When was Jesus Christ born according to the Bible? About Jesus Christ In what year was Jesus born?
During these pre-holiday days, the liberal tabloid press is filled with complaints that everything is wrong with these Christians in general, and with the Orthodox in particular, they say, they celebrate Christmas incorrectly - on the wrong date, on the wrong date, and on the wrong day. that year, etc. And, indeed, in atheistic (and initially in occult) mythology, there is a thesis that Jesus Christ was born neither in December nor in January! Although no argumentation for such statements is provided, if doubt has been sown, then it will be our duty to consider and reveal the question - when, in fact, was Jesus Christ born?
In what year was Jesus Christ born?
Yes, indeed, the date designated as the year of birth of Jesus Christ today is to a certain extent arbitrary! This date was established by the Roman archivist monk Dionysius the Lesser in 525. He obtained it as a result of meticulous calculations of the stages of the reign of various Roman emperors and consuls. Based on these calculations, he established that the Lord Jesus Christ was born in the 754th year from the founding of Rome. It should be recalled here that until 525 there was no “continuous” or general chronology - most often the time was determined by “the year from the founding of Rome”, and even more often the dates were completely arbitrary - “such and such a year of the consulate of such and such a consul” or “ such and such year of the reign of such and such emperor.” And in this regard, the establishment of a single chronological “line” is the undoubted merit of Dionysius the Lesser.
Alas, later a more detailed check showed that Dionysius’ calculations turned out to be erroneous. The archivist was mistaken by at least 5 years, and in fact, Jesus Christ was born five years earlier than indicated. However, the calculations of Dionysius, which formed the basis of the “church calendar”, from the 10th century became widespread in the chronicles of state chronology of Christian countries (as continues to this day). But, as mentioned above, today most chronologists recognize this “era” as erroneous!
A historical discrepancy was revealed during a detailed analysis of the gospel narratives and secular chronicles: Herod the Great, on whose orders infants were beaten, among whom (as Herod thought) was the Infant Christ, died 4 years before the “Nativity of Christ” (according to the Dionysian chronology). And from the Gospel narratives (Matthew 2:1-18 and Luke 1:5) we clearly see that Christ was born during the reign of this cruel Jewish king, whose reign, according to various historical data, falls from 714 to 750. from the founding of Rome. Herod died eight days before Easter in 750, shortly after lunar eclipse, which, according to the observations of astronomers, occurred on the night of March 13-14, 750. The Jewish Passover fell that year on April 12. All the above data allows us to assert that King Herod died in early April 750, and, accordingly, Christ could not have been born four years later - in 754, since this would contradict the Gospel narratives.
Trying to establish a different point of reference for calculating the date of the Birth of Jesus Christ, researchers have focused close attention on other historical data reported in the New Testament in the context of the birth of the Child of God. Thus, the national census mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 2:1-5 came to their attention. This census, in which the Lord Himself took part, was begun by order of Emperor Augustus in 746. However, Judea was a remote province of the Roman Empire and the sovereign’s command to count its subjects reached it already in last years reign of Herod. As a result of this census, a popular uprising occurred in Palestine. Herod burned its instigator, a certain Theudas, on March 12, 750. Due to the imminent death of Herod, the census was suspended. It was possible to resume and complete the census “when Quirinus ruled Syria” (Luke 2:2). However, researchers are inclined to believe that the Virgin Mary, Joseph and the Infant of God were included in the count of citizens of the Roman Empire, nevertheless, in the “first wave” of the census under discussion - during the life of Herod the Great.
Another historical aspect reported by the Gospel that helps establish the year of birth of Jesus Christ is associated with the life of St. John the Baptist. According to the Gospel of Luke (3:1) St. John the Baptist preached in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. According to the Evangelist Luke, the Lord Jesus was at that time “about thirty years old” (Luke 3:23), i.e. 30. It is known that Emperor Augustus accepted Tiberius as co-ruler two years before his death in January 765, t That is, in 763, and accordingly the “fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” began in January 779. With simple arithmetic calculations, we can easily determine the year of birth of Jesus Christ as 749 from the founding of Rome.
Astronomical calculations give us very important evidence in this regard. According to the Gospel, death on the cross The Lord Jesus Christ occurred in the year when the Jewish Passover occurred on Friday evening. And, according to the already mentioned astronomical calculations, such a combination could only occur in 783. Jesus Christ at that time was thirty-four years old from his birth. And, again with the help of simple arithmetic calculations, we find that He was born in 749 from the founding of Rome.
749 is the most optimal and historically substantiated date for the Birth of Jesus Christ, which does not contradict either the Gospel narrative or secular chronicles. But if we consider the totality of traditions different churches and Christian confessions, then in terms of the date of birth of Jesus Christ we will come across a “scatter” of 7 years. The earliest dating is 747. It was this date that was considered official in our Church before the reform of Patriarch Nikon - and among the Old Believers to this day they consider this particular year to be the year of the Birth of the Savior. The famous German mathematician, astronomer, mechanic, and optician Johannes Kepler believed the same. From his point of view, it was in 747 (from the founding of Rome) that a certain constellation of planets took place ( mutual arrangement celestial bodies or planets, when one planet is hidden behind another, or several behind each other, and they multiply the glow at one point). For an outside observer on earth, this astronomical phenomenon looks like an unprecedentedly bright star. This is precisely how Kepler understood the text mentioned in the Gospel. Star of Bethlehem. By the way, the famous Russian church historian V.V. Bolotov also pointed to the same date (747 from the founding of Rome) due to this astronomical phenomenon. The latest date of the Birth of Christ, as already mentioned, is 754 (Western tradition).
