Josephus Misdated The Census of Quirinius

Abstract

"An enduring challenge for those reconstructing historical dates for the life of Jesus has been the date for the census of Quirinius because the Gospel-writer Luke and the )rst-century Jewish historian Josephus di*er on its date. Luke, when read consistently with Matthew, dates the birth of Jesus to both the reign of Herod the Great (Luke 1:5, cf. Matthew 2:19–22) and a census under Quirinius (Luke 2:1–2). Josephus, on the other hand, reports that Quirinius conducted his census long after Herod’s death, at the exile of Herod’s son Herod Archelaus. So, either Luke or Josephus—at least as usually construed—must be wrong"