DID YOU KNOW?
The answer
Matthew 2:1 says Jesus was born 'in the days of Herod the king,' and Luke sets the surrounding events in the same reign. Herod the Great died in 4 BC — which is part of why scholars date the birth a few years 'BC.'
Why it’s interesting
Herod's famous cruelty in the Christmas story fits the ruthless king ancient historians describe. His death date is one of the firmest pegs we have for placing the nativity on a real calendar.
Scholarly consensus
You can know the Bible.
Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.