However, still, the search for the date of the Nativity of Christ on the basis of certain astronomical phenomena (such as the constellation of planets) cannot be considered satisfactory from a theological point of view. Still, that star behaved unusually - it showed the Magi a certain sequential path, and not just some general vector of movement. Having led them from east to west to Jerusalem, she suddenly turned south to bring the wise men to Bethlehem and, moreover, stopped over the nativity scene (stable), where the manger of the Infant God was located. For a comet, and even more so for planets or stars, such behavior is unacceptable. Therefore, already in the 4th century. St. John Chrysostom believed that it was an angel who took the form of a star. God's providence speaks to people in a language that is clear and interesting to them. Therefore, with all our respect for science in general and for I. Kepler in particular, from a Christian point of view we should not attach special meaning their astronomical calculations in terms of identifying the Star of Bethlehem and establishing the time of the Nativity of Jesus Christ.
What date was Jesus Christ born?
As for the more precise date - in what month, on what day Jesus Christ was born, we must honestly say that the Church did not remember this event with chronological accuracy. However, do not rush to accuse Christians of inconsistency and negligence. This “forgetfulness” is explained by the fact that for the first generations of Christians, the center of their entire religious life was the Resurrection of Christ - they were shocked by the Easter miracle. It is with the Easter greeting “Rejoice” that the apostles begin their sermon, addressing Jews and pagans. Their gaze is turned to the future, to some eschatological perspective - “Hey, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). At that moment, there was no pressing need to look back, compile chronologies, stages of the earthly biography of Christ, etc.
The purpose of the Church and Its future meant much more to the early Christians than some earthly milestones. We can observe a reflection of this Easter joy in our days - still in our Church the memory of saints is celebrated on the day of their death, and not on their birthdays. It was the same then - the memory of the death and Resurrection of Christ among the first Christians was so acute that memories of the circumstances of His life, including the date of His Birth, faded into the background and were not scrupulously studied.
However, from a careful reading of the Gospel texts, we can determine the time of year (even the month) when Christ was born. The technique of reasoning is as follows: the first event of the New Testament cycle is the story of the Birth of St. John the Baptist. Father St. John was the priest Zechariah, who served in the Jerusalem temple. According to the Gospel of Luke, the conception of St. John occurred after Zechariah returned home from the Jerusalem Temple after passing through the so-called. priestly order. When the temple priesthood was established, King David established 24 orders of service for the Levitical priests (i.e., the order of service). There were 24 turns in total, saying modern language- 24 priestly “brigades”, each of which, alternately replacing each other, served in the temple for a period of 2 weeks. And so the whole year passed. The priest Zechariah was from the Abiev order, which, according to Holy Scripture, was the 8th in a row (out of 24). The Jewish liturgical calendar began with the month “Nisan” (or “Aviv”), i.e. from March-April modern calendar. Then the 1st order began to serve. If we add 4 months to Nisan (i.e. 8 cycles), we get July-August. This is the time of the priest Zechariah's ministry. After finishing his cycle, Zechariah went to his home in Galilee - this is a long journey, involving the passage of almost all of Palestine.
“After these days Elizabeth conceived” (Luke 1:22) - the Gospel tells us. Those. time of conception of St. Elizabeth St. John the Baptist can be roughly attributed to September! In church tradition, it is September 25 (old style, October 6 according to the new style) that commemorates the Conception of St. John the Baptist. Adding 9 months to this, we get the date of birth of St. John the Baptist - June 24 according to the church calendar (July 7 according to the new style). But for now St. Elizabeth was pregnant, another very important event occurred - in the 6th month of her pregnancy, Archangel Gabriel preached to the Virgin Mary the seedless conception of the Child of God and commanded Her to go to meet Her relative Elizabeth. From this it is clear that between the conception of St. John the Baptist and the conception of Jesus Christ take place 6 months. A corresponding time distance exists between their birthdays. If St. John the Baptist is born on June 24, then, adding 6 months (taking into account the peculiarity lunar calendar), we get the date of the Birth of Christ - December 25 (January 7, new style). This is the most textologically argued date for the Nativity of Christ. Although, of course, it cannot be denied that this date is to a certain extent arbitrary.
