In Defense of the Bible by Steven B. Cowan & Terry L. Wilder

Author:Steven B. Cowan & Terry L. Wilder
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Criticism & Interpretation, Bible Study & Reference, Christianity, Theology, Apologetics, Christian Books & Bibles, Religion & Spirituality, Christian Theology
ISBN: 9781433682995
Publisher: B&H Academic
Published: 2013-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

Jesus was born in Bethlehem

2:1

2:2–4

In the time of Herod (d. 4 BC)

2:1

1:5

Mother: Mary (betrothed to Joseph)

1:18

1:26; 2:5

Legal father: Joseph (named the child)

1:18

1:26

But not the biological father

1:16, 20, 22

1:34; 3:23

Jesus raised in Nazareth in Galilee

2:22–23

2:39

From the line of David

1:1

1:32

In other words, these independent Gospels agree about the core facts on the birth of Jesus.

Contradictions and Errors

The biggest problem in the accounts is that Matthew already has Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem whereas Luke describes their journey from Nazareth. This is not insurmountable. Perhaps Matthew did not know about the journey or chose, for the sake of brevity, not to report it. Matthew also has a special interest in Jesus as descended from the line of David; and Bethlehem was David’s birthplace and the birthplace of the Messiah as prophesied by Micah (Matt 2:6; Mic 5:2). Luke, however, has a special interest in Mary (see Luke 1:39–56), and may have learned of the journey from Nazareth by talking with her during his years in Palestine in the late 50s.

Reciprocally, Matthew makes no reference to the census registration which, according to Luke 2:1–6, was the reason for the journey to Bethlehem. In verses 1, 3, and 5 Luke explains that Augustus’s decree for a universal census necessitated Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem for he and Mary to be registered.

We know that Augustus conducted a census beginning in 18 BC (Res Gestae 8) and that such a census could have occurred within the domain of a client king like Herod (Tacitus, Annals vi.41).40 Furthermore, there is evidence of a registration requiring registrants to return to their ancestral homes.41

Luke’s pinpointing of the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem to the time of “the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria” (v. 2) presents us with several problems. The first is that Quirinius’s registrations in Judea occurred in AD 6, 742 whereas Luke locates the birth of Jesus “in the days of Herod” (Luke 1:5, 26) who died in 4 BC. The second is that Augustus divided Herod’s kingdom at his death, which meant that Joseph of Nazareth in Galilee would not have had to cross into Judea, another jurisdiction, for registration (Luke 3:1–2).

Some have attempted to resolve this impasse historically by locating Quirinius’s governorship in Syria during Herod’s lifetime. However, there is no evidence that Quirinius was legate of Syria before AD 6.43 Others have attempted to explain the problem grammatically by understanding the word “first” to mean “earlier” or “former.” Strictly speaking, πρώτος (prōtos), when used as an adjective, means “first” in a superlative sense (first of three or more) and this is how most translations render Luke 2:2. However, Acts 1:1 breaks this rule because Luke’s “first book” (πρῶτον λόγον, prōton logon) refers comparatively (not superlatively) to his Gospel, his “former” or “earlier” book. Furthermore, in John 15:18 πρῶτον unambiguously means “before” in a comparative sense: “the world hated me before it hated you.” Accordingly, while grammatical precision supports πρώτη (prōtē) in Luke 2:2 meaning “the first registration,” there is

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