Not on Christmas Day: When Jesus Christ was born

Today, millions of people around the world celebrate Christmas, which is celebrated on December 25. However, most scholars agree that Jesus Christ was not born on this day or even in the first year of our era.

The tradition of celebrating Christmas on December 25 dates back to the Roman Catholic Church in the 4th century. The Church chose this day because it coincides with the winter solstice and the Saturnalia, a holiday dedicated to the Roman deity Saturn, Live Science writes.

Read also: What is cooked on Christmas Eve: 12 traditional Ukrainian dishes that should be on the table

However, no one knows exactly when Jesus was born. Some scholars believe he was born between 6 and 4 BC, partly based on the biblical story of King Herod the Great. In an attempt to kill Jesus, the king allegedly ordered the killing of all male infants under the age of 2 who lived in the vicinity of Bethlehem, an event known as the slaughter of the innocents. This occurred shortly before Herod's own death, a date that is still disputed.

Most scholars, including Peter Richardson and Amy Marie Fisher, follow the date used by Roman historians, who believed that Herod died in 4 BC. However, historians disagree about the actual year of Herod's death, and many argue that the mass infanticide is nothing more than a legend.

Other scholars have tried to correlate the Star of Bethlehem, which allegedly foreshadowed the birth of Jesus, with real astronomical events to determine the exact year of his birth. For example, astronomer Colin Humphreys suggested that the legendary star was actually a slow-moving comet that Chinese observers spotted in 5 BC. However, Humphreys' theory was disproven.

The month of Jesus' birth has also been the subject of debate. One theory suggested that the Star of Bethlehem could have been Venus and Jupiter coming together to form a bright light in the sky, a rare event that occurred in June of 2 BC. Another possibility is a similar conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter that occurred in October 7 BC.

There is also speculation that Jesus was a spring child. The historian Ignacio L. Goetz suggests that Jesus could have been born "in the late spring of that year, because the pregnancy began in the fall after the harvest and there was enough money for a wedding feast."

Thus, the exact date of Jesus' birth is still a mystery. However, despite this, millions of people around the world continue to celebrate Christmas on December 25 as the Savior's birthday.

As a reminder, an ancient site dating back 2,000 years has been found in Jerusalem where, according to biblical records, Jesus healed a blind man.

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