OF THE NATIVITY WAS 8 B.C. 



199 



purification and for the departure to and stay in Egypt. Herod 

 died shortly before Passover, 10th April, 4 B.C. This date rests 

 on good historical evidence ; Josephus states that an eclipse of 

 the moon occurred shortly before it, and modern astronomical 

 calculations have shown that an eclipse of the moon visible at 

 Jerusalem took place as stated. 



(h) The Xativity was hcticecn 8 B.C. and 5 B.C. (the special rule 

 of Quinnius) according to St. Luke and Justin Martyr. 



The Evangelist (Luke ii, 2) and Justin Martyr* both assert 

 that Christ was born at the enrolment under Quirinius. 



The Abbot Sanclemente, Zumpt and others have shown that 

 Quirinius exercised high otfice as a general commanding troops 

 engaged in war on the borders of Syria, and Prebendary H. 

 Browne has shown that the time was between the years 12 B.C. 

 and 1 B.c.f Sir ^V. ^i. RamsayJ has narrowed down this period 

 within the limits about 8 B.C. to 5 B.C., and he has further shown 

 that it was the Pioman custom for a general engaged in a frontier 

 war, as the direct representative of the Emperor, to rank 

 superior to the ordinary governor who carried on his civil duties 

 as usual. It is a strange historical fact that Quirinius was the 

 ordinary civil governor in Syria at the next enrolment fourteen 

 years later. 



{c) The Xativity v:as between 9 B.C. and 7 B.C., the ordinary 

 rule of Sentius Saturninus according to Tertidlian. 



Tertullian wrote,§ quoting records evidently existing in his 

 time, " There is historical proof that at this very time (of the 

 Xativity) a census had been taken by Sentius Saturninus." 

 Saturninus ruled in Syria from 9 B.C. (some say from 8 B.C.' to 



7 B.C. 



Thus St. Luke and Justin Martyr asserted that the ruler at 

 the time of the Xativity was Quirinius, while Tertullian stated 

 he was Sentius Saturninus. This seeming contradiction is now 

 explained, as it is now known that both ruled at the same time 

 in Syria, eath in his own capacity. 



{d) The Nativity was 8 B.C. {Hie first enrolment) according to 



St. Luke. 



It has now been demonstrated historically that Augustus 

 initiated a periodic enrolment throughout the Empire every 



* Apol. I, 34, 46, and Tn/pko, 78. t Ordo S'jeculorum, 1844. 



1 ^Vas Christ horn in Bethlehem ? p. 241, Sir W. ]M. Eamsay. 



^ Against Marcion^ Bk. IV, Ch. xix. Traus., Eev. P. Holmes, D.D. 



O 



