Two Strong Reasons for December 25 as the Date for Jesus’ Birth

Luke 2:8, we read: ”And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

You may have read or heard arguments that sheep are born in the spring, not the winter. But my own congregation members with sheep will strongly disagree with that notion. Here, January is the peak month. In Montana and some other places, late December is quite busy. The springtime lambing claim seems based on some European, American, or more recent varieties of Middle Eastern flocks, not those common in Israel in Jesus’ time.

A Catholic writer summarizes this point well.

“The Awassi sheep is a desert sheep, a fat-tailed breed that has existed in the Middle East for an estimated 5,000 years. It is the only indigenous breed of sheep in Israel. They are raised for wool, meat, and milk. Awassi sheep breed in the summer and drop lambs in the winter, when there is sufficient pasture for the ewes in milk. In Israel, the principal lambing season is December through January.”

From: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/janetheactuary/2017/12/jesus-born-spring-idea.html

It also seems divinely appropriate that the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” would be born during lambing season, which in Jesus’ day was pretty much centered on December 25. If you’ve not read it, also see this post on other connections of his birth to the day we celebrate it.

As second, stronger support for December 25^th is found in the clear statements of the Bible. In what seem to most to be insignificant details, in Luke 1:5 we learn that Zacharias, priest and to-be father of John the Baptist, was serving in the Temple according to the rotation of the Levite Abijah division. Their calendar dates of responsibility are the eighth Hebrew month (1 Chronicles 24:1-10 and Jewish historical sources), or for us, beginning early in October. Zechariah would have returned home with his son John conceived between the middle and end of October. As the Bible also dates Jesus’ miraculous conception six months later, on or about March 25^th to April 4^th. Since Hebrew months were 30 days (although a full year was still a solar year after extra days were added), the 270-day normal pregnancy time would end on or about December 25^th.

             [Thanks to Gene Edward Veith (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith) who also credits John Stormer, Pastor Emeritus Heritage Baptist Church, Florissant, MO for much of the information above.]

In summary, despite common claims to the contrary, December 25^th was not chosen to accommodate or draw from pagan religion. Nor did Jesus have to be born in a different month due to shepherd practices during lambing season. Nor can we ignore the clear details of Scripture that precisely place his birth near to, or on December 25^th. And maybe the early church, with recent memories of the events and closely descended from the living testimony of Mary and the Apostles, accurately remembered and passed on the most important date to their faith and salvation – the arrival of Emmanuel, God with us.