# Birth of Jesus of Nazareth (c. 5 BCE)

URL: https://christianity-history.com/timeline/-5-birth-of-jesus-of-nazareth
Location: Bethlehem, Judea
Themes: Saint

Most historians place the birth of Jesus between about 6 and 4 BCE, before the death of Herod the Great; the Gospels of Matthew and Luke locate it in Bethlehem. At this point in the timeline (c. 5 BCE), there was not yet a Christian church; the Jewish people lived under a succession of Seleucid, Hasmonean, Herodian and Roman rulers, and religious life centred on the Temple in Jerusalem and its high priests.

## Why it matters
The birth of Jesus is the starting point of Christian history and of the Anno Domini calendar.

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Nativity of Jesus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Birth of Jesus of Nazareth](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Birth+of+Jesus+of+Nazareth)
- [Wikipedia — Second Temple Background (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple_period)