Finally, I would like to dispel one more myth. In pseudoscientific literature one can find the assertion that the holiday of the Nativity of Christ was allegedly introduced by the Church in order to supplant the pagan holiday of the sun god occurring at the end of December. Actually, there is some truth in this statement, but it is necessary to note some error in this conspiracy theory, which implies that there can be only one cause producing a certain effect and there can be only one motive for some actions. This is not so - and there may be several reasons and motives! Indeed, in the 3rd century. The Nativity of Christ was celebrated as part of the Feast of Epiphany (Theophany), which fell, as now, on January 6 (January 19 in the new style). On this day, both the Birth of Christ and His appearance at public preaching (the Epiphany itself) were remembered. But at the end of the 4th century in Rome, it was decided that such an event as the Birth of Christ deserves a separate memory, different from the appearance of the already adult Christ to preach. And the date of Christ's Birth was pretty much clear. And just these days, the still-hardened pagan tradition got used to celebrating the birthday of the god Mithras - the sun god in Mithraism (Mithraism was a widespread religion in Rome before the adoption of Christianity). And then the Church wisely decided not to change the calendar and folk habits, but to change the subject itself, the very content of the holiday. The pagans celebrated the birthday of the sun, Christians did not break this habit, the Church simply indicated - Who is the True Sun and whose birthday this is - We bow to You, the Sun of Truth and You lead from the heights of the East, Lord, glory to You!
Deacon Artemy Silvestrov, head of the Orthodox youth missionary center of the Novosibirsk Metropolis, assistant to the dean of the Novosibirsk city district for catechesis and work with youth, assistant to the head of the youth department of the Novosibirsk Metropolis, assistant to the chairman of the catechesis subdepartment of the department of education and enlightenment of the Novosibirsk Metropolis, assistant to the chairman of the subdepartment for Sunday schools of the department of education and enlightenment of the Novosibirsk Metropolis metropolis
It is known that when a son was born into a Jewish family, local musicians gathered near the parents’ house to greet his birth with simple music.
Jesus was born in a caravanserai in Bethlehem, and therefore this ceremony could not take place. But how amazing it is that at the same time, instead of earthly music, heavenly music sounded and the angels sang songs for Jesus that the best singers could not have sung.
As we read this, we are struck by the idea that the birth of the Son of God took place in very poor conditions. One would expect that if He was destined to be born at all, it would be in a palace or castle.
WAITING FOR THE SAVIOR
There was not a Jew who did not consider his people to be the chosen people. However, the Jews realized that through purely human efforts they could never achieve the world greatness that, according to their faith, was destined for them.
Most of them believed that since they were the chosen people, they would one day take over all nations. They believed that in due time some great heavenly hero would descend to earth; others believed that a new king would be born from the house of David, who would restore the former glory of Israel; still others believed that God himself would intervene in the course of history in some supernatural way.
But, along with all these groups, there was another small group of people, the so-called “quiet ones in the country.” These did not dream of violence and power, of armies and signs; they believed in a life of constant prayer and quiet contemplation until God came. All their lives they waited quietly and passionately for Him.
DATE OF BIRTH
There is no indication in the Bible regarding this date.
In 70 AD. Roman troops led by Titus burned the Jerusalem Temple and made it impossible for us to find a birth record in the temple books Yeshua ben Mariam .
PAGAN TRADITIONS
18 The birth of Jesus Christ was like this: after the betrothal of His Mother Mary to Joseph, before they were united, it turned out that She was pregnant with the Holy Spirit.
(Matt. 1:18)
The same word also refers to one of the “great holidays of Christianity” - supposedly the birthday of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25 or January 7.
This holiday has become so popular that it is useless to point out to anyone that the birth of Christ could not have taken place in winter, for in winter they do not graze flocks, and also that all the events with the shepherds described in the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke occurred not at night, but during the day.
This becomes abundantly clear upon a careful and impartial consideration of the following verses:
8 In the same country there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were afraid with great fear.
10 And the angel said to them: Do not be afraid; I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people:
11 For today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord;
12 And this is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly a great host of heaven appeared with the angel, praising God and crying:
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!
15 When the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see what has happened there, which the Lord has told us about.”
(Luke 2:8-15)18 And all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
(Luke 2:18)20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
(Luke 2:20)
Mention in Art. 8 of the night watch does not refute this statement, but reinforces it, for these night watchmen could only be free during the day, when the main shepherds went with their flocks to the field. But the world continues to celebrate “this night.”
This amazing inertia of tradition can only be explained by laziness of thinking, lack of desire for truth and an involuntary desire to cover up the fact that this holiday of the “Nativity of Christ” was simply borrowed from pagan holiday the birth of the sun god, very popular in the Roman Empire, at a time when Christianity was becoming the state religion.
PROPHECIES
The Holy Scriptures are full of prophecies, most of which have been fulfilled or are constantly being fulfilled, and the Lord does this in order to confirm the truth of His words.
Some prophecies are not fulfilled immediately, and the fulfillment of others is greatly extended over time, so they often go unnoticed (or do not attract close attention). But when you look at the already fulfilled prophecies about the fate of some individual cities, localities or entire nations, you are struck by the great accuracy of these predictions, sometimes made several centuries before the fact.
They were waiting for the Savior and, of course, the birth of Jesus Christ was a great joy.
