apologetics

The Census: Did Luke Make a Mistake?

Jonathan Darville | May 20, 2024
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Critics of the Christian faith, like Bart Ehrman, make much of the apparent discrepancies and errors in the Gospels.[1] One supposed error that gets a lot of press is in Luke 2:1-2. At first blush, it appears that Luke inaccurately says that Quirinius was the governor of Syria in the year of Jesus’ birth (around 6 BC). But Quirinius wasn’t the governor until 6 AD. Therefore, Luke contains errors, or so the argument goes.[2]

But this conflicts with what we know about Luke, who was an incredibly accurate chronicler by anyone’s standards. Luke gets the details right over and over again on everything from geography to names, government officials, architecture, religious leaders, and more.[3] Given his overall accuracy and meticulous attention to detail, it would be odd if Luke made an error regarding the governorship of Quirinius that would have been obvious to his original readers.[4]

So, what are we to make of Luke’s apparent historical blunder? We have two main options for resolving this apparent dilemma.

Option 1: Not Governor?

Critics often fail to mention that it is far from certain that this verse in Luke should be translated to mean Quirinus was governor. “Although English translations typically render Luke 2:2b ‘while Quirinius was governor of Syria,’ the Greek verb hēgemoneuō does not necessarily refer to filling the office of governor but could speak of virtually any administrative post…Quirinius may have simply been the administrator of the census.”[5] Indeed, there are a number of instances in the Bible where this word isn’t translated to mean “governor” (e.g., Luke 22:26; Acts 7:10, 14:12, 15:22), nor is this the typical word for “governor.”

Moreover, we have evidence from two church fathers that Luke does not refer to Quirinius as governor.[6] Justin Martyr says that Quirinius was a procurator, a lower position than a governor, whose job it was to carry out censuses! Justin invites anyone who has doubts about this to consult the census archives, as he had apparently done. Tertullian encourages people to check the records as well. If they were to check the records, Tertullian says they would discover that Saturninus was governor at the time of Jesus’ birth. Of course, it makes sense that Quirinus would be tapped for governor a little over a decade later if he was a competent and effective procurator.

We have every reason to trust the veracity of Luke’s account.

Option 2: Before?

The other option is to translate the adjective prōtē to mean “before” so that the verse reads, “This was the census before Quirinius was governor of Syria.” While this would be a rare use of the word prōtē, “before” is within prōtē’s range of meanings, and there are other places in Scripture where prōtē is translated to mean “before” (e.g., John 1:15, 30).

Quirinius conducted a census as governor in 6 AD (roughly 12 years after Jesus’ birth and about 54 years before Luke wrote his Gospel). This census would have been well known to Luke’s audience, as it led to a revolt on the part of the Jews. On this reading, Luke mentions the census conducted 12 years later as a chronological point of reference. As Brook Pearson explains, “Timekeeping in cultures with limited literacy is accomplished not necessarily by reference to a calendar on the wall or a watch on the wrist, but rather by significant events.”[7] And Quirinius’ governorship and census were considered significant events. Both Luke (Acts 5:37) and Josephus reference the rebellion, which was likely prompted by the Jews’ recognition that Quirinius’ new role meant they “were now under direct Roman rule.”[8] The revolt, led by a man named Judas of Galilee, was the beginning of heightened tensions with Rome that would eventually lead to the Jewish War and the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.

Takeaway

So, we have two viable alternative translations that do not result in Luke making a historical error. The simplicity of and historical precedent for the first approach seems to give it the edge, but either way, the important point is this: we have every reason to trust the veracity of Luke’s account.

Despite what you may hear from skeptics online or in print, the Gospel of Luke doesn’t make a mistake on the census (or anything else, for that matter). On the contrary, rigorous historical investigations have repeatedly revealed that the Gospel of Luke is a supremely reliable work of ancient history. Of course, the Gospel of Luke is more than that (it is sacred scripture), but it is certainly not less. Luke wrote his two-volume work (Luke-Acts) with sterling historical precision so that we, like Theophilus, could have certainty regarding what we have been taught about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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References

[1] Bart Ehrman, Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (New York: HarperOne, 2010).

[2] Skeptics have historically also objected to the idea that Joseph and Mary would have needed to travel to Bethlehem for the census. However, recent evidence provided by Sabine R. Huebner in Papyri and the Social World of the New Testament vindicates Luke’s claims. Bethlehem was likely Joseph’s hometown, and, if he had property there, he would have been required to travel to Bethlehem for the census.

[3] See Peter J. Williams, Can We Trust the Gospels? (Wheaton: Crossway, 2018); Craig L. Blomberg, The Historical Reliability of the Gospels (Westmont, IVP Academic, 2007); Andreas J Kostenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2016).

[4] If I were to write about 9/11 and suggest that it occurred in 1991, you would immediately recognize the mistake. That this verse in Luke made its way to us without being “corrected” suggests that Luke wasn’t taken to say Quirinius was governor at the time of Jesus’ birth.

[5] Kostenberger, Kellum, and Quarles, The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown, 221.

[6] Michael Kruger, “How to Face Apparent Contradictions in the Gospels: Does the Census Account in Luke 2 Contain Errors?” accessed April 15, 2024 https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/apparent-contradictions-gospels/.

[7] Brook W. R. Pearson, “The Lucan Censuses, Revisited,” CBQ 61 (1999): 277.

[8] Ibid., 269-73. The Censuses under Herod would have been seen as acts of indirect Roman rule, as they were implemented by Jewish authorities.

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Jonathan Darville

Jono Darville is a former Global Master Trainer with The Center for Leadership Studies and Co-Leader of the New York branch of Models for Christ (an international non-profit bringing the gospel to the fashion industry). Due to a decade-plus long battle with chronic illness, Jono almost lost his life in 2017. After spending a number of years bed-bound, God graciously intervened in 2020, using UNC Hospital to restore Jono’s health. Jono is now finishing an M.A. in the Philosophy of Religion at SEBTS, while serving as a Ruling Elder and Youth Director at Peace Church in Cary, NC. He and his wife, Jillian, have one son, Jono Jr.

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