The Holy Days of God, the Holidays of Man

By Holly M. Snead

For two thousand years, the Church Universal has celebrated the life of our Lord. At Christmas, we remember and celebrate his birth in a stable in Bethlehem. We watch him grow to a young boy who sat at the feet of the Temple leaders and spoke wonders they could not understand. We continue to watch him as he started his ministry and preached to his people of the promises of God to the people of Israel. After his three years of ministry, we prepare for his suffering and death, and grieve at the foolishness of the people who could not believe. We stand at his cross and watch as his disciples who followed him fled in fear for their lives, but three days later we rejoice with the faithful women who went to the grave to grieve the loss of their Lord. To their wonder, and ours, we rejoice in his resurrection and celebrate the life he has given us through his suffering, death and resurrection. We celebrate his ascension to Heaven, with his promise that he would be with his disciples in the Presence of the Spirit, to teach and prepare them for his return.

Ten days after his Ascension, we witness and celebrate the Coming of the Spirit at Pentecost and rejoice in the birth of the Church. We hear the words of Peter and sit in wonder of all the Spirit promised. Then, suddenly, the Church stops its celebration. There is silence for six months, until in December we return to the stable in Bethlehem and start our celebration again. What have we forgotten; what do we neglect? What are we missing? Why has the celebration stopped at Pentecost? Where is the mature Church, the victorious Church. Where is the promised Return of our Lord in His Fathers Glory? Where is the Bridegroom? How much longer must the Bride wait?

Come with us as we learn the Rest of the Story and discover all we have missed because our celebrations stop at Pentecost. God calls us to celebrate the entire story, from beginning to end. He promised his faithful remnant that he would return to them and they would dwell with him in His Presence. He promised the rejoicing would have no end. Come with us as we learn and celebrate the Rest of the Story!

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A great tragedy of modern evangelical Christianity is the failure to either appreciate or to properly interpret the incredible significance of Israels Feast Days. The prophetic content of the feast days is normally given barely a summary acknowledgement and then forgotten. Holly Snead has done the Christian community a great favor in bringing to the fore not only the typological significance of Israels festal calendar, but Gods faithfulness in bringing all those feast days to final fulfillment in Christs Parousia.

What she brings to the reader is tremendous, and exciting, insight into how the NT writers applied Israel's feast days to the work of Christ. If you have never considered Israels New Moons, feast days and sabbaths as they relate to the End Times you owe it to yourself to read this book.

Whatever you do, read the Appendices! These special studies are more than worth the price of the book all by themselves.

Don K. Preston D. Div. President Preterist Research Institute www.eschatology.org

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475959666

Holly M. Snead

Holly Snead, currently working at home for husband's trucking business, has a bachelor's degree in Social Services from Erskine College, Due West, South Carolina. Writing for several years, she is eager to get her first book published. She and her husband have three sons, and one grandson, and live in Clermont, GA.

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Copyright © 2012 by Holly M. Snead.

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-5965-9 (sc)

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iUniverse rev. date: 01/22/2013

Contents

What I Believe

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Birth Of Christ

Chapter 2 The Life And Death Of Christ

Chapter 3 The Return Of Christ

Chapter 4 Destruction Of Jerusalem— The End Of The Age

Chapter 5 Celebrating The High Holy Days

Chapter 6 The Life Of Christ Fulfillment Of God’s Holy Days

Chapter 7 Remember The Sabbath. —Keep It Holy.

Chapter 8 The Kingdom Of God—The Kingdom Of Heaven

Chapter 9 A ‘Century Of Silence’

Chapter 10 The Best Is Yet To Come!

Chapter 11 Post-Exilic Holy Days

Appendix 1 God’s Feasts And Holy Days— Christ And The Bride

Appendix 2 Dating The Ministries Of John The Baptist And Jesus To The Time Of His Parousia

Appendix 3 The Return Of Elijah— The Return Of Christ

Appendix 4 The Priesthood Of Christ

Appendix 5 Signs Jesus Gave Indicating The End Of The Age.

Appendix 6 Biblical Prophecy And Historical Fulfillment

Appendix 7 The Lord’s Supper, Until He Comes

Appendix 8 The Shekinah Glory— The Abiding Presence Of God

In Conclusion

Bibliography

DEDICATION

Dedicated, in gratitude, to all who study

longing to know the truth,

live the truth and teach the truth,

and yearn to grow in knowledge.

Dedicated to the continued search for the truth,

wherever it is, whatever it is.

Dedicated especially to

the One who is the Truth,

who will teach us all, if we but listen.

