Luke’s gospel tells us that after Elizabeth conceived John the Baptist, she “hid herself five months . . . and in the sixth month” Mary was told that she also would bear a son. (Luke 1:24-26, 36) The inference of Luke 1:5-24 is that Elizabeth conceived at the end of Zacharias’ “days of . . . ministration” -if we can determine what time that was, we can compute roughly the time of year Jesus was born.

We find two differing approaches to the matter, but both resulting in nearly the same conclusion. The Edgar brothers (Great Pyramid Passages, Vol. 2, pp. 56-57) reason that since twelve divisions (of servants to the king – two examples; 1 Kings 4: 7; 1 Chron. 27:1-15) served in monthly rotations, the 24 courses of the priesthood would each serve half a month to fill out the year. Of the 24 courses, that of Abia (the course Zacharias served in – Luke 1:5) was the 8th. (1 Chron. 24:5-19) Assuming the first course serves first each year, Zacharias’ service would have ended 4 months after the Jewish New Year. Adding to this 5+ months to Mary’s conception and 9+ months to Jesus’ birth brings us to early Tishri on the Jewish calendar.

Bro. Adam Rutherford begins with a different premise. He states, “. . . it is known that each course officiated at the Temple in turn for a week” (Pyramidology, Vol. 2, pg. 334 – he does not give his supporting source). He continues: “From the Talmudical statements and Josephus we learn that the Temple at Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus on 5th August AD 70 and that the 1st course of priest . . . had just taken office . . . [this] period of service [ended] . . . the evening of the following Sabbath on 11th August.”

On this basis his conclusions are:

• Abia’s summer, BC 3 course ended: 13th July
• Jesus conceived: beginning of 4th week of December, BC 3
• Jesus born: beginning of 5th week of September, BC 2.

As the date is close, he suggests the evening of September 29th as the time of Jesus’ birth, which he states was 1st Tishri in BC 2, the day of the Feast of Trumpets, and supports this with a quote from The Companion Bible:

“[Christ’s] birth took place on . . . September 29. An overwhelmingly strong argument in favour of the correctness of this view lies in the fact that the date of “the Festival of Michael and All Angels” has been from the very early times the 29th of September on Gentile (Western) reckoning. But “the Church” even then had lost sight of the reason why this date rather than any other in the Calendar should be so indissolubly associated with the Great Angelic Festival.”

Bro. Rutherford’s note on this is also of interest: “. . . The Companion Bible applies this on a wrong year and a wrong Hebrew date and feast (Tabernacles) but on a Julian date (Sept. 29) that turns out right. It is more impressive of course when applied to the true Hebrew dating (Feast of Trumpets).” (Pg. 337)

Whether September 29 is the right date or not, it is reassuring that both views of the priestly rotation indicate a late September or early October birth of Jesus.

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