[Vision2020] My final word on Luke's Census

[Nick Gier]

Dear Visionaries,

Ron Smith just won't give up.  I feel like I'm arguing with a flat-earther 
or a creationist, who say "damn all positive evidence to the contrary!" 
Stubbornness in the face of constant academic challenge becomes 
intellectual dishonesty big time.  He is now in the same league as Doug 
Wilson, who continues to reaffirm his thesis about Southern slavery even 
against the expertise of his own evangelical congregant in Seattle and 
other knowledgeable conservative Presbyterians.

Smith wins no points by simply repeating the passage that is in dispute and 
is contrary to everything we know about Roman taxation.  If we knew nothing 
about Roman taxation, then Smith's clever maneuver of "Lack of evidence 
does foreclose the possibility of confirming my facts" would have more force.

The supreme irony is that Smith's own google search produced positive 
evidence that 1) there were no imperial decrees about taxation; 2) that is 
was done at a provincial level; 3) and that residents were required to STAY 
AT HOME in order to be assessed.

Only for the sake of argument did I suggest that an impoverished carpenter 
would have owned land in Bethlehem, land that, by the way, would have 
presumably had a few shacks on it.  (I was also conceding for the sake of 
argument that either Joseph or Mary were somehow descendants of David.) 
Incredibly enough, however, Smith denies that "Joseph went to Bethlehem to 
pay taxes on property in Bethlehem."  Smith essentially undermines the 
presumed reason for Joseph to travel there in the first place!

Yes, Josephus, without any reference to Jesus, does report that Quirinius 
held a Judean census in 6 CE.  This was the census that Luke incorrectly 
makes into an imperial decree and unhistorically applies to Jesus.  Herod 
died in 4 BCE, so one would have to remove Herod from the story and move 
Jesus' birth far ahead to be part of Quirinius' census.  Therefore, the 
dates are all wrong.  With a birthdate as early as 7 BCE, Jesus may have 
already been wowing the priests in the temple by 6 CE.

By the way, attempts to give Quirinius an earlier governorship in Judea 
fail in the face of the fact that Saturninus ruled from 9_6 B.C.E. and P. 
Quintilius Varus was there from 6_4 B.C. Besides Quirinius was fully 
occupied in a Cilician campaign in Asia Minor from ca. 11_3 B.C.E.  Luke's 
alleged "excellence as a historian" has been dramatically marred.

Conservative Christians who boast about fulfilling OT prophecies show the 
greatest disrespect for Hebrew scripture by rejecting, as Smith does, 
plain, straight forward readings of these wonderful texts.  At least Luther 
was honest enough to admit that Is. 9:6 does not refer to a divine Messiah, 
an idea contrary to Jewish expectation.  (The Messiah will be mighty as 
God, not God himself.) Smith should throw the OT away if he wants to 
manipulate it so dishonestly to his own ends.

Thank goodness for Melynda's post where she implies that there is a higher 
truth than historical or scientific truth.  It is the truth of grand 
stories such as a virgin who conceives and gives birth to a savior who is 
greeted by celestial displays, angels and the adoration of wise men.

At our church on the Sunday before Christmas our children reenacted the 
miraculous births of Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus.  One elderly visitor, 
who thought that she was somehow witnessing the story of Jesus three times, 
finally yelled out: "There were no dragons!"  But a Confucian Ron Smith 
would have responded: "How do you know that? Just because it was not 
recorded, does not make it false!"

Josephus hated Herod and chronicled his life in great detail, but 
mysteriously failed to mention his notorious slaughter of the 
infants.  Several other great prophets were born of virgins, threatened in 
infancy, and visited by wise men.  Check out the amazing parallels at 
www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/307/archetype.htm.  Myths are great tales that 
tell truths.  They sometimes do more good than lesser forms of truth.

P. S. Joan, how could you forget Myron Floren, Welk's accordian 
player?  Once again I feel terribly slighted.  In graduate school I once 
took at date into Hollywood and danced the night away with Welk's orchestra.

Nick Gier
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