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APPENDIX Was Jesus Born in December? THE Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born. However, it does give us sound reason to conclude that his birth did not take place in December. Consider the weather conditions at that time of the year in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The Jewish month of Chislev (corresponding to November/December) was a month with cold and rainy weather. The month after that was Tebeth (December/January). It saw the lowest temperatures of the year, with occasional snows in the highlands. Let us see what the Bible tells us about the climate of that region. The Bible writer Ezra shows that Chislev was indeed a month known for cold and rainy weather. After stating that a crowd had gathered in Jerusalem “in the ninth month [Chislev] on the twentieth day of the month,” Ezra reports that people were “shivering . on account of the showers of rain.” Concerning weather conditions at that time of the year, the congregated people themselves said: “It is the season of showers of rain, and it is not possible to stand outside.” (Ezra 10:9, 13; Jeremiah 36:22) No wonder shepherds living in that part of the world made sure that they and their flocks were no longer out of doors at night when December came around! The Bible reports, however, that shepherds were in the fields tending their flocks on the night of Jesus’ birth. In fact, the Bible writer Luke shows that at that time, shepherds were “living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks” near Bethlehem. (Luke 2:8-12) Notice that the shepherds were actually living out of doors, not just strolling outside during the day. They had their flocks in the fields at night. Does that description of outdoor living fit the chilly and rainy weather conditions of Bethlehem in December? No, it does not. So the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth indicate that he was not born in December. God’s Word tells us precisely when Jesus died, but it gives little direct indication as to when he was born. This brings to mind King Solomon’s words: “A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1) It is not surprising, then, that the Bible provides many details about Jesus’ ministry and death but few details about the time of his birth. ^ par. 1 For more information, see pages 176-9 of Reasoning From the Scriptures, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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DODATAK Je li Isus rođen u prosincu? BIBLIJA nam ne govori kada se Isus rodio. Međutim, daje nam pouzdan razlog da zaključimo da to nije bilo u prosincu. Uzmimo u obzir vremenske prilike koje su u to doba godine vladale u Isusovom rodnom gradu Betlehemu. Židovski mjesec kislev (odgovara studenom/prosincu) bio je hladan i kišovit mjesec. Nakon njega dolazio je mjesec tevet (prosinac/siječanj). To je mjesec s najnižim temperaturama u godini, za kojega u planinama zna pasti i snijeg. Pogledajmo što nam Biblija kaže o klimi tog kraja. Biblijski pisac Ezra otkriva da je kislev doista bio mjesec poznat po hladnoći i kiši. Nakon što je rekao da se mnoštvo okupilo u Jeruzalemu “devetoga mjeseca [kislev], dvadesetoga dana toga mjeseca”, Ezra kaže da je narod ‘drhtao zbog kiše’. O vremenskim prilikama u to doba godine okupljeno mnoštvo reklo je: “Sada je vrijeme kiša i ne može se stajati vani” (Ezra 10:9, 13; Jeremija 36:22). Nije ni čudo da su pastiri u tom dijelu svijeta vodili računa o tome da u prosincu oni i njihova stada ne budu vani preko noći! Biblija pak izvještava da su se pastiri u noći Isusovog rođenja nalazili u poljima gdje su čuvali svoja stada. Ustvari, biblijski pisac Luka kaže da su pastiri u to vrijeme “boravili vani i čuvali noćne straže kod stada svojih” blizu Betlehema (Luka 2:8-12). Zapazi da su pastiri boravili vani, a ne samo kratko bili vani preko dana. Osim toga, stada su bila vani preko noći. Je li to što su boravili vani spojivo s hladnim i kišnim vremenom kakvo je u prosincu vladalo u Betlehemu? Nije. Dakle, okolnosti vezane uz Isusovo rođenje pokazuju da on nije rođen u prosincu. Božja Riječ nam govori kad je točno Isus umro, ali daje malo konkretnih naznaka o tome kada je rođen. To nas podsjeća na riječi kralja Salamuna: “Bolje je dobro ime nego dobro ulje, i dan smrti nego dan rođenja” (Propovjednik 7:1). Stoga ne iznenađuje da Biblija pruža mnogo pojedinosti o Isusovoj službi i smrti, a malo o vremenu njegovog rođenja. ^ odl. 1 Za daljnje informacije vidi 277-280. stranicu knjige Raspravljanje na temelju Pisma, koju su objavili Jehovini svjedoci.