Quirinius
Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was the Roman governor of Syria, from 6 to 9 CE, under Emperor Augustus.
Biography
Quirinius was a Roman official and politician.
After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus in 6 CE, the province of Judea came under direct Roman administration with Coponius as prefect; at the same time Quirinius was appointed legate of Syria, with instructions to assess the province of Judea for taxation purposes. The census he carried in 6-7 CE was part of his duties. According to Josephus, the census triggered the revolt of Judas the Galilean and the formation of the party of the Zealots. The census of Quirinius is also mentioned as the setting of Jesus' birth in the Gospel of Luke, where it is erroneously dated at the time of Herod the Great.