A New Argument for the Date of Jesus’ Birth

If Herod died in 2 or 3 BC, then Jesus couldn’t have been born in 1 BC.

It would be interesting to find the astronomical data behind this report. The problem with the report is that its basis is an interview with a Catholic researcher found here. The interview gives a little more detail than the Patheos article.

There are a couple of glaring errors or assumptions in the interview. One is the assumption that Joseph would have had contact with Zechariah and would have heard of Elizabeth`s pregnancy before the annunciation. Nothing in the text of the NT would lead to that conclusion.

But on the 1 BC date, a fundamental error is made when the death of Herod is said to be 2 or 3 BC but the birth of Christ is 1 BC. Christ`s birth has to be before Herod`s death, not after, which would make it either 3 or 4 BC.

That is a little nearer than 5 or 6 BC as per traditional reckoning, and might help with NT chronology. However, I would really like to know where to find the data about lunar eclipses. That would be immensely interesting

When it comes to the life of Christ, long ago, I decided to just go with whatever dates Harold Hoehner says in his Chronological Aspects in the Life of Christ!

that guided the magi was astronomical? Stars don’t act the way Matthew 2 describes, first of all. Second of all, if an astronomical event were guiding the magi, any astrologer of the time would have known about it. Herod’s seem to not know.

I suspect the “star” was a spiritual sign, not an astronomical one.

[TylerR]

When it comes to the life of Christ, long ago, I decided to just go with whatever dates Harold Hoehner says in his Chronological Aspects in the Life of Christ!

Nice one. I wasn’t aware of that book and just snagged it on Kindle for $4.99! (They want over $25 on amazon.ca!)

Working out the chronology of the NT is a fascinating puzzle to me.

Just picked that up myself. Thanks for the tip. Looking forward to reading it.

does a star guide you to move in any direction when all stars that aren’t circumpolar rise in the east and set in the west? How do you know where to go?

When the magi get to Jerusalem, Herod asks them when the star appeared. He and his astrologers had no idea what they were talking about! If it was a significant astronomical event, any king’s astrologers would have noted the conjunction, or new star, or comet, etc.

Then, when the magi get to Bethlehem, they see the star again (v 10)! It shows them what house to go to!

Do stars, comets, planetary conjunctions, meteors, eclipses, or supernovae do any of this?

I got the book years ago for $2.99 on Kindle. Every time I need to know something about Jesus’ life in a timeline, I look at it. It’s just the best. I remember using it to consider when Jesus died (30 or 33?) and whether the Lord’s Supper was a Passover meal.