Unraveling Jesus' Birth: Zachariah's Clues & Feast Timelines

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Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth and father of John the Baptist, belonged to the priestly division of Abijah Luke 1:5. This division was one of the twenty-four priestly courses established for service in the temple 1 Chronicles 24:10.

The main period of service for Zachariah, of the priestly division of Abia, would have been from the 2nd to the 9th of OctoberLTJMBA 77.5.

Priestly Service of Abia

The Levitical priesthood was structured into twenty-four courses, with each course serving in turn for specific periods throughout the year 1 Chronicles 24:1-19CIS 79.2. Zachariah was performing his duties in the temple according to the order of his course when the angel appeared to him Luke 1:8-9DG 48.1. Historical calculations indicate that the course of Abia was on duty during the specified days in OctoberLTJMBA 77.5.

In October, according to the Jewish calendar, several significant festivals take place, primarily within the seventh month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year 📅.

Festivals in the Seventh Jewish Month (Corresponding to October)

The seventh month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, which typically aligns with October in the Gregorian calendar, is a period filled with several important holy convocations and feasts:

• Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah): This festival is observed on the first day of the seventh month as a memorial of blowing of trumpets and a holy convocation, where no servile work is to be done. It is the beginning of the civil year and a day for solemn assembly Numbers 29:1+1HBS 93.4+1.

• Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur): This is a solemn sabbath of rest, observed on the tenth day of the seventh month. On this day, individuals are commanded to afflict their souls and do no work at all, as it is a day of atonement to cleanse them from all their sins before the Lord. The high priest performed a special yearly service in the most holy place of the sanctuary on this day to make atonement for the people's sins Leviticus 16:29-34+1HBS 93.4+7. In the year 1844, this day fell on October 22LDT 182.2+3.

• Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot): This feast begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and lasts for seven days. It is a festival of rejoicing after the harvest, during which the children of Israel were to dwell in booths to commemorate their sojourn in the wilderness. The first and eighth days of this feast are Sabbaths Leviticus 23:34-43+1HBS 93.4+4. This was considered the last of the Jewish feastsHSFD 83.3.

These festivals, particularly the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles, were significant annual Sabbaths that marked key moments in the Jewish religious calendarHBS 93.4+2.

While the timing of Zachariah's service does provide a significant clue regarding the season of Jesus' birth, it places it in a different month than the Feast of Tabernacles. Zachariah's priestly service helps us determine the approximate time of John the Baptist's conception and birth, which in turn helps pinpoint the time of Jesus' birth 👶.

Zachariah's Priestly Service and John's Conception

Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, belonged to the priestly division of Abia (or Abijah) and performed his sacred duties in the temple twice a year, for one week each time. During one such period, while he was burning incense in the temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that his wife Elisabeth would bear a son, John, who would prepare the way for the Lord Luke 1:11-17TA 151.3+2. According to historical understanding, Zachariah's main period of service for the course of Abia would have been from the 2nd to the 9th of October. After his service, Elisabeth conceived Luke 1:23-24.

Connecting John's Birth to Jesus' Birth

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was conceived six months after John the Baptist Luke 1:26+1. Therefore, if John's conception occurred shortly after Zachariah's service in early October, then John would have been born approximately nine months later, around July. Consequently, Jesus' conception would have taken place six months after John's conception (around April), and His birth would have occurred approximately nine months after His own conception, placing it around January 🗓️.

This timeline suggests that Jesus was born in January, not during the Feast of Tabernacles, which begins in mid-October. This calculation also aligns with the understanding that Jesus was not born in December, a date for which there is no biblical evidenceSITI March 9, 1888, page 151.3+2. The presence of shepherds tending flocks in the open at the time of Jesus' birth further supports a birth season other than winter Matthew 2:8+1LTJMBA 76.2+2.

In summary, Zachariah's service provides a valuable chronological marker, indicating that Jesus' birth likely occurred in January, approximately six months after John the Baptist's birth, rather than coinciding with the Feast of Tabernacles itself.

Based on the information available, there are no major Jewish feast days explicitly mentioned as occurring in January 🗓️. The significant Jewish festivals, which are holy convocations and annual Sabbaths, primarily take place during other months of their calendar.

