JETS 27:1 (March 1984) p. 50 census took place before Quirinius was governor of Syria.” But their example, John 15:18, uses the neuter prōton (which often has an adverbial meaning),48 not prōtos or prōtē as here. Their view also has two other weaknesses: (1) It neglects the A.D. 6-7 census, which was so important in the history of Israel between A.D. 6 and A.D. 70 (cf. Acts 5:27); and (2) it fails to answer why Quirinius is mentioned at all. Why not give the name of the actual governor at the