When Was Jesus Born—B.C. or A.D.?
How the divide between B.C. and A.D. was calculated
When was Jesus born? This predella panel from an altarpiece by Mariotto Albertinelli (1474–1515) depicts the newborn baby Jesus flanked by Joseph and Mary. In which year was Jesus born—B.C. or A.D.? The evidence suggests he was born in 4 B.C. or before. Photo: John G. Johnson Collection, 1917, courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
In which year was Jesus born?
While this is sometimes debated, the majority of New Testament scholars place Jesus’ birth in 4 B.C. or before. This is because most date the death of King Herod the Great to 4 B.C. Since Herod played a major role in the narrative of Jesus’ birth (see Matthew 2), Jesus would have had to be born before Herod died.
This begs the question: How could Jesus have been born in B.C.—“before Christ”?
The terms B.C. and A.D. stand for “before Christ” and “anno Domini,” which means “in the year of the Lord.” These terms are used to mark years in the Gregorian and Julian calendars—with the birth of Jesus as the event that divides history. In theory, all the years before Jesus’ birth receive the label B.C., and all those after his birth get A.D. If Jesus had been born in 1 A.D., these designations would be completely accurate.
However, as mentioned above, it seems most likely that Jesus was born in 4 B.C. or earlier. How then did the current division between B.C. and A.D. come to be?
FREE ebook: The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus’ Birth in History and Tradition. Download now.
Ben Witherington III of Asbury Theological Seminary examines the calendar division in his Biblical Views column “The Turn of the Christian Era: The Tale of Dionysius Exiguus,” published in the November/December 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. He identifies the monk Dionysius Exiguus, who lived during the fifth and sixth centuries A.D., as the originator of the B.C. and A.D. calendar (based on when he calculated Jesus was born):
Dionysius was born in Scythia Minor, which means somewhere in Romania or Bulgaria, and he lived from about 470 to 544 A.D. He was a learned monk who moved to Rome and became well known for translating many ecclesiastical canons from Greek into Latin, including the famous decrees from the Councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon. Ironically, he also wrote a treatise on elementary mathematics. I say ironically because what he is most famous for is the “Anno Domini” calculations that were used to number the years of both the Gregorian and the adjusted Julian calendars.
Although we are not exactly sure how he came to this conclusion, Dionysius dated the consulship of Probius Junior, who was the Roman Consul at the time, to “525 years after ‘the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ’”—meaning 525 years after Jesus’ birth, that is, 525 A.D. Because of Dionysius’s calculations, a new calendar using B.C. and A.D. was born. The terms B.C.E (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era) also use this calendar.
Even though Dionysius Exiguus calculated his date for the year in which Jesus was born in the sixth century, it was not until the eighth century that it became widespread. This was thanks to the Venerable Bede of Durham, England, who used Dionysius’s date in his work Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Learn more about when Jesus was born and Dionysius Exiguus’s calculations for B.C. and A.D. in Ben Witherington III’s Biblical Views column “The Turn of the Christian Era: The Tale of Dionysius Exiguus” in the November/December 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
Subscribers: Read the full Biblical Views column “The Turn of the Christian Era: The Tale of Dionysius Exiguus” by Ben Witherington III in the November/December 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today.
This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on November 29, 2017.
Related reading in Bible History Daily
All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library
The Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke—Of History, Theology and Literature
Not a BAS Library or All-Access Member yet? Join today.
Related Posts
Must-Read Free eBooks
Want more Bible history?
Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update.
Unlock Unlimited Access to the Bible's Past
Unlock Unlimited Access to the Bible's Past
Become an All-Access Member to explore the Bible's rich history. Get Biblical Archaeology Review in print, full online access, and FREE online talks. Plus, enjoy special Travel/Study discounts. Don't miss out—begin your journey today!
Yeshua has confirmed his Nativity to have been on a Sunday → “Sunday is the day of the Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection…”, Assumption of the Virgin, Syriac version Book IV.”; “I came into being on the eighth day, which is the day of the Lord”, The Epistle of the Apostles, Coptic version.
