From: KJohn36574@aol.com
Date: Thu Dec 30 1999 - 14:31:15 EST
In light of Carlton's note, Vardaman's explaination may not be the long
awaited response to this controversial passage. And my Strobel quote is from
an interview answer without any sources quoted. So your first series of
questions I am not at liberty to answer. However, since Vardaman's
scholarship is in doubt anyway, maybe we should dispense with a history
discussion.
However, from the standpoint of the Greek, we have, "hegemoneuontos tes
Syrias Kyreniou" or "while Quirinius was leading -in charge of-Syria". He is
not actually called legatus (the official Roman title for the governor of an
entire region), but the participle hegemoneuontos is used here, which would
be appropriate to a "hegemon" like Pontius Pilate, who rated as a procurator
but not as a "legatus".
Now if we assume one Quirinius was possibly in charge of two census' at
different times, what can we conclude from the above? Josephus' cites
Cyrenius (Quirinius) taking a census soon after Herod's Archelaus was deposed
in A.D. 6 (7 A.D),
"Cyrenius, one that had been consul, was sent by Caesar to take account of
people's effects in Syria, and to sell the house of Archelaus."
(Antiquities 17.13.5).
Luke was aware of the second census and quotes Gamaliel as alluding to the
insurrection of Judas of Galilee "in the days of the census taking (Acts
5:37). Such census were taken every 14 years, so if we have one in 7 B.C. and
the second in cc.7 B.C. then we have a 14 year spead.
We do know that between 12 B.C. and 2 B.C. Quirinius was engaged in a
systematic reduction of rebellious mountaineers in the highlands of Pisidia
(Tenny, "Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia, 5:6) and therefore was a highly
placed military figure in the Near East in the closing years of the reign of
Herod the Great. He probably found favor with Caesar and was chosen to handle
the first census of Lk. 2:2. But because he was not the official legatus, he
was not mentioned in the Roman census lists as such conducting a census.
Besides, Tertillian mentions Saturninus as legate of Syria from 9 B.C. to 6
B.C., and Quintilius Varus as legate from 7 B.C. to 4 A.D.
(Contra Marcion 4.19), so it is doubtful Quirinius was legate in 6 or 7 B.C.
Later because of Quirinius' handling of matters in the B.C. years he was
probably appointed legate in the A.D. years by Caesar or at least temporary
emergency legate.
As far as a decree from Caesar Augustus to have the whole world [oikoumene or
all the world under the authority of Rome] to be involved in a census for
taxation purposes, we know that a general census under such circumstances
occurred in the Roman world,
"Every five years the Romans enumerated citizens and their property to
determine their liabilities. This practice was extended to include the entire
Roman Empire in 5 B.C."
(Kingsley Davis, "Encyclopaedia Britannica, 14th ed., 5.168).
I believe I have covered almost everything I know to cover except people
being required to return to their own houses during a census, but we also
know this occurred under Gaius Vibius Maximus, Prefect of Egypt in 104 A.D,
so it was a legitimate practice.
(McRay, Archaeology and the New Testament" (1991) page 155.)
Ken Johnson
Elk Grove, CA
KJohn36574@aol.com
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