Did the Romans have a census?
The Romans conducted censuses every five years, calling upon every man and his family to return to his place of birth to be counted in order to keep track of the population. The census played a crucial role in the administration of the peoples of an expanding Roman Empire, and was used to determine taxes.
How did Romans do census?
The Romans solved the problem by creating a body of “census takers”. The census takers were organized in Rome and then were sent all over the Roman empire and on the appointed day a census was taken. Then, after taking the census, the census takers headed back to Rome where the results were tabulated centrally.
What does the Bible say about taking a census?
Second Samuel 24 tells us that God was angry against David and incited the king to take a census, for which David was punished by a plague in the land. National planning would be a sin, if they were called to trust in God alone for all their needs.
Is there a Roman census prior to 6 A.D?
There have been no historical records to indicate that any Roman census was held prior to 6 A.D. I’ve done some research into this apparent discrepancy and have wondered if, perhaps, it was not actually Herod the Great, but one of his heirs apparent that was King at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Who was the Governor of Syria during the census?
In light of this, many scholars believe that Luke was thinking about the census in AD 6-7, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. At the same time, Luke demonstrates remarkable historical accuracy overall, and even shows both an awareness of this later census (cf. Acts 5:37) and an understanding that Jesus was not born this late (cf. Luke 1:5 ).
Is the census held at the time of Herod the Great?
There are a number of issues with this line of reasoning, but there are three primary points to be considered here: the death of Herod the Great; the roles held by Quirinius (including when he held those roles); and whether or not a census was held at the time in question.
When did the census take place in Judea?
Taking all of this together, we have at least three censuses in the area of Judea – one in 8 B.C., one starting around 2 B.C. and one in 6 A.D. The only point that is really in question, then, is whether Luke was mistaken in ascribing this census to the time when Quirinius was in the role of Syrian Governor.