A.D. 1 began correctly on a Sunday. Calculating back from the day that you read this post and integrated with intercalary days, Dionysius’s calendar began at midnight Sunday, on January 1st → Apocrypha Syriaca: Transitus Mariae; ‘He was in her womb until the Second Kanun (Syriac calendar month conterminous with January) on its sixth (hour – midnight) on the first day of the week, the Holy Day…’
Yeshua has confirmed this particular Sunday to have been on the day that Augustus Caesar gave peace to the Roman Empire — “I was born the same day on which Augustus Caesar gave peace to the Roman world.” The Archko Volume, Pilate’s Report.
Roman Historian Dio Cassius has Gaius making peace with Phraates king of Parthia in early A.D 1. Treaties were inaugurated under the auspices of Caesar and formalized in a ritual to their deity Janus at midnight on January 1.
Yeshua’s word is in lambent concordance with the inauguration of peace for the Roman world as given under the auspices of Augustus Caesar in the year A.D. 1, begun at midnight on January 1st → The Apocryphal and Legendary Life of Christ has the Gates of Janus being closed at the time of Jesus’ birth and Orosius, priest, historian and theologian has chronicled the temple doors closing at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Dionysius’ calendar aligns with the ceremony of the closing of the doors of the Roman deity Janus incorporating the inauguration of peace for the Roman world at midnight January 1st A.D. 1.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html
Yep the Holy See at the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) messed up JESUS’ real birth date. He was born on 6/6/6 BC Julian and was 12 years old on AD 6/6/6 Julian doing business. We know that Christmas Day is really 6/1/6 BC Julian being John the Baptist’s birthday. Here quick fix: Celebrate John the Baptist’s real birthday Christmas Day with Lucifer’s.
Gregorian Calendar 25th December 7 BC
Revelation beast One’s birth date
6/1/6 BC (day/month/year)
John the Baptist
Gregorian Calendar 24th May 6 BC
Revelation beast Two’s birth date
6/6/6 BC (day/month/year)
Jesus the Christ
Germanicus Julius Caesar
It seems odd that you seem so sure that Herod died in 4BC and not 1BC as some have now concluded. As you know, Josephus mentions an eclipse of the moon before Herod’s death which then came before Passover. In between he is said to have done a number of things. There was a partial eclipse on March 12/13 in 4 BC only 29 days before Passover. The total lunar eclipse in 1 BC was on Jan9/10 allowing plenty of time for Herod to do what Josephus says he did before this death. The 4BC date seems to be based on calculations from when he started his full reign, and on the start of rule of his three sons after he died. But the start of his full reign has been questioned, and on one of the sons it seems a copyist error changed what Josephus said was 22 to 20 years. It also seems that all early Christian commentators placed the birth of Jesus around 3-2BC. Can you really be so sure, then, that 4BC is the date of the death of Herod? Schurer, who calculated the date 4BC in the 19th century, will surely not have had so accurate tools to date the lunar eclipses as accurately as we now can?.
Good answer. One note is that there was another eclipse, though partial, 1 year later (29 Dec 1BC). The difference was the January eclipse was in the middle of the night straight up, when everybody was in bed. The later December eclipse was as the moon rose in early evening and everybody in Israel would have seen it. (Stellarium can be used to see the difference).
PC
This is all very interesting and I suppose it is of vital importance to many. However, whether it was 4,3,2, or 1 BC is always speculation based upon the known and the unknown. What is known is that Jesus Christ was born, lived, died, and was bodily raised again from the dead and is alive today sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He had completed the purpose of His incarnation which was to bring the availability of salvation to all who would believe. Just as we do not know the exact date of His birth, we also do not know the date He will return for His church (the Body of Christ). What we do know is that we had better be ready for according to Scripture, if you refused to believe there will be no second chance. Get ready!
no you don’t know that
So many thoughts shared or trolled. So much confusion!
Like so many others, I too have sought the answer boggled between calendars, ultimately resorting to the calendar of the Bible; the Hebrew Calendar. For ease, however, I’ll use the BCE/CE references familiar to more of us.
The answers we seek can be found in the Bible. Starting, for the purposes of this discussion, with the book of Daniel chapter 9 verses 24 through 27. Visa versus speak of the end of the captivity in Babylon, the death of Jesus on the cross, Amber look forward to the second Advent. Looking at verse 25 of Daniel 9, I have read the works of scholars put into the commands of three kings Darius, Cyrus, and Artaxerxes.
