The Bible gives neither a day of a month nor a year for the birth date of Jesus and nor do any known historical sources.  However, using the Bible and historical records we can ascertain an approximate month and a range of a few years.  This short paper examines this.

Jesus’s birth Month

The Bible clearly states that the shepherds in Judea were living out in the fields.

Luk 2:8  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luk 2:9  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Luk 2:10  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
Luk 2:11  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Encyclopedias and commentaries confirm that shepherds in Judea did not live out in the fields during winter; it was far too cold for that.  So Jesus was certainly not born in December.

Luke 1 provides some more information.  Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, became pregnant with John the Baptist shortly after his appointed days of service in the temple.  Six months later, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary she would conceive and give birth to Jesus.

Luk 1:21  And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.
Luk 1:22  But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
Luk 1:23  So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.
Luk 1:24  Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
Luk 1:25  “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
Luk 1:26  Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
Luk 1:27  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Luk 1:28  And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
Luk 1:29  But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
Luk 1:30  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luk 1:31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

This places the birth of Jesus approximately six months after the birth of John the Baptist.  So, if we can find out when John the Baptist was conceived, add nine months (to get his date of birth) and then add six months to that, we will arrive at the approximate date of birth of Jesus.

Zacharias was of the priestly division of Abijah.

Luk 1:5  There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

There were 24 divisions of priests which ministered throughout the year in the temple.  This was set up by king David.

1Ch 24:1  Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
1Ch 24:2  And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children; therefore Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests.
1Ch 24:3  Then David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to the schedule of their service.
1Ch 24:4  There were more leaders found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus they were divided. Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen heads of their fathers’ houses, and eight heads of their fathers’ houses among the sons of Ithamar.
1Ch 24:5  Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
1Ch 24:6  And the scribe, Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, one of the Levites, wrote them down before the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Levites, one father’s house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.
1Ch 24:7  Now the first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,
…
1Ch 24:10  the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

Abijah was in the eighth division, which served in the temple during the month of Sivan, (approximately from mid-May to mid-June).  So John the Baptist was probably conceived at the end of June.  Adding nine months and then six months yields September for the approximate month of the birth of Jesus.

Jesus’s birth Year

Most Bible scholars and historians place the year of Jesus’s birth date around 4 to 6 BC.

From Matthew we know that Herod was alive when Jesus was born.

Mat 2:13  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
Mat 2:14  When he [Joseph] arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
Mat 2:15  and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”
Mat 2:16  Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Herod died sometime after Jesus’s birth.

Mat 2:19  Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
Mat 2:20  saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”

Herod died when Jesus was still a child.  Most historians place Herod’s death sometime between 4 B.C. and 1 B.C.  Jesus’s birth must be placed before this event, anywhere from several months to perhaps a year or two.  Adding this range to 4 B.C. to 1 B.C, yields 6 B.C. to 1 B.C.

So from Matthew it looks like Jesus was born in the range 6 B.C. to 1 B.C.

Luke provides some additional information.  John the Baptist started preaching in the 15^th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.

Luk 3:1  Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
Luk 3:2  while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Luk 3:3  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,

After John’s ministry, Jesus started His ministry when He was about 30.

Luk 3:23  Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

This means that Jesus was no older than 30 in the 15^th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.  (Jesus could have been a bit younger than 30 depending on the length of John the Baptist’s ministry.)  It is generally accepted that Tiberius Caesar reigned from 14 to 37 A.D., giving Tiberius’s 15^th year as 28 A.D.  Subtracting 30 years (remembering there is no year “0”) results in 3 B.C. as the year for Jesus’s birth, but perhaps 2 B.C. if John the Baptist’s ministry lasted close to a year. 

However, a consular decree in 13 A.D. gave Tiberius power equal to Augustus (his stepfather and reigning Ceasar).  Using this earlier date for the start of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (and a short ministry for John the Baptist) results in 4 B.C. as the year for Jesus’s birth.

So from Luke chapter 3 it looks like Jesus was born in the range 4 B.C. to 2 B.C.

Luke chapter 2 also provides some information that could be used to work out the year of Jesus’s birth.  The birth of Jesus coincided with the census carried out by Quirinius.

Luk 2:1  And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
Luk 2:2  This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
Luk 2:3  So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Luk 2:4  Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
Luk 2:5  to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

There is a known census of Quirinius in A.D. 6 or 7, but this is clearly too late.  So there must have been an earlier census which we don’t have historical details.

So Luke chapter 2 doesn’t help unless or until some historical evidence is discovered relating to this first census.

Conclusion

Using both historical records and the Bible, Jesus was most likely born about September, 4 B.C. to 2 B.C.  It is clear that Jesus was not born in December.