History of Caesar Augustus: What Did He Have To Do With Christmas?
HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS: CAESAR AUGUSTUS
The Nativity story in the Gospel of St. Matthew was written by a Jew from the tribe of Levi. It features the Jewish King Herod and the Wise Men from the East.
St. Luke was likely not Jewish but a gentile, who was introduced to us in the New Testament Book of Acts, in Asia Minor. The first historical figure in the Gospel of Luke’s Nativity story was not Jewish, a shepherd, or one of the Magi. Surprisingly, it was Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, some 1,500 miles west of Bethlehem.
Augustus – born Gaius Octavius on September 23, 63 B.C. – is the man after whom the month of August is named. Without his imperial decree, Jesus would have been born in Nazareth, Mary’s hometown, which would have messed up Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem.
What role did Augustus play in the Nativity account, and what might his motivations have been?
From Octavian to Augustus: The Rise of Rome’s First Emperor
Young Octavian, 30 BC
Born into the wealthy gens Octavia, Augustus – then called Octavian, Octavius, or Octavianus – was the great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar. After Caesar’s assassination in 44 B.C., Octavian rose to prominence at just 18 years old. Julius had carefully prepared Octavian for leadership, even appointing him to the prestigious College of Priests at a young age.
When Julius’ will was read, it named Octavian as his adopted son and heir. While some accused him of forging the document, which was kept at the Temple of the Vestal Virgins in the Roman Forum, the will solidified his position as Julius Caesar’s successor.
Though Augustus would become the first Emperor of Rome (think: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), he would not have called himself that; instead, he would have called himself “First Citizen of Rome,” and his rule, the Principate.
The Census and Its Role in the Nativity Story
One of Augustus’ most enduring legacies was his use of censuses to organize taxation and administration across the empire. It was likely such a decree that required Joseph and Mary, descendants of King David, to return to Bethlehem, David’s ancestral city. Here, Mary gave birth to Jesus, fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
According to St. Luke’s narrative, Jesus was laid in a manger. Indeed, they had not made reservations in advance, and there were many travelers at the time, given the Christmas season and all. Not to mention the census.
Luke’s account provides a window into Roman governance, illustrating how the empire’s bureaucratic reach intersected with biblical history.
Roman Israel
College of Pontiffs
At the time, Roman Israel was a client kingdom ruled by Herod the Great, who was responsible to Augustus. Despite being under Roman rule, the region retained its own cultural and religious identity, which would later play a pivotal role in the life of Jesus.
Augustus was not only a political leader but also the pontifex maximus, the chief priest of Rome’s state religion. Concerned about moral decay in Roman society, he undertook widespread religious reforms, restoring temples and promoting traditional Roman values.
Augustus’ Moral Reforms
One of Augustus’ more controversial initiatives was his legislation to combat declining marriage and birth rates. He imposed penalties on bachelors, rewarding married men and fathers of multiple children. He passed the law Lex Julia et Papia-Poppaea: to encourage marriage, promote childbirth, and discourage adultery.
For instance:
- Fathers of three or more children gained preferential treatment for government jobs.
- Bachelors were barred from inheriting wealth and relegated to inferior seating at public games.
- Women with three or more children were exempt from the requirement of male guardians, an uncommon privilege at the time.
Augustus’ laws also targeted promiscuity, making adultery a crime.
The Legacy of Augustus
Augustus’ reign brought stability and prosperity to Rome, earning him immense popularity. However, his far-reaching policies had unintended consequences. The census decree that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem had repercussions far beyond their lifetime.
It is unlikely Augustus ever heard of Jesus. By the time of Augustus’ death in A.D. 14, Jesus was a young man working as a carpenter in Nazareth.
Marital Reforms
Augustus followed this with legislation designed to reverse the tide by making promiscuity a crime.
Bachelors trying to circumvent such penalties by “marrying” infant girls were quickly countered by setting the minimum age for engagement at ten for girls, with a two-year upper limit for the length of engagement.
Imperial Motivation
Temple of Augustus in Ankara, Turkey
Perhaps it was to gauge his success in raising the marriage and birth rates that Augustus was so concerned about the imperial census, for he took several, as in the Christmas story, during his lengthy reign. Such enrollments, of course, were also the basis for the Roman taxation system.
Nevertheless, the Emperor was sufficiently pleased with the results that he proudly mentioned his censuses in eighth place among the thirty-five “Acts of Augustus” for which he wished to be remembered. These items were later engraved on two bronze plaques outside his mausoleum. A subscription for the “Acts of Augustus” also appears at the Temple of Augustus in Ankara, Turkey, pictured here.
A Kingdom Greater Than Rome
Had Augustus known of the child born in Bethlehem because of his decree, he might have been astounded to learn that Jesus would later be hailed as the King of a an enormous, eternal kingdom.
Augustus would also have been astounded to know that later ages would assign his own death to the year 14 A.D. (Anno Domini, “in the year of the Lord”) rather than the Roman date, 767 A.U.C. (Ab Urbe Condita, “from the founding of the City”). All of this happened because of this unknown subject, who was born in Bethlehem.
And as the years went by, this “King of the Jews” would lead a kingdom far more vast than Augustus ever knew.
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com
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