The opening verses of this week's gospel text feature one of Luke's most distinguishing authorial characteristics. More than any other gospel writer, Luke uses historical figures and chronological sequencing in ways that move narratives out of the political-economic-sociological vacuum in which we are tempted to see them. Stylistically formal and rich in its detail, Luke's narrative focuses on the historical scaffolding that supports it. Why Luke goes into such detail, however, is more of a literary question than a historical inquiry.

In traditional Greco-Roman literary style, it was usual for commentators to cite multiple datings to signal the beginning of the main part of their narrative. Ancient Jewish historian Josephus self-avowedly imitated Thucydides' style by opening major sections…