Theudas facts for kids

Theudas was a Jewish leader who lived around 2,000 years ago. He led a short rebellion against the Roman Empire. His name might mean "flowing with water" in Greek. This event happened sometime between the years 44 and 46 AD.

Theudas's Rebellion

The main story about Theudas comes from a historian named Josephus. He wrote that when Cuspius Fadus was the Roman governor of Judea, Theudas convinced many people to follow him.

Theudas told his followers he was a prophet. He promised he could split the Jordan River with just a command. This would let them walk across easily. Many people believed him and went with him to the river.

However, Governor Fadus quickly stopped Theudas's plan. He sent Roman soldiers on horseback to find them. The soldiers attacked Theudas's group by surprise. Many of Theudas's followers were killed, and others were captured. Theudas himself was captured and executed. His group was scattered and never came together again.

The historian Josephus did not say how many people followed Theudas. But another ancient text, the Acts of the Apostles, mentions about 400 followers.

A Historical Puzzle

There's a small puzzle when comparing the stories about Theudas. In the Acts of the Apostles, a wise leader named Gamaliel talks about Theudas. Gamaliel mentions Theudas's rebellion before another event, the revolt of Judas of Galilee. Judas's revolt happened around 6 AD.

However, Josephus, the historian, says Theudas's rebellion happened much later, around 45 AD. This is after Gamaliel would have spoken. This makes it seem like the order of events is different in the two accounts.

Some experts think the writer of Acts might have mixed up the order of events. Others believe there might have been more than one person named Theudas. It was a common name back then. It's also possible that Josephus made a small mistake in his timeline. Historians continue to study these ancient texts to understand them better.