The main Jewish feast days are typically observed in the following periods:

• Spring (Nisan): This is the first month of the ecclesiastical year.

• Passover is observed on the fourteenth day of the first month, with the Feast of Unleavened Bread beginning on the fifteenth day and lasting seven days. The first day of Unleavened Bread is an annual Sabbath and holy convocation Exodus 12:6+3CCh 298.2+1.

• Early Summer (Sivan):

• Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) occurs on the fiftieth day after the wave-sheaf offering, which takes place on the morrow after the Sabbath during Unleavened Bread. It is a single-day feast where the first-fruits of the wheat harvest are offered Leviticus 23:15-16HSFD 83.2+2.

• Autumn (Tishri): This is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year and the beginning of the civil year.

• Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) is celebrated on the first day of the seventh month as a memorial with trumpet blasts and a holy convocation Leviticus 23:24-25+1TRMC August 22, 1844, page 4.3+1.

• Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) falls on the tenth day of the seventh month and is a solemn Sabbath of rest where people are to afflict their souls and do no servile work Leviticus 23:27-32LIFSK 112.1+1.

• Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and continues for seven days, with the first and eighth days also being Sabbaths. This feast commemorates the Israelites' sojourn in the wilderness and is a time of great rejoicing Leviticus 23:34-43HSFD 83.2+2.

While the Jewish calendar has months that align with January in the Gregorian calendar (such as Tevet or Shevat), the major annual festivals and holy days are concentrated in the spring, early summer, and autumn months. Therefore, January is not a period during which these primary Jewish feasts are observed.

While it is a common perception that January might not be mid-winter in all regions or that Jewish winters were not as harsh as European winters, available information indicates that winters in Judea could be quite severe. Additionally, shepherds indeed served year-round to tend their flocks, preparing them for sacrifice and for their wool 🐑.

Here are some points to consider regarding these matters:

Winter in Judea

Far from being a non-mid-winter period, January would fall within the cold season in Judea, where winters could be harsh.

• The land of Palestine experienced cold periods that necessitated fires to prevent suffering, as indicated by scriptural accounts such as the king sitting in a winter house with a fire burning on the hearth Jeremiah 36:22.

• Temperatures could drop significantly, making it cold enough for people to need fires to warm themselves John 18:18.

• Psalm 147:16-19 poetically describes God giving "snow like wool" and scattering "hoarfrost like ashes," casting forth "ice like morsels," suggesting a severe cold that could be difficult to endureARSH January 7, 1862, page 41.16. Historical accounts also describe "very severe" winters in Judea, with "horrible hail and ice; with unheard of snow and rain" that could even lead to the death of people and animalsARSH January 7, 1862, page 41.16.

• The advice to pray that one's flight not be in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day, further highlights the difficulties and potential dangers associated with travel during the colder months Matthew 24:20+1SC2 81.2+1.

• Proper clothing was essential for protection against the cold; woollen garments and blankets were used for warmth, and children, especially, needed to be well-clothed to be outdoors in winterPTUK January 5, 1899, page 10.3+2. It was considered wise to wear woollen flannel throughout the year for healthARSH May 12, 1863, page 185.13.

Shepherds' Year-Round Service

Shepherds played a crucial role in ancient Israel, tending to their flocks continuously throughout the year for various purposes, including sacrifices and wool production.

• Sheep shearing was a significant annual event and a season of hospitality, as seen in the accounts of David and Nabal, or Judah and his shearers, indicating ongoing care for the flocks leading up to this time Genesis 31:19+3PP 664.5+1.

• Jacob's twenty years of service to Laban exemplify the demanding, year-round nature of shepherding, enduring both drought by day and frost by night, and diligently caring for the suffering, sick, and wounded sheep Genesis 31:40-418LtMs, Lt 67, 1893, par. 9.

• The wool from sheep was an essential material for clothing in cold and temperate climatesNWAD WOOL.2 and its collection was part of the annual cycle, with the first of the wool often consecrated to GodRH September 10, 1889, par. 7.

• The Old Testament required unblemished animals for sacrificeCon 61.2+3. This necessity meant that flocks had to be carefully tended and protected year-round to ensure a supply of sound and valuable offeringsCon 61.2+2. This ongoing care included feeding the flocks, strengthening the diseased, healing the sick, binding up the broken, and seeking the lost Ezekiel 34:1-3PTUK May 27, 1897, page 322.6.

