Hi Rob,
I googled the question you asked and found this:
And as for Quirinius being the governor of Syria during this census, it is worth noting that the Bible never calls him the governor, at least the New King James Version doesn't. It says he was governing in Syria. And we know that Quirinius was indeed governing in some capacity in this region at this time.
Records also indicate that Quirinius was no minor figure in Roman politics. His name is mentioned in Res Gestae - The Deeds of Augustus by Augustus placing him as consul as early as 12 B.C.
The Roman historian Tacitus also mentions that Quirinius was appointed by Augustus to be an advisor to his young son Caius Caesar in Armenia well before the census of 6 A.D. - Caius was sent to administer Syria in 1 A.D. and was wounded in nearby Armenia in 3 A.D. Evidently, Augustus wanted someone who was experienced in previously administering the region to advise his son. Who better then Quirinius?
The first century historian Josephus also mentions that Quirinius became governor later on in 6 A.D.: He wrote:
"Quirinius, a Roman senator who had gone through other magistracies, and had passed through them all until he had become consul, was appointed governor of Syria by Caesar and was given the task of assessing property there and in Judea."
So who was in charge as the assessor of property in Judea during the first census? Just as the bible had said all along, Quirinius.
THE WORDS OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH
CAME TRUE DURING THE FIRST CENSUS
"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "GOD with us." Matthew 1:21-23
And also found this:
Was Quirinius a governor on a previous occasion?
Another way of resolving the problem is that Lk 2:2, mentions that the Nativity census is the 'first census'. He might be suggesting that there might have been more than one census of which this was the first. It is known that when Quirinius became legate in AD 6 he did order a census for taxation and that this caused an uprising in Judea. Luke himself mentions this in his second book, The Acts of the Apostles. (Acts 5:37 ) Luke makes no attempt to link this census with what he describes as the 'first census' in his gospel account. This has caused some people to wonder if Quirinius might have been a governor of some sorts in this area before. He might then have held a census which could have been described as his 'first census' to distinguish it from this infamous taxation census which happened much later.
Dio Cassius, a Roman writer mentions there were taxes levied during this decade. This involved going back to one's home town to work out what had been left you as an inheritance, and then taxes were demanded based on its value . However, Dio Cassius does not help us with the dates of these taxes.
It has also been suggested that when Quirinius was in charge of subduing the Homanadensians from 10 BC to 7 BC Quirinius could have assumed military governorship of the surrounding provinces including Syria. The argument says that he could have secured an oath of loyalty via a census at any time during 10 BC and AD 3. It is suggested that this census prompted Joseph to go to Bethlehem.
If we assume that we have an error here and it should be 'Saturnius', then that gives us dates between 8 & 6 BC. If we assume a previous 'governorship' and census then it could be any time between 10 BC and 3 AD.
Dont know if this helps, what i DO know is God doesnt lie
God Bless Sandie
Author
Topic: Census of Luke 2:2 (Read 6025 times)