This week’s episode covers the birth of Jesus, death, resurrection, and everything in between! It’s only a few days until Christmas 2019—the celebration of the nativity of Jesus, which Timothy has very helpfully renamed “The After Party for Star Wars: Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker.” At some point before Christmas, millions will hear these words from the New Testament: “It came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Quirinius was governor of Syria” (Luke 2). But there’s a problem with these words: According to records from Roman history, it seems that Quirinius didn’t become governor of Syria until almost ten years after Jesus was born. So what do we do with this apparent discrepancy? In the first half of this episode, esteemed New Testament scholar Robert Plummer joins Garrick and Timothy to put an end to this perplexing problem once and for all. Along the way, Dr. Plummer also displays the multifaceted nature of his knowledge by delivering a death blow to the dilemma that bursts from the bowels of the Infinity Gauntlet this week: Which is more powerful, Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber or Captain America’s shield? In the end, a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail provides the answer that we’ve all been waiting for. In the second half of the program, your intrepid cohosts go back to Genesis—the band from the 1980s, not the book in the Bible. In the first chapter of Genesis, they find Mike Rutherford, a genius who was involved in the genesis not only of Genesis but also of Mike + the Mechanics. After listening to “The Living Years” by Mike + the Mechanics, Garrick and Timothy explore what’s right and what’s wrong with some of the most popular perspectives on death, resurrection, and the afterlife. Along the way, nearly all of the dynamic duo’s favorite theologians manage to show up in their discussions: Augustine of Hippo, Herman Bavinck, C.S. Lewis, and—of course—the most excellent time-traveling rock’n’roll philosopher-theologians of the 1980s, Bill and Ted. Subscribe to Three Chords and the Truth: The Apologetics Podcast: Apple / Android / RSS. In this Episode Robert Plummer, Ph.D., is professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of the Daily Dose of Greek screencast. He is the author or editor of several books, including Going Deeper with New Testament Greek (B&H, 2016) and 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible (Kregel, 2010). Follow Dr. Plummer on Twitter at @dailygreek. Questions to Discuss 1. Quirinius became the governor of Syria around the year 6 A.D. During that time, there was a well-known census that resulted in a revolt. But Jesus wasn’t born during that time; Jesus was born ten years earlier, around the year 4 B.C., when King Herod was still alive. B.C. means “before Christ.” How was Christ born in 4 B.C., four years before Christ? 2. King Herod ruled Judea when Jesus was born, and Herod died near the year that we know as 4 B.C. According to historians such as Josephus and Tacitus, Publius Sulpicius Quirinius became governor of Syria around 6 A.D. But Luke seems to suggest that Quirinius was governor of Syria at the time when Jesus was born. How should a Christian respond to a dilemma like this one, where history outside the Bible seems to contradict the Bible? 3. One possibility suggested by scholars is that Luke made a mistake. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this possibility? 4. Another possibility suggested by scholars that the word translated “first” should be translated “before.” So, this text should be translated: “And this was the census before the census when Quirinius was governor of Syria.” What are the strengths and weaknesses of this possibility? 5. What solution do