Person
Augustus
Roman emperor
First Roman emperor whose census decree brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem at the time of Jesus's birth (Luke 2).
Who or what is this?
Caesar Augustus is named in the New Testament as the emperor who issued the decree that all the world should be taxed (enrolled), a decree that brought Joseph and Mary from to , where was born ( 2). He is also alluded to in the designation "Caesar" to whom tribute money should be rendered (though there the reference may be to Tiberius). Augustus reigned from 27 BC until AD 14 and presided over the Pax Romana, the period of relative peace in which the gospel would later spread across the Roman world. Luke's literary practice of synchronizing sacred events with imperial history gives Augustus this prominent though brief role in the infancy narrative.
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Where this appears in Scripture
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