By Peter Pavarini
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world… And everyone went to their own town to register. So, Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. Luke 2:1-5
When Jesus was born in approximately 6 BC, historians say that the Roman Empire was enjoying a time of prosperity, stability and relative peace known as the “Pax Romana”.[i] Until then, continual warfare had been the norm worldwide. Even a short period of peace would have been reason to celebrate. Practically speaking, Rome was the entire civilized world at the time. The empire encompassed major portions of three continents and subjected at least 60 million people to its laws and customs. Today, scholars are still impressed by Rome’s technological and cultural sophistication and continue to study its seminal influence on modern society.
Pax Romana Debunked
That said, the reality of ancient times didn’t always match the picture painted by historians and poets. It is hard to imagine that any empire was ever created or maintained without violence and oppression. Although most of Rome’s military strength was deployed to defend the empire’s frontiers, armed legions were necessary to maintain internal law and order in places like Judea which were not fully assimilated. Additionally, the architectural grandeur and culture of Roman cities didn’t hide the cruelty of mass slavery and the brutality of gladiatorial entertainments, not to mention the depravity of the empire’s elites.
Caesar Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, was said to be very fond of censuses. He ordered at least three widespread censuses (in 28 BC, 6 BC, and 14 AD) in addition to numerous localized censuses conducted by specific provinces and territories. Like some other ancient civilizations, the Romans were very good at record keeping. And yet, an imperial census like the one conducted in 6 BC had less to do with counting people than it did with making an accurate record of all taxable property. Needless to say, it took a great deal of tax revenue to build and operate an empire, particularly one as vast and complex as Rome’s.
What the Censors Really Did
In order to fund Rome’s robust military and bureaucracy, Augustus established a network of “censors” who were similar to today’s IRS agents. With so little hard currency in circulation, taxes were not based on income but rather upon property values set by the censors. In the ancient world, landholdings were the primary measure of wealth, but houses, livestock, crops, and jewelry were also considered. Because the censors were given total discretion in determining property values, taxpayers frequently complained about being extorted or defrauded by the process.
In view of this history, why would Joseph have risked taking a very pregnant Mary on a strenuous 90-mile journey over rugged terrain[ii]? Obviously, he knew an absentee property owner would be vulnerable to an unfair assessment of his family’s holdings. Because the couple had been living in Mary’s hometown of Nazareth – a remote hamlet inhabited by as few as a dozen families, they needed to return to Bethlehem where Joseph’s kin had lived for over a thousand years. As descendants of King David, Joseph’s family surely would have accumulated a fair amount of property during those 42 generations. Despite the traditional story of there being no room in the inn, Joseph and Mary most likely had plans to stay with relatives when they got to Bethlehem. But for some reason, “no guest room was available for them”. As someone married to a woman from a very large family, I can attest to the fact that things like this occasionally happen.
Rendering to Caesar What Is Caesar’s
In an era of electronic tax filings, digital currency and mail-in voting, it’s hard to imagine anyone today walking (with or without the assistance of a donkey) 90 miles to pay their taxes. Even with an ever-growing number of people entirely dependent upon the government to provide the basic necessities of life, universally tax evasion and tax avoidance are now considered a given. In many countries, the failure to pay one’s taxes is not only prevalent but it’s the mark of cunning and success.
How did the civilized world go from “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s”[iii] to living in a society where we’re no longer surprised when our elected leaders both enrich themselves while in office and pay considerably less in taxes than the people they govern?
God meant the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem to be his gift to a dark and divided world. At the time, the word of God had not been heard by the Jewish people for several centuries.[iv] Joseph and Mary may have been the descendants of people who had lived in this part of the world for millennia, but they were effectively treated as serfs in the Roman system. Farmers and tradesmen like them paid as much as 50% to 60% of what they produced in taxes to both Roman and local authorities. Much of this only increased the wealth and power of “client kings” like Herod who were appointed by Rome to rule their subjects with an iron fist. Virtually nothing the government did was meant to improve the living conditions of those who paid most of the taxes.
Lessons From Rome’s Fall
The oppression and inequity faced by Jews during the First Century continued another 400 years and contributed to the eventual fall of the Roman Empire. Increasingly, government bureaucrats like the censors used their authority to avoid paying their own taxes, thus placing an even greater burden on the working class. Those who could no longer afford to pay taxes became indebted to wealthy landowners, surrendering their land and rights as citizens. Rampant inflation eroded the value of the taxes actually paid, making it even harder for Rome to fund its sprawling government. Eventually, coinage became rare, and taxpayers resorted to crime in order to survive. With the implosion of Rome’s military, the empire’s outermost provinces seceded or became ungovernable, opening the door to the invasion of foreign barbarians. [v]
If you see similarities between the fall of Rome and the demise of America’s hegemony, you’re not alone. Consequently, the Christmas story told in the gospel of Luke seems as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.
A Heavenly Kingdom
Jesus was not born to be a political leader, even though some Jewish factions like the Zealots[vi] wanted him to be. Rather, Jesus the Messiah used his relatively short time on earth for a far greater purpose. Throughout his three-year ministry, he taught that no earthly government will ever bring an end to mankind’s suffering. For example, he said that, no matter what we did to alleviate poverty, we’d always have the poor with us.[vii] Governors like Pontius Pilate might be able to fool the masses for a while, but ultimately, they have no authority other than what’s been given to them from above.[viii] Only the kingdom of God – which Jesus frequently preached about – could bring us lasting hope.[ix]
When a heavenly host of angels appeared in the skies over Bethlehem to announce Jesus’s birth, they first told us to “give glory to God”. Only after that did they proclaim “peace on earth” – not to all, but to those who decided to give him the highest place in their lives. [x]
[i] For an in-depth history of the Pax Romana see Adrian Goldsworthy, Pax Romana, Yale University Press (2016).
[ii] A good portion of their trip was uphill. Located in the Judean Mountains at 2,543 feet above sea level, Bethlehem is 1,493 feet higher than Nazareth. Today, that distance can be covered in approximately two hours by car, but back then it would have taken about a week.
[iii] Matthew 22:21
[iv] After the latter prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi had died, the Holy Spirit had departed from Israel and the people walked in spiritual darkness. Apart from being dominated by Rome, the nation of Israel itself was fractured by political divisions. Several groups fought to lead the Jewish people: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots. None of them proved successful.
[v] The last tax revenues raised by Rome were used to pay off these invaders in hopes of forestalling the collapse of the empire. See Adrian Goldsworthy, How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower, pp. 18-97, Yale University Press (2009).
[vi] The Zealots were avid defenders of the Torah and the Jewish nation. When Caesar ordered a census in 6 AD, they mobilized in opposition to it and unleashed a campaign of vengeance against any Jew who cooperated with the Romans. The Zealots believed that a Messiah would come and lead them into a war to drive the Romans out of Palestine.
[vii] Mark 14:7
[viii] John 19:11
[ix] There are at least 46 references in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to the “kingdom of God”. Only by faith in Jesus and surrendering our lives to him, can we experience the kingdom of God and live as citizens of this eternal kingdom.
[x] Luke 2:14
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