Cyrenius (Quirinius) – Roman Governor, governing militarily in the area of Syria, Pisidia, and as far south as Israel.
Many bible sceptics refute Luke 2, claiming that Cyrenius either did not exist, or that he did not have the authority to institute a tax. So, let’s look at the evidence.
History records much of the man Quirinius (Cyrenius). The earliest historical account we have of him comes from an inscription found in Antioch Pisidia, known as Res Gestae – ‘The Deeds of Augustus Caesar by Augustus’. The inscription places Cyrenius as consul in 12 B.C. This position was attained by only two prominent Romans every year; they governed as the Roman heads of state. The inscription reads as follows:
“A great crowd of people came together from all over Italy to my election, more then had ever gathered before in Rome, when Publius Sulpicius (Quirinius) and Gaius Valgius were consuls.” (Res Gestae 10)
Quirinius was by no means a small figure in Roman politics or in his association with Augustus, Tiberius and Caius Caesar. So respected was Quirinius to the Caesar’s that upon his death in 22 A.D. Tiberius honored him before the entire Senate. The following is his tribute as recorded by the Roman historian Tacitus:
Around this time, he (Tiberius Caesar) requested that the Senate pay tribute to the death of Sulpicius Quirinus with a public funeral … A tireless soldier, who had by his faithful services become consul during the reign of Augustus, and later was honored for his victory concerning his assault on the fortresses of the Homonadenses in Cilicia (The province of Cilicia is located just northwest of neighboring Syria.)
“Later he was appointed to be an adviser to Caius Caesar in the government of Armenia (Caius was the son of Augustus and was sent administer Syria as an Imperial Legate around 1 B.C., He was then wounded in nearby Armenia in 3 A.D. and later died the following year.) as well as being an advisor to Tiberius, when he was at Rhodes (the Island just off the coast of Asia somewhere between 6 B.C. and 2 A.D.) The Roman emperor spoke of these things before the entire Senate, and praised Quirinus for his excellent service, while he criticized Marcus Lollius, whom he blamed for teaching Caius Caesar the traits of being disobedient and divisive. But most of the citizens were not fond of the memory of Quirinus, because of his involvement in the events surrounding Lepida, whose account I have previously mentioned, as well as the harsh and dangerous power he held during his last years in office.” Tacitus Annals- Book Two
This account of Tacitus proves that Quirinius was governing militarily in the area of Syria well before becoming the civilian governor of Syria and taking a second census of Judea in 6 A.D. as recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus.
Another inscription, which surfaced in the late 1600’s, known as the Aemilius Secundus inscription also mentions Quirinius governing in Syria as well as ordering a census. The inscription reads as follows:
“Quintus Aemilius Secundus, from Palatine, with honors he was decorated in the camp of Divine Augustus under Publius Sulpicius Quirinius legate of Caesar in Syria, prefect of the first Augustan cohort, prefect of the navy’s second cohort. Commanded by Quirinius to conduct a census of the district of Apamea’s 117,000 citizens; He was also sent by Quirinius to capture the fortresses of the Itureans in the mountains of Lebanon.” (Inscriptines Latinae Selectae #2683).
This inscription shows that the authority of Quirinius in Syria extended to areas south of Syria as well, such as Iturea which lays just north of Galilee
It also states that Quirinius governed as an Imperial legate from Syria and was thereby given the authority by Rome to conduct any census to be taken in the provinces nearby.
Two other inscriptions were found in the early 1900’s in Pisidian Antioch which served as a military command center and eastern outpost for the Roman Empire. The two inscriptions read as follows:
“C. Caristanius C F Sergius Fronto Caesiaus Iulius, perfect of civil engineers, priest, perfect of P. Sulpicius Quirinius the Duumvir, Perfect of M. Servilius, from this man and with a public edict, a statue was erected with the blessings of the council. (Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae #9502)
And
“To C. Caristanius Fronto Caesianus Iulius, son of Gaius, from the tribe of Sergia, prefect of civil engineers, military tribune of the twelfth legion, prefect of the Bosporan cohort, priest, prefect of P. Sulpicius Quirinius, duumvir, prefect of Marcus Servilius, prefect . . .” (Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae #9503)
Marcus Servilius, who is mentioned alongside Quirinius in these two inscriptions, was Roman consul in 3 A.D. Quirinius is also identified as a duumvir, which means he was one of two people that jointly held power.
Even though all these evidences point to Quirinius governing in the region during the census in Luke 2, many skeptics continue to argue that Rome would not have taxed or conducted a census in Israel before it became a Roman province in 6 A.D.
But Josephus, the official Jewish historian, records that the Jews were being taxed by the Romans with commands coming from Syria as early as 44 B.C. And the task of raising the funds fell upon the Jewish rulers in power at the time.
