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Chapter III - “In those days a decree went out …”

The Herodian Kingdom and the Augustan Provincial Census System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2019

Sabine R. Huebner
Sabine R. Huebner
Affiliation:
Universität Basel, Switzerland
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Summary

Chapter III focuses on the Augustan census mentioned in Luke’s Gospel, which forced Mary and Joseph to travel the 200 kilometers from their home in Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judaea. After years of civil war and internal strife, Augustus, as self-proclaimed restorer of the Republic, reestablished the Republican instrument of the census, both as an aid to military recruitment and as a basis for taxation. The census also impressed upon its subject peoples the level of organization and efficiency of Roman dominion. Several questions arise regarding the Roman census mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. What population did this census set out to record? How did it proceed? When was it held? Dating the birth of the historical Jesus depends on the dating of this census. Information gathered from the papyri about the function of the Roman provincial census provide clues to this puzzle.

Keywords

Augustan provincial administrationRoman client kingdomsprovicec of SyriaJudaeaRoman provincial censusHerodes the Great and his successorsQuiriniushistorical Jesus
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Chapter
Information
Papyri and the Social World of the New Testament , pp. 31 - 50
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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