Did the Annunciation Really Take Place on the Sixth Month?

"The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[a] will be holy; he will be called Son of God (Luke 1:35)(NRSV)."

The foregoing passage is well known to most Christians, regardless of their denomination. What is taking place is that the angel Gabriel is announcing to Mary that she will have a son, Jesus. When read in full context starting at verse 26, Luke writes that this was on the sixth month. Of course, March 25^th falls on the first month of the Hebrew calendar which is Nissan, although the year begins at Rosh Hashanah during the month of Tishrei…there’s plenty of theology to support this even if it sounds confusing. Moreover, this brief post isn’t going to be about the Hebrew calendar, so you can relax. So, what sixth month is Luke talking about? Well, Elizabeth (Mary’s cousin) was on the sixth month of her pregnancy with John the Baptist, and this is what many believe Luke meant by the sixth month. However, this idea sounds a bit ambiguous to an extent and maybe a little unclear.

The dedication in the Gospel of Luke is to Theophilus.  Based on who Theophilus was, and where he resided we can get a better understanding of which was the sixth month Luke was referencing, and it was most likely that Theophilus used the Syro-Macedonian calendar. The following quote explains it well.

“There is a high probability that the Annunciation in the sixth month is a reference to the sixth lunar month according to Luke's Syro-Macedonian calendar. In 5 BCE the sixth lunar month of Xanthikos was from March 10 to April 7. The middle of that month was about March 25, 5 BCE, the traditional date for the Annunciation. This was also the day of the Vernal Equinox (www.nowoezone.com).”

In conclusion, the Annunciation most likely took place during the Vernal Equinox on the sixth month (Xanthikos), and, yes, Christmas most definitely takes place nine months later. Blessings and I hope you enjoyed reading!

References:

http://www.nowoezone.com/NTC06.htm

http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/spring-phenom

NRSV Bible