Was Luke in Error?

HOW could Jesus, who grew up in Nazareth and was commonly known as the Nazarene, have been born in Bethlehem, some 90 miles [150 km] away? Luke explains: "Now in those days [before Jesus' birth] 14 C.E.) a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus for all the inhabited earth to be registered (this first registration took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria); and all people went traveling to be registered, each one to his own city."--Luke 1:1; 2:1-3.

Critics widely attack this passage as a blunder or, worse, a fabrication. They insist that this census and the governorship of Quirinius took place in 6 or 7 C.E. If they are right, this would cast serious doubt on Luke's account, for the evidence suggests that Jesus was born in 2 B.C.E. But these critics ignore two key facts. First, Luke acknowledges that there was more than one census--note that he refers to "this first registration." He was well aware of another, later registration. (Acts 5:37) This later census is the same one that the historian Josephus described, which occurred in 6 C.E. Second, the governorship of Quirinius does not force us to assign Jesus' birth to that late date. Why? Because Quirinius evidently served in that post twice. Many scholars recognize that his first term fell about 2 B.C.E.

Some critics say that Luke invented the census to create a reason for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Micah 5:2. This theory makes Luke a willful liar, and no critic can reconcile such an allegation with the scrupulous historian who wrote the Gospel and the book of Acts.

Something else no critic can explain: The census itself fulfilled a prophecy! In the sixth century B.C.E., Daniel prophesied about a ruler who would be "causing an exactor to pass through the splendid kingdom." Did this apply to Augustus and his order to carry out a census in Israel? Well, the prophecy goes on to foretell that the Messiah, or "Leader of the covenant," would be "broken" during the reign of this ruler's successor. Jesus was indeed "broken," executed, during the reign of Augustus' successor, Tiberius.--Daniel 11:20-22.

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