Was Christ Born in Bethlehem?

By W. M. Ramsay

Appendix 1

THE INSCRIPTION OF QUIRINIUS
(LAPIS TIBURTINUS)

GEM · QVA · REDACTA · INPOI AVGVSTI · POPVLIQVE · ROMANI · SENATV SVPPLICATIONES · BINAS · OB SVPPLICATIONES · RES · PROSP IPSI · ORNAMENTA · TRIVMPI PRO · CONSVL SVPPLICATIONES · ASIAM · PROVINCIAM · OP DIVI · AVGVSTI SVPPLICATIONES · ITERVM · SYRIAM · ET · PH

The following restoration is often doubtful: --

P. Sulpicius P. F. Quirinius cos., datus rector Gaio

Caesari Divi Augusti nepot   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

          .                    .                    .                    .                    .

Pr., pro consule Cretam et Cyrenas provinciam

optinens Marmaridas et Garamantas subegit

         .                    .                    .                    .                    .

Legatus pro praetore Divi Augusti Syriacas legiones

optinens bellum gessit cum gente Homonadensium

quae interfecerat Amyntam Galatarum

regem, qua redacta in potestatem Imp. Caesaris

Augusti Populique Romani, Senatus dis immortalibus

supplicationes binas ob res prospere ab eo gestas, et

ipsi ornamenta triumph alia decrevit

Proconsul Asiam provinciam optinuit, legatus pr. pr.

Divi Augusti iterum Syriam et Phoenicen provinciam

optinens regnum Archelai in provinciae formam redegit.