When was Jesus born?

Christian tradition celebrates Jesus' birth on December 25 in Western churches and January 6/7 in some Eastern churches. Historically, most scholars date the Nativity between about 6 and 4 BC, based on the reign and death of King Herod and other chronological clues. No definitive day or year is preserved in the New Testament, so dates remain estimates.

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The New Testament does not record an exact date or year for the birth, so historical dating relies on external clues and later tradition.

Scholars generally place the birth between about 6 and 4 BC, primarily because the Gospel accounts link the event to the reign and death of King Herod and to Roman administrative data. Some astronomical and chronological proposals suggest slightly different years, but none is conclusive.

December 25: Adopted by Western churches in the fourth century and linked to liturgical and cultural factors rather than direct biblical evidence.
January 6/7: Observed in many Eastern churches as Epiphany or Christmas according to different calendars.

Theologically, the precise calendar date is secondary to the Christian claim that God became incarnate in Jesus, an event celebrated across diverse calendars and traditions.

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