Zechariah's vision in the Holy of Holies dates the conception of John and Jesus
Chrysostom is proving the December date of Christ's birth by showing from the Gospel that Zechariah saw the angel in the Holy of Holies at the Feast of Tabernacles, and that Elizabeth conceived then, six months before Mary.
For it was then, once in the year, that the high priest used to enter; and this is what he himself made clear when he said, “It shall be done once a year.”
If, then, the high priest alone enters the Holy of Holies at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, let us now go on to prove that the angel appeared to Zechariah at the very time when he was in the Holy of Holies. For the angel appeared to him alone while he was burning incense, and the high priest never enters alone except at that time only. And there is nothing to prevent us from hearing the very words themselves: “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, and his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And it happened that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his priestly division, according to the custom of the priesthood, he obtained by lot the duty of burning incense, and he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense” (Luke 1:5, 8-10).
Recall for me, beloved, that testimony which says, “And no person shall be in the tent of testimony when he enters to make atonement in the Holy of Holies, until he comes out” (Leviticus 16:17). “And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense” (Luke 1:11). He did not say “the altar of sacrifices,” but “the altar of incense.” For the outer altar was for sacrifices and burnt offerings, but the inner one was for incense. So from this, and from the fact that the angel appeared to him alone, and from the statement that the people were outside waiting for him, it is quite clear that he entered the Holy of Holies.
“And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. And the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John’” (Luke 1:12-13). “And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they marveled that he delayed. And when he came out, he was making signs to them, and he could not speak” (Luke 1:21-22). Do you see that he was inside the veil? It was then, therefore, that he received the good news.
Now the time of this announcement was the Feast of Tabernacles and the fast; for this is what “You shall humble your souls” means. And this feast is celebrated by the Jews around the end of the month of Gorpiaios, as you yourselves bear witness; for it was then that we spent many long words against the Jews, accusing them of their untimely fast. It was then, therefore, that Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, also conceived. And she kept herself hidden for five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men” (Luke 1:24-25).
It is timely, then, to show next that when Elizabeth was in her sixth month of carrying John, Mary received the good news of her conception. For Gabriel came to her and said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31). And when she was troubled and sought to learn the manner of it, the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the holy one born from you will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
Greek
Τότε γὰρ ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰσῄει· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐδήλωσεν, εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἄπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τοῦτο ποιηθήσεται. εʹ. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς Σκηνοπηγίας εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς μόνος, φέρε λοιπὸν ἀποδείξωμεν, ὅτι τότε ὤφθη ὁ ἄγγελος τῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ, ἡνίκα εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων ἦν· μόνῳ γὰρ αὐτῷ ὤφθη θυμιῶντι· μόνος δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς οὐδέποτε εἰσέρχεται, ἀλλ' ἢ τότε μόνον. Οὐδὲν δὲ κωλύει καὶ αὐτῶν ἀκοῦσαι τῶν ῥημάτων· Ἐγένετο ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἡρώδου τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἱερεύς τις ὀνόματι Ζαχαρίας, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν θυγατέρων Ἀαρὼν, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς Ἐλισάβετ. Ἐγένετο δὲ, ἐν τῷ ἱερατεύειν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ τάξει τῆς ἐφημερίας αὐτοῦ ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἱερατείας, ἔλαχε τοῦ θυμιᾶσαι, εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Κυρίου. Καὶ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ ἦν προσευχόμενον ἔξω, τῇ ὥρᾳ τοῦ θυμιάματος. Ἀναμνήσθητί μοι, ἀγαπητὲ, τῆς μαρτυρίας ἐκείνης, τῆς λεγούσης· Καὶ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἔσται ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ τοῦ μαρτυρίου, εἰσπορευομένου αὐτοῦ ἐξιλάσασθαι εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, ἕως ἂν ἐξέλθῃ. Ὤφθη δὲ αὐτῷ ἄγγελος Κυρίου, ἑστὼς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυμιάματος. Οὐκ εἶπε, τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τῶν θυσιῶν, ἀλλὰ, τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυμιάματος. Τὸ γὰρ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ἔξω θυσιῶν ἦν καὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, τὸ δὲ ἔσω θυμιάματος. Ὥστε καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀφθῆναι αὐτῷ μόνῳ, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ λέγεσθαι, ὅτι ἔξω ἦν ὁ λαὸς προσδεχόμενος αὐτὸν, εὔδηλον ὅτι εἰς τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἰσῆλθε. Καὶ ἐταράχθη Ζαχαρίας ἰδὼν, καὶ φόβος ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτόν· Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ ἄγγελος· Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία, διότι εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου, καὶ ἡ γυνή σου Ἐλισάβετ γεννήσει υἱόν σοι, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην. Καὶ ἦν ὁ λαὸς προσδοκῶν τὸν Ζαχαρίαν, καὶ ἐθαύμαζον ἐν τῷ χρονίζειν αὐτόν. Ἐξελθὼν δὲ διένευεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο λαλῆσαι. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐσωτέρω τοῦ καταπετάσματος ἦν; Τότε τοίνυν εὐηγγελίσθη. Ὁ δὲ καιρὸς τοῦ εὐαγγελισμοῦ ὁ τῆς Σκη νοπηγίας ἦν καὶ τῆς νηστείας· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ταπεινώσετε τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν. Τελεῖται δὲ ἡ ἑορτὴ αὕτη τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις περὶ τὰ ἔσχατα τοῦ Γορπιαίου μηνὸς, καθὼς καὶ ὑμεῖς μαρτυρεῖτε· τότε γὰρ τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ μακροὺς πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἀνηλώσαμεν λόγους, τῆς ἀκαίρου αὐτῶν νηστείας κατηγοροῦντες. Τότε τοίνυν καὶ ἡ Ἐλισάβετ συνέλαβεν, ἡ γυνὴ Ζαχαρίου· καὶ περιέκρυβεν ἑαυτὴν μῆνας πέντε, λέγουσα, ὅτι Οὕτω μοι πεποίηκεν ὁ Κύριος ἐν ἡμέραις αἷς ἐπεῖδεν ἀφελεῖν τὸ ὄνειδός μου ἐν ἀνθρώποις. Εὔκαιρον οὖν δεῖξαι λοιπὸν, ὅτι τὸν ἕκτον μῆνα ταύτης ἐχούσης ἐν τῇ κυήσει τοῦ Ἰωάννου, ἡ Μαρία λαμβάνει τῆς συλλήψεως τὰ εὐαγγέλια. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτὴν Γαβριὴλ, καὶ ἔλεγε· Μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ· εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ, καὶ τέξῃ υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν· θορυβουμένης δὲ ἐκείνης, καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἐπιζητούσης μαθεῖν, ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει σοι· διὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἐκ σοῦ ἅγιον, κληθήσεται Υἱὸς Θεοῦ.