Was Jesus a Unique Name? The 13 Men Named Jesus in Josephus Flavius
Christians may think that their god was the first to be called Jesus, but the truth is otherwise. There are thirteen men who bore this name, and the historian Josephus Flavius mentioned them in his book The Life and Works of Josephus Flavius:
- Jesus, Lord of the Christians
- Jesus, son of Phabet
- Jesus, son of Ananus
- Jesus, or Jason
- Jesus, son of Sapphias
- Jesus, brother of Onias
- Jesus, son of Gamaliel
- Jesus, the high priest after Ananus
- Jesus, the high priest, son of Damneus
- Jesus, son of Gamala
- Jesus, son of Saphat
- The priest Jesus, son of Thebuthus
- Jesus, son of Jose
Source: The Life and Works of Josephus Flavius, p. 409. Available at: https://books.google.fr/books?id=6v4QAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA409&dq=the+life+and+works+of+flavius+josephus&hl=fr&ei=NpbDTu-0BpDTsgbNyajdCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CEYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=sapphias&f=false
Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) — the Hebrew and Aramaic form of the name rendered as Jesus in Greek and English — was among the most common male names in first-century Jewish Palestine. Its prevalence is confirmed not only by Josephus but by ossuary inscriptions, papyri, and other archaeological finds from the Second Temple period. The name carries no uniqueness that could itself serve as evidence of divine status.
