year 8 B.C., and that they can draw some conclusion in that the birth of Y‘shua had to take place somewhere
between 8 and 4 B.C. They continue by saying they can draw even a firmer year because of some
subsequent records that they have.
One of these records is Josephus, a Jewish historian, who wrote roughly around A.D. 80-90. He tells that
Herod the Great left Jerusalem in the year 5 B.C. and went to Jericho. He remained there until his death.
Since the wise men saw him in Jerusalem, it tells us that the birth of Y‘shua would have to be moved back
somewhere around the year 6 B.C. or earlier.
They say Josephus also tells us something else. During the entire year of 8 B.C., Herod was outside of
Jerusalem fighting a war. From this they can conclude that Y‘shua was born somewhere between 7 and 6
B.C. Most scholars now use the conservative date of 4 B.C.—but is it really the correct date? See the
sections, ―The Death of Herod‖ and ―The Astronomical Perspective‖, under Matt 2:2-3.
The visitations (we continue to read from Luke chapter 2):
(8) ―And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night.
(9) And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid.
(10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people.
(11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
(12) And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a
manger.
(13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
(14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
(15) And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one
to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us.
(16) And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
(17) And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning
this child.
(18) And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
(19) But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
(20) And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and
seen, as it was told unto them‖.
―(8) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night‖. This one statement gives us a hint about the time of the season of the year. This verse is often used
by the bulk of Christians as an argument against the month of December as being the time of Y‘shua‘s birth.
Please take note, Y‘shua was not born in December as will be proven. We are told there were ―shepherds‖
and ―their flock‖ out there ―in the field‖. You just don‘t have shepherds and sheep out there ―in the field‖ in
December. Why? It is extremely cold, especially at night, from the snow in the winter months. Israel is in the
northern hemisphere and winter is in December. No shepherd in his right mind would allow his flock to be
exposed to these extremely cold conditions. This is only one of the reasons why Y‘shua could not have been
born in December. Allow me to explain further.
The date of the birth of Y‘shua is easy to document, but it is not a well-known fact. This is done by
establishing several things:
- The date that Gabriel the angel tells Zacharias, the soon-to-be father of Yochanan, about his son‘s
birth. - The birth date of Yochanan is then established by going forward nine months, the term of pregnancy.
- The approximate date of Miriam‘s conception.
- The date of Herod‘s death (See sections ―The Death of Herod‖ and ―The Astronomical Perspective‖
under Matt 2:2-3).
The date that Gabriel the angel told Zacharias that he and Elizabeth were going to have Yochanan is
established from the following. Luke 1:5 states that Zacharias is a priest of the course of ―Abijah‖. King
David, according to 1 Chron 24, divided the priestly families into twenty-four groups. Each group was called a