From usbible.com

Jesus' Birth. Image from: truth-way.org

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was born near the end of Herod’s reign which would place his birth at 6-4 BCE. Luke tells us that Jesus was born around the time the Roman governor Quirinus took a census in Judea. That would place his birth at 6-7 CE, ten years from the end of Herod's death. Mark and John say nothing. As explained in the nativity legends, neither gospel has the qualities of real history.

We might wonder what Matthew and Luke imply when it was known at the time of Jesus’ birth that he would be a savior. The answer is bound up in astrology, based on his place of birth and the alignment of the stars at his time of birth. Matthew does it by imputing the wise men (magi=astrologer), and Luke suggests shepherds were visited by an angel (angel=angle). (See Bible Astrology)

For reasons explained here, I am not sympathetic to the idea that Jesus was a real person. The date of his annual birth can be found in the stars because he was a mythologized sun hero. (See Gospel Zodiac) This page explains the astrological significance of December 25th and the age which marked the year of his original birth. The date of his original birth can be affixed at December 25, 7 BCE.

The clue to the timing of Jesus’ first birth has to do with his association with fish. In what astrologers call a Great Year spanning 25920 years; it is divided into twelve Ages according to the constellations of the Zodiac, lasting 2160 years each. Because earth rotates with a wobble called precession, it does not return to the exact point of departure from the previous year. When the sun is at its highest position during the spring equinox, the constellation in its background determines the Age it is in. (For more detail, see Bible Astrology)

Technically, the Age of Jesus began when the sun entered Pisces on the spring equinox. At the beginning of spring for the last two thousand years, the sun appears to be drifting across the stars of Pisces with each passing year. Because this creeping process is so slow, it is not easy to make an exact determination when an Age begins and ends. But the timing of the beginning of the Age of Pisces fits nicely with the Bible’s depiction of Jesus being born about 4-6 years before the beginning of the first century.

The Age of Jesus

On May 27, 7 BCE, shining as a beacon in the Western sky, a conjunction occurred among Jupiter (traditional king of the gods) and Saturn (ruling planet of Judah) in the constellation of Pisces the Fish (the House of the Hebrews). For a few days the two planets appear as if to be nearly touching. There was a second conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn on October 6 and a third Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on December 1.

Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions occur about every twenty years. Triple Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions occur about every 139 years. And triple Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions occur in Pisces roughly once every 900 years. Jupiter is the fourth brightest planet after the Sun, Moon and Venus.

About 2012 the sun will enter the Age of Aquarius. Then it can be said that the Age of Jesus has past.

”I am with you always to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20).

Divine conception

Figure 3. The virgin being descended upon by the Holy Spirit on March 21.

The next question is when was the Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit? By affixing the timing of Jesus’ birth at December 25, she would have to have been conceived nine months earlier. That would be when the sun crosses the spring equinox on March 21.

By looking at the midnight sky at that time we see the constellation Virgo descending upside down as if she is in the missionary position. Allegorically, the sun has conquered the forces of evil because it is when daylight hours exceed nighttime hours. In the spring she is free of sin because it is the only season of the year when the sun has overpowered the retreating dark forces. Thus there is peace on earth.

The Nativity

Some sources say that this triple conjunction looks like a single bright star and depicts the wise men and the star of Bethlehem. No so! For a better fit we need three stars to represent the three gifts symbolizing the wise men. We also need an unusually bright star for the star of Bethlehem, and we need a yearly event that coincides with the sun’s rising on December 25.

The candidate for the three wise men can be found in the constellation of Orion the hunter. It has three stars at its belt that align with Sirius. What makes Sirius the prime candidate for the star of Bethlehem is that it is the brightest star in the sky next to the sun.

At four o’clock in the evening, on December 25, Sirius rises above the horizon in Jerusalem. This was the first such event in the Age of Pisces. The three stars on the belt of Orion point down towards Sirius, the star of Bethlehem. Orion is not a trivial constellation; it plays the part of the Son of Man in the Gospels.

The significance of Bethlehem is another play on words. In Hebrew, “Bethlehem” means house of bread. As the picture of Virgo shows in the picture above, Virgo is holding stalks of grain. It symbolizes Mary in the house of bread. The name of “Mary” is etymologically related to water, the element of birth.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. (Gen. 1:2)

Figure 4.The three wise men which can be found at Your Sky. Readers can also use this website to try these simulations for themselves.

In conclusion, the original date of Jesus’ birth occurred on December 25, 7 BCE. The entry of the sun into the Age of Pisces was a one time event. Jesus’ death and resurrection plays out each year with the sun’s course through the four seasons. Christians can deny that their hero is nothing but the sun personified, but facts are facts.

An excellent explanation about the origins of the constellations can be found in Ancient Egypt. To the ancient Egyptians, Orion was their god Osiris. In the Gospels, Orion is the Son of man. To the Egyptians, Sirius was their most sacred star. Its brightness combined with its rising at the time of the spring equinox, marked off each new year.

Related links

For when Jesus was born: Star of Bethlehem

The gospel characters can be seen in the Garden Tour

Jesus' yearly sun cycle: Gospel Zodiac

Jesus Nativity Legends explains the lack of historicity of the gospels

Article from: http://www.usbible.com/Astrology/when_was_jesus_born.htm