The Time has come;

The Kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, believe the Good News!

WHAT I BELIEVE

I am assured that the Gospels were written by Jesus’ apostles and disciples who lived during Jesus’ life and after-death appearances. They recorded the words of those who knew Jesus and witnessed his works. They did not compose their texts from their own beliefs; they wrote what God revealed through his Spirit.

The Bible is inerrant. To understand its words, we must set aside our 21st century, western understanding and learn of the history of our faith, as revealed in Scripture, using 1st century eyes and eastern understanding.

I further believe the entire New Testament was written in the Apostolic Age, before AD 70, before the destruction of Jerusalem. If it was written post-AD 70, they would surely have recorded the destruction of their beloved city and the razing of their Temple. The New Testament gives no hint of Jerusalem’s destruction, the slaughter of a million brethren or the burning of the Very Dwelling Place of God.

The Apostle Paul died about AD 67. The Christian community understood Jesus had not returned as they had expected but this did not divert their attention from Jesus’ promised return. The Gospels and the epistles had all circulated throughout the faith communities. The infant church had grown into a mature church, prepared for their Lord’s return. Assured by their Lord, they knew he would return in their generation.

The ‘Tanakh’, Old Testament Scripture, speaks of God’s miracles which included creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Noah’s flood and Elijah ascending to heaven in a ‘chariot of fire’. The New Testament records miracles as well: the virgin birth, Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead, his resurrection and his ascension to heaven. Our mortal minds cannot verify these acts, but that does not remove them from the miraculous. We must not believe that if the eye does not see or the mind does not understand, it cannot be. We cannot understand all that is written but we must believe the miracles. Without the miracles of God’s love and redemption, we have no reason to study His Word or follow his commands.

I am assured the Tanakh was a shadow of what is revealed in the New Testament. The people in both Covenants were real; the events truly happened. We must be careful as we study Scripture. Acknowledging that Scripture interprets Scripture, we must let God’s word guide and teach us so we can know the truth of what it teaches us.

The Bible is an historic book; it does not contradict history or valid scientific study. Research constantly changes; the Bible does not change. The New Testament was written for 1st century Jewish, Greek and Roman readers. Reading the New Testament, we must understand we are reading someone else’s mail. Much of what was written was for Jewish readers who were taught by their Lord of the redemption and restoration they would know through God’s Grace, through faith, revealed in their Scriptures, through Christ, all to the Glory of God.

SOLA GRACIA—ONLY THROUGH GRACE

Titus 3:5-7   He saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy; he saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs, having hope of eternal life.

Romans 11:6   If by grace, it is no longer by works, if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 3:23-24 "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:5-6   He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given us.

Ephesians 2:5-6   It is by grace you have been saved; God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.

Hebrews 2:9   We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

SOLA FIDE—ONLY BY FAITH

Acts 15:9   He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9   It is by grace you have been saved by faith, not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast.

Act 26:18   "I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, so they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith.

Romans 3:28   Man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Romans 4:4-5   When a man works, wages are not credited to him as a gift but as an obligation; to the man who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Romans 4:16   "The promise comes by faith so it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to Abraham’s offspring, not only those who are of the law, but also those who are of the faith of Abraham.

Romans 5:1   "We have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 9:30   The Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, a righteousness by faith.

SOLA SCRIPTURA—ONLY THROUGH SCRIPTURE

John 8:31-32   If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples; you will know the truth; the truth will set you free.

Acts 17:11   The Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Hebrews 4:12 The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Psalm 119:11-12, 15-16 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you O LORD; teach me your decrees. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways; I delight in your decrees. I will not neglect your word.

Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

11 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

11 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

SOLUS CHRISTUS—ONLY BY CHRIST

John 5:39   You dilligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Luke 24:27, 44-47 Beginning with Moses and the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. He told them, This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures; he told them, This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

John 3:16-17   For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Acts 4:12   Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

SOLA DEO GLORIA—ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD

Joshua 7:19   "Give Glory to the LORD, the God of Israel; give him the praise.

Psalm 29:2   "Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God.

Ephesians 3:21   "To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.

Sola Fide Only by Faith

Sola Gracia Only by Grace

Sola Scriptura Only through Scripture

Solus Christus Only by Christ

Sola Deo Gloria Only the Glory of God

INTRODUCTION

What do we know of our religious holidays, or our Holy Days? How should we celebrate their truth? To rightly honor and celebrate our Christian holidays, we must learn of the foundation of our faith, as revealed in Hebrew Scripture. To learn the truth of our Holy Days, we must understand Israel’s Holy Days. Unfortunately we often rely on ancient scholars and latter Church beliefs that have little or nothing to do with the true time or reasons for the Holy Days we are called to honor.

