The birth of Jesus Christ which took place about 2000 years ago in the little town of David called Bethlehem happened in October. Although, the day, month or year of his birth is not categorically stated chapter and verse in the Holy Bible, there are scriptural records including the Bible chronology and the Jewish Calendar viz-a-viz the Gregorian Calendar to show that his birth took place in October.
Zachariah the priest, the father of John the Baptist was officiating in the temple, when the angel Gabriel announced to him that his prayer has been heard and that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son to be named John. (Luke 1:5-13). The announcement came to Zachariah with great surprise and he expressed some doubt as to the reality of it since himself and his wife were old and beyond child bearing capabilities. For this doubt, the angel told him he would be dumb until the child is born. -Luke 1:18-20.
Zachariah as a priest was a successor of Abijah who was one of the 24 priests appointed by King David to perform sacred duties in the temple in the days of old. (Chron. 24:1-10). Abijah was the eight and his course or turn was in the fourth month of the Jews called Thammuz. This month corresponds with the latter part of our June to early July. The Bible shows that from that July when Elizabeth became pregnant for five months, she hid herself and in the sixth month (December) of her conception, the same angel was sent to Mary to announce to her that she would bear a son whose name would be Jesus. -Luke 1:26-28.
Mary was struck by the news of Elizabeth’s conception and went straight to a town in the uplands of Judah to meet her. She stayed with Elizabeth for three months (January to March) and returned home. It was then in April that Elizabeth’s full time to deliver came and she brought forth a son called John. (Luke 1:56,57). John the Baptist is older than Jesus Christ by six months as the conception of Mary took place after the sixth month of Elizabeth’s conception. Therefore, six months added to April when John the Baptist was born would land in October as the month of Christ’s Birth.
To make the point much clearer, it will be observed that when Mary in January went to Elizabeth, she was already pregnant. This was clearly indicated in the declaration of Elizabeth which she made through the Holy Spirit. She blessed the “fruit of her womb” and respectfully addresses the young girl as the “mother of my Lord”.-Luke 1:41-44.
Under normal condition, the span of foetal life, according to medical authorities is 280 days that a child could be born. It was son in the case of John the Baptist. (Luke 1:36,56-57). And so counting Mary’s conception from January, the ninth month would be September then in the tenth month October, Jesus Christ was born.
For the fact that Jesus Christ died in April when the churches observe “Good Friday” and it is believed that he lived for 33½ years, it is evident that he was born in October. If he was born in December, his 33rd birthday anniversary would fall on December and six months later, that is June, he was killed. It is common knowledge that his death did not take place in June (or Sivan) but in April which is the Jewish month of Above or Nisan when they observed the Passover Feast.
What is more, the physical features of Palestine in regard to the climate lend support to the fact that Jesus Christ was not born in December. There were shepherds attending their flocks in the open fields by night when he was born. This would not have been possible in December which usually was a time of winter. (Jeremiah 36:22) “The Oxford Encyclopedic Concordance” states that “there was snow on the mountains”. But October which is Tsiri or Ethanim (1 Kings 8:2) was time of normal weather that permitted outdoor activities.