When Was Jesus Christ Born?
Of course your father is right that Jesus couldn’t have been born four years before he was born. But your teacher is also right, because our traditional BC/AD calendar is almost certainly off by a few years, due to miscalculations made many centuries ago. Many biblical scholars say that there is no way to know the exact date of Jesus’ birth.
The year 2000 is approaching, and excitement is in the air. Magazines and newspapers report on the celebrations scheduled for January 1, 2000, the purported beginning of the 21st century and the third millennium. Even though the new century and new millennium really begin January 1, 2001, it is a rare generation that can witness such an event. The numbering system in our calendar was originally intended to reflect the years since the birth of Christ. Yet, before too much is said about this celebration, perhaps we should ask how accurate is the numbering system. Has it really been 1,996 years since the birth of Jesus? The history of the Gregorian calendar is indeed fascinating and enlightening. The calendar not only impacts the bimillennial celebrations being planned, but the true 2,000th year since Christ’s birth.
