Luke 2:1
KJV
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
NIV
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
Modern versions’ wording of Luke 2:1 as a worldwide “census” lacks historical support, as Roman censuses were typically routine, local, and did not require a decree like the one mentioned here. However, 2 B.C. marked the 25th anniversary (or “silver jubilee”) of Augustus’ rule, when the Senate awarded him the title Pater Patriae (“Father of the Country”). Celebrations were carried out across the Roman Empire, which probably required extra funding, making sense of a decree to tax the world at that time.
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