{"id":62898,"date":"2022-02-26T15:27:20","date_gmt":"2022-02-26T19:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?p=62898"},"modified":"2022-03-03T04:04:38","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T08:04:38","slug":"quirinius-lukes-census-resources-on-the-difficulty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2022\/02\/quirinius-lukes-census-resources-on-the-difficulty.html","title":{"rendered":"Quirinius &#038; Luke&#8217;s Census: Resources on the &#8220;Difficulty&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2022\/02\/MaryJosephBethlehem.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-62904\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2022\/02\/MaryJosephBethlehem-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This issue is an exceedingly complex one, which is why atheists and biblical skeptics like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tippling\/2020\/12\/16\/nativity-census-quirinius-refuting-very-poor-christian-apologetics-again-even-more\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Jonathan MS Pearce<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/infidels.org\/library\/modern\/richard-carrier-quirinius\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Richard Carrier<\/a> have devoted a lot of enthusiastic and triumphalistic ink to it, thinking that it is an insuperable conundrum for Christians who believe in biblical infallibility or inerrancy (one of the quintessential \u201cbiblical contradictions\u201d in their eyes). Christians have proposed various solutions to it, but, frankly, no one pretends that they are \u201ceasy\u201d or easily understood solutions.<\/p>\n<p>Any plausible Christian answer to the \u201cproblem\u201d, moreover, requires considerable reading and patience to even be properly <em>understood<\/em>, let alone accepted. This is not a matter given to quick summary. For all these reasons, I have chosen not to address the issue, myself, in the depth it deserves (though <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2015\/12\/the-census-jesus-birth-in-bethlehem-history.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">I have tackled it<\/a> to <em>some<\/em> extent), since it clearly requires more attention than I have time, energy, or desire to devote to it, and have simply compiled the following list of good articles, for the sake of those who want to pursue the issue in depth and to be aware of the best Christian arguments and proposed solutions available.<\/p>\n<p>Many atheists (of the anti-theist sort) will quickly retort that the following efforts are desperate and pitiful examples of special pleading or deliberate intellectual dishonesty. Let them conclude what they will. I am happy to leave the decision to my readers as to which arguments are the best ones and more plausible, and whether their writers are dishonest hacks and sophists or honest inquirers who happen to be Christians and believers in the inspiration of the Bible (which characteristic includes historical accuracy).<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.conservapedia.com\/Luke_and_the_Census\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cLuke and the Census\u201d<\/a> (<em>Conservapedia<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/orthodoxchristianbeliever.wordpress.com\/2016\/12\/21\/the-census-of-quirinius\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cThe Census of Quirinius: The Historicity of Luke 2:1-5\u201d<\/a> (Ronald Marchant, 1980)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.askelm.com\/star\/star014.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cThe Census of Quintilius Varus\u201d<\/a> (Ernest L. Martin, <em>The Star of Bethlehem: The Star that Astonished the World<\/em>, 2nd ed., 2003, ch. 12)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/christianthinktank.com\/infancyoff.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cContradictions in the Infancy stories?\u201d<\/a> (Glenn Miller, 2-10-08)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etsjets.org\/files\/JETS-PDFs\/54\/54-1\/JETS_54-1_65-87_Rhoads.pdf\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cJoseph Misdated the Census of Quirinius\u201d<\/a> (John H. Rhoads, <em>Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society<\/em>, March 2011)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.asa3.org\/ASA\/PSCF\/2012\/PSCF12-12Nollet.pdf\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Astronomical and Historical Evidence for Dating the Nativity in 2 BC\u201d<\/a> (James A. Nollet, <em>Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith<\/em>, Volume 64, Number 4, December 2012, 211-219)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.biblehistory.net\/newsletter\/quirinius.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cHistorical Evidence for Quirinius and the Census\u201d<\/a> (<em>Bible History.ne<\/em>t, 2013)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/blog\/jimmy-akin\/the-100-year-old-mistake-about-the-birth-of-jesus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cThe 100-year old\u00a0<em>mistake<\/em>\u00a0about the Birth of Jesus\u201d<\/a> (Jimmy Akin, 4-13-13)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/jimmyakin.com\/2013\/04\/jesus-birth-and-when-herod-the-great-really-died.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cJesus\u2019 birth and when Herod the Great\u00a0<em>really<\/em>\u00a0died\u201d<\/a> (Jimmy Akin, April 2013)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.catholic.com\/magazine\/online-edition\/does-luke-contradict-himself-on-when-jesus-was-born\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cDoes Luke Contradict Himself on When Jesus Was Born?\u201d<\/a> (Jimmy Akin, 9-12-14)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christian-thinktank.com\/qr1.