Subject: A possible translation error? (Lk 2:2) |
Bible Note: from Robertson's commentary Luk 2:2 - The first enrolment ***apographe prote***. A definite allusion by Luke to a series of censuses instituted by Augustus, the second of which is mentioned by him in Act 5:37. This second one is described by Josephus and it was supposed by some that Luke confused the two. But Ramsay has shown that a periodical fourteen-year census in Egypt is given in dated papyri back to a.d. 20. The one in Act_5:37 would then be a.d. 6. This is in the time of Augustus. The first would then be b.c. 8 in Egypt. If it was delayed a couple of years in Palestine by Herod the Great for obvious reasons, that would make the birth of Christ about b.c. 6 which agrees with the other known data When Quirinius ***Kureniou***. Genitive absolute. Here again Luke has been attacked on the ground that Quirinius was only governor of Syria once and that was a.d. 6 as shown by Josephus ***Ant. XVIII. I.I***. But Ramsay has proven by inscriptions that Quirinius was twice in Syria and that Luke is correct here also. See summary of the facts in my Luke the Historian in the Light of Research, pp. 118-29. ________________________ from the ISBE But the Gospel is not free from attack. The chief matter in the Gospel of Luke which is challenged on historical grounds, apart from the birth-narratives, which some critics treat as legendary, is the census in Luk_2:1 ff. Critics, who in general have accepted Luke's veracity, have sometimes admitted that here he fell into error and confused the census under Quirinius in 6-7 AD when Quirinius came, after the banishment of Archelaus, to take a census and to collect taxes, much to the indignation of the Jews ***compare Act_5:37; Josephus, Ant, XVIII, i***. It was not known that Quirinius had been governor of Syria before this time, nor was there any other knowledge of a census under Augustus. The case against Luke seemed strong. But Ramsay ***Was Christ Born at Bethlehem? 227 ff.*** shows that the inscription at Tibur, as agreed by Mommsen and like authorities, shows that Quirinius "twice governed Syria as legatus of the divine Augustus." He was consul in 12 BC, so that the first mission was after that date. Ramsay shows also from the papyri that the 14-year cycle was used for the Roman census ***many census papers are known from 20 AD on***. He argues that the first one was instituted by Augustus in 8 BC. Herod, as a vassal king, would naturally be allowed to conduct it in the Jewish fashion, not the Roman, and it was probably delayed several years in the provinces. Thus once more Luke is vindicated in a remarkable way ________________________ from Easton's Dictionary Cyrenius the Grecized form of Quirinus. His full name was Publius Sulpicius Quirinus. Recent historical investigation has proved that Quirinus was governor of Cilicia, which was annexed to Syria at the time of our Lord's birth. Cilicia, which he ruled, being a province of Syria, he is called the governor, which he was de jure, of Syria. Some ten years afterwards he was appointed governor of Syria for the second time. During his tenure of office, at the time of our Lord's birth ***Luk_2:2***, a "taxing" ***R.V., "enrolment;" i.e., a registration*** of the people was "first made;" i.e., was made for the first time under his government. ***See TAXING.*** |