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who said:
18 Behold, My Servant, whom I have chosen, My Beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My spirit on Him, and He will proclaim judgment to the nations;
19 He will not contradict, he will not cry, and no one will hear his voice in the streets;
20 He will not break a bruised reed, nor will he quench the smoking flax, until he brings victory to the judgment;
21 And the nations will trust in His name.
22 Then they brought to Him a demon-possessed man, blind and dumb; and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb man began to speak and see.
23 And all the people marveled and said, Is this not the Christ the son of David?
(Matt. 12:17-23)
THE ONLY HOLIDAY
You will be interested to know that the Bible teaches believers to observe the holiday!
For you and me, only one holiday of the New Testament is given. And, unfortunately, this is not “The Nativity of Christ.”
As we learned above, the birthday holiday was adopted from the Romans and has nothing in common with the New Testament, with the Bible.
It is worth noting that the birth of the Son of God is truly a great event, which was predicted by the prophets and which believers were waiting for. Some were expecting a warrior with a sword, others were expecting a new Tsar...
But for many, this picture was a surprise:
14 Jesus found a colt and sat on it, as it is written:
15 Fear not, daughter of Zion! Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a colt.
16 His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus became glorified, then they remembered that it was written about Him, and they did it to Him.
(John 12:14-16)
Why Jesus came, what He said and did was much more important, but it all culminated in His death and resurrection.
Why does the Bible teach to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus as the most important events, and many celebrate His birth?
Here is an example that Christians today should honor and remember every week on Sunday:
23 For I received from the Lord [Himself] what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus took bread on the night in which he was betrayed
24 And having given thanks, he broke it and said: Take, eat, this is My Body, broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.
25 He also took the cup after supper, and said, “This cup is New Testament in My Blood; Do this whenever you drink, in remembrance of Me.
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.
(1 Cor. 11:23-26)
In modern language, a “wake” should be celebrated, not a “day” (birthday).
The Son of God suffered for us:
24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we, having been delivered from sins, might live for righteousness: by His stripes you were healed.
(1 Peter 2:24)
Jesus died on the cross for you! And he left only one holiday - a memory.
How much time has passed since the birth of Christ? A strange question, most will think. What is the year now? So many years have passed. As soon as he was born, they began to count the years again. Oh, if only it were that simple. When he was born (and even convinced atheists do not deny the very fact of the existence of Jesus), no one considered it necessary to record the date, they did not put it in books, and all-knowing databases had not yet been invented.Catholics, for example, believe that this happened on December 25th. Then this date is celebrated. And the Orthodox celebrate January 7, according to the old style. IN Western countries It is customary to stage stage performances at Christmas with the participation of the Virgin Mary, the newborn Jesus and the wise men who brought him gifts. In Russia it is customary to hold ceremonial services.
According to the Bible, Jesus was born in a stable. According to the texts of the Gospel of Luke, Mary, being pregnant, came to the city of Bethlehem. “And she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The place of birth is thus established at least to the accuracy of the city.
But the date of Christmas (in the sense of birth) of Christ has not been precisely established. The Bible does not indicate the date, but only gives some hints. The search for the exact date and year began already in the first centuries of our era (however, by that time many years had passed, there were no living eyewitnesses left, and the culture of keeping records had not yet taken root). Ancient scientists received very different results- from 8 BC e., until 6 AD (in terms of our chronology). In the end, everyone was satisfied with the date - 1 AD. It was recorded by one of the papal archivists, Dionysius the Small, in 525.
Where did the day come from - December 25th? The apologist for this date was St. John Chrysostom. His arguments were as follows: John the Baptist was conceived on September 23, and in the sixth month after that the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary took place - about the immaculate conception. Which, in turn, happened on March 25th. And nine months later, on December 25, Jesus Christ was born.
This version, however, is contradicted by the argument that only in 354 does the first mention of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ appear on December 25 - the day of the winter solstice, solstice. And the hypothesis arises that the holiday of December 25 was introduced by the church in order to replace the pagan celebrations of the birth of the invincible Sun god, which occurred at the same time.
However, even with the year, not everything is completely clear!
From sacred texts It is known: “In those days, an order came from Caesar Augustus to make a census of the entire earth. This census was the first in the reign of Quirinius in Syria (Luke). Actually, for the sake of registration, Mary went to Bethlehem, where she gave birth. Matthew confirms that " ...Jesus was born in Bethlehem." And he adds: "... in the days of King Herod..." The trouble is that the available sources are not enough to determine who ruled and when, since in those days the chronology system was adopted according to the reigning king: the year is such- then the reign of Herod. And that’s all. It’s not always possible to say exactly who is behind whom, not to mention the exact dates.
According to all available documents, there is a range from 12 BC to 4 AD. Astronomers can come to the rescue, since the Magi said that they “saw His star in the east...”. “And behold, a star... walked before them, when at last it came and stood over the place where the Child was” (Matthew). This is the famous guiding star", she is also Bethlehem, her symbol still decorates Christmas trees every year.
