But this passage of the Fourth Gospel preserves to
us another objection brought by the Jews of the first
age against the Messianic claims of Jesus — this,namely,
that he was not born in Bethlehem, the city of David.
If the evangelist had heard any report of his having
been born there, he would surely have revealed his
knowledge of it, and, as he is so prone to do, have
stigmatised the Jews as liars. But he gives no hint
of it ; and it becomes obvious that the story which
Luke tells was invented to meet this particular objec-
tion of the Jews. Rabbinical interpretation of Old
Testament prophecies required the Messiah to be
born in Bethlehem, and not in Nazareth, as Mark
assumes him to have been. It was, therefore, neces-
sary to the fulfilment of prophecy that his mother be
transferred to Bethlehem in time for her child to be
born there ; and Luke, or the form of tradition he
followed, devised the following tale in satisfaction of
the claims of prophecy, and as an answer to the
objections of incredulous Jews : "There went forth in
those days a decree from Ccesar Augustus for a registra-
tion [or census] to be made of the whole world. This
registration was first made when Kyrenios was governor
of Syria, and all went to be registered, each to his own
city. And, accordingly, foseph also went up from
Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, into fudcea, to the city
of David, which is called Betldehem, because 1u belonged
to the household and country of David, in order to be
registered with Mary his wife, who was with child.
