Q1. Naming the Current Rulers

[jeannethebean]

Luke, the physician, would be  interested in presenting a "scientific" account with a reliable time-line. Dates and rulers mentioned could be cross referenced, increasing the validity of his gospel.

[haar]

Q1. (Luke 2:1-2) Why does Luke name the rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making?
 

 

Luke named the rulers in Luke 2:1-2 to buttress the point that Jesus was not a myth but a real person who was born when the rulers mentioned were reigning.

 

In other words, Jesus is a historic figure who can not be wished away.

[humblejon]

By namingthe rulersin Luke chapter 2, the author of this gospel is placing Jesus' birth in its proper historical context. His birth is not a holiday "fairy tale" but a true event in human history--one of the greatest events in human history. Jesus, therefore, is real and alive!!!

[WinstonY]

In ancient time there was no reliable dating system as we use today. People were placed in a certain reign of an official. This was tl enable the reader

To reference events. And thus to give the story more credibly.

[Old Jerry]

I think that Luke named the rulers because it gives us a reference point in time as to who was in charge at the time of Jesus’ birth. He wanted to establish that Jesus was a real person as well as being God.

[Rosesam]

Q1. (Luke 2:1-2) Why does Luke name the rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making?

 Luke was not only a physician but an historian. Sir William Ramsey of the Victorian era was an archaeologist and an atheist. He wanted to refute the Bible by proving that it was flawed. For that he chose two books of the Bible, the gospel according to Luke and the Book of Acts, both written by Luke. He chose these two books because of the many geographical references in these books. But his archaeological digs later turned him to a born again believer because these books did not have any historical inaccuracy. He said, “Luke as an historian is first rate and should be classified with the great historians of the day.”

 Luke was very methodical and analytical in his presentation of the story of Jesus. Naming these rulers in 2:1-2 shows how precise Luke was in his writing and anyone who verified them could authenticate its accuracy. Through his writing we understand the reason why Joseph who lived in Galilee would take that long journey to Bethlehem with a heavily pregnant Mary. Unless there was a decree there was no way Joseph and Mary would have undertaken that journey to fulfill prophecy. By making reference to these rulers we get the time reference of when Jesus was born. Moreover for all the atheists out there, they can verify that Jesus is not a myth or a legend but a historical figure which is irrefutable. But his gospel in its entirety takes our eyes to not only the historical Jesus but also to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[Katy]

Q1. Luke was a man of vision inspired by the Holy Spirit. By putting in all the details he is setting Jesus firmly and verifiably into history. In this way anyone can see that Jesus was not part of a fable or a myth but a real person set into a certain time frame.