The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (85 page)

The Census of Quirinius

T
HE
opening verses of Luke 2 have long baffled interpreters of the Bible. Despite Luke's intention to set the birth of Jesus on the timeline of world history, many scholars claim that Lk 2:1-2 are the most historically inaccurate verses of the entire Gospel! It is said that Caesar Augustus never ordered an empire-wide census (Lk 2:1) and that the census of the Roman governor of Syria, Quirinius, did not occur until
A.D.
6, a full decade after what many accept as the date of Jesus' birth (c. 64
B.C.
). If Caesar's decree is historically suspect and Quirinius' census is chronologically too late to have brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, how can Luke bind these events together to set the stage for the first Christmas?

Various explanations for this have been proposed by scholars. Some think Luke was confused about his facts. Others suggest Luke was giving us a rough sketch of these early events without intending to be precise about chronological details. Still others rush to Luke's defense as a reliable historian but are forced to reconstruct the history of the period in ways that are not easily reconciled with the historical data currently available. Thankfully, recent research is beginning to shed more light on this issue. It involves a reinterpretation of three essential pieces of the historical puzzle: the year of
Herod the Great's death,
the nature of
Caesar's decree,
and the role of
Quirinius.

1.
 A majority of scholars believe that Herod the Great, the ruler of Palestine, died in the spring of 4
B.C.
, soon after a lunar eclipse in March of that year. Widespread agreement on this date has led modern interpreters to place Jesus' birth a year or two earlier, between 6 and 4
B.C.
—after all, Herod was still alive at the time of the Nativity (Mt 2:1-18). Objections are now being raised against this view. In fact, several scholars are favoring a date for Herod's death in the early spring of 1
B.C.
, soon after a lunar eclipse in January of that year. Interestingly, this alternative chronology would push the date of Christ's birth into full agreement with the testimony of the early Christians. By calculating the Nativity according to the years of Caesar Augustus' reign, several Church Fathers, such as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Hippolytus of Rome, Eusebius, and Epiphanius, fix a date for Christ's birth between 3 and 2
B.C.
If accepted, this chronological revision moves the Nativity closer to the end of the first century
B.C.
and opens new possibilities for understanding the circumstances described by Luke.

2.
 Caesar's decree has long been a problematic detail in Luke's narrative (Lk 2:1). There is clear evidence that Augustus initiated registrations of Roman citizens at different points during his career, but there is said to be no indication that any was taken in the closing years of the first century
B.C.
or that such a census would have embraced the entire empire. Since most registrations in the Roman world were taken for taxing purposes, it is further argued that Caesar would never have taken a census of Palestine while Herod the Great ruled the region as king and collected taxes of his own. These commonly accepted views are currently coming under fire. The Jewish historian Josephus recounts that during the last years of Herod's rule, Judea was required to swear an oath of loyalty to Caesar. Archeological evidence confirms that the same type of oath was sworn elsewhere in the empire around 3
B.C.
This might well mean that the registration described in Lk 2:1 involved an oath of allegiance sworn to the emperor, not a census taken for the purpose of taxation. A later Christian historian named Orosius (fifth century
A.D.
) says explicitly that Augustus required every person in every Roman province to be enrolled with a public oath. His description of the event strongly suggests that this oath was required in the years just prior to 2
B.C.
, when the Roman people hailed Augustus as the first of all men. Even Caesar Augustus tells us in his personal writings that the whole Roman world had professed him to be the "Father" of the empire by the time this title was officially given to him in 2
B.C.
These converging lines of evidence make it possible that the census of Luke 2 was not a registration of residents to be taxed but a public enrollment of subjects expressing their loyalty to the reigning emperor.

3.
 The role of Quirinius is perhaps the most difficult detail to interpret in Luke's narrative (Lk 2:2). It is well established that he initiated a taxation census soon after he was appointed the provincial legate of Syria in
A.D.
6. Yet evidence is lacking that he held this position more than once or that he ever conducted more than one census. How, then, can Luke associate Quirinius with a census that occurred many years earlier, when Jesus was born? The most helpful clue might be found in Luke's own words. The Greek expression that he uses in Lk 2:2 for the governing role of Quirinius is the exact description he uses for Pontius Pilate's governing role in Lk 3:1. Since Pilate "governed" as a regional procurator and was not the legate of an entire Roman province (like Syria), it leaves open the possibility that Luke is referring to an administrative role assumed by Quirinius that had nothing to do with his later position as an imperial legate. This possibility is strengthened by the Church Father Justin Martyr, who states that Quirinius was a "procurator" in Judea (not Syria) at the time of Jesus' birth! It likewise enables us to make greater sense of the testimony of another early Christian writer, Tertullian, who says that Saturninus (not Quirinius) was the official legate of Syria at the time of the Nativity. It may be that Quirinius was an administrator of a Judean census (i.e., the 3
B.C.
oath-registration) several years before conducting another census for taxation in
A.D.
6.

