clarevmerry

#7 The Lamb of God

The Jews expected the Messiah to be born in Nisan, the first month of the year in the Jewish calendar. He was indeed born at this time. This month marks the season of the Exodus from Egypt and the Passover celebration of it. Lamb of God is the title given to Jesus by John theContinue reading “#7 The Lamb of God”

#6 Flocks in Fields at Night

The shepherds mentioned in Luke chapter 2 are watching their flocks at night when angels appear to them on the hills to say that a Saviour has been born. The angels encourage the shepherds to go and find the new born baby; as a sign they will find him lying in a manger. At thisContinue reading “#6 Flocks in Fields at Night”

#5 Passover and Census

Central to the recounting and depiction of the Christmas story is that Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger. There was no other accommodation available in Bethlehem when Joseph and Mary arrived. This has been attributed to there being a census, but more importantly, I believe, it was because it wasContinue reading “#5 Passover and Census”

#4 Passover 10 and 14 Nisan

We have now established that Jesus was born in March or April of 5 BC on the evidence of the appearance of a bright comet in 5 BC and the death of King Herod in 4 BC. Jesus was born in spring time of that year just before Passover. This was one of the pointsContinue reading “#4 Passover 10 and 14 Nisan”

#3 Herod the Great’s Reign 37-4 BC

Maybe you doubt that a comet recorded by the Han Dynasty in China for 5 BC was the sign of the Star of Bethlehem followed by the wise men from Persia to Bethlehem. Lets pursue another line of inquiry involving the Bible and Jewish history. Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the reign of HerodContinue reading “#3 Herod the Great’s Reign 37-4 BC”

#2 Bright Comet of 5 BC

In order to establish when Jesus was born in terms of month of the year, we first must know in which year he was born. The obvious answer is at the beginning of 1 AD, but this is not the correct answer. Two lines of evidence establish that Jesus was born several years before 1Continue reading “#2 Bright Comet of 5 BC”

#1 Jesus the Passover Lamb

Article written by Clare Merry October 2025 The 25th December We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25th December. It is, however, generally agreed that Jesus was not actually born on this day. The first record of celebrating the birth of Christ is found in the Roman calendar of 354 AD. The newContinue reading “#1 Jesus the Passover Lamb”

#9 Conclusion to the History of Christianity in Britain

Christianity in Britain has been through three main phases: firstly, an Orthodox Church phase; secondly, a Roman Catholic Church phase; and thirdly, a Protestant reformed churches phase. Christianity reached England very early on with missionaries sent from Judea. The missionaries were Joseph of Arimathea and Aristobulus, one of the 70 who became the first bishopContinue reading “#9 Conclusion to the History of Christianity in Britain”

#8 The Church of England

The formation of the Anglican Church in England was not just about King Henry VIII obtaining a divorce from Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn, it was a much wider movement about reforming the church according to new theology and insights into what it is to be human. Its governing articles ofContinue reading “#8 The Church of England”

#7 The Reformation and Protestant Churches

It was the printing press and literacy that allowed the Protestant Reformation to take place, and also the Protestant Reformation that promoted literacy. In England the Reformation occurred in 1534. In Germany it started in 1517 when Martin Luther (1483-1546) nailed his opinions about the sale of Indulgences to the door of All Saints ChurchContinue reading “#7 The Reformation and Protestant Churches”