The Birthday of a God
What September 23 means for the story of Jesus
When it comes to the historical Jesus we don’t have specifics dates for the events of his life, just windows of probable or possible times. For example, we don’t know when Jesus was born, although it most likely wasn’t on December 25. The date suggested for his birth is sometime in the range of 6-4 BCE, based on the Gospel of Matthew’s location of Jesus’s nativity during the reign of Herod the Great, who we know died in 4 BCE. While there are some issues with this dating of his birth, the range of possible dates for his death are more historically solid.1 According to all four canonical Gospels, and early tradition, Jesus was executed under the Roman governorship of Pontius Pilate, and we know the time frame during which he was stationed in Judea — between 26 and 36 CE. This means we know that it was sometime in that decade of Pilate’s tenure that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.
I bring this up because, while it’s hard to nail down specific dates for the life of Jesus, there is a specific date that we know, decades before Jesus was on the scene, that would change, not only his life, but the entire world.
That date was September 23, 63 BCE.
On that day a baby was born and he was given the name Gaius Octavius, though most of us know him as the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. The assassination of Julius Caesar (his uncle) in 44 BCE eventually led to a power struggle that exploded into a civil war between Octavian, who had been adopted as Caesar’s heir in his will, and Mark Antony, one of Caesar’s supporters and generals. The decisive battle in the conflict happened at sea off the coast of Actium, Greece on September 2, 31 BCE, and when the dust settled it was Octavian who was victorious. Under the guise of “restoring the republic” Octavian was granted lifetime power by the Roman senate, who also bestowed upon him the title Augustus, meaning “great, majestic, magnificent,” and carried with it the idea of veneration. The ascension of Augustus marked the end of Rome as a constitutional republic, and the advent of the Roman Empire.
It might surprise you to know that Augustus was known by several titles that are familiar to readers of the Bible—and he had them first. He was Lord, savior, son of god (because Julius Caesar was deified by the Roman senate), and the bringer of peace on earth.2 This last one, that Augustus brought peace on earth—the Pax Romana or Augusta—was particularly important.3 The Romans had experienced multiple civil wars, and were in constant military engagement prior to Augustus. So, you can imagine how significant peacetime would be in shaping Roman opinion about Augustus as a leader. It further cemented his god-like status.
Which brings me back to this date, September 23. To honor and celebrate the Pax Augusta one Roman province, in what is today Turkey, decided that the entire calendar should revolve around the day Augustus was born. September 23 should begin the New Year, because everything had begun anew in Augustus. Time itself would bend to Caesar. This is recorded for us in an inscription from 9 BCE called The Priene Calendar Inscription. It reads as follows (and pay close attention to the language that is used to describe Augustus):
Since the providence that has divinely ordered our existence has applied her energy and zeal and has brought to life the most perfect good in Augustus, whom she filled with virtues for the benefit of mankind, bestowing him upon us and our descendants as a savior—he who put an end to war and will order peace, Caesar, who by his epiphany exceeded the hopes of those who prophesied good tidings [i.e. good news, gospel], not only outdoing benefactors of the past, but also allowing no hope of greater benefactions in the future; and since the birthday of the god first brought to the world the good tidings residing in him…For that reason, with good fortune and safety, the Greeks of Asia have decided that the New Year in all the cities should begin on 23rd September, the birthday of Augustus…and that the letter of the proconsul and the decree of Asia should be inscribed on a pillar of white marble, which is to be placed in the sacred precinct of Rome and Augustus.4
Augustus was the savior who ordered peace, and his epiphany brought good news for the whole world. Does any of that sound…familiar? The early followers of Jesus were not reinventing the wheel when they talked about him as Lord, savior, or the bringer of peace on earth. Far from it! They were adopting and co-opting the language of Roman Imperial theology, and by doing so they were also challenging the validity of the regime that ran their world.
September 23, 63 BCE and the birth of Augustus had a direct impact on how the earliest followers of Jesus both understood and talked about the meaning of his life, death, and resurrection. By interpreting Jesus through the language and metaphors of Roman Imperial theology they were making bold and dangerous claims about Jesus and the Kingdom of God over and against Caesar and the Empire of Rome.
If Jesus is Lord, then Caesar isn’t.
If Jesus is savior, then Caesar can’t be.
If Jesus brings “good news,” then Caesar doesn’t.
If Jesus brought peace on earth, then Caesar’s peace is a sham.
The genius of this co-opting of language is that is sets up the key conflict between the Kingdom of God and the Empire of Rome. Rome used violence to make and enforce peace—and a violent peace is no peace at all. Jesus embodied non-violence and enacted justice—a real peacemaking. Caesar killed his way to peace; Jesus fed, healed, and feasted his way to peace. Caesar killed his enemies; Jesus died as a nonviolent emissary of God’s Kingdom while forgiving his enemies.
The contrast between the two visions was clear then, and it is still clear now. The unfortunate, tragic irony is that far too often Jesus’s followers have been more attracted to the approach of Caesar than that of Jesus. That struggle continues today as we watch shocking numbers of Christians embrace the message and values of nationalism and MAGA, while rejecting the message and values embodied in the life and death of Jesus.
Many Christians, sadly it seems, prefer September 23 to December 25.
May we resist the urge toward empire, violence, and all it represents.
And, may we embrace the Kingdom vision of Jesus that makes for peace.
This relies on the assumption that the events depicted in Matthew chapter 2 are, in fact, historical. The majority of scholars regard the story of “The Visit of the Magi” to be a creation of the author, not a historical event. This doesn’t mean that Jesus wasn’t born in that 6-4 BCE range, but it also doesn’t give us definitive proof that he was.
Augustus himself would reach god-status after his death as well.
Literally, Roman or Augustan Peace. A reference to the period of relative military peace during Augustus’s forty year reign and beyond.
Check out Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan’s treatment of this inscription in their brilliant book, The First Christmas. https://www.amazon.com/First-Christmas-Gospels-Really-Jesuss/dp/0061430714
Wow! What a great read. Thanks for breaking this down, Josh.
Continuously learning from you, Josh! Thank you so much for this insight.