Let's assume that the Magi observed some real astronomical event. It is believed that Halley's Comet is best suited for the role of a “guiding star”. By the way, it was in the form of a comet that the Italian artist Giotto depicted the “Star of Bethlehem” in 1301 in his painting dedicated to the birth of the baby Jesus. Experts have also found more reliable sources - for example, observations of the ancient Chinese astronomer Ma Tuan Ling. From them it followed: Halley's comet first appeared on August 26, 12 BC. It turns out that Christmas needs to be moved back. Halley's Comet was visible in the morning in the constellation Gemini. And she moved towards the border of the constellations Leo and Virgo. On the 13th day, the comet could be observed in the evenings. Then she circled the Milky Way and went south. Ultimately, it was visible for 63 days. But not until December.
The Magi were supposedly heading to the kingdom of Judah from the neighboring kingdom of Nabatea. And they moved all the time to the west. The “star”, also known as a comet, seemed to be walking in front of them - from north to south. It is not clear, however, how the illusion arose that she had stopped. But this happened in Bethlehem of Galilee. There the Magi found, perhaps, the only family in which there was a newborn. It turned out to be Jesus. Modern calculations show that the comet entered the constellation Leo in early September and headed towards the star Regulus - the “little king”. It was then, according to scientists, that the Magi noticed her in the pre-dawn hours on the eastern side of the sky. And since the Constellation Leo was associated with the names of Judah and his “tribe,” the appearance of a new star here, and even next to Regulus, could be regarded as a sign of the birth of a new “king of the Jews.”
However, on September 7, the comet left the constellation Leo. Therefore, experts conclude, Jesus must have been born somewhere between the first days of September and the 7th. But 12 years earlier than is currently believed.
However, the guiding star may not have been a comet.
At the end of 2010, British astronomer Mark Thompson once again doubted the cometary version. And therefore in the date of birth of Jesus. And the scientist’s main argument is that the inhabitants of Judea did not notice anything special in the sky. The comet would certainly have attracted their attention. For the same reason, a supernova explosion, which is also sometimes assigned the role of a “guiding star,” is rejected.
This means that something less significant happened in heaven, but was noticeable to the wise men. Thomson believes that the matter is the superposition of the brightest planet Jupiter on the star Regulus (this is the brightest star in the constellation Leo). The desired “guiding star” was formed in Ruzeltat. However, this phenomenon does not give an exact date. Computer modelling shows that approximately 2 thousand years ago Regulus and Jupiter conjuncted three times: September 14 in 3 BC, February 17 in 2 BC and May 8 in 2 AD.
Australian astronomer Dave Reneke believes that Jesus was born on June 17, 2 BC. And he assigns the role of the Star of Bethlehem to the merger of Jupiter and Venus in the sky. Similar conclusions were reached at Indiana University under the leadership of astronomy professor Hollis Johnson. Then, instead of 2011, it was already 2013.
Even church hierarchs sometimes create confusion in the minds of their flock. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently distinguished himself during an appearance on BBC television. Then he called the events associated with the birth of the baby Jesus just a legend. “There is virtually no evidence for the existence of the Magi,” the Archbishop said. The only mention of wise men from the East is in the Gospel of Matthew, and it is quite vague.
Thus, according to Thompson, instead of 2011, either 2014 or 2013 came, according to Williams, 2013. In any case, we have already missed the end of the world predicted by the Mayan calendar.
In the Old Testament prophecies, the specific birthplace of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, was predicted - Bethlehem in Judea. From the Gospel we know that this is what happened - it was in this city that Jesus Christ was born. The prophecy was fulfilled contrary to the natural course of events - after all, the Mother of God Mary lived with her Betrothed, Elder Joseph, in Nazareth, one hundred and sixty kilometers from Bethlehem. The Gospel tells that the Mother of God was forced to set off on the eve of giving birth by the decree of the Roman Emperor Augustus to conduct a census of the population, as the Bible says, “throughout the whole earth.” The Jews traced their genealogy by tribe - that is, by belonging to one of the twelve Israeli clans, and each tribe corresponded to a certain territory. And since Mary and Joseph came from the family of King David, they had to take part in the census in the city of David - namely, in Bethlehem.
Apostle Luke in the Gospel indicates that the census, in which the Mother of God and Joseph the Betrothed took part, was “the first during the reign of Quirinius in Syria.” This chronological detail is given to skeptics for a long time reproached the evangelist, questioning the very fact of the Birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The fact is that the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, in his book “Jewish Antiquities,” mentions that Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was appointed ruler of Syria, a Roman province that included Judea, after the death of King Herod. While Jesus, according to the Gospel, was born during the reign of this cruel Jewish monarch. That is, it turns out that the population census during the reign of Quirinius took place after the Birth of the Savior. Incredulous historians concluded from this that at the time of Christmas there was no census, and, therefore, the Mother of God had no reason to leave Nazareth for Bethlehem.
William Ramsay, a professor at Oxford and Cambridge universities, historian and archaeologist, tried to resolve the contradiction in 1910.
Expert comment:
As the main argument, the British scientist presented his opponents with a Latin inscription on a stone discovered at excavations near Rome, in the vicinity of the city of Tivoli - ancient Tibur. From this inscription it was clear that Publius Sulpicius Quirinius ruled Syria twice.
