is said to have been born_, but our ecclesiastical
calendar has determined with scrupulous minuteness the day and
almost the hour at which every particular of Christ's
wonderful life is stated to have happened. All this is
implicitly believed by millions; _yet all these things are
among the most uncertain and shadowy that history has
recorded. We have no clue to either the day or the time of
year, or even the year itself, in which Christ was
born._"[360:1]

Some Christian writers fix the year 4 B. C., as the time when he was
born, others the year 5 B. C., and again others place his time of birth
at about 15 B. C. The Rev. Dr. Geikie, speaking of this, in his _Life of
Christ_, says:

"The whole subject is _very uncertain_. Ewald appears to fix
the date of the birth at _five_ years earlier than our era.
Petavius and Usher fix it on the 25th of December, _five_
years before our era. Bengel on the 25th of December, _four_
years before our era; Anger and Winer, _four_ years before our
era, _in the Spring_; Scaliger, _three_ years before our era,
in _October_; St. Jerome, _three_ years before our era, on
December 25th; Eusebius, _two_ years before our era, on
_January_ 6th; and Idler, _seven_ years before our era, in
_December_."[360:2]

Albert Barnes writes in a manner which implies that he knew all about
the _year_ (although he does not give any authorities), but knew nothing
about the _month_. He says:

"The birth of Christ took place _four_ years before the common
era. That era began to be used about A. D. 526, being first
employed by Dionysius, and is supposed to have been placed
about four years too late. Some make the difference two,
others three, four, five, and even eight years. He was born at
the commencement of the last year of the reign of Herod, or at
the close of the year preceding."[360:3]

"The Jews sent out their flocks into the mountainous and
desert regions during the summer months, and took them up in
the latter part of October or the first of November, when the
cold weather commenced. . . . It is clear from this that our
Saviour was born before the 25th of December, or before what
we call _Christmas_. At that time it is cold, and especially
in the high and mountainous regions about Bethlehem. _God has
concealed the time of his birth. T