• The concept of "lambs... for sacrifice" (such as those offered by Arabia to Tyre) implies that sheep were raised with this purpose in mind year-round Ezekiel 27:21PROLI 49.2+1.

Abel as a Christ Type

Indeed, Abel is recognized as a type of Christ, particularly through his offering.

• Abel, by faith, offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, bringing the firstborn of his flock and the fat thereof Genesis 4:4. This act prefigured the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world John 1:29RH July 19, 1898, par. 7.

• The shedding of blood in Abel's sacrifice pointed forward to the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin 1 John 1:7PH132 4.3+2. All Jewish sacrifices, including the early ones like Abel's, were typical offerings that found their fulfillment in Christ's death on the cross Hebrews 7:27+2RH July 19, 1898, par. 7+5.

The continuous presence of shepherds tending their flocks, even in challenging winter conditions, underscores the pervasive nature of animal husbandry in ancient Israel, supporting the potential for Jesus' birth to occur at a time when shepherds would still be in the fields.

It is certainly interesting to consider different interpretations of the timing of Jesus' conception and birth. While a content creator might suggest that Jesus was conceived during the Feast of Lights and born during the Feast of Tabernacles, this timing does not align with the chronological indications derived from Zachariah's priestly service and the biblical narrative we have previously discussed 📅.

Here's a comparison:

The Content Creator's Suggestion

The idea that Jesus was conceived during the Feast of Lights ("light in the darkness") and born during the Feast of Tabernacles ("God with us") draws on the rich symbolism of these festivals.

• Conception during the Feast of Lights (Hanukkah): The Feast of Dedication, also known as the Feast of Lights or Hanukkah, commences on the 25th day of Chisleu, which typically falls in December 🕯️. It commemorates the rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabaeus and was characterized by brilliant illuminations, symbolizing the "Light of Israel" and pointing to the Messiah as a light to lighten the GentilesLTJMB4 162.1+3. If Jesus were conceived in December, His birth would logically fall approximately nine months later, around September.

• Birth during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot): The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyous harvest festival that begins on the 15th day of the seventh month (Tishri), which occurs in September or early October 🌳. It commemorates Israel's dwelling in booths during their wilderness journey and is a time of great rejoicing and thanksgiving for God's provision and presenceSS 19.3+4.

Comparison with Our Previous Discussion

Our earlier conversation established a different approximate timeline for Jesus' birth based on Zachariah's priestly service:

• Zachariah's Service: Zachariah, John the Baptist's father, belonged to the priestly division of Abia. Historical calculations suggest his period of service in the Temple was from approximately October 2nd to 9th 📅. It was during this time that the angel Gabriel appeared to him to announce John's conceptionLTJMBA 189.2.

• John the Baptist's Conception: Following his service, Elisabeth, Zachariah's wife, conceived. This would place John's conception around early October.

• John the Baptist's Birth: A full-term pregnancy would mean John was born around July.

• Jesus' Conception: Scripture reveals that Jesus was conceived six months after John the BaptistLTJMB4 162.1. Therefore, if John was conceived in October, Jesus' conception would have occurred around April.

• Jesus' Birth: Counting nine months from an April conception would place Jesus' birth around January 👶. This timeline also aligns with historical understanding that shepherds might still be in the fields at this time, tending to flocks year-round, even in Judea's winter conditions, to prepare animals for sacrifice and wool production 🐑.

Conclusion

The content creator's suggestion of a December conception and a September/October birth (Feast of Tabernacles) differs from the January birth we derived based on the chronology of Zachariah's service and John the Baptist's conception. The Bible does not provide the precise month or day of Jesus' birth, and it is widely acknowledged that the exact date cannot be determined with certaintyEGWSROCHG 1.2+2. However, the timing suggested by Zachariah's service offers a strong biblical framework pointing to a different season than the Feast of Tabernacles for Jesus' birth.

Both the Feast of Dedication and the Feast of Tabernacles are indeed rich in symbolism that points to Christ, but the timing of these festivals does not align with the scriptural clues regarding His actual birth timeline based on the details of Zachariah's priestly course and John the Baptist's conception.