Census of Quirinius

Judas seems to have found the census objectionable because it ran counter to a biblical injunction (the traditional Jewish reading of Exodus 30:12) and because it would lead to taxes paid in heathen coins bearing an image of the emperor.

[10] Additionally, the author may have wished to contrast Joseph and Mary's obedience to the Roman edict with the rebelliousness of the Zealots, and also to find a prophetic fulfilment of Psalm 87:6: "In the census of the peoples, [princes] will be born there.

[17] Catholic priest and biblical scholar Raymond E. Brown postulates that Judas's place of origin may have led the author of Luke to think that Galilee was subject to the census.

[18][e] Brown also points out that in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke the Evangelist (the traditional author of both books) dates Judas's census-incited revolt as following the rebellion of Theudas, which took place four decades later.

[21][22] Another Christian apologist, Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 220), suggested that Jesus's family was recorded in a census of Judaea conducted by Sentius Saturninus,[23][24] the governor of Syria from 9–7 BCE.

[30] The USCCB states that the various attempts to resolve the difficulties have proved unsuccessful, suggesting that Luke may simply be combining Jesus's birth in Bethlehem with the census for theological reasons, perhaps vaguely remembering that one was conducted by Quirinius.

[26] Wayne Brindle argues that the gospel's translation is ambiguous and thus refers to an earlier census held during Herod the Great's reign, as a result of the turbulent circumstances towards the end of his life; Brindle further argues that Quirinus held administrative power in the Syria region around that time, as part of a dual governorship with Gaius Sentius Saturninus, the former holding military and the latter political power.

[34] Dominican scholar Anthony Giambrone calls for "a more generous interpretation" of Luke to counter Augustan propaganda which purportedly could have been used to obscure a universal census of Roman regions conducted separately over a number of years.

Armitage argues that Luke refers to the Census of Quirinius as a similar anachronistic digression, flashing years forward from the nativity before returning to it,[38][h] with the confusion ostensibly stemming from the author's "overly generous estimation of the historical literacy of his readers".