Next, continuing his research, William Ramsay analyzes a passage from the Annals of the first century Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus. The chronicler testifies that after the death of Emperor Augustus, his successor Tiberius ordered to provide all the data about what forces the state possessed before his accession to the throne. Having demanded information, the emperor clarified that he needed “information that Augustus rewrote” - that is, obtained as a result of the population census. But the census that Josephus mentions was carried out after the death of Augustus. So there was another one?
Comparing these data, William Ramsay concluded that the census in the Roman Empire was carried out both during the first reign of Quirinius - under King Herod, at the historical moment of the Nativity of Christ, and at the time when the Roman official mentioned by the evangelist was appointed ruler of Syria for the second time. That is why the Apostle Luke not only mentions the census, but clarifies that it was the first under Quirinius.
Another stumbling point for Bible critics was the statement of the Apostle Luke that the census under Quirinius took place “throughout the whole earth.” Is that possible? “Quite!” Answered this question by honorary professor at the Scottish University of Aberdeen, biblical historian Howard Marshall.
Basilica of the Nativity - Christian church in Bethlehem, built over the birthplace of Jesus Christ. It is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. Under the pulpit of the basilica is the greatest Christian shrine - the Cave of the Nativity. The birthplace of Christ is located in the eastern part of the cave and is marked with a silver star.
Brief history of the basilica Nativity of Christ
The Basilica of the Nativity was founded on the orders of Emperor Constantine the Great by the holy Empress Helena during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the mid-330s. In general, the Bethlehem Basilica of Constantine repeated the general features of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The basilica was destroyed by fire in 529 during the Samaria uprising. During the reign of Emperor Justinian it was restored. In 1009, during the conquest of the city by Caliph Al-Hakim, the basilica was not damaged, since Muslims revered the birthplace of Christ (the southern part of the temple was separated by them and was used as a mosque).
During the Byzantine period, the basilica was a church-tomb and did not have an episcopal see. During the period of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the basilica became the see of the Latin bishop of Bethlehem and Ascalon. In the 12th century, the basilica was surrounded by monastery buildings, as well as a defensive wall with rectangular projecting towers.
After the conquest of Bethlehem by the army of Salah ad-Din (1187), the Latin bishop and clergy were expelled from the basilica. In 1263, one of the monasteries adjacent to the temple was destroyed. In 1266, Sultan Baybars I exported marble and columns to Cairo.
Since 1347, the Catholic Church in the basilica has been represented by the Franciscan Order, which to this day owns the throne in the chapel of the Manger of the Cave of the Nativity. The Greek Church has owned the main altar of the basilica since 1244 and monastery at its southern wall.
The earthquake of 1834 and fire of 1869 caused damage to the interior of the Nativity Cave and necessitated repair work. Donations (bells, chandeliers) were repeatedly sent to the temple from the Russian emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II.
Territory b aziliki Nativity of Christ
1. Nativity Square;
2. Gate of humility;
3. Nave;
4. High altar and Greek Orthodox basilica (iconostasis);
5. Stairs to the cave;
6. Caves of the Nativity of Christ;
7. Franciscan monastery;
8. Franciscan Court;
9. Cave of St. Jerome;
10. Church of St. Catherine;
11. Greek Orthodox monastery;
12. Greek Orthodox court;
13. Armenian courtyard;
14. Armenian monastery.
Basilica plan
Plan of the underground part of the basilica (engraving based on a drawing by George Sandys of the 1610s)
A. Altar of the Nativity
B. Nursery
C. Altar of the Magi
D. Northern and southern steps leading from the temple
E. Entrance (door)
F. Chapel of the Innocents
G. Tomb of Eusebia
H. Tomb of St. Jerome
I. Tomb of Paul and Euphrosyne
K. Cell St. Jerome
L. Ascent to the Church of St. Catherine
M. Church of St. Catherine
N. Chapels
Its construction began in 326 AD. The current church was built during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. In 529, the basilica was badly damaged during the Samaritan uprising. The Patriarch of Jerusalem sent Saint Sava to help Justinian, and the architect sent by the emperor demolished the church and built the one that still stands today.
Today the church is governed by three Christian denominations – Armenian Church, Roman catholic church and the Greek Orthodox Church.
Powerful external walls churches that look like the walls of a fortress speak of its long and difficult history. For centuries, the temple was one of those places for which people constantly fought. It was conquered and defended by a variety of armies, including Muslims and Crusaders. The facade of the Basilica of the Nativity is surrounded by the high walls of three monasteries: Franciscan on the northeast side, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox on the southeast.
Main building of the basilica
The main building of the basilica was erected by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It is designed in the form of a typical Roman basilica, with five rows (formed by Corinthian columns) and an apse in the eastern part, where the sanctuary is located. The Basilica has rectangular shape, its length is 53.9 meters, the nave is 26.2 meters wide, and the transept is 35.82 meters. Entering the church, you can see four rows of columns - 44 in total - 6 meters high, made of red stone.
The Manger Square, a large paved courtyard in front of the basilica, is where residents gather on Christmas Eve to sing carols in anticipation of the midnight service.
