How long did Joseph and Mary stay in Bethlehem when Jesus was born?

A:If Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem for the census under Quirinius, as told in Luke's Gospel, they would have travelled there in the year 6 CE, when that census was held. Until then, Judea had been granted autonomy to collect its own taxes, first under Herod the Great then under his successor Archelaus. In 6 CE, Rome deposed Archelaus and placed Judea under the rule of a local governor. At the same time, Rome appointed Quirinius governor of Syria, with overall responsibility for Judea, and ordered him to conduct a census of Judea so that Rome could collect taxes there.

If Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem in time for Jesus to be born during the reign of King Herod, they must have travelled prior to April 4 BCE, when Herod died.

These dates are at least ten years apart and can not both be true. Raymond E. Brown (An Introduction to the New Testament) says the best explanation is that, although Luke likes to set his Christian drama in the context of well-known events from antiquity, sometimes he does so inaccurately.