137 
dependent in the main on the quantity of food and the means of supplying 
it to the people. If you have great wars decimating the people, then you 
have it as a known fact that triplets and twins become almost as common as 
single births were before. It is very dangerous indeed to argue rashly in 
regard to numbers. There has been one great crux in the New Testament 
with regard to St. Luke’s assertion that Cyrenius was governor of Syria when 
Ccesar Augustus taxed the world. I was lately talking to the Bishop of 
Gloucester and Bristol, and he mentioned that he had used that point as a 
warning to some young men just ordained, and to show them how careful 
they ought to be not to have their faith upset. He said that in his day at 
college there was much difficulty in that passage, and none of the explana- 
tions given by the tutors would hold water. There were many ways pro- 
posed of getting out of the difficulty without making out that St. Luke had 
made a grievous blunder in stating that Cyrenius was governor of Syria some 
thirteen years before he actually was governor. It was found that that 
statement did not square with the statements contained in the approved 
archives of Roman history, and therefore the passage was twisted and 
tortured to bear anything but a common sense interpretation. Here was a 
great difficulty — how was it to be solved? But some man at last set to 
work 
Dr. Rigg. — Z umpt. 
The Chairman. — Well, he made an investigation which does not agree 
with that in Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible ; but he examined some of the 
by-ways of Roman history, and he came upon the curious fact that there 
was the governor of a certain province about this time who was removed 
from his governorship, and the governor of the neighbouring province un- 
dertook his duties and was de jure governor for the time being of that 
province 
Mr. Row. — What is your authority for that ? 
The Chairman. — I am stating what the Bishop told me 
Mr. Row. — It is directly in the teeth of Tacitus. 
The Chairman.— Well, I do not think Bishop Ellicott is likely to be mis- 
taken in a matter of this kind. I only give you the statement for what it 
is worth. I have not got the authorities by me. I merely make a viva voce 
statement of what I heard in conversation. It turned out that Cyrenius was 
at that time governor of the neighbouring province, and the person who 
investigated the matter distinguished himself by going through a host of 
authorities, and finding the fact out in some out-of-the-way part of history 
and not in anything which is so commonly known as Tacitus. It was dis- 
covered that Cyrenius was at last actually made governor of Syria when he 
had been doing the duties of that office for something like fifteen years. He 
was rewarded at last for what he had done by being made the nominal 
governor where he had only been the virtual governor before, and he was 
then removed to the richer province. I merely give that as an instance to 
show how serious difficulties may be removed with a little knowledge. There 
VOL. V. L 