Biblical study reveals Jesus’ birth was not celebrated by the early saints. In AD 313, at Constantine’s Edict of Toleration however, the Roman Empire became a ‘Christian’ Empire, and Constantine determined Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25th. By AD 354, the Roman church designated this as the date of Jesus’ birth and by AD 550 it became the legal holiday.

Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14, at Passover, the Feast where Israel recalled the sacrifice of the lamb and their Exodus from Egypt. The Apostolic faith was closely connected with its Jewish roots and Jesus did not intend for it to be otherwise. His teaching was bound to the Torah. In early Church history, Pascha, our Lord’s Crucifixion, was commemorated on Nisan 14. Eusebius believed For true biblical unity, Christ’s Church should observe our Lord’s Passion on this date. (Ch. Hist. Bk. IV c. AD 324) The Passover lamb delivered Israel from slavery and death in Egypt; Christ’s death at Passover delivered us from slavery to sin-death.

Jesus’ Resurrection was originally celebrated at First Fruits, the day following the Passover Sabbath. The Apostolic celebration of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, fulfillments of Israel’s Passover Convocations, were celebrated as the Christian Passover, Pascha, through Jerusalem’s first fifteen Jewish bishops, faithful believers, worthy to judge on such matters. Epistles were sent out so Jesus’ followers could celebrate as Torah commanded.

At the Bar Kochba revolt in AD 135, anti-Jewish sentiment began to invade the Church. Hadrian had all Jews driven from the land. Apostolic believers were forced to flee, as they still observed the Jewish Holy Days. Greeks, led by Gentile Bishops, convinced Hadrian they were not ‘of the Jews’ and were allowed to remain.

At the Council of Nicea, in AD 325, Constantine formally prohibited Gentile Christians from fasting or worshiping with ‘the odious Jews’ or honoring their Holy Days. Christians were forbidden to honor or commemorate Jesus’ death and resurrection as a ‘Christian Passover’. Ignoring the Hebrew lunar calendar, Constantine separated Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection from Passover’s Convocations, severing Christians from their Spiritual connection to Hebrew Scripture and from Israel. Easter was to follow Passover’s Convocations. At his word, the ‘Sword of the Empire’ replaced the ‘Sword of the Spirit’ in the teaching of Christian doctrine.

Jesus prophesied his 1st century Return; his disciples taught their generation of His Imminent Return, as taught in the Law and Prophets. Futurists, expecting a physical, earthly kingdom, imply he failed to do what he promised, when he promised. Like the evil servant in Matthew 24:48, they deceive their people saying our Master is staying away a long time, giving his enemies occasion to condemn him as a False Prophet.

Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their false worship. Setting aside God’s commands, they observed their own traditions. (Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:9) For far too long we have kept our own traditions rather than learning Scripture’s truth. Celebrating our Holy Days at the wrong times, for the wrong reasons, failing to celebrate their truth, we miss the Glory of the convocations God has called us to honor. Jesus warned Judah’s leaders of their errors because they did not know Scripture nor understand God’s power. (Matthew 22:29)

Serious study of the Sinai festivals reveals our Christian Holy Days fulfill God’s ordained Holy Days, his ‘Holy Convocations’, revealed in the Torah. Israel’s Holy Days were summoned assemblies, ‘miqra qodesh’. Strong’s # 4744 ‘miqra’ was ‘called out public meeting’; # 6944 ‘qodesh’ was ‘holy’. God’s ‘Miqra qodesh’ were ‘Holy Convocations’, ‘appointed feasts’. More than historical celebrations, they were rehearsals for later events, prophetic in intent until fulfilled. After fulfillment, they were to serve as memorials.

Israel’ Feast Days were clearly declared by God. Israel knew what each day represented physically and how they were to celebrate in worship to God. They knew from the Torah why they celebrated Passover, Shavuot and Tabernacles. Every feast day was a Great Day of the LORD. They knew they were to take these Feast Days seriously but they needed to understand, and we must understand, their convocations were prophetic rehearsals, spiritual shadows of celebrations they were yet to know. Israel also honored fast days, in particular, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. They understood the holiness of this day and celebrated this Sabbath of Sabbaths fasting in repentance to God in holy reverence.

