Sir, - Much confusion surrounds the topic of the Millennium and the date of Christ's birth. Whatever else the year 2000 commemorates, it cannot be the birth of Christ. This event took place either before 4 BC, the date of Herod's death, if Matthew is accepted; or in 6 AD, when Publius Sulpicius Querinius became Governor of Syria, if Luke is accepted. In either case, the year 2000 does not commemorate the birth of Christ.
Furthermore, the December date is highly suspect; it derives from factors such as the winter solstice, the Roman feast of the Saturnalia, and the assigning of December 25th as the birthday of the sun-god.
For what it's worth, my own view is that Christ was born on September 19th, 6 AD at 5.45 am (the moment of sunrise in Bethlehem on that day). This view accepts the gist of the Luke narrative. - Yours, etc., Brian Arkins,
Associate Professor of Classics, NUI, Galway.