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cThe <span class=\"SpellE\">Lukan<\/span> Census \u2014 Updated\u201d<\/a> (Glenn Miller, Sep. 2014)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/truthinscripture.net\/2017\/01\/05\/jesus-birth-roman-history\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cJesus\u2019 Birth \u2013 Roman History\u201d<\/a> (Joseph Lenard, 1-5-17)<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" title=\"Recent Scholarship Dating Herod\u2019s Death Matches Christian Texts About Jesus\u2019s Birth\" href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2017\/12\/20\/recent-scholarship-dating-herods-death-matches-christian-texts-jesuss-birth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Recent Scholarship Dating Herod\u2019s Death Matches Christian Texts About Jesus\u2019s Birth<\/a>\u201c (G. W. Thielman, <em>The Federalist<\/em>, 12-20-17)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/theodds.website\/an-unusual-roman-census-decree-by-caesar-augustus\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cAn Unusual Roman Census Decree By Caesar Augustus\u201d<\/a> (<span class=\"byline\"><span class=\"author vcard\">K.B. Vogelman, <em>The Odds<\/em>, <span class=\"posted-on date\"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2018-08-05T09:45:14-05:00\">8-5-18<\/time>)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thingspaulandluke.wordpress.com\/2018\/11\/30\/did-augustus-tax-the-world\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cDid Augustus Tax the World?\u201d<\/a> (<em>Things Paul and Luke<\/em>, 11-30-18)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/thebiblehistoryguy.com\/blog\/f\/the-census-of-quirinius\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cThe Census of Quirinius\u201d<\/a><em>\u00a0(The Bible History Guy<\/em>, 10-16-19)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/biblearchaeologyreport.com\/2019\/12\/19\/quirinius-an-archaeological-biography\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cQuirinius: An Archaeological Biography\u201d<\/a> (Bryan Windle, <em>Bible Archaeology Report<\/em>, 12-19-19)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/348446915_WHILE_QUIRINIUS_WAS_GOVERNING_SYRIA_TOWARDS_THE_HISTORICAL_PLAUSIBILITY_OF_LUKE_22\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cTowards the Historical Plausibility of Luke 2:2\u201d<\/a> (Maviael Alves &amp; Maviael Oliveira, October 2020)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/jcalebjones.com\/2020\/10\/27\/solving-the-census-of-quirinius\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cSolving the Census of Quirinius\u201d<\/a>\u00a0(10-27-20)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/smyrnaean.blogspot.com\/2021\/07\/untangling-apparent-contraction-of.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cUntangling the Apparent Contradiction of the Census of Quirinius\u201d<\/a> (David E. Graves, <em>Deus Artefacta<\/em>, 7-16-21)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tektonics.org\/af\/censuscheck.php\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cMiller vs Carrier on the Lukan Census\u201d<\/a> (J. P. Holding, n.d.)<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Practical Matters<\/em><\/strong>: Perhaps some of my 4,000+ free online articles (the most comprehensive \u201cone-stop\u201d Catholic apologetics site) or\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2009\/06\/dave-armstrongs-catholic-apologetics-bookstore-49-books-paperback-e-pub-mobi-nook-book-amazon-kindle-itunes-pdf-rock-bottom-regular-prices-67-savings-for-e-books-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fifty books<\/a>\u00a0have helped you (by God\u2019s grace) to decide to\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2006\/11\/feedback-comments-on-my-writing-from.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">become Catholic<\/a>\u00a0or to\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2014\/01\/feedback-comments-on-my-writing-from-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">return to the Church<\/a>, or better understand some doctrines and\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2021\/02\/the-biblical-basis-of-apologetics-defense-of-christianity.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>why<\/em>\u00a0we believe them<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Or you may believe my work is worthy to support for the purpose of apologetics and evangelism in general. If so, please seriously consider a much-needed financial contribution. I\u2019m always in need of more funds: especially\u00a0<em>monthly<\/em>\u00a0support. \u201cThe laborer is worthy of his wages\u201d (1 Tim 5:18, NKJV). 1 December 2021 was my 20th anniversary as a\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2006\/07\/my-literary-resume.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full-time Catholic apologist<\/a>, and February 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of my blog.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/us\/webapps\/mpp\/sem\/account-selection-signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">PayPal donations<\/a>\u00a0are the easiest: just send to my email address: apologistdave@gmail.com. You\u2019ll see the term \u201cCatholic Used Book Service\u201d, which is my old side-business. To learn about the different methods of contributing, including 100% tax deduction, etc., see my page:\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2015\/08\/about-dave-armstrong-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong \/ Donation Information<\/a>.\u00a0<strong><em>Thanks a million<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0from the bottom of my heart!<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo credit<\/strong>: <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Saint Joseph Seeks a Lodging in Bethlehem<\/em>, by James Tissot (1836-1902)<\/span> [public domain \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Saint_Joseph_Seeks_a_Lodging_in_Bethlehem_(Saint_Joseph_cherche_un_g%C3%AEte_%C3%A0_Bethl%C3%A9em)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><em>Summary<\/em>: I offer many resources concerning the biblical \u201cdifficulty\u201d of Governor of Syria, Quirinius &amp; Luke\u2019s Census (see Luke 2:1-5). Atheists LOVE to engage in this discussion.