Friday, December 24, 2021

Did Luke Misdate the Census of Quirinius?

Bill Reel and Corbin Volluz repeat a lot of time-worn claims about the New Testament in their recent Mormonism LIVE: 055: Christmas & The Historical Jesus (e.g., the claim that Jesus does not start off as divine in the Gospel of Mark vs. being fully divine in the pre-existence in John; uncritical acceptance of the Q gospel [which even Richard Carrier rejects]), etc. One of the claims they repeat, showing they did not bother to research the issues beyond copy and pasting Bart Ehrman is that of the Gospel of Luke and the date of the Census of Quirinius. For a good refutation, see:


Did Luke Misdate the Census of Quirinius?





This video is based heavily upon John H. Rhoads, "Josephus Misdated the Census of Quirinus," JETS 54/1 (March 2011): 65-87. Jerry Grover also made the following comment which is apropos, too:





As an aside, for a good book that refutes their comments about the reliability of the Gospels (and one Bart Ehrman has done a lousy job interacting with), see:


Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (2d ed.)