The same that is called by the Romans “Quirinus.” He was governor of Syria in A.D. 6, and then carried out a taxing, which is probably alluded to in Acts 5:37. This for a long time created a difficulty as to the “taxing” by Cyrenius being made when the Lord was born (B.C. 4); but Prof. A. W. Zumpt of Berlin has stated with apparently good authority that Cyrenius was twice governor of Syria: the first time from B.C. 4 to B.C. 1, which agrees well with Luke 2:2. The “taxing” at that time may have been merely a census, of the population and their property; and on his second governorship the census may have been for taxation, which, being always hateful to the Jews, probably led to the insurrection in Acts 5.