What year was Jesus the Messiah born?
Gospel Account
Let's start with the gospel account of Luke in chapter 2 verses 1-5:
“Now it happened in those days that a decree went out from Augustus Caesar that the names of all the people of his dominion should be written down. This registration first occurred under the governing of Syria by Cyrenius. And all went to be registered, each to his own city. And Joseph also went from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because of his being of the house and family of David, to be registered with Mariam the one having been betrothed to him as wife, she being pregnant.” (Hebrew Roots Bible)
Historical Account
What does history tell us about the above gospel account? Cyrenius, or Quirinius in Latin, was a Roman procurator who had powers directly from Augustus, which in contemporary terms means a powerful "man-Friday", a Legatus Augusti.
The resident governor at the time (4 to 2 BC) was Sentius Saturninus, and this fact is confirmed by Tertullian, a lawyer by profession who lived in the late 2nd century. He says, "There is historical proof that at this very time census had been taken in Judaea by Sentius Saturninus respecting the family and descent of Christ." And he dated the census taken at the time of Christ's birth as 3/2BC. (Adversus Marcionem, IV, 7)
The year 2 BC was one of the most important in the career of Augustus. He was then sixty years old and it was the Silver Jubilee of his rule which began in 27 BC. It was also the 750th anniversary of the founding of Rome.
On February 5, 2 BC, the Senate and the people of Rome awarded him the highest of all decorations as Pater Patriae or Father of the Country.
Knowing beforehand of such special honor, he issued an edict calling for a new registration of all who lived within the borders of his Empire, in order to secure an allegiance to his authority especially in a Silver Jubilee year.
An inscription with such an oath of obedience has been found in Paphlagonia, and is clearly dated 3 BC (Lewis & Reinhold, Roman Civilization, vol. II, pps. 34 and 35)
An Armenian historian by the name of Moses of Khorene, said that according to available native sources, in the second year of Abgar, king of Armenia (3 BC), Roman agents brought the image of Augustus to Armenia being part of the Roman empire at that time, and set it up in every temple, in order to secure the allegiance of the Armenians and get the census at the same time. (History of the Armenians, Book II, 26).
Consequently, the census and oath of loyalty issued by Augustus in 3 BC throughout his empire which included Judea brought Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to their native city of Bethlehem.