4. Palestinian_Jewish_Names.mp4
4. Statistical_names_prove_New_Testament_authenticity.m4a
This topic explores the use of Palestinian Jewish names during the time of Jesus and the early church as a resource for New Testament study, arguing for the authenticity of names in the Gospels. The author relies on TalIlan’s Lexicon of Jewish Names in Late Antiquity, a comprehensive database that functions as both an onomasticon (a collection of names) and a prosopography (a collection of people who bore the names). The core findings reveal that a small number of names, primarily those associated with the Hasmonean family and names expressing nationalistic hopes, were overwhelmingly popular, which is consistent with name usage in the Gospels and Acts. Furthermore, the text details various ways people with common names were distinguished, such as using patronymics, nicknames, and places of origin, noting that these methods closely align with appellation patterns found in the New Testament accounts.
Read through the Gospels, and you'll quickly notice a recurring cast of names: Simon, Joseph, Mary, Judas. Were these names really as common as they seem, or is it just a coincidence of the narrative?
Thanks to a massive database of nearly three thousand names from ancient Palestine, we don't have to guess. This comprehensive catalog, compiled by scholar Tal Ilan and analyzed by historian Richard Bauckham, gives us a surprisingly clear picture of what people were actually called in the time of Jesus. The data reveals a world that is both familiar and unexpectedly different, confirming some aspects of the biblical accounts while challenging our modern assumptions.
This post will explore the most counter-intuitive and fascinating discoveries from this data, showing how something as simple as a name can unlock a deeper understanding of the world of the Gospels.
Almost Half the Population Shared Just a Handful of Names.
The data reveals a surprisingly homogenous naming landscape, where a tiny handful of names were used with a frequency almost unimaginable today. This wasn't a slight preference; it was a statistical landslide.
Consider these figures: