Thanks for the references, Bryan.
[Bryan R. Cross]
| For less recent biblical archaeological evidence, see
| <http://www.mindspring.com/~mamcgee/grace_archaeology.html>
OK, on that page I find this, which touches on a point which has been
interesting me for quite a while:
For many critics the account of the birth of Jesus was held
as ridiculous. They argued that there was no census, that
Quirinius was not Governor of Syria at that time and that
everyone did not have to return to his ancestral home for a
census.
Archaeology has proven the critics wrong (again) ---
* The Romans had a regular enrollment of taxpayers and held
censuses every 14 years. The procedure was begun under
Augustus.
I seem to remember that the censuses did not cover Palestine until
after the death of Herod the Great. I may be wrong here. Are there
any historians on the list?
* Quirinius was Governor of Syria about 7 B.C.
Has this been "proven by archaeology"? I thought it was at least 10
years later.
* A papyrus found in Egypt gives directions for the conduct of
a census. Families were to return to their own governments to
complete family registration of the enrollment and that the
tilled lands might retain those belonging to them.
But going back to where your ancestors lived 1000 years before? After
all, already David moved from Bethlehem!
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the gospel details such as these
confirmed by external evidence, but often such alleged evidence does
not hold up if you look closer.
-- Stein Arild Strømme <mailto:stromme@mi.uib.no> telefon +47 55584825 Universitetet i Bergen, Matematisk insitutt mobil +47 95801887 Johs Brunsg 12, N--5008 Bergen telefax +47 55589672
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