Month
NumberBabylonian
CalendarChronology of events Christian Gregorian
calendar equivalent
7 Tishri September, October
8 Cheshvan October, November
9 Kislev November, December
10 Tevet December, January
11 Shevat January, February
12 Adar February, MarchGoing forward six months places the birth of Y‘shua at late September or early October, the time of Succoth.
(From December/January to September/October would be a normal gestation period of 280 days,
approximately – 9 months.)
Josephus records that Herod‘s death came late in ―the fall‖, which is correct. The fall of the leaves from the
trees is another way to say autumn / winter.
Remember that winter in the Northern Hemisphere starts in November and goes through to February. Since
Herod was alive at the time of Y‘shua‘s birth (September / October), this also confirms the time of the year.
Month
NumberBabylonian
CalendarChronology of events Christian / Gregorian
calendar equivalent1 Aviv (Nisan)Elizabeth gave birth (Pesach – Passover)
Miriam now 3 months pregnantApril, May2 Iyyar May, June
3 Sivan June, July
4 Tammuz July, August
5 Av August
6 Elul September7 TishriMiriam gave birth 6 months later to Y‟shua during
the Feast of Succoth (Tabernacles)!September, October8 Cheshvan October, November
9 Kislev Herod died any time from here ... November, December
10 Tevet December, January
11 Shevat ...to here January, February
12 Adar February, MarchWe continue with ―The visitations‖, by reading from Luke chapter 2:
―(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‖. The glory of YHWH is the Shekhinah Glory, and this is the first
appearance since the days of Ezekiel. Ezekiel the prophet records how the Shekhinah Glory (Presence
Glory) departed from Israel in four successive and reluctant stages, hoping for the people of Israel to repent.
But, Israel did not repent—and so the Shekhinah disappears from Jewish history. Here the Shekhinah is
used to announce the birth of a Jewish King to Jewish shepherds.
―(11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord‖. Christ is Greek
for Messiah and means the ―Anointed One‖. According to Jewish thought of those days, He was to be a
charismatically endowed descendant of King David, whom the Jews of the Roman period believed would be
raised up by YHWH to break the yoke of the heathen Roman Empire and reign over a restored kingdom of
Israel to which all Jews of the Exile would return. This thought is very common in Zacharias‘ prophecy.
―(12) And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a
manger‖. Such a momentous event required a sign. The sign was that the Babe would be wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. One would expect a King to be lying in luxurious garments in a
palace. This King laid aside His glory (Phil 2:7). The fact that He is lying in a ―manger‖ tells us that he is in a
stable. In those days, stables were actually natural caves in the hillsides or wooden structures (pen, fold,
kraal) in were used during the warmer months.
In biblical times, raw caves served as houses as well, and the owner/lodger shared the cave with his animals
during night-time. In the case of a wooden structure, the person or shepherd occupying the stable would