Josephus records: “Cassius rode into Syria in order to take command of the army stationed there, and on the Jews he placed a tax of 700 silver talents. Antipater gave the job of collecting this tax to his sons …” (Jewish Antiquities XIV 271)
History also records that just before the birth of Christ, Judea was being excessively taxed under Herod the Great, a Jew that was appointed King of Judea by Caesar Augustus; Herod was subservient to Augustus. After Herod died, Josephus records the following:
“Archelaus grieved over the death of his father for several days and then . . . from his throne of gold, he gave a speech to the crowd . . . pleased by his words, the people immediately began to test his sincerity by requesting certain favors from him. Some pleaded for their yearly taxes to be reduced . . . while others asked that he would only take away the excessive sales taxes that were being levied on goods being brought or sold.” (Jewish Antiquities XVII 200)
Josephus also recorded that the common people hated Herod for taxing them so much. He states: “The amount of people, to whom he lavished his money, were very numerous. And because of this, he was forced to collect it through unjust means. Because he was aware that his subjects hated him for these crimes that he committed against them, he did not think it would make any difference to treat them kindly, for it might harm his revenue; he therefore, knowing that his subjects feared him because of his harshness, continued on in pursuit of financial gain.” (Antiquities XVI 150-170)
An example of Herod’s taxes on the people is that, when he died, he left ten million pieces of silver to Augustus Caesar and five million to Caesar’s wife Julia and others. (Jewish Antiquities XVII 190)
We also know that Augustus Caesar ordered a Census in 8 B.C., this would have taken a good two to three years to implement and complete in all the provinces under direct and indirect control of Rome. The following is an account given by Augustus of the census:
“… during my sixth term as consul (28 B.C.), I along with my comrade Marcus Agrippa, commanded a census be taken of the people. I directed a lustrum, the first in forty-one years, in which 4,063,000 Roman citizens were counted. And once again, with imperial authority, I single handedly authorized a lustrum when the consuls of Rome were Gaius Censorinus and Gaius Asinius (8 B.C.), during which time 4,233,000 Roman citizens were counted.” (Res Gestae 8 – The Deeds of Augustus by Augustus)
This census in 8 B.C. seems to have occurred too early in history to be considered the census in which Joseph and Mary were registered. The early Christian historians all held that Christ was born in 2 B.C. and that Herod died the following year in 1 B.C. But Scripture (Matthew 2:16) proves them wrong; Herod learned from the wise men that Jesus was born, he commanded that all children up to 2-years old be killed.
The earliest manuscripts of “Jewish Antiquities” by Josephus also mention that Herod’s son Phillip died in the 22nd year of Tiberius, which would be 36 A.D., and that Phillip ruled for 37 years. Thus, giving a date of 1 B.C. for his appointment as Tetrarch right after the death of his father Herod the Great. That would put the birth of Jesus about 3-4 B.C.
The Biblical census was probably implemented by Herod to coincide with Rome’s decree that everyone throughout the Empire should give honor to Augustus Caesar. This took place in 2 B.C. when Augustus was given the title “Father of my country” by the Roman Senate and was honored throughout all the empire. Which is recorded in the annals of Caesar who wrote the following: “while I was administering my thirteenth consulship (2 B.C.) the Senate and the equestrian order and the entire Roman people gave me the title “Father of my country” and decreed that this title should be inscribed upon the vestibule of my house and in the senate-house and in the Forum Augustum beneath the quadriga erected in my honor by decree of the senate.” (Res Gestae, VI.35)
The Roman historian Suetonius in his work Life of Augustus, 58, also mentions that the title “Father of thy country” was given to Augustus. In 59-60 it states: “Many of the provinces, in addition to temples and altars, established games every five years in his honor in almost every one of their towns.”
These events in 2 B.C. may have led Herod to place Rome’s symbol, a large golden eagle, on the main gate of the Temple to honor Caesar right before Herod’s death which probably occurred early in 1 B.C. This, and the oath required by all Israel to honor Caesar, is recorded by Josephus in his book “Antiquities of the Jews” Book 17, Chapters 2 and 6:
“The sect of the Pharisees, who constantly opposed kings with great zeal . . . after the majority of the Jews gave assurance of their good will toward Caesar, as well as to the king’s government, these Pharisees, numbering over six thousand, did not swear the oath . . . They were believed to have had foreknowledge of things to come by Divine inspiration, for they had foretold that Herod’s government would come to an end . . . Later two leaders who were educated in the law and beloved by the people, Judas and Matthias, incited a mob of young men to tear down the large golden eagle which king Herod had placed over the great gate of the Temple. This violated Jewish law which prohibits an idol of any living thing from being put up in the temple.
“These men were arrested and Herod ordered the leaders to be burned alive. … After this Herod’s illness worsened and he began to suffer greatly.”
Josephus also mentions that shortly after Herod’s death a dispute broke out as to who should take over the rule of Herod’s territories. One of the people Caesar asked for an opinion on this issue was from his adopted son Caius, who was being groomed to be the next Caesar. Shortly afterwards Caius was appointed legate in Syria. So, if Herod died in 1 B.C. it would correspond with Caius being installed as legate to Syria shortly afterwards.
Since Scripture says Quirinius was governing in Syria at the time of the census, right before Herod’s death, it would make sense that Augustus would have chosen him to be the advisor to his son Caius who was being sent to that region.
All these events fit nicely together with what is recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Luke, giving the most accurate account of the census and the one that many refuse to believe, states in Luke 1:1-5: Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2) Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3) It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4) That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 5) ¶There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
Luke 2:1-5 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2) (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Caesar, whom the Romans held as being Divine, though he was only a mere mortal man, took a census to count all the people in his empire. And also, to find out and document which ones were citizens of his kingdom and which ones were not.
See also Christian, Jesus’s Birthday, Magi