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Bible Encyclopedias
Quirinius, P. Sulpicius
The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia
or Roman governor of Syria about 6 C.E., with whose name are associated events and problems of great importance. After the banishment of ARCHELAUS in the year 6, a date confirmed by Dio Cassius (55:27), Judea came under the direct administration of the Romans, and was incorporated with the province of Syria. It thus becomes clear why the emperor Augustus should have ordered the ex-consul Quirinius (Greek, Κυρήνιος) to Syria to levy an assessment (Josephus, "Ant." 17:13, § 5). At the same time COPONIUS was sent as procurator of Judea; but Quirinius went thither also, since the levying of the tax on the entire province was his special duty (ib. 18:1, § 1).
The assessment caused great dissatisfaction among the Jews (ib.), and open revolt was prevented only by the efforts of the high priest Joazar (ib. 2, § 1). The levying of this assessment resulted, moreover, in the revolt of JUDAS THE GALILEAN and in the formation of the party of the ZEALOTS (Josephus, "B. J." 7:8, § 1; Lucas, in Acts 5:37). Josephus mentions the assessment in another passage also ("Ant." 20:5, § 2).
- The literature is given in Schürer, Gesch. 3d ed., 1:508-543, the following works being especially important:
- T. Mommsen, Res Gestœ Divi Augusti, 1st ed., p. 121 (2d ed., pp. 175 et seq.);
- Keim, Gesch. Jesu, 3d ed., pp. 101 et seq., Zurich, 1873;
- Strauss, Das Leben Jesu, 11th ed., 1:57, 2:24, Bonn, 1895;
- Edersheim, Life of Jesus the Messiah, 1:182, London 1883;
- Haverfield, in The Classical Review, 1900.
These files are public domain.
Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Quirinius, P. Sulpicius'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tje/q/quirinius-p-sulpicius.html. 1901.
