The census or enrollment, which, according to Luke 2:1, was the occasion of the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem where Jesus was born, is connected with a decree of Augustus embracing the Greek-Roman world.This decree must have been carried out in Palestine by Herod and probably in accordance with the Jewish method--each going to his own city--rather than the Roman. The Census of Quirinius was a census of Judea taken by Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, Roman governor of Syria, upon the imposition of direct Roman rule in 6 CE. Throughout all the Roman Empire this census was registered in the year 8 B.C., except in the Palestinian kingdom of Herod, where it was taken in 7 B.C., one year later. It forms part of the collection held by the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels. After Jesus was born, Joseph took his family from Bethlehem … Did a census really take place in the entire Roman world during that time, and did Mary & Joseph actually go up to Bethlehem to be registered, as Luke Gospel says? Luke has Joseph and Mary living in Nazareth from where they traveled to Bethlehem for the Roman census (Luke 1:26; 2:4). At the core of the painting, however, redemption rings loud. Census at Bethlehem (Blog) by Gerry (See also this post) “In the centre of the painting are two large wooden O’s made by the wheels of some hay wagons. According to Micah 5:2 and Jewish tradition, the Messiah (the Christ) would be born in Bethlehem, a small town near Jerusalem. Census at Bethlehem He Comes to Us Unrecognized . For Bruegel and his viewers, the circle was a symbol of eternity and represented the continuing cycle of life in death and birth. The Census at Bethlehem (also known as The Numbering at Bethlehem) is an oil-on-panel by the Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, painted in 1566.It is signed and measures about 115,5 cm × 164,5 cm. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Luke 2 informs us that Mary and Joseph traveled to the town for a census prior to Jesus's birth, thus fulfilling the prophecy. It looks like a scene right out of the Christmas hymn, “In the bleak midwinter.” Peter Bruegel has evocatively painted the arrival of Mary and Joseph at Bethlehem, to participate in the census. The Census at Bethlehem (also known as The Numbering at Bethlehem) is by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, painted in 1566. For Bruegel and his viewers, the circle was a symbol of eternity and represented the continuing cycle of life in death and birth. The Census at Bethlehem may pass for a nativity painting but remaining true to Bruegel; a closer inspection reveals much more. 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