93 Or: was in command of.
97 Though these two narrative paragraphs harmonize, they are parallel only to a small extent.
93 Or: was in command of.
94 Or: This registration took place for the first time while Quirinius, etc.
95 Or: to get himself enrolled.
96 Or: completed.
N.T.C.
W. Hendriksen,
New Testament Commentary
99
That Augustus was a self-worshiper appears also from his Monumentum Ancyranum, an obituary, written by himself, in which he recounts his own achievements. In his will he ordered this obituary to be engraved in bronze on two pillars in front of his mausoleum in Rome.
The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. X, chapters 1–8 (1934), gives ample treatment to the life and times of Augustus and furnishes bibliographies. See also the article on Augustus in Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chicago, London, etc., 1969 edition, Vol. 2, pp. 758–761; and A. Hyma and J. F. Stach, World History, A Christian Interpretation, Grand Rapids, 1942, pp. 80, 86, 87.
100 See W. M. Ramsay, Was Christ Born in Bethlehem?, pp. 129, 132, 170; The Bearing of Recent Discovery, pp. 246, 255–274; A. T. Robertson, Luke the Historian, p. 123.
101
By substituting the term census (or enrolment or registration) for taxing, A.V. (in Luke 2:2) is corrected to read, “And this census was first made when Cyrenius [better Quirinius] was governor of Syria,” a good translation. Excellent also are the renderings found in Phillips, Berkeley, Beck, N.E.B., Amplified, and Dutch (Nieuwe Vertaling). Wrong is: “This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria,” as if Luke is looking forward, and is saying: “Of the two censuses taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria this was the first; that mentioned in Acts 5:37 was the second.” The very wording of the text, in the original, shows that Luke is not looking forward but back to a time when there was as yet no census. Thus also L.N.T. (A. and G.), p. 733.
Another questionable view is that according to which Luke would be saying, “This first census did not actually take place until [a.d. 6, when] Quirinius was governor of Syria.” Though this eliminates the necessity of positing two censuses under Quirinius, it does not suit the immediately following context: “and all went on their way to be registered.… Joseph too went up … to Bethlehem … to be registered with Mary.… And while they were there she gave birth,” etc. Besides, how this reconstruction can be reconciled with the actual wording of the Greek text is hard to see. That objection also holds with respect to the rendering by F. M. Heichelheim in An Economic Survey of Ancient Rome, edited by T. Frank, Vol. IV, Baltimore, 1938, p. 161, namely, “This census was the first before that under the prefectureship of Quirinius in Syria.”
102
F. W. Danker, op. cit., p. 23.
Tertullian’s statement (Against Marcion, Book IV, ch. 19) that in Judah the census was taken by Sentius Saturninus has little weight. He connects this census with the event related in Matt. 12:46–50, and is even inconsistent with himself, as elsewhere he gives an entirely different date for Christ’s birth. See The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids, 1951, Vol. III, p. 378, footnote 3.
103 See also H. W. Hoehner, “Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ,” Part I: “The Date of Christ’s Birth,” BS, Vol. 130, No. 529 (Oct.–Dec. 1973), pp. 338–351. On p. 350 Hoehner states, “Late 5 b.c. or early 4 b.c. best satisfies the evidence.” I agree.
104 The pun makes sense especially when one bears in mind that as king of the Jews, a ruler who tried to make his subjects believe that he worshiped their God and respected their laws, he was not supposed to eat pork! Pigs had nothing to fear from him, but his own sons did.
105 See A. Deissmann, op. cit., pp. 270, 271, including figure 51. See also F. G. Kenyon and H. I. Bell, Greek Papyri in the British Museum, Vol. III, London, 1907, p. 125.
106 See G. J. D. Aalders, Het Romeinsche Imperium En Het Nieuwe Testament, Kampen, 1938, pp. 34, 35.
I.S.B.E. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
107 See especially Lenski, op. cit., p. 80. This commentator, who has given his readers much worthwhile material, seems to lose his patience when he arrives at this part of the Christmas story. The idea that the New Testament would teach that Mary bore more children he calls “cheap exegesis,” and the thought that Joseph and Mary would have stopped at an inn, particularly one as described by A. T. Robertson in Word Pictures, he describes as “ridiculous.” All I can say is that in this case Lenski’s own interpretation fails to measure up to his usual excellent standard.
108 See the very interesting description in H. Mulder, Spoorzoeker in Bijbelse Landen, Amsterdam, 1973, pp. 64–67.
109 G. E. Wright (editor), Great People of the Bible and How They Lived, Pleasantville, Montreal, etc., 1974, p. 320.
110 Notes on Greek words, phrases, and constructions in 2:1–7 begin on page 147.
111 Or: splendor.
112 Or: Stop being frightened.
113 Or: on whom his favor rests; or: whom he has graciously chosen.
114 Or: Come on, etc.
115 Literally: And all the listeners were amazed about that which was spoken to them by the shepherds.
116 S.BK., Vol. II, p. 113.
121 See A. H. Newman’s article “Christmas” in S.H.E.R.K., Vol. III, p. 47.
125 Or: of the army of heaven.
126 No disparagement of that hymn is intended. It is beautiful!
A.V. Authorized Version (King James)
128 For more on this see N.T.C. on Matthew, p. 500; on Ephesians, pp. 74–81; on Philippians, p. 54; and on Colossians, p. 78, footnote 55.
