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jusr 6 monrhs younger rhan John rhe
Baprisr (Luke 1:26-27,
36).
And, by
adding this six monrhs ro rhe rime of
John's birth (rhe 1st of Nisan), we
come ro abour rhe 1st of Tishri or
near mid-September for the birth of
Christ. So again, we arrive at an
eariy
autumn birth for Christ.
So Chrisr was
not born in the wincer after all.
Other Substantiating Information
There are many orher evidences
which show Christ's early aurumn
birth. For one, we are rold rhar
Joseph and Mary wenr
ro
Bethlehem
ro be raxed (Luke 2:1-5). At first
sighr we might think that chis may
have been rhe only reason for rheir
journey from Galilee ro Bethlehem.
Such, however, was nor rhe case. For
if the journey were for taxation pur–
poses alone,
oniy
Joseph, rhe head of
rhe house, would have been required
by law ro go. There were absolutely
no Roman or Jewish laws which
required Mary's presence. Bur yer,
Mary wenr with Joseph. This facr
alone has puzzled commentators for
cencuries. Why was Mary rhere?
The facr is, this taxarion was
coincidenr wi
th
che end of the agri–
cultura! year in Palesrine - thar is, in
the early aurumn jusr before rhe Feast
of Tabernacles. Ir was cusromary ro
pay Cllxes on agriculrural produces ar
rhe end of rhe civil year - at che end
of rhe harvesc. For example, rhe Law
of God commanded that rhe tithes of
agricultura! produces should be paid
year by year (Deut. 14:22). The civil
year for tirhes and raxes was reckoned
from early aurumn ro early autumn.
Even the Jews coday adhere to this
method of reckoning the ending of
che civil years. And also in ancient
Judaea, the agricultura! or civil year
ended and began on che first of Tishri
(Hebrew calendar) - in early
autumn.
Sorne, however, assume rhar while
all this was very true among the J ews,
this particular taxarion was decreed
by Augusrus Caesar, rhe Roman
Emperor (Luke 2:1). Thus, rhey con–
elude, ir musr have been conducred in
18
the
Roman manner and nor depen–
denr upon Jewish laws. This assump–
tion is not consisrenc wirh rhe faces of
history. At rhe rime of rhis raxing,
Judaea was a mere "prorecrorare" of
Rome. The Romans did nor exacr
direcr raxes from rhe people during
rhis early period. They were receiving
tribute from Herod, but che Romans
allowed Herod to garher the raxes as
he saw fic. And, ir is plainly known
rhar Herod was endeavoring ro fol–
low the cusromary laws of rhe Jews.
Even che mosr critica! of scholars
hold rhar this particular caxation,
which che Bible indicares as occurring
in
4 B.C.,
was conducred purely in
che Jewish manner
(Encychpaedia Bib–
iica,
cols. 3994-3996). This is, then, a
plain indication thar rhe raxacion was
very near che lsr of Tishri (rhe early
aurumn) - rhe ending of che civil
year in Palestine when such rhings
were common.
This, again, shows an early aucumn
birrh for Chrisr.
Why
"No Room at the Ion"?
Many people have wondered why
there was such a large crowd of
people in Berhlehem at che time of
Chrisr's birrh. Of course, rhere was
rhe raxacion ar rhe rime (Luke 2:1),
but
it
never was cusromary for many
people ro crowd a rown and stay
chere for a period of time jusr for
taxarion purposes. And, as already
mentioned, why did Mary journey ro
the south with Joscph when rhere was
no Roman or J ewish law which com–
manded her presence at such a place
of raxation?
The reason rhese hisrorical indica–
tions are "difficulties" ro many Bibli–
cal commenrators and seem ro be
beyond explanation is because most
people fail to realize rhc true time of
year all thesc things took place.
Actually, Joseph and Mary had
gone ro Berhlehem just at the end of
theJewish
civil
year. They would have
beco there at just thc beginning of
the Hebrew seventh monrh of Tishri.
During rhis particular monrh, Jerusa–
lem and all the immediare towns were
filled with people who had come ro
observe rhe Holy Days in this seventh
monrh: the Feast of Trumpets, the
Day of Atonemenr, and the Feast of
Tabernacles.
Bethlchcm was one of che towns
right near Jerusalem (about 5 miles
sourh) and was considered in rhe "fes.
rival arca" ofJerusalem. (See
Talmud,
Shekalim,
vii, 4.) When people carne
ro keep che ordained Holy Days of
God, Bcthlehem became filled with
people. Josephus, the Jewish histo–
rian, mentions thar
it
was cusromary
for over
2
million Jews ro go to
Jerusalcm for Passover (one of rhe
Holy Days). (See
Wars,
vi, 9, 3.) Nor–
mally, Jerusalem was a ciry of only
120,000 inhabitanrs. You can imagine
whar these 2 million people would do
ro
the housing siruarion in Jerusalem
and tbe surrounding towns. No won–
der, then, that in Bethlehem rhere
was no room in the ion (Luke 2:7).
The rime Jesus was boro was at a
season when Bechlehem was lil led
with peoplc coming ro observe rhe
Holy Days at Jerusalem.
And, no wonder that we find Mary
along wirh Joseph. Ir was customary
for Joseph and Mary (and larer their
family)
ro
go ro Jerusalem for the
Holy Festivals (Luke 2:41; John 7:1-
10). And since early aurumn time was
the beginning of the civil year in
Judaea, a normal year-end taxarion by
Herod was also associared with chis
period. Joseph did not wanr ro leavc
his wife home alone since he had ro
go ro pay raxes and then observe rhe
Feast.
What Was the Ion?
Ir is also interesting ro note thar
the "inn" in which Joseph and Mary
were to stay was not an ordinary cara–
van hotel. This word
in
rhe Greek is
used only rwo other times in rhe
Bible - Mark 14:14 and Luke 22:ll.
In both placcs it refers exclusively ro
remporary "guestchambers" which
housed peoplc in Jerusalem during
che festival periods. And, since Berh–
lehem was one of the "overAow"
towns which housed many of rhc
PLAIN TRUTH September-October 1972