Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (Greek Κυρήνιος - Kyrenios or Cyrenius, c. 51 BC - AD 21) was a Roman aristocrat. His governorship of Syria is one of the chronological anchors for the birth of Jesus. Born in the neighborhood of Lanuvium, a Latin town near Rome, his family was rich but lacked political influence. Quirinius followed the normal pathway of service for an ambitious young man of his social class, serving in the Roman army and possib… (More on Quirinius)