enrollment

A census that identifies, locates, and numbers the people in a particular group or area, usually for purposes of taxation but also at times for other ends, such as conscription or forced labor. Several such enrollments are mentioned in the OT (Exod 30:11-16; Num 1:1-49; Num 1:26; 2Sam 24:1-9; cf. 1Chr 7:40; 1Chr 21:1-5; 2Chr 2:17; 2Chr 25:5; Ezra 2:2-67). It appears that periodic enrollments were common in the Roman Empire. The most famous of the enrollments is that mentioned in Luke 2:1-5 (Acts 5:37) in connection with the birth of Jesus. In the story, the enrollment is apparently carried out in accordance with Jewish, not Roman, custom, since Joseph goes back to his ancestral home.