Bible Figure
Quirinius
Quirinius was the Roman official named by Luke in connection with the census surrounding Jesus' birth.
Biography
Luke 2:1-2 places the birth of Jesus in the setting of a decree from Caesar Augustus and a registration associated with Quirinius governing Syria. Quirinius was a Roman senator and administrator whose career is also known from ancient historical sources. The precise chronological relationship between Luke's wording, Quirinius' known Syrian governorship, and the final years of Herod the Great has long been discussed. Scripture's principal interest is not Quirinius' biography but the political circumstance that brought Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
Biblical Significance
Quirinius helps anchor Luke's birth narrative in the world of Roman administration and explains the census setting through which Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem, the city associated with David and messianic expectation.