Moving to the book of Ezra chapter 7 verse 11 King Artaxerxes gave Azurá the priest, describe, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, release to carry the word of God to Jerusalem; (Daniel chapter 9 verse 25: no therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command/word to restore and Bill Jerusalem there she’ll be seven weeks and 62 weeks.) Ezra, and a group of release the captives started their journey to Jerusalem in 445 B.C.E. With Ezra carrying forth The word of God which is generally excepted to be the book of Deuteronomy, this initiated the 69 weeks (483 years) projected in the book of Daniel to of the death of Jesus. Daniel chapter 9 verse 6 projects that the Messiah she’ll be cut off, but not for Himself.
Countind forward 483 years from Ezra’s travel In 445 B C E takes us to the year that Jesus died on the cross: 26 CE. This year matches perfectly with the Hebrew calendar’s Dating of the Passover and the death of Jesus The sacrificial lamb on Friday (14 Nissan on the Hebrew Calendar).
We know that Jesus was 33 years old when he died on the cross. Counting backwards those 33 years would give us The year of Jesus birth at 8 B.C.E. It makes one wonder if Jesus died on his birthday.
There’s a whole lot more to the detail of this study that I’ve been through over the past few years but that would be far too much for this short offering of my opinion based on the word of God in the Bible when Jesus was born.
Too many corrections to make; typing by voice command doesn’t work for me.
One correction that must be made is that Ezra traveled in 458 BCE not 445.
Sorry about that!
We now know that Jesus died 3 April 33 CE. This was the ‘middle’ of the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy, or 3.5 years from when he was baptized. The start of the ‘order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem’ (not the Temple) was to Nehemiah in the 20th year of Artaxerxes and the evidence for that it too lengthy for this answer, but the date that James Ussher came up with was 455 BCE. It is about the history of Thucydides and the flight of Themistocles to the court of Artaxerxes who had lately come to the throne.
1 January 1 AD was a Saturday …(GEDCOM Date Calculator, and FOURMILAB Calendar Calculator)
Jesus was born 2 November 1 AD (Julian). On that day, before sunrise, arose a 4 planet grouping (Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter) in direct fulfilment of Numbers 24:17. A Sceptre. Also Revelation 12: A woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon at her feet…on the same snapshot! Stellarium, artwork on, atmospheric effects on. As place I chose Shiraz (near Persepolis, Persia) as hometown of the magi. After 4 BC you say? By careful consideration of the facts presented by Josephus (Jewish Antiquities 17.6 7 8 9) the 13 March 4BC was the wrong lunar eclipse. Try 16 October 4 AD! Construct a Natural Jewish Calendar first. As it was before Hillel II invented his calendar in 358/9. All calendar calculators obey Hillel, and are useless in constructing ancient (pre-358) calendars. Bear in mind that the Hillel rules did not exist pre- 358! The magii saw the first visibility of Jupiter early morning 28 Oct 1 AD (the 7th day of the feast of Tabernacles) and arrived in Jerusalem 3 or 4 April 3 AD (just before Passover) in time to see a Jupiter station. (The star they had seen in its rising, stood still? Mat 2). Herod died 7 Kislev (8 Dec 4 AD), an exact fit date to the Josephus narrative.
If you would enjoy watching some interesting videos on when was Jesus born, go to YouTube and search Jonathan Cahn – When was Jesus born? He gives a convincing prediction of March 20, 6 BC (the first day of Nisan, 3753).
He was born on October1 evening. He died at the age of 331/2 years old, do your calculations.
“When you tell me that you love me? Hi’codexcom God’son Jesus Christ please help me forcasting in my life’.what about the my future standing mission’;answer me better reganted in all by my self.
according to the Bible jeremiah 52:31Jehoiachin Released
31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed Jehoiachin Released
31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed .If Mary conceived Jesus on the sixth month and we are told that Jesus was born like any other human being which means he had to undergo nine months in her mother stomach how did they arrived at 25 december and yet we are not told from the Bible . can you help me?
“If Mary conceived Jesus on the sixth month” – your comment.
