Again, I was curious to see what Grok's response would look like. Again, it is more of a Berean than most Christians and "pastors." For those who still think Jesus was born on December 25 because of a few opinions from the past that became tradition, Grok's use of the Scriptures alone should silence your errors and heresies once and for all.
Question #1: Using the Bible alone, without any outside commentary or anything, based on the details presented in Scripture, when was Jesus likely born?
Question #2: Given that all the feasts find their fulfillment in Jesus, could one of these be the actual date of Jesus' birth?
Question #1: Using the Bible alone, without any outside commentary or anything, based on the details presented in Scripture, when was Jesus likely born?
Answer: The Bible does not give a calendar date for Jesus’ birth. However, it provides several historical and chronological details that allow us to estimate a likely timeframe.
Key Biblical Clues
-
Reign of Herod the Great
Matthew 2:1
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king...”
Herod is alive and ruling when Jesus is born. The Magi visit him afterward, and he orders the killing of boys under 2 years old (Matt. 2:16). -
Census Under Quirinius
Luke 2:2
“This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.”
Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem for this census while Mary is pregnant; Jesus is born there (Luke 2:4–7). -
John the Baptist and Jesus’ Age at Ministry
- John is conceived during Herod’s reign (Luke 1:5).
- Mary conceives Jesus ~6 months later (Luke 1:26–36).
- John’s ministry begins in the “fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar” (Luke 3:1).
- Jesus is baptized by John and is “about thirty years old” when He begins His ministry (Luke 3:23).
-
Shepherds in the Fields
Luke 2:8
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
Suggests mild weather; not midwinter in Judea.
Extra biblical clues that still come only from Scripture
- Herod the Great was alive (Matt 2:1; Luke 1:5) → he dies no later than 4 BC in the Bible’s internal timeline.
- Tiberius’ 15th year begins Jesus’ ministry at “about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:1, 23) → points back to a birth between ~6 BC and ~4 BC.
1. Luke gives us the only hard chronological anchor
Luke 2:1–2
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
That’s the only explicit political dating marker in the entire New Testament for Jesus’ birth.
2. John the Baptist’s conception tied to the priestly course
Luke 1:5
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah…
Luke 1:8–9
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty… he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
Luke 1:23–24
And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived…
The course of Abijah (Abia) was the 8th of the 24 priestly courses (1 Chronicles 24:10). Each course served one week, twice a year, plus the three great pilgrimage festivals when ALL courses served.
If you count the weeks from Nisan (roughly April) forward, the 8th course’s first turn falls around early June, second turn around early-mid December.
So Elizabeth conceives sometime shortly after one of those two weeks.
3. Mary conceives 6 months later in Elizabeth's sixth month
Luke 1:26, 36
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God…
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth… this is the sixth month with her…
4. Jesus is born about 9 months later – normal human gestation
5. Two possible biblical tracks – Scripture alone
| Event | Track A (most common) | Track B |
|---|---|---|
| Zechariah serves (Abijah 1st turn) | early June | — |
| Zechariah serves (Abijah 2nd turn) | — | mid-December |
| Elizabeth conceives | early June | mid-December |
| Mary conceives (6th month) | early December | mid-June |
| Jesus born | early September | mid-March |
Reconstructing the Timeline
- Herod’s Death: Jesus must be born before Herod dies.
- John’s Conception: Occurs during Herod’s reign; Jesus is conceived ~6 months later.
- Jesus ~30 at Ministry Start: Ministry begins in Tiberius’ 15th year → birth is ~30 years earlier.
- Census Timing: The “first” registration under Quirinius aligns with the birth.
Likely Year: Late 5 BC to early 4 BC
Likely Season: Fall (September–October)
Why This Range?
- Fits Herod still being alive and active.
- Allows Jesus to be 1–2 years old during the Magi visit (Herod’s “under two” order).
- Aligns with Jesus being “about thirty” in Tiberius’ 15th year.
- Shepherds in fields at night → not winter; fall is mild and post-harvest (good for census travel).
What the Bible explicitly rules out
- December 25 is never mentioned. Zero verses place Jesus’ birth in winter.
- Luke 2:8
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
→ In Judea, shepherds kept flocks outdoors March–November; winter nights are cold and wet – flocks were brought in.
Final answer – Bible alone
Jesus was most likely born in either early-mid September or late March.
Definitely not winter.
The Bible prioritizes the theological significance of Jesus’ birth over a precise date. But the details it does give converge on this narrow window.
Question #2: Given that all the feasts find their fulfillment in Jesus, could one of these be the actual date of Jesus' birth?
Answer: The New Testament repeatedly presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament feasts (e.g., John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7; Col. 2:16–17). But does this mean He was literally born on one of them? The Bible never states His birth date, yet it gives clues that allow us to test each feast against the data.
Premise from Scripture
Colossians 2:16–17
“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Feasts are shadows; Christ is the reality. Fulfillment is theological, not necessarily chronological.