Forgetting or ignoring God’s Miqra qodesh, we celebrate our holidays as the world celebrates, as Rome commanded. We feast not as the LORD commands, in communion with him, but as the world feasts with parties and worldly pleasure. We declare our celebrations honor the holy days we celebrate but we often pretend our celebrations and party just for the sake of partying. Our celebrations give no thought of the true meaning of the Holy Days we are called to honor. We forget or ignore the celebrations God ordained, neither feasting nor fasting in reverence, remembrance or celebration of God’s love. We have no true understanding of the Holy Days God calls us to honor.

At Christmas, we buy our children too many presents, forgetting the true celebration. We forget those who need the bare minimum just to survive, eat more in one meal than we would need for a week and forget those who would celebrate if we offered a morsel from our tables.

At Easter, we celebrate with baskets filled with candies. We dress in our finest, not to honor our Lord but to impress our neighbors of how gloriously we celebrate. Whom are we fooling? Certainly we do not fool our Lord. He knows the truth and sees the lies we tell. In truth, we are not celebrating at all.

We are taught that Jesus’ Second Coming is still future; he will visibly return, reign in Jerusalem in a physical temple and destroy the evil nations of the earth. The Earth will be destroyed; a New, Physical Earth will descend from Heaven. Only then can we celebrate.

Most Jews rejected God’s New Covenant and Kingdom when their Messiah first appeared two thousand years ago. They did not recognize Yeshua’s fulfillment of Tanakh’s promises; they preferred to hold onto their ancient scholars’ beliefs. Unfortunately, we are no different; for two thousand years we have held onto ancient beliefs and practices, believing God’s Kingdom will be a physical Kingdom simply because that is what we were taught by all our ‘wise and learned scholars’.

Too many churches, both Protestant and Catholic, continue to reject God’s New Covenant Kingdom, bringing confusion to our Holy Days. Churches of all denominations teach as doctrine the commandments of man, demanding we observe our Holy Days as they understand and teach. We separate ourselves from the Holy Days Israel was commanded to honor and claim no part in their celebrations. We are assured our churches know the truth. Accepting, without question, their teaching as biblically accurate, we are no different than the 1st Century Jews and we continue the deception.

To rightly honor the Holy Days God has hallowed, we must learn how and why Israel celebrated. As the Bible was written by Hebrews and we serve a Hebrew Lord with Hebrew disciples, we must understand our Holy Days fulfill Israel’s Holy Days. Throughout the Apostolic Age, Jesus’ disciples never celebrated New Holy Days; they celebrated God’s ordained Holy Days as revealed in the Torah.

While we are called to follow the first-century church and understand their beliefs, we must remember this church was first predominately a Hebrew congregation. Grafted into a Hebrew family, we must learn of the root of their faith, Jesus, their Messiah, who made them what God called them to be. Only then can we know what God calls us to be. Our Holy Days and Israel’s Holy Days are ‘Echad’, bound as One. Their Miqra Qodesh were summoned assemblies, appointed times, rehearsals of all we are called to celebrate. (Leviticus 23:4, Colossians 2:16-17)

To truly celebrate our Holy Days, we must recall Israel’s Egyptian slavery, their forty years in the wilderness and their entry into their Promised Land. Understanding how they celebrate Passover, Shavuot and Tabernacles, their Pilgrimage Feasts, we discover our Lord has truly come in fulfillment of all their celebrations. These three feasts and seven Holy Festivals taught them, and teach us of Jesus and his Bride.

Learning of and understanding their celebrations, we can learn how we are to celebrate as we take our place in our Holy Land.

Only with careful study can we learn how and when we are to celebrate and what God would have us know and teach. The times and seasons Israel and the early church knew as the times and reasons for their Holy Days speak the truth God would have us know. Unless we are careful, we will deny the truth to those we teach, giving reason for others to deny what God would have them know. Teaching error, the truth is not in us and we continue the deception.

What are our Holy Days; when and how are we to celebrate? We cannot understand our salvation, revealed in these Holy Days, until we learn of Israel’s salvation revealed in their Miqra Kodesh. Paul taught the church in Rome: First for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16 We cannot receive our salvation if Israel has not received theirs.

To understand and proclaim our salvation, we must understand theirs. We must dilligently study God’s Word to learn all that our Lord did for Israel and through them, has done for us. On seeing His LORD’s promise fulfilled, seeing Yeshua brought before the Temple, the Righteous Simeon proclaimed Yeshua would be a light for revelation to the Gentiles, for Israel’s glory. God’s salvation, Yeshua YHWH, for both Jews and Gentiles, was offered through the birth, death, resurrection, ascension and return of God’s Only Begotten Son.