Please read the account about Elizabeth as it was in ‘her sixth month’ gestation that Mary became pregnant, not the lunar calendar ‘sixth month’. It gets a bit complicated but an important fact about her husband Zechariah gets missed. He was a priest of the ‘division of Abijah’ and they have 2 regular terms at the Temple during the year. (Luke 1) They were the 8th division and from the start of Nisan (mid-March) to 8 weeks later (mid-May) was when Zechariah had a visit from Gabriel that, though they were old and childless, they would have a son. He returns home for a week as he had to return to Jerusalem for an all-priest session for Shavuot (Pentecost), which now makes it mid-June. We don’t know exactly when Elizabeth became pregnant, but the account says within ‘some days’. June therefore is a possible starting point for her 5 months of seclusion. (Luke 1:24). Then it says (Luke 1:26) ‘In her sixth month’ that the angel Gabriel visits Mary and Mary goes to visit Elizabeth for 3 months. Mary then returns home and has Jesus 6 months later. What month approximately is that? Wouldn’t it be about September? It was after all about 15 months Jesus was born from when Elizabeth became pregnant. Weren’t the shepherds still in the field as the rains of October/November had not yet started?
The year is another issue. Jesus was about 30 in the 15th year of Tiberius (29 AD), so that would put Jesus’ birth in the fall of 2 BC not 4 BC.
Peace
Percy
David Hocking said 2 BC also.
According to modern astronomy, Jesus was born June 17th 2B.C. during the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus. The Magi left Babylon on Oct and followed the wandering star Jupiter as it retrograded 3 times. The final time it appeared to stop was over Bethlehem. This occurred, according to astronomical software on Dec 25h 2 B.C. If we back up the software six months from His birth we have Sept 17th 3B.C. This was the conception date of Mary and in the sky the vision John saw actually appeared over Israel/Judah. Jesus was crucified April 3rd, 33 A.D. He was 33 years old but would have turned 34 in June. He was placed in His tomb Friday April 3rd and astronomy shows that a full Blood Moon rose over Israel at sunset.
Mary’s conception date was cited by John in Revelation concerning a vision he had. He saw a “great wonder in the sky”. We know by way of modern astronomy that Jesus was born June 17h 2B.C. during the conjunction of Jupiter (King planet) and Venus (planet of love). So all we need to do is back up the software 9 months. We clearly see that the ‘wonder’ John saw in the sky actually occurred over Israel on Sept 17th of 3 B.C. This would mean it occurred during the season of Rosh Hashanah. Most probably during the feast of Yom Kippur when the Jews pray for salvation from sin. Yom Kippur is also the only feast that involves the sacrifice of an animal for sin. It is also the only time that the High Priest takes the blood of this sacrifice into the Holy of Holies and sprinkles it on the Ark of the Covenant. This is seen as a propitiation for the sins of the people. Mystery solved using science in conjunction with Scripture. There, that was easy!
Modern astronomy has solved this topic once and for all. We clearly see the conjunction of Venus (planet of love) and Jupiter (King planet) on June 17th 2B.C. This was when Jesus was born. The Magi saw this, made plans and left in Oct for their 900 mi journey due West to Jerusalem They knew to look for a sign over Judah from the writings of Daniel their Chief Magi. The trip at 15 miles per day took 3 months. They were now following Jupiter which made 3 incredible retrogrades. It appeared to stop and then move in the opposite direction. The first retrograde was late Oct, the 2nd late Nov and the third on Dec 25th 2B.C. when the Magi arrived with their gifts! Scripture actually states that the Star “stopped over Bethlehem”. This is why we celebrate Christmas on this date as it was the first celebration of the birth of Christ. Up until 1544 ‘all’ manuscripts state that Herod died in 1 B.C. All manuscripts after 1544 state he died in 4B.C. Why this change of date is unexplained. However, Josephus stated Herod died during an eclipse of the moon. Astronomy shows us, with no chance of error, that here was an eclipse of the moon Dec 28th 1 B.C. So the pre 1544 date is correct and, this date for his agonizing death was fitting as it occurred on the one year anniversary of the killing of the children of Bethlehem one year earlier on apparently Dec 28th 2B.C. Case closed!