The phrase "September 11th the day Jesus Christ was born" presents a specific claim that functions grammatically as a noun phrase. In this structure, the clause "the day Jesus Christ was born" is an appositive, a grammatical construction that renames or further identifies the adjacent noun, "September 11th." The central point of analysis, therefore, is not the part of speech but the validity and origin of the assertion it makes. This assertion is a modern theory, not a historically or theologically established fact, and it contrasts with the traditional liturgical date of December 25th.
The theory is primarily based on an astronomical interpretation of a passage in the New Testament, specifically Revelation 12:1-2, which describes a "great sign" in heaven: "a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head." Proponents of this theory use astronomical software to retroactively calculate the positions of celestial bodies. They argue that on September 11, 3 B.C., a unique alignment occurred that matches this description: the Sun was in the constellation Virgo (the woman), while the new moon was located at the "feet" of Virgo. The "crown of twelve stars" is interpreted as the nine principal stars of the constellation Leo plus the visible planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars, which were positioned above Virgo's head at that time. The planet Jupiter, associated with kingship, was also prominently located within Virgo, which proponents interpret as symbolizing the birth of a king.
Mainstream biblical scholars and historians do not support this conclusion. They widely categorize the Book of Revelation as apocalyptic literature, a genre that relies on symbolic and metaphorical imagery to convey theological messages, not as a literal astronomical record of historical events. The exact date of Jesus's birth is not mentioned in the Gospels and remains unknown to historians. The traditional date of December 25th was adopted centuries later for liturgical purposes, likely to coincide with or supplant existing Roman festivals. Therefore, while the September 11th theory offers a detailed argument based on celestial mechanics, it is considered a speculative interpretation that is not accepted by the consensus of academic and theological scholarship.
