How Many Years Have Passed Since the Nativity of Christ?

The modern calendar, used almost universally, begins with the Nativity of Christ. But was Christ truly born two thousand years ago, as this system suggests? Or is this date merely a convention?

The answer is both straightforward and perhaps surprising: while the date of the Nativity is not conventional, the commonly accepted year of Christ’s birth is not entirely accurate. In fact, historical evidence suggests that Christ was born approximately 5 or 6 years earlier than the year traditionally marked as His birth.

This conclusion rests on two significant historical facts:

1. The death of King Herod the Great.
   According to the Gospel of Matthew, Christ was born during the reign of Herod, who sought to destroy Him by ordering the massacre of all male infants in Bethlehem and its vicinity, two years old and under (Matthew 2:16). Most historians, drawing on sources such as the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, place Herod’s death in 4 B.C. (or 750 years from the foundation of Rome). This suggests that Christ’s birth must have occurred shortly before this date.
2. The Gospel account of Christ’s age at the start of His ministry.
   The Gospel of Luke provides another key detail: Jesus began His ministry after John the Baptist, who commenced preaching in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1). Tiberius began his rule in A.D. 13, initially as co-emperor with Augustus, before assuming sole authority in A.D. 14. This places John’s ministry around A.D. 28-29, and Christ’s shortly thereafter. Luke also notes that Jesus was “about thirty years old” at the time (Luke 3:23).

Combining these accounts, we see that Christ’s birth must have occurred in 5 or 6 B.C., a year or two before Herod’s death. This timeline reconciles the Gospel narratives of Matthew and Luke and aligns with historical records.

Could Herod have ordered the massacre of the infants in Bethlehem long before his death? Theoretically, this is possible, but it does not align with Luke’s account, which places Christ’s ministry in a clearly defined historical framework. Thus, the most plausible conclusion is that Christ was born in the final years of Herod’s reign, fulfilling the prophetic and historical context of the Gospel accounts.

Could Christ Have Been Born in 7 B.C.?

Some have suggested that the Saviour could have been born in 7 B.C., a year marked by a notable astronomical event—the rare conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, known as a “parade of planets.” This phenomenon was first proposed in the 17th century by the renowned mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler as the possible Star of Bethlehem. Kepler theorised that this extraordinary celestial event might have guided the Magi from the East to Jerusalem and, ultimately, to Bethlehem, where they found the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child.

However, this view has been widely criticised. Such a planetary conjunction, though impressive, would not have provided the consistent and precise guidance required to lead the Magi over many months. Moreover, it could not account for the phenomenon described in the Gospel, where the star moved and even appeared to stop over the place where the Child lay. St. John Chrysostom offered an alternative explanation, suggesting that the Star of Bethlehem was not a celestial object but rather a rational, angelic force acting under divine guidance.

Does This Mean We Are Using an Incorrect Calendar?

It is fair to say that the calendar we use today contains inaccuracies. The error originates from the calculations of Dionysius Exiguus, a 6th-century abbot tasked with compiling a table to determine the dates of Christian Easter for the next 95 years. Dionysius also introduced the concept of numbering years from the Nativity of Christ, rather than from the foundation of Rome or the reign of Emperor Diocletian, known for his severe persecution of Christians.

Dionysius based his calculations on Luke’s Gospel, which states that Jesus was “about thirty years old” in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign. He also relied on the established dates for the Nativity (25 December) and Easter (the first Sunday after the spring full moon) as recognised by the Church. From these, he concluded that Christ was born in the year 754 from the founding of Rome. However, his calculations were slightly off. By the time the error was discovered, the system had already gained widespread acceptance, making corrections impractical.

Correcting this calendar now would cause significant confusion. Historical dates, such as the year of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, would shift—1812 would become 1817, for instance—creating a ripple effect of disruption. Furthermore, since the precise year of Christ’s birth remains unknown, there is little justification for introducing such disorder.

Does an Inaccurate Date Undermine the Gospel?

The inexact date of Christ’s birth does not diminish the truth of the Gospel. Unlike mythical tales of gods like Osiris or Zeus, the events of the Nativity are closely tied with the historical and cultural realities of the era. The Gospel writers did not focus on establishing an exact timeline but on bearing witness to Christ’s life, teachings, Passion, and Resurrection.

“It is not dates, figures, or chronology that we believe in—these are human calculations, our earthly attempts to impose order,” explains Priest Valery Dukhanin. “We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. The spiritual essence of the Gospel is what truly matters. The evangelists aimed to convey their direct encounter with Christ—how He lived, what He taught, how He suffered for our sins, and how He rose again. This testimony, preserved in the Gospel, is paramount. While people often seek rational and precise information, such efforts inevitably involve some inaccuracies.”

Indeed, even the birthdates of many saints remain uncertain, as they often came from humble and little-documented backgrounds. For example, debates continue over the birth year of Blessed Matrona of Moscow, despite her relatively recent life and the availability of numerous testimonies.

Ultimately, a five-to-seven-year fluctuation in the date of Christ’s birth does not alter the spiritual essence of the Gospel. The Gospel is not about exact dates or numbers but about salvation, the path to overcoming sin, and becoming children of God. When one has faith in Christ and experiences the freedom and joy that the Gospel brings, questions of chronology become secondary.

Adjusting dates does not undermine faith but reflects humanity’s natural curiosity and desire for precision.

Translated by The Catalogue of Good Deeds
Source: https://foma.ru/skolko-let-proshlo-ot-rozhdestva-hristova.html