OF THE NATIVITY WAS 8 B.C. 205 



Table IY- 



Dates of the first 

 days of the feast 

 of Tabernacles. 



B.C. 



Dates for the Xativity. 



1 October ... 

 20 September 



8 or 9 October .... 

 28 September 



9 



S 



6 



[A] 4 Mav 

 [C] 5 April 

 [E] 7 March .... 

 [G] 6 February.... 



[B] 19 October. 

 [D] 20 September. 

 [F] 22 August. 

 [H] 24 July. 



Inspection of Table IY informs us, that if the Xativitv 

 occiirred at a Feast of Tabernacles — as Sir William Eamsav 

 thinks may be regarded as approximating to certainty — then 

 the year of the Xativity must have hecii 8 B.C.; because in 

 none of the other years which are at all possible historically 

 did the Feast of Tabernacles agree with the time for the 

 Nati\T.ty, indicated by considerations connected with the date 

 of the course of Abijah. 



Eemembering the difference of 29 (or 30) days in suc- 

 ceeding years, it is easy to see that, if Table IY had been 

 extended two or three years more in both directions, the 

 Xati\'ity could not have occurred at a Feast of Tabernacles in 

 any of the added years. 



It is not claimed that this method above establishes exactly 

 the day, 20Lh September, 8 B.C., for the Xativity, but it 

 includes that day within narrow limits. It must be remem- 

 bered that it is seldom possible to be certain which of two days 

 was chosen for a new moon. 



Had we taken the expression in the sixth month " ( Luke 

 i, 26) to mean any day in that month, we see from Table IY 

 that [D] would be extended for a month from the 20th 

 September, 8 B.C., which would of course contain the whole 

 F'east of Tabernacles. But if a month is added to all the 

 other dates in Table IY none of them will contain any part of 

 the Feast. 



In other words, no date but 8 B.C. is possible for the Xativity 

 (assuming that it must, have been at the Feast of Tabernacles), 

 even if we attach the ordinary meaning given to Luke i, 26, 

 that any part of the month may be intended. 



But we have previously found, see headings {g), (/Oand (/) (p. 5), 

 that the Xativity was on or about the first day of the Feast of 

 Tabernacles, 20th September, 8 B.C. Working backwards 280 



