There is a problem of sentence logic which is solved if we take μετὰτοῦτον to mean ‘after in importance or relevance’, rather than ‘after in time’. The translation as it stands is tautological: Gamaliel gives us a dating for the revolt of Judas, which is in the days of the census. Why should he begin with the vague ‘some time ago’ for Theudas, and then be so keen to present the chronology that he says, in relation to Judas, ‘and after this… in the time of the census’. The passage makes more sense if he begins by referring to a recent event which is in everyone’s minds, and then adds to it, as less relevant but still important, an event which he must place more precisely because many of those present will not have been alive at the time it occurred. The Judas example is not only less relevant for being older, but for being a purely political rebellion, as opposed to Theudas who claimed to be some kind of Messiah
We now read:
We now read:
“Not so long ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and
about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers
were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. Furthermore, in the days of
the census Judas the Galilean appeared and led a band of people in
revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.”
about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers
were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. Furthermore, in the days of
the census Judas the Galilean appeared and led a band of people in
revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.”
(my bold)
Let us posit for a moment that the Theudas revolt took place in CE 30, not CE 44. This makes it not seven years after the birth of Josephus, but seven years before — a very easy transposition to make for someone describing events that took place when he was too young to remember them.
Is my solution superior to the others? I would argue that it is, and compellingly so. Solutions 1 and 2 — Josephus right/Acts wrong and Acts right/Josephus wrong require us to jettison half of our source material. ... Solution 3 — both are right — requires the manufacture of a new historical figure. ...
Solution 4 — that we have mistranslated ‘meta touton’, and that Josephus got his before/after mixed up when dealing with an oral tradition from his childhood, relies on just one error by one of the authors, rather than a wholesale dismissal of one or a dubious reconciliation which creates as many problems as it solves. It deals with the residual problem of why Luke’s Gamaliel seems so intent on fixing the date of the second event, when he gives only a vague reference to the first event. It is also preferable in that it follows from a closer rather than looser reading of the texts, and reflects the evidenced reliability of the two sources.
We do not need to posit any desire to mislead on the part of Josephus, though it must have been attractive to him to have at least something to write about Fadus, who is otherwise an inactive figure.
Solution 4 — that we have mistranslated ‘meta touton’, and that Josephus got his before/after mixed up when dealing with an oral tradition from his childhood, relies on just one error by one of the authors, rather than a wholesale dismissal of one or a dubious reconciliation which creates as many problems as it solves. It deals with the residual problem of why Luke’s Gamaliel seems so intent on fixing the date of the second event, when he gives only a vague reference to the first event. It is also preferable in that it follows from a closer rather than looser reading of the texts, and reflects the evidenced reliability of the two sources.
We do not need to posit any desire to mislead on the part of Josephus, though it must have been attractive to him to have at least something to write about Fadus, who is otherwise an inactive figure.
The implications are enormous:
- Theudas slain by Pilate, not by Fadus
- Theudas defeated by Pilate in the same way the Samaritan false prophet was
- Theudas resembles too much to Dositheus, Samaritan heretic considered by Origen as contemporary of Jesus
- Georges Ory was probably right: Theudas is one and the same as the Samaritan false prophet.