Theudas (Hastings' Dictionary)

In the speech of Gam- aliel contained in Ac 5^»- the speaker is represented as referring to the rebellion of a cerUin 1 heudas, who professed to be some one great: 400 men followed him ; but he was killed, and his following came to nothing. At a later date, Gamaliel goes on to say, Judas of Galilee arose at the time of the taxin" and his following too were scattered. In Josephus {Ant. XX. v. 1) we have an account of one Theudas.

While Fadus was procurator, he tells us a certain magician whose name was rheudus persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects and follow him across the Jordan. He pre- tended he could divide the river by his power as a prophet. Fadus attacked him Buddenly, cut oH his head, and dispersed his followers. It is perfectlj clear that if this Theudas be the same person as la mentioned in the Acts, the author of that book has been "uilty of an anachronism.

For he puts into the mouth of Gamaliel, who must have spoken before A.D. 37, a reference to a revolt winch occurred about A.D. 45 or 46. This discrepancy is one of the chief dithculties in the Acts of the Apostles, and various suggestions have been made to account for it. , . ^i 1. Reference has already been made to tlie sug- gestion that the mistake arose through the blunder- mg use of Josephus (vol. i. p. 30).

It is not necessary to add anything to what is said tliere, except tliat a careful reperusal of the passages does not tend to make the hypothesis more credible. _ . 2 Bishop Lightfoot (Smith's />£' i. 40) points out that Theudas ( = Thcodorus, Theodotus, or Theodorius) would be quite natural among the Jews as the Gr. equivalent to several Heb. names; and that Josephus {Ant. XVII. x. 8 ; BJ II. iv. 1) tells us of many disturbances which took place at this time without giving names.

He also quotes an opinion of Wieseler's that Theudas may be the Gr. form of the name of Matthias, son of Marga- lothus, mentioned by Josephus (Ant. XVU. vi. 2). But the identification is hardly probable. 3 Blass {ad loc.) seems to suggest that the name Theudas has been interpolated in the passage of Josephus from the Acts, because the Christiana thought that the two passages illustrated one another.

We have some reason for thinking that Josephus was interpolated by the Christians ; but in this instance it is hardly probable that anythmg of the sort was done. We do not know enough to explain the dithculty. It is perfectly possible that the explanation of Li'ditfoot may be correct ; it is quite possible that the mistake of St. Luke may only be one of name, and it is very bad criticism to condemn an author for an apparent discrepancy when our knowledge of the circumstances is so limited.

But, assuming that the Acts are incorrect, we may ask what tins iniidies It implies that, to a certam extent at any rate, the speech of Gamaliel was the author s com- position. This may mean only that he supplied one of the incidents which Gamaliel referred to, having from some source a general knowledge of the attitude of the speaker ; or it may mean that he took this manner of putting before his readers what he had reason to believe was a tendency ot a section of the Jews. A. C. HKADLAM. 11