129 It has that sense unless the prefix διά (in Διέλθωμεν) has lost its force. In that case, however, the simple verb would be more natural.
130 Therefore also the translation “in the nearby fields” (verse 8) is probably not the safest. Better and certainly closer to the original is “in that region” (so also R.S.V.) or “in the same region” (N.A.S.) or “in the same neighborhood” (Williams).
131 Notes on Greek words, phrases, and constructions in 2:8–21 begin on page 160.
132 Or: shall be consecrated.
133 Or: looking forward to. So also in verse 38.
134 Or: In the Spirit.
135 Or: thou art permitting thy servant to depart, etc.
136 Or: Mark well, this child is set for the falling and rising of many in Israel and for a sign, etc.
137 Or: minds.
138 Or: very advanced in years (literally: advanced in many days). Cf. 1:7, 18.
139 Literally: from her virginity.
140 Or: and she had now been a widow for no less than eighty-four years.
141 I have not been able to find a satisfactory explanation of the rule that after the birth of a girl the mother had to wait until the eightieth day. For strange theories see S.BK., Vol. II, p. 119.
144
Lenski (op. cit., pp. 94, 95) rejects the idea that Simeon’s “thou art releasing” has reference to death. My answer is that the expression according to thy word connects God’s promise, namely, that Simeon would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ, with Simeon’s words of resignation.
A very popular view is the one according to which the noun despotēs (vocative despota) here (as well as in the Pastoral Epistles) indicates slave-master, and that doulos (accusative doulon) here (as well as in I Tim. 6:1 f.; Titus 2:9) means slave. The sense of the passage—at least the underlying figure—would then be, “Now, O slave-master, grant manumission, at least dismissal from further duty, to thy slave.” See E. E. Ellis, op. cit., p. 82; Lenski, p. 94; Plummer, p. 68; Robertson, Word Pictures, p. 28, etc.
On the other hand, Danker, op. cit., p. 32, aptly states that Simeon loves God, his Master, and would not seek manumission on any terms. Worthwhile also are Godet’s remarks, Vol. I, p. 128. He writes that Simeon, by using the word release is asking to be relieved from his earthly duty and from the burden of life. Simeon is, as it were, a sentinel whom his master has placed in an elevated position and has charged to look for the appearance of a star. When that star appears Simeon must announce its appearance to the world. He sees it, proclaims its rising, and now asks to be relieved from the post he has occupied so long.
The idea of seeing in Jesus the expected “star” or “the Rising Sun” may find some support in Luke 1:78.
145 So also H. Burton, The Gospel According to St. Luke (The Expositor’s Bible), Grand Rapids, 1943, Vol. V, pp. 16–18.
146 See F. Stagg, “σημεῖον in the Fourth Gospel,” unpublished dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, 1943.
147 Some commentators skip the entire problem. Some go in both directions; cf. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures, Vol. II, p. 30, quoting Montefiore (106 years) without a word of dissent, with A. T. Robertson, Translation, pp. 24, 151 (84 years). Among those who give her age as 84 are A.V., N.A.S., Beck, R.S.V., Phillips, Jerusalem Bible. Among those who accept the opposite view are Lenski, Danker, Greijdanus, Stöger, Good News for Modern Man, The Living Bible. In several instances one view is presented without indication that the other is also possible. Among those who acknowledge that either theory may be correct are Plummer and N.E.B.
148 On Judith see B. M. Metzger, An Introduction to the Apocrypha, New York-Oxford, 1957, pp. 43–53.
149 Notes on Greek words, phrases, and constructions in 2:22–38 begin on page 175.
151 S. Greijdanus, Korte Verklaring, p. 78. For a more detailed and excellent discussion see H. Mulder, Spoorzoeker, pp. 99–103.
152 See especially D. L. Dungan and D. R. Cartlidge, Sourcebook of Texts for the Comparative Study of the Gospels, Missoula, 1971.
153 Written in a style so simple that even children can enjoy it is Dr. A. I. Brown’s book, God and You: Wonders of the Human Body, Findlay (no date).
154 Notes on Greek words, phrases, and constructions in 2:39, 40 begin on page 181.
155 Or: among.
156 Cf. Mishnah, Aboth 5:21; Niddah 5:6, with S.BK., Vol. II, p. 145.
157 S.BK., Vol. II, p. 147.
158
That is also the position taken by the following commentators, among others: Stöger, Greijdanus, Lenski, Danker, Godet, Geldenhuys, A. B. Bruce.
Others disagree. For example, H. Mulder, Dienaren van de Koning, Kampen, 1956, p. 92, is of the opinion that Joseph and Mary returned earlier, and that Jesus remained behind because he wanted to live in compliance with God’s law. Objections: (a) The feast of Tabernacles also lasted seven days; yet Jesus arrived “in the midst of the feast” (John 7:2, 14); (b) if that had been the reason for Jesus’ staying behind in the temple, would he not have indicated this?
159 So also both Lenski and Robertson, though several translators and commentators prefer “among,” a possibility that must be granted.
A.V. Authorized Version (King James)
160 Notes on Greek words, phrases, and constructions in 2:41–52 begin on this page.
L.N.T. (A. and G.) W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature