When Was Jesus Born?
Zechariah Israelite Priest + Elizabeth Conceived John Division of Priests in Temple There are actually a few clues as to when Jesus was born. One of them has to do with Zechariah, Elizabeth, and the birth of John the Baptist. In Luke's Gospel, he writes, "In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth" (Luke 1:5 ESV). Zechariah was an Israelite priest of the division of Abijah. He was of this class of priests who performed daily duties for a fixed period in the temple at Jerusalem. It explains the divisions of the sons of Aaron in 1 Chronicles where King David organized according to the appointed duties in their service. "The divisions of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests. With the h