Bethlehem and the Census

The Lukan author is regarded as an ancient historian of the first rank, and yet in Luke 2 he seems to have committed a gross error in placing Jesus’ birth during a census conducted by Quirinius (which most believe happened in 6/7 ce) while also claiming that Jesus was born during the last season of Herod the Great’s life (which most believe ended in 4 bce). The Lukan author likely believes that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem—he does not seem to concoct the story for apologetic purposes, as he does not quote Micah 5:2—but does wish for readers to perceive Jesus as the Davidic Messiah by virtue of his birth in David’s city, Bethlehem. The evocation of Rome by the very name of Augustus suggests both that God works His providence through the empires of the world, even Rome, but also that the Messiah to be born will rise up to challenge Rome, as that Messiah, Jesus, will share titles also shared with Caesar Augustus in Roman imperial eschatology. The census that Luke mentions is likely not the famous census of Quirinius, but rather an earlier census otherwise lost to historical record, if one understands the grammar of Luke 2:1 to be referring to a census ‘before’ the one Quirinius conducted in 6 ce.