To God be the Glory!

What are our Holy Days? What has God called us to celebrate as we honor the life of our Lord? When was he born; when did he die; when did he rise victorious? When did he promise he would return to his people, redeeming them? What was the judgment God would bring upon those who refused to turn from their disobedience? To understand all that God has done, we must study God’s Holy Days as taught in the Torah and see how they connect with the Holy Days we celebrate. Only then can we know what our Holy Days teach and how we are to celebrate all God has done to bring us, both Jews and Gentiles, into Covenant with Him.

For two thousand years, the Church has taught deception. Using the pagan cultures of ancient Rome, they determined Jesus’ birth would be celebrated on December 25th, Rome’s celebration of ‘Saturnalia’. By AD 325, forsaking their Hebrew heritage and the Holy Days Israel celebrated, Rome determined Jesus’ Passion would be separated from Israel’s celebration of Passover. Turning from Hebrew Scripture’s message to the people of Israel and God’s Promise to his own, the church taught delay in fulfillment of all God promised his faithful remnant, Jews and Gentiles. They assure us we must wait until Jesus returns to Jerusalem, setting up his Physical Kingdom. Only then can we celebrate and honor the Holy Days Rome proclaims.

What are the Holy Days God calls us to celebrate? How are we to honor and celebrate our Lord’s Holy Days? How are we are to celebrate and honor our Lord’s Life and Ministry?

We must learn the truth of Jesus’ physical ministry to his people, Jews and Gentiles, and his Spiritual ministry to the faithful remnant and discover the truth of God’s Holy Days, our Lord’s birth, ministry, death, resurrection ascension and return in His Father’s Glory. We must acknowledge and rejoice in God’s Holy Days, his judgment and his blessings, and celebrate our entry into the New Heaven and Earth, the New Jerusalem. Abiding in our Lord’s Presence, we must honor God’s Miqra Qodesh, His Holy Convocations, His Appointed Feasts, His Holy Days. Only then can we teach!

Chapter 1

The Birth of Christ

Our celebration of Christmas is a holiday most misunderstood concerning the time it should be celebrated and its place in history. Differing opinions of what happened, when it happened, if it happened, lead to the confusion. As this holiday celebrates the start of our Lord’s life, we must begin our investigation with Jesus’ birth and sort through all we know, or believe we know, to uncover what truly happened and what it meant. Only then can we celebrate the wonder, power and glory of our Lord’s birth; only then can we teach.

What does Scripture reveal of those who witnessed this glorious Day of the Lord? Matthew and Luke tell us God gave us His Son, born of a virgin. Wrapped in swaddling cloths, he was laid in a manger. Shepherds, receiving word from an angel, found him lying in a manger in Bethlehem, as Isaiah 7:14 9:6-7 and Micah 5:2 had prophesied. (Luke 2:7-16) Sometime after his birth, guided by a star, wisemen from the East came to worship this child who would be King. (Matthew 2:1-11)

When we celebrate this Holy Day, do we understand and truly believe; did it happen as it is written? Have we learned the truth or is it just a delightful story to teach us a message? Only if we learn from those who first wrote these words, can we learn what they understood and what we are called to celebrate. Does Scripture reveal when Jesus was born? Using Biblical and historic records, what can we learn of this glorious birth?

If we step back in time, walk the roads they walked, understand the language they spoke and the faith they cherished, what can we learn from two young people who journeyed to their homeland to become part of history? What can we learn from them; what can they teach us?

OLD AND NEW HISTORICAL RECORDS

From Jewish Historian Josephus, and coins minted by Herod’s sons, many assumptions are made concerning Jesus’ birth. Most scholars say Herod died in 4 BC, just before Passover. Josephus reports a lunar eclipse preceded Herod’s last illness. He did not date this eclipse but from his Antiquities, many scholars believe Herod died March 13, 4 BC. (Antiq. 17,6,4 plus footnote) With Herod’s concern for the precise appearance of ‘His star’ and his order to kill all the male children of Bethlehem, two years and under, it appears Jesus would have been born two or three years earlier. (Matthew 2:7-8, 16)

Josephus’ Antiq. 18, 1, 1 and Luke 2:2 speak of Quirinius, the governor of Syria, and the calling of a census. Historians and Biblical scholars believe these censuses were at fourteen year intervals. Acts 5:37 mentions a census in AD 6, Quirinius’ 2nd census. This could place the first one in 8 BC. From these records, anytime between 8-6 BC would appear to be an acceptable year for Jesus’ birth.

In AD 313,