Our information on Jesus son of Ananus comes from Josephus BJ 6.6.3, which reads:

"But, what is still more terrible, there was one Jesus, the son of Ananus, a plebeian and a husbandman, who,

four years before the war began, and at a time when the city was in very great peace and prosperity, came to

that feast whereon it is our custom for every one to make tabernacles to God in the temple [Sukkot, autumn, 62

CE], began on a sudden to cry aloud,

"A voice from the east,

a voice from the west,

a voice from the four winds,

a voice against Jerusalem and the Holy House,

a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides,

and a voice against this whole people!"

This was his cry, as he went about by day and by night, in all the lanes of the city.

However, certain of the most eminent among the populace had great indignation at this dire cry of his, and took

up the man, and gave him a great number of severe stripes; yet did not he either say any thing for himself, or

any thing peculiar to those that chastised him, but still went on with the same words which he cried before.

Hereupon the magistrates, supposing, as the case proved to be, that this was a sort of divine fury in the man,

brought him to the Roman procurator, where he was whipped till his bones were laid bare; yet he did not make

any supplication for himself, nor shed any tears, but turning his voice to the most lamentable tone possible, at

every stroke of the whip his answer was,

"Woe, woe to Jerusalem!"

And when Albinus (for he was then our procurator) asked him, Who he was? and whence he came? and why

he uttered such words? he made no manner of reply to what he said, but still did not leave off his melancholy

ditty, till Albinus took him to be a madman, and dismissed him.

Now, during all the time that passed before the war began, this man did not go near any of the citizens, nor

was seen by them while he said so; but he every day uttered these lamentable words, as if it were his

premeditated vow,

"Woe, woe to Jerusalem!"

Nor did he give ill words to any of those that beat him every day, nor good words to those that gave him food;

but this was his reply to all men, and indeed no other than a melancholy presage of what was to come.

This cry of his was the loudest at the festivals; and he continued this ditty for seven years and five months,

without growing hoarse, or being tired therewith, until the very time that he saw his presage in earnest fulfilled

in our siege, when it ceased; for as he was going round upon the wall, he cried out with his utmost force,

"Woe, woe to the city again, and to the people, and to the Holy House!"

And just as he added at the last,

"Woe, woe to myself also!"

there came a stone out of one of the engines, and smote him, and killed him immediately; and as he was uttering

the very same presages he gave up the ghost."

This Jesus appears to be a mimic of Jesus of Nazareth. Like Jesus of Nazareth he

predicted disaster for Jerusalem. And like Jesus of Nazareth, he kept his silence when he

was arrested and beaten. Also like Jesus of Nazareth, he did not have a wealthy

background. These similarities in character, purpose and background might well have led

the son of Ananus to be compared with Jesus of Nazareth and to be given his name.

Unfortunately the issue cannot be decided with certainty since the name "Jesus" was

common in Palestine. The name accounted for about 3.8% of male Jews in Palestine. A

judgement on this question can only be made after an assessment is made of the frequency

with which first century prophets named themselves after earlier prophets, and this requires

us to weigh the combined evidence of all the proposed cases to assess the cumulative

case.

Some have suggested that the story of Jesus son of Ananus and the story of Jesus of

Nazareth became confused and that this explains the common elements. However, the

response of the authorities to the later Jesus is distinctly different from their response to the

earlier Jesus, and their deaths are very different.

Back to index page