THE PRIESTHOOD OF “ABIA” (OR “ABIJAH”)

What Day Will Jesus Birthday Be in 2000?



Many scholars believe Jesus was born in the Fall of the year. They base this on the following reasoning, quoted from the scriptures.


The “course of Abia” refers to the one of the 24 divisions responsible for worship in the Temple. Zechariah was of the priesthood division of “Abia” or “Abijah”.

This is quoted from “The Interpreter’s Bible”, vol. 8, page 30:

“Priests among the Jews had long been divided into twenty-four ‘divisions’, each responsible for the conduct of temple worship for one week at semiannual intervals (Josephus Antiquities VII. 14. 7).”


[Luke 1:5] There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.


In Luke, chapter 1, it is stated that John was conceived after Zacharias served his semiannual interval in the temple.


[Luke 1:21] And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.
[Luke 1:22] And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
[Luke 1:23] And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
[Luke 1:24] And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
[Luke 1:25] Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
[Luke 1:26] And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
[Luke 1:27] To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
[Luke 1:28] And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.


Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant with John when the angel appeared to Mary and told her she would have a son. Therefore John was 6 months older than Jesus.


We know that Jesus was born either in the Spring or in the Fall because there were shepherds in the fields at night keeping watch over their flocks, which is done mostly in the Spring during the season lambs are born, and in the fall. But this is not the only way we arrive at this conclusion. (Jesus was the lamb of God.)


According to the 24th chapter of I Chronicles, these divisions of priesthood were divided up making the course of Abia (or Abijah) as the 8th in temple service of the 24 divisions. From this it can be determined that this priesthood order served in the temple during these weekly intervals, twice in a year. Therefore Zacharius served his course during the 8th week of the year, and again 6 months later in the 8th week. This means that John was conceived sometime in the month after Zacharius served in the temple during the 8th week following either the Sacred New Year that begins in the Spring named Abib (Nisan), or in the month following the Civil New Year which begins six months later in the Fall named Teshri. But from which New Year do we count, the Sacred New Year in the Spring, or the Civil New Year in the Fall?


The problem we have in determining if Jesus was born in the Spring or the Fall is complicated by the fact that there are TWO Jewish New Years, the sacred New Year beginning in the Spring on Abib or Nisan 1, and the Secular New Year beginning in the Fall on the 1st day of Teshri, the seventh month.


This month in which John was conceived added to the 8 weeks (2 months) into the new year totals 3 months into the Sacred New Year, or into the Civil New Year, when Elizabeth became pregnant, and six months after that, Mary became pregnant.


The Names of the Jewish months are as follows: 1. Abib (Nisan); 2. Iyyar; 3. Sivan; 4. Tammuz; 5. Ab; 6. Elul; 7. Tishri; 8. Marhesvan; 9. Kislev; 10. Tebeth; 11. Shebat; 12. Adar. These approximate our months of April through March.


So Elizabeth became pregnant in either Sivan, or Kislev, three months into the Sacred, or into the Civil New Year. And Mary, being six months later, would have been Kislev, or Sivan, in the reverse order. So is there any way we can know when Jesus was born (9 months later,) which would be sometime near the first of Abib (Nisan), or near the first of Teshri?


Yes, we can determine the exact day of Jesus birth from the Book of Mormon. The scriptures in the Book of Mormon tell us that Jesus was born on Abib (Nisan) 10, if we put them together. They work out to the exact day. Coincidence? I don’t think so!



WHAT DAY WILL JESUS’ BIRTHDAY BE IN 2000?
Jesus was not born on December 25th!
The Book of Mormon tells us when He was born.


“Now the Nephites began to reckon their time from the period when the sign was given or from the coming (birth) of Christ.” 3 Nephi 1:45.


So when the sign was given, or the night when there was no darkness in the land of the Nephites, they began to reckon their time from this day when they knew that Christ had been born near Jerusalem.


“And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, in the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land;” 3 Nephi 4:6.


This storm arose on the day Jesus died on the cross, so we know from these scriptures that Jesus died in the 34th year, 4 days after His 33rd birthday. He died on our Wednesday, the day of the slaying of the sacrificial lamb in Jerusalem, on Nisan* 14 of the Jewish calendar. This was the day before the Passover Sabbath of Unleavened Bread on Nisan 15, so that means He was born on Nisan 10.



Unlike our calendar, the Jewish calendar is based on luner phases. On your 2000 calendar, you will find the “Passover Sabbath of Unleavened Bread” falls on Thursday, April 20th, and then count back five days to Nisan 10, and this is His true birthday. On some years this may fall on an April 6th. In 2000, it will fall on Saturday, April 15th! He would have been born sometime during that night, as the Jewish day begins at sunset, 6 p.m. He was probably born between 2 and 6 a.m. (Jerusalem time) because that would have made it Nisan 10 in both America and Jerusalem, due to the 8 hour time difference. Everything has a set time. Zion also has a set time. (Psalm 102:13.)


So in the year of 2000, Jesus’ true birthday will fall on Saturday, April 15th! He was probably born sometime between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. (our time,) making it Nisan 10 in both Jerusalem and Zarahemla. He died on Nisan 14, (in 2000, this would be on Wednesday, April 19th), and (3 days and 3 nights later) that would make the day of His Resurrection early on Nisan 18, on our Sunday, April 23rd. This will work in any given year . 2000 plus 4 B.C. (the year Jesus was probably actually born) = 2004 A.D.
(Minus 1 year missed at the year of zero = 2003 A.D.)
(When the Julian Calendar was made, the concept of a whole number between minus one and one was not yet known in Europe. However, the Nephites knew and used the concept of zero.)
If time had been calculated correctly from the actual year of Jesus' birth, it would be the year of 2003 this year of 2000.


*Nisan (or Abib) is the first month of the Jewish (lunar) Sacred Calendar, and is during, or near, our month of April.


For detailed graphs of this timeline of Jesus' birth and death, see the article on this web site, "What Day Was Jesus Born?"


Mirl A. Edwards



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