calendars have 365-plus days. Thus, 11 days per year
approximately reconcile differences and 8 or 9 days (approx.) reconcile any nine-month
period.
We observe Easter in the Passover weekend. In our Julian calendar Easter falls
according to the "new moon" within a few weeks of March 22, often
after Hebraic months are reconciled with Solar/Julian periods. We will assume
April 6 as equivalent to Passover for ease of calculation.
For ease of calculation, we are using 30 days for both calendars,
adjusting later.
@ 30 days/mo., nine months + 8 days is the reconciliation period between
Solar Equinox & a Solstice.
HEBRAIC MONTH with Priestly division & EQUIVALENT JULIAN MONTH
___ 1stweek of Abib, division 1 ___ = March about latter week
(assuming Vernal Equinox)
___ - - - - - Passover - - - Div. 2 ___ = April 6
___ Ziv - - - - - - - - - - Div. 5 - 8 ___ = May
___ Sivan - - - - - - - - Div. 9 - 10 ___ = June
- - - - - - - - - - - Abia's Div - - -11 ___ = Mid-June (day having been
corrected per below)
Zecharias' service ends (Sabbath) day number 77 @ (11 wk. X 7). Wouldn't Z.
give a special thank offering in response to the blessed event he anticipates
(John)? Recall Zacharias was well stricken in years (Dr. Luke 1:7) and would
walk some 30 miles home, writing the angelic news during one or more friend's
overnight hospitality. How much worship, visitation and travel time might pass
before conceiving John? 6 or ____ Days. We choose six (6) days since this
conveniences Z.while avoiding Sabbath travel. Then 77 + 6 = 83 and 30 days/mo.
is Sivan 23, with about 2 & 2/3 mo elapsed. The first and the latter days
of an expectant month would typically be specified ; thus, her mid-month is our
logical and best estimate.
Luke 1:26} "And in [her mid-] sixthmonth 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." Calculate 2.66 + 6.50 = 9.16 Lunar months.
Note the Hebraic Lunar calendar also fits in predicting pregnancy months, thus,
Sivan 23 plus over six months during John's gestation extends a couple days
beyond their ninth month, equivalent to Hebraic 10/2 (Tebeth 2) = Winter
Solstice (Dec. 22) after Solar adjustment.
JESUS' CONCEPTION AND BIRTHDATE
Applying the adjustment of Lunar dating minus eight days per 9 months, we
surmise Gabriel's word to Mary and Jesus' conception after mid-December, about
the ________ . Rather than a traditional Dec. 25 honoring our planet's sun, why
not accept the longest night along with the day when light begins to increase,
(God's Winter Solstice), December 23? ___________ (Observe Gal. 4:4.)
We now add nine (Hebraic/Lunar) months of Jesus' gestation from day 2 of tenth
Hebraic/ Lunar month. We reach day 2 of the seventh month as a perfect
gestation for our Lord and His birthday, only eight days from
Tishrei the 10th (Yom Kippur) the day of atonement, which would then
be His lawful circumcision date. See Lev. 23:26-27 for relevance!! and the
confirmation of the Father's Messianic covenant with Hebrews. Note that
origination from Hebraic New Year's = Solar Vernal Equinox (pre-dating Passover)
is the earliest possible estimation since the Hebrew New Year is adjusted to
the new moon, often by adding days, weeks or a month (VeAdar) at their
year-end, only approximating Lunar/Solar dating. Birth about a week prior to
Circumcision as God's (Abrahamic eightth-day Covenant)
requirement occurs about a week before God's Autumnal Solstice, Sept. 22.
REVIEW AND CHECK: Vernal Eq. + 11 Abia + 1 week Z.travel = 12 + weeks.
(Quarter) Then, we add 2 + quarters for a grand total of 9 months & a week.
This Hebraic is adjusted and is equivalent to the Winter Solstice. Another
Lunar three quarters when adjusted a week falls that week short of the A. Eq.
Primarily, His being given over to the Father in timely realityand
in ceremony(in spirit & in truthwith a holy
date& in circumcision)[Link boldto boldand
____to ____]. Secondarily, a crowd of
worshipers at the day of atonement (10th) and Jesus' circumcision
results in a great audience and lingering crowds enjoins a continuous sharing
of righteous Simeon's testimony and Prophetess Anna's preaching the 'Initial
Christian Sermon'.
Exo 4:24-25"the LORD met Moses and was about to kill
him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched
Moses' feet with it. 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,' she
said." Moses as a precursor (type) of Jesus was urgently required to
circumcise his son to wholeheartedly join the covenant of Abraham. Jesus was
circumcised as fulfilment of the covenant on the eighth day after birth and we
suggest the covenant (bloody) (Gen 17:12-14 and Exo 13:15 as firstborn or only
begotten) relative to the day of atonement would be doubly fitting with a
lingering crowd of worshipers. Incidently regarding the Mosaic prescription of
an infant operation on the eighth day, select a Biblical day in wisdom or pick
any day out of the blue. __________
TIP: 20thcentury medicine recognizes a mother's conferred
immunity diminishes, but remains effective enough day 7 & 8 while
blood-clotting is becomes effective just at the Bible (Mosaic) circumcision
prescription of day ____________ .
While attributing amazing wisdom to Scripture, another comes to mind. Gen
22:17 "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as
numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Mankind
criticized this comparison as foolish since people could count about 2,000
stars with the unaided eye and so "knew" there were only a few
stars!! Surely we should trust an ancient, thoroughly examined Mosaic timetable
rather than any other ancient source. (Or even a modern source.)
Could it be a significant clue to Jesus birth year if a Jewish Passover
matched a Solar/Julian dating AND slightly predated Herod's death?
Coincidently, Dionysus, the Greek mythologic god of orgiastic wine festival and bloody death celebrateed his rebirth during late December. This was Alexander's favorite god. The ancient Persian god, Mithros, celebrated his birthday on December 25.