Theudas
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- Theudas is also the name of a follower of Paul of Tarsus, who taught Valentinius, for more information, see Theudas (teacher of Valentinius)
Theudas (Thoo duhs) (died C.46 AD) was a Jewish rebel who claimed to be the Messiah. His name means "gift of God." At some point between 44 and 46 AD, Theudas led his 400 followers in a short-lived revolt.
Our principal source for the story is Josephus, who wrote:
- It came to pass, while Cuspius Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain charlatan, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the Jordan river; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it. Many were deluded by his words. However, Fadus did not permit them to make any advantage of his wild attempt, but sent a troop of horsemen out against them. After falling upon them unexpectedly, they slew many of them, and took many of them alive. They also took Theudas alive, cut off his head, and carried it to Jerusalem. (Jewish Antiquities 20.97-98)
His followers were dispersed, and were never heard of again.
[edit] The Theudas problem
In Bible scholarship, the sole reference to Theudas presents a problem of chronology. In Acts of the Apostles, Gamaliel, a member of the sanhedrin, defends the apostles by referring to Theudas:
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- "Men of Israel, be cautious in deciding what to do with these men. Some time ago, Theudas came forward, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. But he was killed and his whole following was broken up and disappeared. After him came Judas the Galilean at the time of the census; he induced some people to revolt under his leadership, but he too perished and his whole following was scattered." (NEB, Acts 5:36-8)
The difficulty is that the rising of Theudas is here given as before that of Judas of Galilee, which is itself dated to the time of the taxation (c. 6-7 AD). Josephus, on the other hand, says that Theudas was 45 or 46, which is after Gamaliel is speaking, and long after Judas the Galilean.
There are several arguments put forward to solve this problem. The most probable is that the author of the Book of Acts, makes a mistake in his reading of Josephus, that he takes a later reference in Josephus to the execution of the sons of Judas the Galilean after the rebellion of Theudas as saying that the rebellion of Judas was chronologically later. Given the growing scholarly consensus that the author of Luke/Acts used Josephus extensively, this suggestion has great appeal. Others arguing for the inerrancy of the Bible insist that there must have been other now unknown Theudases and Galilean Judases whose stories mirrored those recorded by Josephus.
[edit] Sources
- Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20:97-98
- Acts of the Apostles 5:36