The basilica can be entered through a very low door called the “door of humility.” This is a very small rectangular entrance, created during the Ottoman Empire to prevent looters from bringing carts into the church, and to ensure that even the most respectable and important visitors would dismount to get inside. The door opening was noticeably reduced compared to the size of the previous door, the arch of which can still be seen at the top.
View through the Door of Humility
Security room - the first room in the basilica
Columns of the basilica
On thirty of the 44 columns you can see Crusader paintings of saints, the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, although due to time and lighting conditions they are quite difficult to see.
The columns are made of pink polished limestone, most of them have been standing since the 4th century, from the time of the Constantinian Basilica.
And this is an ancient baptismal font.
One of the columns has five cross-shaped holes. The legend says that bees flew out of this column and bit the wicked who were about to violate the temple.
And on this column (the Greek part of the temple), at the top, you can see the Image of the Savior, which has an amazing feature - He either opens or closes his eyes.
The wide nave remains from the time of Justinian, and the roof dates back to the 15th century and was restored in the 19th century. Now this roof is rotten, which threatens the integrity of the entire building. Some beams have survived from the 15th century, and due to holes in the wood dirty water flows directly onto priceless frescoes and mosaics. This problem only worsened over the years, but the clergy of the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches, as well as the Franciscan order of the Roman Catholic Church, clashed with each other for many decades and could not come to a common plan of action.
During the excavations, the floor of the basilica was opened, and underneath it was discovered the floor of the first temple from the time of Queen Helena. The Byzantine mosaic floor is perfectly preserved...
Fragments of 12th-century mosaics have been preserved in the upper part of some walls.
The Armenian Church owns the northern transept and the altar located there. They also sometimes use the Greek Orthodox Church's altar and caves. On the north side of the altar there is an Armenian altar and the Three Wise Men, and in the north apse there is also an Armenian altar of the Virgin Mary.
The Armenian throne in the northern part of the basilica.
The iconostasis separates the nave from the sanctuary of the church.
The main building of the basilica, including the naves, rows, katholikon (choir and sanctuary), south transept and Altar of the Nativity are under the ownership of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Greek (southern) part of the temple.
In the Greek part there is a throne for the Patriarch.
Bethlehem icon Mother of God also available for worship in the Greek part of the temple. Most of the icons we know depict Holy Virgin concentrated, immersed in prayer, worried, sad... And this is the only image where Holy Mother of God is depicted smiling, because it was here, in Bethlehem, that She was happy.
The entrance to the caves under the church, which are its main attraction. There are two staircases leading into the cave, located to the right and left of the altar. This is where Jesus Christ was born.
Northern staircase.
Northern staircase to the caves.
Manger Chapel
According to Luke 2:7: Mary “laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the monastery.” In the southern part of the cave, to the left of the entrance, there is a manger chapel. This is the only part of the cave that is run by Catholics. It resembles a small chapel measuring approximately 2x2 m, the floor level in it is two steps lower than in the main part of the cave. In this chapel is the place of the Manger, where Christ was laid after his birth. Actually, the Manger is a feeding trough for domestic animals, which was in the cave; the Most Holy Theotokos, of necessity, used it as a cradle. In the middle of the 7th century inner part The manger was taken as a great shrine to Rome.
Southern staircase to the cave.
Christ's manger
The same part of the Manger that remained in Bethlehem was covered with marble and now represents a recess in the floor (about 1 x 1.3 m), arranged in the form of a cradle, above which five unquenchable lamps burn. Behind these lamps, against the wall, there is a small image depicting the worship of the Bethlehem shepherds to the Child.
In ancient times, according to the testimony of Jerome of Stridon, the manger was made of clay, and then they were made of gold and silver. Medieval pilgrims kissed the manger after three round holes, available in their marble frame. In the 19th century, Mikhail Skaballanovich describes the manger of Christ as made of marble, and “the bottom is made of white marble, and the side walls are made of brown marble; in the manger lies a wax image of the infant Christ.”
Since 642, the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore has kept tablets brought from Palestine, revered as the manger of Christ. They are called Sacra culla. They are made from olive tree and consist of five planks fastened with metal strips. On one of the metal strips there is a heavily worn-out Greek inscription from the 7th-9th centuries with the names of Christian saints. The exact time of manufacture of the tablets themselves has not been established; it is believed that their age is much younger than similar ones should have been wooden plates, if they really were in the Bethlehem cave at the birth of Christ. Perhaps this relic was placed in the cave by Christians of the Jerusalem Church to replace the original manger, which pilgrims in the first centuries dismantled as a shrine.
On Catholic Christmas, the figurine of Jesus, from the Church of St. Catherine, is transferred to this manger. And they look like this:
Altar of the Magi - was built in the place where, according to legend, the Magi worshiped the Son of God.
The Magi bring gifts to the Baby: gold as the king of earth and heaven (note that the root “chris” in the Greek word “Christ” means not only “Anointed One”, but also “Gold”), incense like God and myrrh as a mortal man awaiting burial. It is surprising that by some miracle the gifts of the Magi have been preserved to this day in one of the Athos monasteries.