Although there are gaps in this reconstruction, and much remains uncertain, the cumulative force of the evidence is significant. Herod's death, Caesar's decree, and the governing position of Quirinius are all historical factors that, when reconsidered, yield a more coherent portrait of the events surrounding the Nativity. This would mean that Jesus was born between 3 and 2
B.C.
, the enrollment of Joseph and Mary was a registration of their loyalty to the Roman Caesar, and the documentation of this oath was organized and implemented in Judea by Quirinius several years before he was made the official governor of Syria. This reconstruction not only eases the chronological tensions in Lk 2:1-2, it helps to confirm Luke's reliability as a historian as well as the early Church's reliability as a channel of historical traditions. «
Back to Luke 2:1.

2:11 Savior . . . Christ . . . Lord:
Titles that encapsulate the mystery of Jesus and his mission. As Savior, Jesus rescues mankind from sin (Mt 1:21; Jn 4:42); as Christ, he is the awaited Messiah and king descended from David (1:32-33; Jn 1:49); as Lord, he sits enthroned at God's right hand and rules over all nations (Acts 2:34-36; Phil 2:11). See word study:
Christ
at Mk 14:61. 
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2:13 heavenly host:
An entire army of God's angels (CCC 333).
praising God:
A joyous note ringing throughout Luke (2:20; 5:26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43; 24:53). 
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2:14 Glory to God:
A short hymn commonly known by its Latin title,
Gloria in Excelsis Deo.
peace:
Not the mere absence of conflict but a peace rooted in one's reconciliation with God. Jesus' bestowal of peace is prominent in Luke (7:50; 8:48; 19:38; Jn 14:27).
See note on Mt 5:9
.
with whom he is pleased:
Similar words resurface at Jesus' Baptism in Lk 3:22. This suggests a link between the two episodes: those baptized into Christ are those who are pleasing and at peace with God (Acts 2:38-41; Rom 5:1; Eph 2:11-19) (CCC 537). 
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2:19 Mary . . . in her heart:
Mary contemplates Jesus' birth and childhood, not from a distance, but as a participant in the mystery (1:35, 43; 2:51). Luke's insight suggests that Mary is either the direct or the indirect source of his information, since she alone could relate these hidden details of the story. 
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2:21 circumcised:
Like John, Jesus is named at his circumcision (1:59-60). The event initiates his full solidarity with God's covenant people, Israel (Gen 17:9-14; CCC 527). 
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2:22 purification:
The birth of a male child disqualifies an Israelite woman from touching any holy object or approaching the Temple for 40 days, after which time she must offer sacrifice in Jerusalem (Lev 12:1-8). Strictly speaking, these offerings cleanse women of legal impurity and have no connection with moral failures or guilt. Mary here gives the sacrifice of the poor: two "turtledoves", or two "pigeons" (2:24; Lev 12:8). • Several Church Fathers hold that Mary had no legal impurity to atone for. She nevertheless conformed herself to the Mosaic Law to avoid scandalizing others. Her submission was similar to that of Jesus, who was sinless yet received John's baptism of repentance (Mt 3:13-15). 
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2:23 Every male . . . to the Lord:
A paraphrase of Ex 13:2. It implies either that Jesus is consecrated as a priest or that he was purchased from the Levites by a redemption price of five shekels (Num 18:15-16). Either way, Mary and Joseph fulfill the Law faithfully (2:22, 24, 27) and completely (2:39).
called holy:
This fulfills the angel's announcement in 1:35. • Jesus' presentation parallels the OT dedication of Samuel, who was also taken by devout parents to the Temple (1 Sam 1:24-27). Since Samuel was offered to God to become a priest (1 Sam 1:11, 22), Luke may imply the same of Jesus' dedication. 
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2:25 consolation of Israel:
i.e., the time when many believed that Yahweh would rescue his people from Gentile rule (Romans) and reestablish the glorious kingdom of David in Jerusalem (1:71; 2:38). These hopes were linked with the coming Messiah (Mk 11:10; Acts 1:6). • Simeon's words evoke several Isaian promises along this line (Is 40:1; 52:9; 61:2-3).
See note on Lk 4:43
. 
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2:29-32
Simeon's
Nunc Dimittis
(Latin for "now dismiss") extols the Child as the crown of God's covenant promises. • The oracle is a tapestry of Isaian prophecy fulfilled in Jesus. First, Jesus embodies God's
salvation
(2:30), recalling Is 40:5, 46:13, and 52:9-10. He is also a
light
shining
to the Gentiles,
evoking Is 42:6 and 49:6. As Messiah, Jesus is the covenant representative who takes Israel's vocation upon himself and completes the mission that was left unfulfilled at his coming, i.e., to pour out blessings on all nations (CCC 529). 
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