Monday, January 09, 2023

Suggesting Jesus was born in December by considering Levitical Shepherds

The argument for Levitical shepherds being in the fields all year round is based on the fact that, according to the Law of Moses, the priests of the Israelites were required to offer animal sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem on a regular basis. These sacrifices included burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sin offerings, as well as the offering of lambs as peace offerings.

It is believed that Levitical shepherds, who were responsible for providing the animals for these sacrifices, would have been in the fields all year round, raising the lambs that were to be offered at the Temple. These lambs were considered to be sacred, and they were to be raised in a clean and pure manner, according to the requirements of the Law.



Therefore, some people argue that it is possible that Levitical shepherds could have been in the fields at the time of Jesus' birth, even if it was during the winter months, because they would have been raising sacrificial lambs all year round. According to this view, the shepherds mentioned in the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:8-20) could have been Levitical shepherds, rather than ordinary shepherds who were only in the fields during the warmer months.

It's important to note that the Bible does not specify the occupation or status of the shepherds mentioned in the Christmas story, and different interpretations of the text have been offered by scholars over the years. The argument for Levitical shepherds being in the fields all year round is one interpretation, but it is not the only one.

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