Here they are - golden openwork plates of oriental work, and balls of incense and dried myrrh are attached to them. There are twenty-eight such plates. But, most likely, there were thirty-three of them - according to the number of earthly years of the Savior.
The canonical texts do not speak directly about the cave. The fact that Christ was born in Bethlehem is reported by the evangelists Luke (Luke 2:4-7) and Matthew (Matthew 2:1-11), but none of them mentions the cave, only Luke indirectly points to it, reporting that the Mother of God “laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
The oldest written evidence that has come down to us about the cave as the place of the Nativity belongs to St. Justin the Philosopher. In his essay “Dialogue with Tryphon the Jew,” he claims that the Holy Family found shelter in a cave near Bethlehem. The cave as the site of the Nativity is mentioned many times in the apocryphal Proto-Gospel of James.
Origen visited Bethlehem almost a century before the construction of the Basilica of the Nativity, around 238, and in Against Celsus he mentions a cave in Bethlehem that the locals believed to be the site of the Nativity.
What kind of cave it was and who it belonged to is unknown. Most likely she was natural origin, and later it was adapted for household needs. In Bethlehem, many old buildings are built over caves in the limestone cliffs. Often houses have a cave on their first floor, the entrance to which is at street level. The family lives on the second floor. Many of these rooms have stone troughs or mangers carved into the rock, as well as iron rings so that animals can be tied up at night. These caves were used to keep animals until the mid-20th century.
Old house in Bethlehem, photo from 1898.
Manger - feeding troughs for livestock, in Palestine in biblical times, looked something like the one shown below.
In the photo, a manger found by archaeologists on the territory of a Roman villa in Zippori (ancient Sepphorius - the capital of Galilee) is a “stone box”. There were never wooden mangers in biblical times, basic items home use were made of stone or clay.
At the end of the cave you can see a door that leads to the northern part of the system of grottoes located under the basilica, including the cave in which St. Jerome of Stridon lived. Unfortunately, this door is usually always locked.
Behind this door is the entrance to the western part of the Nativity Cave, separated from the eastern part by a partition. Here was the natural entrance to the cave; Later, Blessed Jerome of Stridon, the author of a translation of the Bible into vernacular Latin called the Vulgate, settled there. Here is the cell of the holy ascetic, and here he was buried.
The cave is the cell of Blessed Jerome of Stridon.
Burial place of Blessed Jerome of Stridon
Cave wall. All other furnishings date from the period after the 1869 fire, with the exception of the bronze gate to the north and the southern entrance to the caves, which date from the 6th century.
The ceiling is heavily smoked, 32 lamps are suspended on it, and there are 53 of them in the cave. The cave has no natural light; it is currently illuminated by electricity and, partly, by lamps and candles.
The cave measures 12.3 x 3.5 m and 3 m in height, that is, it is quite narrow and long, oriented along a west-east line. The Nativity site is located at its eastern end. There are two staircases leading into the cave, northern and southern, each consisting of 15 porphyry steps. The northern staircase belongs to Catholics, the southern to Orthodox and Armenians. These entrances acquired their current appearance in the 12th century, when the bronze doors of the 5th-6th centuries were enclosed in marble portals, and the lunettes above the doors were decorated with stone carvings.
The floor of the cave and the lower part of the walls are decorated with light marble, the rest is draped with fabric or covered with 19th-century trellises, and icons are hung on the walls.
General view of the Holy Nativity scene.
Altar over the Star of Bethlehem.
Lower part of the altar
The silver star on the floor symbolizes the place where Jesus was born. The floor is paved with marble, and 15 lamps hang above the star (6 of them belong to the Greek church, 5 to the Armenian and 4 to the Roman). Behind these lamps, in a semicircle on the wall of a niche, there are small orthodox icons. Two more small glass lamps are simply standing on the floor, right behind the star, against the wall.
Directly above the Nativity site is an Orthodox marble throne. Only Orthodox Christians and Armenians have the right to celebrate the liturgy on this throne. When there is no service, the altar is covered with a special removable grille.
The liturgy here is celebrated early in the morning. The service is performed by an Orthodox Arab priest, the Greeks sing, and mostly Russians pray.
The silver star has 14 rays and symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem. The genealogy of Jesus Christ, with which the Gospel of Matthew begins, says: “Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the migration to Babylon to Christ there are fourteen generations.” (Matt. 1:17). There were also exactly 14 stops of Jesus Christ on the way to the place of execution on Mount Golgotha in Jerusalem).
The inscription on the star is in Latin: “ Hic de virgine Maria Iesus Christus Natus est”, which in translation reads: “Jesus Christ was born here from the Virgin Mary.”
The ancient silver and gold star was stolen in 1847 (it is unknown by whom, but most likely by the Turks). The star that can be seen now was made according to the exact model of the ancient one and strengthened in 1847 by order of Sultan Abdulmecid I and at his expense.
Cave of the Bethlehem Babies
We go out into the courtyard of the temple, this is already the territory of a Greek Orthodox monastery. To the left, under a stone canopy, is the entrance to other caves.