{"id":52347,"date":"2025-12-27T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?p=52347"},"modified":"2025-12-29T09:37:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T14:37:02","slug":"when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/","title":{"rendered":"When Was Jesus Born\u2014B.C. or A.D.?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_52360\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2017\/11\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus.jpg.avif\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus.jpg&quot;}\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-52360\" class=\"wp-image-52360 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2017\/11\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus.jpg.avif\" alt=\"mariotto-albertinelli-jesus\" width=\"400\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2017\/11\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus.jpg.avif 600w, https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2017\/11\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus-300x164.jpg.avif 300w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/328;\" data-original-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" data-smush-avif-fallback=\"{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus.jpg&quot;,&quot;data-srcset&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus.jpg 600w, https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus-300x164.jpg 300w&quot;}\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-52360\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>When was Jesus born?<\/strong> This predella panel from an altarpiece by Mariotto Albertinelli (1474\u20131515) depicts the newborn baby Jesus flanked by Joseph and Mary. In which year was Jesus born\u2014B.C. or A.D.? The evidence suggests he was born in 4 B.C. or before. <em>Photo: John G. Johnson Collection, 1917, courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p>In which year was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/did-jesus-exist\/\">Jesus<\/a> born?<\/p>\n<p>While this is sometimes debated, the majority of New Testament scholars place Jesus\u2019 birth in 4 B.C. or before. This is because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/herods-death-jesus-birth-and-a-lunar-eclipse\/\">most date the death of King Herod the Great to 4 B.C.<\/a> Since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/people-in-the-bible\/herod-the-great-herodian-family-tree\/\">Herod<\/a> played a major role in the narrative of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/new-testament\/where-was-jesus-born\/\">Jesus\u2019 birth<\/a> (see Matthew 2), Jesus would have had to be born before Herod died.<\/p>\n<p>This begs the question: How could Jesus have been born in B.C.\u2014\u201cbefore Christ\u201d?<\/p>\n<p>The terms B.C. and A.D. stand for \u201cbefore Christ\u201d and \u201c<em>anno Domini<\/em>,\u201d which means \u201cin the year of the Lord.\u201d These terms are used to mark years in the Gregorian and Julian calendars\u2014with the birth of Jesus as the event that divides history. In theory, all the years before Jesus\u2019 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.<\/p>\n<p>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?<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n\n\t\t<div id=\"mailing_list_ebook_page\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class='gravity_form_mailing_list'>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"downloadFormSec esolshortwrap\">\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-3 col-sm-3 mb-4 mb-md-0\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img data-src='https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/smush-avif\/2019\/03\/the-first-christmas-cover-new-e1585324283562.jpg.avif' class='esolsetnewimg smush-dimensions lazyload' width='130' style='--smush-image-width: 130px; --smush-image-aspect-ratio: 130\/168;' src='data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==' data-smush-avif-fallback='{&quot;data-src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/the-first-christmas-cover-new-e1585324283562.jpg&quot;}'>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-9 col-sm-9\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-sm-12\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>FREE ebook: <strong>The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus\u2019 Birth in History and Tradition<\/strong>. Download now.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\nvar gform;gform||(document.addEventListener(\"gform_main_scripts_loaded\",function(){gform.scriptsLoaded=!0}),document.addEventListener(\"gform\/theme\/scripts_loaded\",function(){gform.themeScriptsLoaded=!0}),window.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){gform.domLoaded=!0}),gform={domLoaded:!1,scriptsLoaded:!1,themeScriptsLoaded:!1,isFormEditor:()=>\"function\"==typeof InitializeEditor,callIfLoaded:function(o){return!(!gform.domLoaded||!gform.scriptsLoaded||!gform.themeScriptsLoaded&&!gform.isFormEditor()||(gform.isFormEditor()&&console.warn(\"The use of gform.initializeOnLoaded() is deprecated in the form editor context and will be removed in Gravity Forms 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*\/\n<\/script>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t<!-- download link -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div id=\"eBook_download_link\" name=\"eBook_download_link\">\n\n\t\t\t<button onclick=\"location.href='https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/the_first_christmas_the_story_of_jesus_birth_in_history_and_tradition.pdf'\">DOWNLOAD EBOOK<\/button>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<hr \/>\n<p>Ben Witherington III of Asbury Theological Seminary examines the calendar division in his Biblical Views column <strong>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/department\/biblical-views-the-turn-of-the-christian-era-the-tale-of-dionysius-exiguus\/\">The Turn of the Christian Era: The Tale of Dionysius Exiguus<\/a>,\u201d<\/strong> published in the November\/December 2017 issue of <em>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/em>. 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):<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>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 \u201cAnno Domini\u201d calculations that were used to number the years of both the Gregorian and the adjusted Julian calendars.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>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 \u201c525 years after \u2018the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ\u2019\u201d\u2014meaning 525 years after Jesus\u2019 birth, that is, 525 A.D. Because of Dionysius\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s date in his work Ecclesiastical History of the English People.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about when Jesus was born and Dionysius Exiguus\u2019s calculations for B.C. and A.D. in Ben Witherington III\u2019s Biblical Views column <strong>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/department\/biblical-views-the-turn-of-the-christian-era-the-tale-of-dionysius-exiguus\/\">The Turn of the Christian Era: The Tale of Dionysius Exiguus<\/a>\u201d<\/strong> in the November\/December 2017 issue of <em>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"width:33%\"\/>\n<p><strong>Subscribers:<\/strong> Read the full Biblical Views column <strong>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/department\/biblical-views-the-turn-of-the-christian-era-the-tale-of-dionysius-exiguus\/\">The Turn of the Christian Era: The Tale of Dionysius Exiguus<\/a>\u201d<\/strong> by Ben Witherington III in the <a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/issue\/november-december-2017\/\">November\/December 2017 issue of <em>Biblical Archaeology Review<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Not a <em>BAS<\/em> Library or All-Access Member yet? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/subscribe-new\/?utm_term=W26009B0\">Join today.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><small><em>This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on November 29, 2017.<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4 style=\"margin-bottom: 1em;\">Related reading in <em>Bible History Daily<\/em><\/h4>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"uX5ZcgMRHX\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/herods-death-jesus-birth-and-a-lunar-eclipse\/\">Herod\u2019s Death, Jesus\u2019 Birth and a Lunar Eclipse<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Herod\u2019s Death, Jesus\u2019 Birth and a Lunar Eclipse&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/herods-death-jesus-birth-and-a-lunar-eclipse\/embed\/#?secret=dMxLllEg3i#?secret=uX5ZcgMRHX\" data-secret=\"uX5ZcgMRHX\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7CKRnJeCda\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/did-jesus-exist\/\">Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/did-jesus-exist\/embed\/#?secret=JqXIUk7YCW#?secret=7CKRnJeCda\" data-secret=\"7CKRnJeCda\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"nbIulceEaJ\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/how-december-25-became-christmas\/\">How December 25 Became Christmas<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;How December 25 Became Christmas&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/how-december-25-became-christmas\/embed\/#?secret=7KtBArlBYw#?secret=nbIulceEaJ\" data-secret=\"nbIulceEaJ\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"jiRaFlkJQ0\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/bible-interpretation\/christmas-stories-in-christian-apocrypha\/\">Christmas Stories in Christian Apocrypha<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Christmas Stories in Christian Apocrypha&#8221; &#8212; Biblical Archaeology Society\" src=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-topics\/bible-interpretation\/christmas-stories-in-christian-apocrypha\/embed\/#?secret=K4VEcavv4Y#?secret=jiRaFlkJQ0\" data-secret=\"jiRaFlkJQ0\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"margin: 2em 0;\">All-Access members, read more in the <em>BAS Library<\/em><\/h4>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Twy5TAfgoh\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/o-little-town-ofnazareth\/\">O Little Town of\u2026Nazareth?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;O Little Town of\u2026Nazareth?&#8221; &#8212; The BAS Library\" src=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/o-little-town-ofnazareth\/embed\/#?secret=ygn5rHyoAp#?secret=Twy5TAfgoh\" data-secret=\"Twy5TAfgoh\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"WgQzxjaKbj\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/the-infancy-narratives-in-matthew-and-luke-of-history-theology-and-literature\/\">The Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke\u2014Of History, Theology and Literature<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;The Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke\u2014Of History, Theology and Literature&#8221; &#8212; The BAS Library\" src=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/the-infancy-narratives-in-matthew-and-luke-of-history-theology-and-literature\/embed\/#?secret=5TIs1K8etU#?secret=WgQzxjaKbj\" data-secret=\"WgQzxjaKbj\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"FOG0Sv5I7F\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/how-early-christians-viewed-the-birth-of-jesus\/\">How Early Christians Viewed the Birth of Jesus<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;How Early Christians Viewed the Birth of Jesus&#8221; &#8212; The BAS Library\" src=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/how-early-christians-viewed-the-birth-of-jesus\/embed\/#?secret=TqyUQPQ15M#?secret=FOG0Sv5I7F\" data-secret=\"FOG0Sv5I7F\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Heo3YkDI2W\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/different-ways-of-looking-at-the-birth-of-jesus\/\">Different Ways of Looking at the Birth of Jesus<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Different Ways of Looking at the Birth of Jesus&#8221; &#8212; The BAS Library\" src=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/different-ways-of-looking-at-the-birth-of-jesus\/embed\/#?secret=Aq43mN7cNr#?secret=Heo3YkDI2W\" data-secret=\"Heo3YkDI2W\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"wK207jfd9s\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/part-i\/\">Part I<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Part I&#8221; &#8212; The BAS Library\" src=\"https:\/\/library.biblicalarchaeology.org\/article\/part-i\/embed\/#?secret=Du2FgE5EQh#?secret=wK207jfd9s\" data-secret=\"wK207jfd9s\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\" margin: 2em 0;\">\n<p><strong>Not a <em>BAS<\/em> Library or All-Access Member yet? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/subscribe-new\/?utm_term=W26009B0\">Join today.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In which year was Jesus born? While this is sometimes debated, the majority of New Testament scholars place Jesus\u2019 birth in 4 B.C. or before. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":60159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[393,16327],"tags":[1080,40,1572,1594,42,43,44,12,2637,3011,3555,3835,3959,3987,231,5042,5045,5327,5328,140,5751,141,233,6259,13,7145,7146,235,221,7340,7621,7622,7924,348,8112,359,124,125,9274,151,238,11937,12446,12549,241,12625,242,243,244,13137,14992,15026,247,362,16037],"class_list":["post-52347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jesus-historical-jesus","category-post-biblical-period","tag-andrew","tag-archaeology-review","tag-bas-library","tag-ben-witherington-iii","tag-bible-history","tag-bible-history-daily","tag-bible-review","tag-biblical-archaeology-review","tag-birth-of-jesus","tag-christian-apocrypha","tag-date-of-jesus-birth","tag-death-of-king-herod","tag-did-jesus","tag-did-jesus-exist","tag-first-christmas","tag-frankincense","tag-frankincense-and-myrrh","tag-gold-frankincense","tag-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh","tag-herod","tag-herod-died","tag-herod-the-great","tag-history-of-christmas","tag-how-december-25-became-christmas","tag-jesus","tag-jesus-biological-father","tag-jesus-birth","tag-jesus-born","tag-jesus-christ","tag-jesus-exist","tag-jesus-was-born","tag-jesus-was-born-in","tag-joseph-and-mary","tag-king-herod","tag-king-herod-the-great","tag-lawrence-mykytiuk","tag-mary","tag-matthew","tag-myrrh","tag-new-testament","tag-story-of-jesus","tag-story-of-jesus-birth","tag-the-birth-of-jesus","tag-the-date-of-jesus-birth","tag-the-first-christmas","tag-the-first-christmas-the-story-of-jesus-birth-in-history-and-tradition","tag-the-history-of-christmas","tag-the-magi","tag-the-story-of-jesus","tag-the-story-of-jesus-birth","tag-when-jesus-was-born","tag-when-was-jesus-born","tag-where-was-jesus-born","tag-who-was-jesus","tag-why-did-the-magi-bring-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh"],"acf":[],"nelio_content":{"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"efiAlt":"","efiUrl":"","followers":[20],"highlights":[],"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"networkImageIds":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[],"series":[],"suggestedReferences":[]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When Was Jesus Born\u2014B.C. or A.D.? - Biblical Archaeology Society<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New Testament scholars place Jesus\u2019 birth in 4 B.C. or before. 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While this is sometimes debated, the majority of New Testament scholars place Jesus\u2019 birth in 4 B.C. or before.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Biblical Archaeology Society\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BibArch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-27T12:00:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-29T14:37:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus-sq.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"201\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Megan Sauter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BibArch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BibArch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Megan Sauter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Megan Sauter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#\/schema\/person\/39a6aa859242f7de8145e1e86492f9fd\"},\"headline\":\"When Was Jesus Born\u2014B.C. or A.D.?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-27T12:00:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-29T14:37:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/\"},\"wordCount\":736,\"commentCount\":46,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/mariotto-albertinelli-jesus-sq.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"andrew\",\"archaeology review\",\"bas library\",\"ben witherington iii\",\"bible history\",\"bible history daily\",\"bible review\",\"Biblical Archaeology Review\",\"birth of jesus\",\"christian apocrypha\",\"date of jesus birth\",\"death of king herod\",\"did jesus\",\"did jesus exist\",\"first christmas\",\"frankincense\",\"frankincense and myrrh\",\"gold frankincense\",\"gold frankincense and myrrh\",\"herod\",\"herod died\",\"herod the great\",\"history of christmas\",\"how december 25 became christmas\",\"Jesus\",\"jesus biological father\",\"jesus birth\",\"jesus born\",\"jesus christ\",\"jesus exist\",\"jesus was born\",\"jesus was born in\",\"joseph and mary\",\"king herod\",\"king herod the great\",\"lawrence mykytiuk\",\"mary\",\"matthew\",\"myrrh\",\"New Testament\",\"story of jesus\",\"story of jesus birth\",\"the birth of jesus\",\"the date of jesus birth\",\"the first christmas\",\"The First Christmas: The Story of Jesus' Birth in History and Tradition\",\"the history of christmas\",\"the magi\",\"the story of jesus\",\"the story of jesus birth\",\"when jesus was born\",\"when was jesus born\",\"where was jesus born\",\"who was jesus\",\"why did the magi bring gold frankincense and myrrh\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Jesus\/Historical Jesus\",\"Post-Biblical Period\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/jesus-historical-jesus\/when-was-jesus-born-bc-or-ad\/\",\"name\":\"When Was Jesus Born\u2014B.C. or A.D.? 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