An easy to document, but not well known fact, is the date of the birth of Yeshua. This is done by establishing several things: (1) the date that Gabriel the angel tells Zacharias, the soon-to-be father of Yochanan, about his son’s birth. The birth date of Yochanan is then established by going forward nine months, the term of pregnancy; (2) the approximate date of Miriam’s conception; and (3) the date of Herod’s death.”
“The date that Gabriel the angel told Zacharias that he and Elizabeth were going to have Yochanan is established from the following: Luke 1:5 states that Zacharias was a priest of the course of Abijah. King David, according to 1 Chronicles 24, divided the priestly families into twenty-four groups. Each group was called a course (mishmar), and named after the head of that particular family. Each course served for one week in the first half of the year, and for another week in the second half of the year. This was in addition to the weeks of Hag haMatzah (Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkoth (Tabernacles), when all the courses were required to be present (Deut. 16:16). Therefore, the first course served the first week of the year (Aviv), the second course the second week; then all the courses the third week because it was Hag haMatzah, and so on. I Chronicles 24:10 lists the course of Abijah as the eighth course. This course would serve the tenth week of the first half of the year, allowing two weeks for Hag haMatzah and Shavuot. It is at this time that Zacharias receives the prophecy of Yochanan’s birth.”
“Due to the laws of separation (Lev. 12:5; 15:19,25), two additional weeks had to be counted. Allowing for this and going forward with a normal pregnancy, the time of Yochanan’s birth (if this is the first half of the year) would be approximately Pesach (Passover), when it is expected that Elijah would appear. (Remember, Yochanan came in the spirit of Elijah.) Six months following Elizabeth’s conception, the angel Gabriel is sent to Miriam, the cousin of Elizabeth.”
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