Some conservative scholars have argued that Quirinius may have had an earlier and historically unattested term as governor of Syria, or that he previously held other senior positions which may have led him to be involved in the affairs of Judea during Herod's reign, or that the passage should be interpreted in some other fashion. The English Standard Version has a footnote which offers "This was the registration before Quirinius was governor of Syria" as an alternate translation, but this is not in the text of any major English translation.