Luke 2:8
And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain
- WHERE
- Bethlehem
- WHEN
- 6-4 BC?
- WHO
- Jesus
ON THE MAP
WHO APPEARS
WHEN
6-4 BC?
dated by the text itself
The most debated date in the Bible, and the disagreement is between the sources, not our reading. The two reconstructions put forward place the birth between 6 and 4 BC.
WHO RULED
- Augustus emperor of Rome 27 BC – AD 14
- Herod the Great king of Judea 37-4 BC
- Archelaus ethnarch of Judea 4 BC – AD 6
- Herod Antipas tetrarch of Galilee 4 BC – AD 39
- Philip tetrarch of Ituraea 4 BC – AD 34
SOURCES
- date — Luke 2:1-2 dates itself by the census of Quirinius. Josephus (Antiquities XVIII.1) puts that census in AD 6; Matthew 2 puts the birth under Herod, who died in 4 BC.
- Augustus — Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Augustus; Res Gestae Divi Augusti
- Herod the Great — Josephus, Antiquities XIV-XVII
- Archelaus — Josephus, Antiquities XVII.13; Jewish War II.7
- Herod Antipas — Josephus, Antiquities XVII.8-XVIII.7
- Philip — Josephus, Antiquities XVII.8, XVIII.4
SEE ALSO
- Genesis 31:39-40 I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night. …
- Psalms 78:70-71 He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; …
- 1 Samuel 17:34-35 David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, …
- John 10:8-12 All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. …
Cross-references: OpenBible.info, CC BY 4.0
UPDATED