Henry H. Halley - An Illustrated Introduction to Jesuss Life and Ministry: A Zondervan Digital Short

Placing Jesus birth several years B.C., Before Christ, is not the result of critical scholarship trying to undermine the reliability of the Bible. Rather, it is the result of a mathematical error made by a monk some 1,500 years ago.

Jesus was born when the Jewish nation was part of the Roman Empire, and in the empire, years were counted from the founding of the city of Rome. But when the Roman Empire fell and Christianity became the universal religion in what had once been the Roman Empire, a monk named Dionysius Exiguus, at the request of Emperor Justinian, made a new calendar in A.D. 526. This calendar was to replace the Roman calendar, and it counted years from the birth of Christ.

The new calendar divided history into the years before Christ (B.C.) and after the birth of Christ (A.D., which stands for Anno Domini, in the year of [our] Lord).

However, long after the Christian calendar had replaced the Roman calendar, it was discovered that Dionysius had made a mistake. He had placed the birth of Jesus in 753 AUC (Ab Urbe Condita, From the founding of the city [of Rome]). He should have placed it a few years earlier, in about 749 or even 747 AUC.

Jesus birthday is now celebrated on December 25, but there is nothing in the Bible to support that particular date. It first appears as the date of Jesus birthday in the 4th century, in the Western church. In the Eastern church the date is January 6, which is celebrated as Epiphany in the Western church.

December 25 as the date to celebrate the birth of Jesus goes back to at least the 4th century, although the reasons for the choice of this date are obscure. In some countries (such as Britain), Christmas replaced an existing, pre-Christian festival.

• Matthew 3:14:11
• Mark 1:113
• Luke 3:14:13
• John 1:642
  

This is a brief but important period in Jesus life. John the Baptist was the one who prepared the way for the expected Messiah, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah. He set the stage for Jesus ministry by preaching the need for repentance in the face of the coming of the kingdom of God. He helped focus the expectation of the nation so that when Jesus began His ministry, the people were prepared.

Jesus insisted on being baptized by JohnHe gave His endorsement to Johns ministry, and God in turn gave Jesus His endorsement: This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).

Jesus then went into the wilderness for 40 days and was tempted by Satan three timesand each time Jesus appealed to Gods Word: It is written (Matthew 4:4, 6, 10; Luke 4:4, 8, 10).