The Gift

[doug555]

I believe it is obvious by rules of evidence that I am not asserting Jesus' conception date was December 25. I did not even ask the woman her source for believing so. My studied belief is that Archelaus laid with Mary, Jesus' mother but I was thinking it more likely on a cold January night, 3 BC.

Yep, my mistake, I did not read that closely enough. I should have known that you do know about the Dec 25 error. Forgive me. I am glad you think Christ's birth was sometime in September. That agrees with the time that shepherds could still be in the fields with their sheep - December would be too cold.

Of course, if Jesus was the son of Archelaus, then the whole Bible is a fraud isn't it, since its foundation is that there is a God who claims to be the literal Father of the man Jesus, who was the Christ. But it is hard to believe that this scandal was not known by the people in that area who later became martyrs for a "fraud".

I can respect your choice to believe secular sources over the Bible, but I hope the literal fulfillment of Holyday #2 in the near future will lead you to reconsider that choice.