...the first... The first,
that is, of a series; the translation that is sometimes
given, ‘This census preceded that which was held when Quirinius was
governor of Syria,’ is difficult to justify grammatically. The
historical circumstances are little known. Most scholars put the
census of Quirinius in 6 A.D., but the only authority for this is
Josephus, who is doubtfully reliable in this matter. The most probable
explanation is that the census, which was made with a view to
taxation, took place about 8-6 B.C. as part of a general census of the
empire, and that it was organised in Palestine by Quirinius, who was
specially appointed for the purpose. Quirinius might have been
governor of Syria between 4 and 1 B.C., and if so, then Luke’s
expression would be only a rough approximation. Jesus was born
certainly before Herod’s death (4 B.C.), possibly in 8-6 B.C. The
‘Christian era,’ established by Dionysius Exiguus (6th century) is the
result of a false calculation. In Luke 1:5 (‘In the days of King Herod
of Judaea...’), again in the present verse, and in 3:1 (‘In the
fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, when Pontius Pilate was
governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip
tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch
of Abilene, during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas...’), Luke
dates his narrative by secular events. Tiberius succeeded Augustus on
19 August 14. A. D. The 15th year, therefore, is from 19 August 28
A. D. to 18 August 29 A. D. Alternatively, if the Syrian method of
calculating the year of a reign is being followed, the 15th year is
from Sept.-Oct. 27 A. D. to Sept.-Oct 28 A. D. At that time, Jesus was
at least 33 years old, possibly 35 or 36. The indication of Luke 3:23
(‘When he started to teach, Jesus was about thirty years old...’) is
approximate, and perhaps it only means that Jesus was old enough to
exercise a public ministry. The mistake in calculating the ‘Christian
era’ results from taking 3.23 as an exact number: the 15th year of
Tiberius was 782 ‘after the foundation of Rome;’ Dionysius Exiguus
subtracted 29 full years from this, thus arriving at 753 for the
beginning of our era. Actually, it should have been 750 or even 746.
...first-born.
In biblical Greek, the term does not necessarily imply younger
brothers, but emphasizes the dignity and rights of the child.
*