Luke 2:1 (NLT)1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
Luke, the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, was not only a writer and a physician, but he was also an historian. In many ways, Luke categorizes historical event occurrences that are and have been proved by extra-biblical evidence (meaning evidence outside of the Bible). The Augustus census is one. Some biblical scholars will contend that Luke is using an event that happened in 6AD as a plot device to get the birth of Jesus out of Nazareth and into Bethlehem. The problem is that you have a Roman official named Publius Sulpicius Quirinus as governor of Judea, and the dates of his office don’t seem to line up. HOWEVER, recent archeological evidence seems to indicate that Quirinus was governor TWICE, and the second dates do line up. In the same vein, the entire existence of Pontus Pilate seemed to be in doubt by these same skeptical biblical scholars because there wasn’t any persuasive extra-biblical evidence to support that he even existed UNTIL 1961 when the Pilate Stone was discovered in an archeological dig that proved he was governor. The whole point of this Verse of the Day is to share how the Bible is Truth and even when the world might want to discount it in a variety of different ways, God reveals that truth continually and consistently. That is the Truth that we rely on. Peace and Blessings!
In the Love of Jesus Christ, Pastor Bob – church
pastorbobtitus@gmail.com, (412) 520-5407
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