From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!alice!mhtsa!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxi!mhuxj!cbosgd!nscs!rew
Newsgroups: net.followup
Title: Re: CHRISTMAS - (nf)
Article-I.D.: nscs.401
Posted: Tue Jan  4 10:43:46 1983
Received: Wed Jan  5 03:02:44 1983
References: zeppo.417 utcsstat.486

An interesting question.  One could insist that he was born
in 1 A.V.D. (that's True Year of our Lord) but that would be begging
the question.

My understanding is that the best guess is the Spring of 6 B.C. (current
convention).  This is based on several bits of information such
as when Herod was King of Judea, when Augustus was Ceasar, when
Quirinius was governor of Syria, when the Empire imposed taxes,
and so on.  The season is derived from the fact that shepards of
the period tended their flocks by night in the Spring during lambing.

It also fits in with an interesting hypothesis about the "Star" of
Bethlehem.  One starts with the assumption that the Magi were in
fact Zoroastrian priests from the area now known as Iran.
This relgious group was (and still is, probably) intensely interested
in astrological events.  Among the events of early 6 B.C. was a thrice
repeated conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation Pisces
(known to the Zoroastrians as the House of the Hebrews).  This was followed by
a triple conjunction with Mars.  One can imagine intense interest on their part
as to just what monumental event was occurring in Judea at the time.

Bob Warren
cbosgd!nscs!rew