Bible Dictionary
Nativity of Christ
The Nativity of Christ is the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem to Mary. It occurred in God’s appointed time and fulfilled the biblical expectation of the Messiah, though the exact date is not known.
Definition
The Nativity of Christ is the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary were providentially led there, and Jesus was born at the appointed time in the history of redemption. The exact year, month, and day are not known with certainty.
Biblical Usage
Christ’s birth is presented as occurring at the time and place foretold by the prophets and in the “fulness of the time.” Bethlehem is identified as the place of birth, while the prophetic expectation of the Messiah is connected with the event.
Historical Background
Chronologists have generally placed the nativity in 4 B.C. on the basis of the supplied material. That dating means Jesus would have been about four years old in A.D. 1, though the exact date cannot be established.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The birth of our Lord took place at the time and place predicted by the prophets (Gen. 49:10; Isa. 7:14; Jer. 31:15; Micah 5:2; Hag. 2:6-9; Dan. 9:24, 25). Joseph and Mary were providentially led to go up to Bethlehem at this period, and there Christ was born (Matt. 2:1, 6; Luke 2:1, 7). The exact year or month or day of his birth cannot, however, now be exactly ascertained. We know, however, that it took place in the “fulness of the time” (Gal. 4:4), i.e., at the fittest time in the world’s history. Chronologists are now generally agreed that the year 4 before the Christian era was the year of Christ’s nativity, and consequently that he was about four years old in the year 1 A.D.