On This Day

3 Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on August 12, 3 BC, a popular theory for the biblical "Star of Bethlehem"

The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating.

The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating. However, most biblical scholars and ancient historians believe that his birth date is around 6 to 4 BC. Two main approaches have been used to estimate the year of the birth of Jesus: one based on the accounts in the Gospels of his birth with reference to King Herod's reign, and the other by subtracting his stated age of "about 30 years" when he began preaching.

Historical Significance

The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating.

Events Before

  1. 1 Origin of the Christian Era, now widely accepted as "Common Era"

    1 Origin of the Christian Era, now widely accepted as "Common Era"

  2. 1 The first Christmas according to calendar-maker and Eastern Roman monk Dionysius Exiguus

    1 The first Christmas according to calendar-maker and Eastern Roman monk Dionysius Exiguus

  3. 1 Origin of Dionysian Incarnation of the Word

    Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) was a Greek author, Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, who wrote a set of...

  4. 2 Planets Venus and Jupiter in conjunction - possible astronomical explanation for the Star of Bethlehem

    2 Planets Venus and Jupiter in conjunction - possible astronomical explanation for the Star of Bethlehem

Events After

  1. 9 The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends after four days with a Germanic alliance defeating Roman forces and putting an

    9 The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends after four days with a Germanic alliance defeating Roman forces and putting an end to expansion of the empire east of the Rhine

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 12, 3?
The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating. However, most biblical scholars and ancient historians believe that his birth date is around 6 to 4 BC. Two main approaches have been used to estimate the year of the birth of Jesus: one based on the accounts in the Gospels of his birth with reference to King Herod's reign, and the other by subtracting his stated age of "about 30 years" when he began preaching.
Why is 3 Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on August 12, 3 BC, a popular theory for t... significant?
The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating.

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