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History’s Jesus – Part II
Judas or Jesus?

By
A. C. McCann - hon. DD

In the early half of the first century of the common era (1 AD - 30 AD) there were very few
new movements beginning in Judea that involved thousands of people at that time. Maybe there
were only two that fit that description and time. Maybe there was only one. There was the
movement started by Judas of Galilee and the movement started by Jesus of Galilee. Could
they be one and the same?

Almost everyone is familiar with the famous short paragraph about Jesus in Josephus and most
everyone knows that it is a forgery. Now, considering that famous paragraph is a forgery,
how easy would it have been to change a name in only a couple of places in the works of
Josephus?

Maybe the Jewish historian Josephus did mention a Jesus of Galilee, only by the name of
Judas of Galilee. The description sort of fits and is among Josephus' descriptions of the
different sects of the Jews in "Wars" and in "Antiquities".

"AND now Archelaus's part of Judea was reduced into a province, and Coponius, one of the
equestrian order among the Romans, was sent as a procurator, having the power of [life and]
death put into his hands by Caesar. Under his administration it was that a certain Galilean,
whose name was Judas, prevailed with his countrymen to revolt, and said they were cowards if
they would endure to pay a tax to the Romans and would after God submit to mortal men as
their lords. This man was a teacher of a peculiar sect of his own, and was not at all like
the rest of those their leaders."
Flavius Josephus - Wars; Book 2, Chapter 8, Paragraph 1

After describing the three main sects of Judaism; Pharisee, Sadducee and Essene, he then
describes a fourth.

"But of the fourth sect of Jewish philosophy, Judas the Galilean was the author. These men
agree in all other things with the Pharisaic notions; but they have an inviolable attachment
to liberty, and say that God is to be their only Ruler and Lord. They also do not value
dying any kinds of death, nor indeed do they heed the deaths of their relations and friends,
nor can any such fear make them call any man lord. And since this immovable resolution of
theirs is well known to a great many, I shall speak no further about that matter; nor am I
afraid that any thing I have said of them should be disbelieved, but rather fear, that what
I have said is beneath the resolution they show when they undergo pain. And it was in
Gessius Florus's time that the nation began to grow mad with this distemper, who was our
procurator, and who occasioned the Jews to go wild with it by the abuse of his authority,
and to make them revolt from the Romans. And these are the sects of Jewish philosophy."
Flavius Josephus - Antiquities, Book 18, Chapter 1, paragraph 6.

Consider the parallels of Judas of Galilee and Jesus of Galilee:

Judas of Galilee – had thousands of followers and was the author of a fourth sect of Jewish
philosophy. (1) Pharisee, (2) Sadducee, (3) Essene, (4) Judas’ movement.
Jesus of Galilee – had thousands of followers and was the author of a fourth sect of
Jewish philosophy. (1) Pharisee, (2) Sadducee, (3) Essene, (4) Jesus’ movement.
Was accused of forbidding his followers to pay taxes (tribute) to the Romans and claiming to
be the Messiah.
Was accused of forbidding his followers to pay tribute to the Romans and claiming to
be the Messiah, “And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the
nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.”
(Luke 23:2)

“Agreed in all other things with the Pharisaic notions” – see Josephus above. Agreed in
all other things with the Pharisaic notions, “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his
disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore
whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for
they say, and do not.” (Matt. 23:1-3).

Had “an inviolable attachment to liberty” – see Josephus above.
Had and inviolable attachment to liberty (Luke 4:18).
Said, “that God was to be their only ruler and Lord” – see Josephus above.
Said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matt.
4:10)
“Do not value dying any kinds of death” – see Josephus above. “And fear not them which
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28).

“Nor indeed do they heed the deaths of their relations and friends” – see Josephus above.
“And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (Matt. 8:21-22).

Hmmm? Weren’t there any differences between Judas and Jesus? Yes, there were and the
difference is that Judas’ existence was in 6 AD and is historical, whereas Jesus’ existence
was supposedly in 30 AD and does not have an historical existence at all. In fact, it is
today becoming popular that Jesus never even existed but is the invention of Paul of Tarsus,
the real founder of Christianity. Why would Paul have Jesus to be the Messiah dated to 30
AD? Because that’s the date that would fulfill the 70 weeks prophesy of Daniel. So the dates
and the names were changed to protect the guilty. That’s also the reason for no gospels
being written until after 70 AD. In fact, nothing is written of Jesus until Paul’s epistles
(about 60 AD) and he doesn’t tell much about Jesus’ life. Why was nothing written before
then? Because Paul had not invented the myth before then. He merely went to the followers of
Judas which had been scattered since 6 AD and brought them his version of the gospel, a
gospel of a resurrected Judas/Jesus of Galilee. The disheartened and scattered former
followers of Judas of Galilee accepted Paul’s “vision” and his gospel. The disciples of John
the Baptist did not accept the story (gospel), they knew better.

Sons or disciples?
"Then came the successor of Fadus, Tiberius Alexander. He was the son of Alexander, the
chief customs officer of Alexandria, one of the most influential men of his age, both for
his family and wealth. He was also more eminent for his piety than his son Alexander, for
the latter did not continue in the religion of his country. Under this prefect a great
famine happened in Judaea, and queen Helena of Adiabene bought grain in Egypt at a great
expense, and distributed it to those that needed it. Besides this, the sons of Judas the
Galilean were executed; I mean that they were the sons of that Judas who caused the people
to revolt when Quirinius came to take an account of the estates of the Jews. The names of
those sons were James and Simon, whom Alexander commanded to be crucified." - Jewish
antiquities: Book 20 parts 100-103

What a coincidence! Jesus had brothers named James and Simon who were also disciples (sons
of God) and the date is just right for them to be the two witnesses mentioned in the book of
Revelation.

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