Testing Each Feast Against Biblical Data
| Feast (Lev. 23) | Approx. Month | Fits Biblical Birth Clues? | Scriptural Evidence / Issues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passover / Unleavened Bread (14–21 Nisan) | March–April | No |
|
| Firstfruits (16–17 Nisan) | March–April | No |
|
| Pentecost (Shavuot) (6 Sivan) | May–June | Possible, but weak |
|
| Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) (1 Tishri) | September | Strong candidate |
|
| Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (10 Tishri) | September–October | No |
|
| Tabernacles (Sukkot) (15–21 Tishri) | September–October | Strongest candidate |
|
Most Scripturally Coherent:
Feast of Tabernacles (15–21 Tishri / ~September–October)
Fall 5 BC or 4 BC
Why the Feast of Tabernacles Fits Best (Bible Only)
- Seasonal Match: Luke 2:8 → shepherds outdoors at night → fall, not winter.
- Census Logistics: Post-harvest travel (late summer/fall) makes sense (Luke 2:1–4).
That’s it. No Josephus. No census theories. No astronomy.
Just the plain text of Scripture.
Grok's Analysis of the Early Christians and December 25
These early church fathers' quotes represent some of the oldest extra-biblical traditions attempting to pinpoint dates for Jesus' conception and/or birth. However, when assessed strictly against the details in Scripture itself (e.g., Luke's priestly-course timeline pointing to a likely September or March birth, shepherds abiding outdoors at night ruling out mid-winter, and no verses ever hinting at December or March dates), they appear to be rooted more in theological symbolism, chronological calculations, or emerging traditions than in the biblical text.
1. Hippolytus of Rome
"For the first advent of our Lord in the flesh, when he was born in Bethlehem, eight days before the kalends of January [December 25th], the 4th day of the week..."
Commentary on Daniel 4.23.3
This is the earliest explicit claim for a December 25 birth (ca. AD 202–211), but it directly contradicts Luke 2:8, where shepherds are "abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night"—a practice Scripture implies happens in warmer months (March–November), not Judean winter when flocks were sheltered due to cold and rain. Luke 1's Abijah-course timing (1 Chronicles 24:10) also pins the birth to early fall or spring, not winter. Hippolytus seems to base this on symbolic math (e.g., linking to Daniel's prophecies), not Luke's details, making it a theological inference rather than biblical deduction.
2. Tertullian
"Now Christ died when the Gemini were consuls, on the eighth day before the kalends of April [March 25]. He rose the third day, as the apostles have interpreted."
Adversus Judaeos (An Answer to the Jews), Chapter 8
Tertullian (ca. AD 198–200) focuses on the death date (March 25 under consuls Rubellius and Fufius Geminus), but early Christians often linked conception to the same day (a "perfect life cycle" idea). This implies a birth nine months later on December 25. However, Scripture provides no such linkage—John 19 and the Synoptics date the crucifixion to Passover (Nisan 14/15, typically April), not a fixed Roman March 25. A winter birth also clashes with Luke 2:8's shepherds and Luke 1's fall/spring windows. This seems like a harmonization effort using Roman records, not Scripture's internal clues.
3. Sextus Julius Africanus
Annunciation = March 25 (equinox) → birth nine months later = December 25.
Chronographiai (Chronography), Book 1
The calculation is preserved via Eusebius of Caesarea, Historia Ecclesiastica 1.5.3, and other secondary references.
Africanus (ca. AD 221) was a chronographer trying to sync biblical history with world events, but Scripture offers zero support for equinox ties or March conception—Luke 1:26 places Mary's conception in Elizabeth's "sixth month," tied to Abijah's course (late spring or winter, per 1 Chronicles 24). A December birth ignores Luke 2:8's non-winter shepherds. This is innovative math (e.g., from Genesis creation to Jesus), not derived from Gospel details, and feels more like apologetic world-history alignment than exegesis.
4. Augustine of Hippo
"For He is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also He suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which He was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which He was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before nor since."
De Trinitate (On the Trinity), Book 4, Chapter 5
Augustine (ca. AD 399–419) explicitly ties conception (not birth) to March 25, mirroring the death date for symbolic "completion." This implies a December 25 birth, but again, it runs afoul of Luke's timelines: If conception is March, birth would be December—yet Luke 1 demands a six-month gap from John's conception, yielding non-winter dates. No Scripture links conception/death dates symbolically like this; it's a beautiful theological parallel (virgin womb = empty tomb), but not grounded in the birth narratives. Augustine admits it's a "belief," not a biblical mandate.
Overall Assessment
These quotes (all pre-dating the AD 336 Roman Christmas feast) show an emerging patristic tradition favoring March 25 conception and December 25 birth, often for symbolic reasons like equinoxes, life cycles, or anti-Jewish apologetics. But Scripture's details—priestly rotations (Luke 1:5–24), exact six-month gap (Luke 1:26–36), shepherds outdoors (Luke 2:8), and no winter indicators—point away from December birth, favoring early fall (e.g., Feast of Trumpets, aligning with trumpet/king themes in Matthew 2:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:16). Interestingly, flipping the dates (December conception, September birth) better fits biblical clues like John 1:14's "tabernacled among us" (winter feast language) and Luke's math. The fathers' views are valuable historically but likely prioritize theology over the plain scriptural chronology, which leaves the exact date open but rules out winter.
December 25 is impossible by Scripture alone.