Wikipedia's first sentence called it “roman governor of syria when jesus was born”. Today it says “roman aristocrat”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Roman legate, consul and governor of Syria (c.51 BC-AD 21)”. It now reads “Roman legate, consul and governor of Syria (c. 51 BC – AD 21)”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Quirinius (rendered in Greek Κυρήνιος Kyrenios , c. 51 BC - AD 21 ) was the Roman governor of Syria when Jesus was born, according to the Gospel of Luke (2:1-2). The statement of Luke, however, still puzzles historians, for the Gospel dates the events surrounding the birth of Jesus to the reign of Herod the Great , who by the accounts of Josephus , Strabo , and Tacitus died in 4 BC , nearly ten years before Quirinius became governor of Syria. Josephus does, however, document a census taken early in Quirinius' term of office. Before becoming governor of Crete and Cyrene in 14 BC , Quirinius served in the Roman army, possibly participating in Caesar 's campaign that culminated in the battle of Actium in 31 BC . In 12 BC he was named a consul in Rome as a favorite of Augustus. Six years afterward he was dispatched to govern Pamphylia-Galatia in the east, where another successful military campaign there earned him honors in Rome. By AD 1 , Quirinius had become chief advisor to Augustus' son Gaius Caesar and, when he saw Augustus' support shift to his stepson Tiberius , entered the latter's camp of followers. Four years later he became governor of Syria with nominal authority over Judea and served in that posting until AD 12 , when he returned to Rome as a close associate of Tiberius. Nine years later Quirinius died and was given a public funeral.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16245614.
The opening as it stood in 2010 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Virgin and Saint Joseph register for the census before Governor Quirinius.Byzantine mosaic at the Chora Church , Constantinople 1315-20.Publius Sulpicius Quirinius ( Greek Κυρήνιος - Kyrenios or Cyrenius , c. 51 BC - AD 21 ) was a Roman aristocrat .As governor of Syria , he carried out a famous census in Judea .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370495209.
The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Virgin and Saint Joseph register for the census before Governor Quirinius. Byzantine mosaic at the Chora Church , Constantinople 1315–20. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius ( Greek Κυρήνιος – Kyrenios or Cyrenius , c. 51 BC – AD 21) was a Roman aristocrat . After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria , to which the province of Iudaea had been added for the purpose of a census .Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews , Book XVIII, Chapter 1 : "Cyrenius came himself into Judea, which was now added to the province of Syria, to take an account of their substance ..."
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 663237654.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Roman legate, consul and governor of Syria (c.51 BC-AD 21) Not to be confused with Quirinus . The Virgin and Saint Joseph register for the census before Governor Quirinius. Byzantine mosaic at the Chora Church , Constantinople 1315–20. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (c. 51 BC – AD 21) was a Roman aristocrat . After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria , to which the province of Judaea had been added for the purpose of a census . Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews , Book XVIII, Chapter 1 : " Cyrenius came himself into Judea, which was now added to the province of Syria, to take an account of their substance ..."
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 956810228.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Roman legate, consul and governor of Syria (c. 51 BC-AD 21) Not to be confused with Quirinus . Mary and Joseph register for the census before Governor Quirinius. Byzantine mosaic at the Chora Church , Constantinople 1315–20. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (c. 51 BC – AD 21), also translated as Cyrenius , was a Roman aristocrat . After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria , to which the province of Judaea had been added for the purpose of a census . King James Version of Luke 2:2 , a back-transliteration of the Greek Κυρήνιος. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews , Book XVIII, Chapter 1 : " Cyrenius came himself into Judea, which was now added to the province of Syria, to take an account of their substance ..."
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1166800112.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Roman legate, consul and governor of Syria (c. 51 BC – AD 21) Not to be confused with Quirinus . Mary and Joseph register for the census before Governor Quirinius. Byzantine mosaic at the Chora Church , Constantinople 1315–1320. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (c. 51 BC – AD 21), also translated as Cyrenius , was a Roman aristocrat . After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria , to which the province of Judaea had been added for the purpose of a census . King James Version of Luke 2:2 , a back-transliteration of the Greek Κυρήνιος. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews , Book XVIII, Chapter 1 : "Cyrenius came himself into Judea, which was now added to the province of Syria, to take an account of their substance ..."
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1261377068. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “roman governor of syria when jesus was born”. Today it says “roman aristocrat”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Roman legate, consul and governor of Syria (c.51 BC-AD 21)”. It now reads “Roman legate, consul and governor of Syria (c. 51 BC – AD 21)”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
roman governor of syria when jesus was born
Now
roman aristocrat
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
