ROMAN EMPEROR · BETWEEN THE TESTAMENTS

Augustus. The emperor whose decree sent Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.

RULEDi

Not given 27 BC – AD 14 (dates vary)

SEAT

Rome

HOUSE

Not stated 2nd of 17 in Rome

SCRIPTURE SAYS

“There went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.”

PROPHETS

None named

ROME: 17 RULERS HEROD THE GREAT → PORCIUS FESTUS

SUCCESSION

Before and after

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

What Scripture says of him

  • "There went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed." Luke 2:1
  • Under that decree "all went to be taxed, every one into his own city", and Joseph went up from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Mary, where Jesus was born. Luke 2:3–7
  • Luke dates the decree by a governor: "this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria". Luke 2:2

THE SEAT

Rome, where he sat

Seat of the emperors; Luke 2 does not name it

TRIALS AND HEARINGS

The hearings held

UNDATED IN SCRIPTURE

THE NATION

What the nation did

  • From the textMatthew places Jesus' birth "in the days of Herod the king", and Luke opens with "the days of Herod, the king of Judæa". Neither says how Herod stood toward Augustus. Matthew 2:1 Luke 1:5

ON THE WORLD STAGE

The powers of the day

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · 28 BC, 8 BC AND AD 14

Augustus's own record of his censuses

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · AD 14

Suetonius on his death

DATES DIFFER

When was it?

SCRIPTURE'S NUMBERS

No years given

None. Luke names him once and gives no years (Luke 2:1).

ROMAN RECORDS

27 BC – AD 14[22][26]

Given the title Augustus by decree of the senate for what he did in his sixth and seventh consulships; Shipley dates the decree 16 January 27 BC (Res Gestae 34, with Shipley's note); died 19 August AD 14, 'just thirty-five days before his seventy-sixth birthday' (Suetonius, Augustus 100).

A system of periodic enrolments begun by Augustus

W. M. Ramsay (1898)

From the enrolment papyri of Egypt, Ramsay argued for enrolments by households at regular intervals under Augustus, the first in Syria falling about 8 BC and delayed in Herod's kingdom until about 6 BC. Luke 2:1–3 [20]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 1

Luke 2

PASSAGES · 1

Luke 2:1–7

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture does not say what the enrolment was for, beyond being "taxed" (Luke 2:1-3).
  • Scripture names no other act of Augustus.
  • Scripture does not say whether the whole empire was enrolled at the same time.

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • From the textLuke 2:1 is the only verse that names Augustus. The site's person record (from STEP Bible) also lists Luke 3:1, which names Tiberius Caesar, Acts 25:21 and 25, where 'Augustus' is used of the emperor reigning when Festus governed, and Acts 27:1, 'Augustus' band', the name of a cohort. Luke 2:1 Luke 3:1 Acts 25:21 Acts 25:25 Acts 27:1
  • Scholars' viewGill (1746-48) explains 'Augustus' in Acts 25:21 as a title used of the reigning emperor, whom he takes to be Nero; Ellicott's commentary gives three explanations of the cohort's name in Acts 27:1. Acts 25:21 Acts 27:1 [7][3]

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • A. Deissmann, tr. L. R. M. Strachan, St. Paul: A Study in Social and Religious History (1912), Appendix I, The Proconsulate of L. Junius Gallio, pp. 235-260 (Orosius on p. 257).
  • Cassius Dio, tr. E. Cary, Roman History, book 60 (Loeb Classical Library, vol. 7) (1924), 60.6.6.
  • E. H. Plumptre, in C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Notes on Acts 18:2 and 27:1 (about 1880), read on Bible Hub.
  • E. H. Plumptre, in C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A New Testament Commentary for English Readers, Notes on Luke 2:2 and 3:1 (about 1880), read on Bible Hub.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 2 (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), 2.2.1-2; 2.6.3-7; 2.7; 2.8.1; 2.25.5.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 9 (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), 9.5.1.
  • John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament, note on Acts 25:21 (1746-48), read on Bible Hub.
  • Seneca, tr. R. M. Gummere, Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 104 (Loeb Classical Library, vol. 3) (1925), 104.1 and Gummere's note 2.
  • The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Latin dedicatory inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate (IAA 1961-529), collection catalogue entry (facts only) (online catalogue, read 2026), findspot, date range, material, number, catalogue heading and the museum's English reconstruction of the text (checked by web search 2026-10-07; the Latin letters were not checked).
  • Justin Martyr, tr. M. Dods and G. Reith, The First Apology (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1) (1885), chs. 34, 35, 48.
  • R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles (Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. 2), on Acts 18:2 (1900), read on Bible Hub.
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, 4th ed. (1878), p. 30 note 1; detached essay 'Caesar's Household', pp. 171 ff..
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Essays on the Work Entitled Supernatural Religion (1889), Appendix, pp. 292-296 (the proconsul of Cyprus).
  • J. R. Lumby, The Acts of the Apostles (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges), on Acts 18:2 (1885), read on Bible Hub.
  • H. A. W. Meyer (English translation), Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles, on Acts 18:2 (1877-80), note on Acts 18:2 with notes 73 and 75; read on Bible Hub.
  • Philo, tr. C. D. Yonge, On the Virtues and Office of Ambassadors (the Embassy to Gaius), The Works of Philo Judaeus vol. 4 (1855), chapters 37-38 (Yonge's numbering), pp. 164-166.
  • A. Plummer, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke (International Critical Commentary) (1896), on Luke 3:1, pp. 81-84.
  • A. C. Hervey, Acts (Pulpit Commentary), on Acts 18:2 (1884), read on Bible Hub.
  • W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen (1895), Chronological Index (as tabulated in the Letters research, pauls-letters-part1.md section 1.2).
  • W. M. Ramsay, Was Christ Born at Bethlehem? A Study on the Credibility of St. Luke (1898), chs. VII-VIII (pp. 131-173); ch. X, pp. 199-202 and note I, p. 221; ch. XI, pp. 227-245.
  • W. M. Ramsay, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament (1915), ch. XII, pp. 150-162.
  • Augustus, tr. F. W. Shipley, Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Loeb Classical Library) (1924), chapter 34.
  • Augustus, tr. F. W. Shipley, Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Loeb Classical Library) (1924), chapter 8.
  • A. T. Robertson, Paul, the Apostle (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), part 3, III. Chronology of Paul's Career; read online, not yet checked against a scan.
  • E. Schürer, tr. S. Taylor and P. Christie, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division 2, vol. 2 (1885), section 31, pp. 236-238 with notes 67-70.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Augustus (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 100.1.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Claudius (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 18.2; 25.4 with Rolfe's note 75; 28; 45; Rolfe's note 79 (accession 25 January 41); note 81 (Felix's wives).
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Nero (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 16.2; 57.1.
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Life of Tiberius (Loeb Classical Library) (1914), 73.1.
  • Tacitus, tr. A. J. Church and W. J. Brodribb, The Annals of Tacitus (1884), 3.48; 12.43; 12.54; 15.44; 15.73, with the translators' notes (1884 printing; first published 1876).
  • Tacitus, tr. A. J. Church and W. J. Brodribb, The History of Tacitus (1888), 5.9 (1888 printing; first published 1864).
  • Tertullian, tr. S. Thelwall, Apology (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3) (1885), chs. 5 and 21.

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