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This issue is an exceedingly complex one, which is why atheists and biblical skeptics like Jonathan MS Pearce and Richard Carrier have devoted a lot of enthusiastic and triumphalistic ink to it, thinking that it is an insuperable conundrum for Christians who believe in biblical infallibility or inerrancy (one of the quintessential \u201cbiblical contradictions\u201d in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":62904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1005,172],"tags":[2519,524,15777,4132,15780,4135,15783],"class_list":["post-62898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christmas","category-trinitarianism-christology","tag-alleged-biblical-contradictions","tag-bible-difficulties","tag-census","tag-herod-the-great","tag-luke-2-the-roman-census","tag-quirinius","tag-quirinius-lukes-census"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Quirinius &amp; Luke&#039;s Census: Resources on the &quot;Difficulty&quot; Quirinius &amp; Luke&#039;s Census: Resources on the &quot;Difficulty&quot;<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This issue is an exceedingly complex one, which is why atheists and biblical skeptics like Jonathan MS Pearce and Richard Carrier have devoted a lot of I offer many resources concerning the biblical &quot;difficulty&quot; of Governor of Syria, Quirinius &amp; Luke&#039;s Census (see Luke 2:1-5). 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Atheists LOVE to engage in this discussion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2022\/02\/quirinius-lukes-census-resources-on-the-difficulty.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-26T19:27:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-03T08:04:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2022\/02\/MaryJosephBethlehem.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"387\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"599\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dave Armstrong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dave Armstrong\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2022\/02\/quirinius-lukes-census-resources-on-the-difficulty.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2022\/02\/quirinius-lukes-census-resources-on-the-difficulty.html\",\"name\":\"Quirinius & Luke's Census: Resources on the \\\"Difficulty\\\" Quirinius & Luke's Census: Resources on the \\\"Difficulty\\\"\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-26T19:27:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-03T08:04:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/471eaa20e441eca4bb1ea50393cf632e\"},\"description\":\"This issue is an exceedingly complex one, which is why atheists and biblical skeptics like Jonathan MS Pearce and Richard Carrier have devoted a lot of I offer many resources concerning the biblical \\\"difficulty\\\" of Governor of Syria, Quirinius & Luke's Census (see Luke 2:1-5). 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Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \\\"This Rock\\\" (now called \\\"Catholic Answers Magazine\\\"), \\\"Envoy Magazine\\\" (Patrick Madrid), \\\"The Catholic Answer,\\\" \\\"The Coming Home Journal,\\\" \\\"Gilbert Magazine\\\" (American Chesterton Society), and \\\"The Latin Mass.\\\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \\\"The Michigan Catholic\\\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \\\"Catholic Answers Live\\\" (twice), \\\"Faith and Family Live\\\" (Steve Wood), \\\"Kresta in the Afternoon,\\\" \\\"Son Rise Morning Show,\\\" \\\"Catholic Connection\\\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \\\"The Catholics Next Door.\\\" His large and popular website, \\\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\\\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \\\"index\\\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \\\"Surprised by Truth\\\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \\\"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\\\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \\\"The Catholic Verses\\\" (2004), \\\"The One-Minute Apologist\\\" (2007), \\\"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\\\" (2009), \\\"The Quotable Newman\\\" (editor: 2012), and \\\"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\\\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \\\"The New Catholic Answer Bible\\\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \\\"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\\\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \\\"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\\\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \\\"Quotable Wesley\\\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Quirinius & Luke's Census: Resources on the \"Difficulty\" Quirinius & Luke's Census: Resources on the \"Difficulty\"","description":"This issue is an exceedingly complex one, which is why atheists and biblical skeptics like Jonathan MS Pearce and Richard Carrier have devoted a lot of I offer many resources concerning the biblical \"difficulty\" of Governor of Syria, Quirinius & Luke's Census (see Luke 2:1-5). 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Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \"This Rock\" (now called \"Catholic Answers Magazine\"), \"Envoy Magazine\" (Patrick Madrid), \"The Catholic Answer,\" \"The Coming Home Journal,\" \"Gilbert Magazine\" (American Chesterton Society), and \"The Latin Mass.\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \"The Michigan Catholic\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \"Envoy Magazine.\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \"Catholic Answers Live\" (twice), \"Faith and Family Live\" (Steve Wood), \"Kresta in the Afternoon,\" \"Son Rise Morning Show,\" \"Catholic Connection\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \"The Catholics Next Door.\" His large and popular website, \"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \"Envoy Magazine.\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \"index\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \"Surprised by Truth\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).","sameAs":["https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}