t. Luke. Several objections have been made to his account of the
census held under Quirinius. (1) It is said that Quirinius was not
governor of Syria when Jesus was born; his administration was from A.D.
6 to A.D. 9, and Quinctilius Varus was governor in A.D. 1. But St.
Luke cannot be proved to say that Quirinius was governor; he describes
his office by a participle which may mean "acting as leader," and there
is proof that Quirinius was engaged in a military command in the time
of Herod, and also proof that some high official twice governed Syria
in the time of Augustus. St. Luke's expression might fit either of
these two facts. (2) It is said that Herod was reigning as king in
Palestine, and that his subjects would not be included in a Roman
census. But in the year 8-7 B.C. Augustus wrote to Herod, saying that
he would henceforth treat him as a subject. His dominions must
henceforth have been treated like the rest of the dominions of
Augustus. (3) It is said that no census took place at that time, and
that if there had been a census, it would have been carried out by
households, according to Roman custom, and not by families. But there
seems to have been a census in Egypt and Syria in B.C. 8, and after
Augustus determined to put Herod under his authority, the census would
naturally be extended to Judaea. Herod would probably be allowed to
carry out the census on his own lines, so long as it was really carried
out. And he would plainly prefer to do it in the Jewish fashion, so as
to irritate the Jews as little as might be.

The question is still involved in some obscurity, but St. Luke's
accuracy has not been in the least disproved by the controversy. He is
the only evangelist who connects his narrative with the history of
Syria and of the Roman empire, and we have every reason to believe that
he did his work with care as well as sympathy.

[1] _Adv. Har._ iii. 1.

[2] Matt. v. 3 has "poor in spirit." The same Aramaic word might be
used for both "poor" and "poor in spirit."

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CHAPTER VI

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN

[Sidenote: The Author.]

We learn from the Gospels that St. John was the son of Zebedee, a
Galilean fisherman, and was a follower of the Baptist before he joined
our Lord. The Synoptists show that he was one of the most prominent
and intimate of our Lord's followers. With St. Peter and St. James he
was permitted to witness the raising of Jairus' daughter, and to