These "exegetical acrobatics" (in the words of Géza Vermes) spring from the assumption that the Bible is inerrant. They have generally been rejected because there is no time in the career of Quirinius before 6 CE when he could have served as governor of Syria, the Romans did not directly tax client kingdoms, and the hostile reaction of the Jews in 6 CE suggests direct taxation by Rome was new at the time. Most critical scholars have therefore concluded that Luke's account is in error.