Celsus argues that Jesus was born from a poor Jewish woman, who “was turned out of doors by the carpenter to whom she had been betrothed, as having been convicted as guilty of adultery, and she bore a child to a certain soldier named Pantera.” – Stars Insider
The story of how Jesus Christ came into the world is a cornerstone of the Bible, and indeed of the Christian faith. The immaculate conception of the Son of God is an important concept which lays the foundations of the holiness of the Virgin Mary and her son, Jesus. But as it turns out, a second-century philosopher named Celsius disagreed. And his (unpopular) opinion that Jesus had a biological father is backed up by other sources and archeological evidence. So if true, who is this individual?
It should be noted that all information presented here is factual, and not a matter of opinion.
The 2nd-century Greek philosopher Celsus wrote a book called Logos Alēthēs (‘A True Word’) in which he criticized and refuted early Christianity.
The book is a lost work, the text itself only known of because quotes from it appear in another book, Contra Celsum (‘Against Celsus’).
This second book was written by Origen of Alexandria, a Christian, about 70 years after the publication of A True Word.
Celsus argues that Jesus was born from a poor Jewish woman, who “was turned out of doors by the carpenter to whom she had been betrothed, as having been convicted as guilty of adultery, and she bore a child to a certain soldier named Pantera.”
Another reference to this version can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, where Jesus is referred to as “Yeshu ben Pantera” (“Jesus, son of Pantera”).
Jesus is also mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud, referred to as “ha hu” (“that one”).
But who was this mysterious Roman soldier named Pantera, who claimed to be the biological father of Jesus? His full name was Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera (sometimes spelled Panthera or Pandera).
Pantera was a Roman-Phoenician soldier born in Sidon (modern-day Lebanon) circa 22 BCE.
Pantera was a non-native Roman of Semitic origin who didn’t become a Roman citizen until after he had served Emperor Tiberius (14 to 37 CE) for 25 years.
His military service to the empire granted him citizenship and consequently, “Tiberius Julius” was added to his name.
Pantera was known to be the standard-bearer of the “1st Sagittariorum Cohort” of Roman archers, a position he held for 40 years, until his death at the age of 62.
All historical evidence mentioned previously derives from a tombstone found in Bingerbrück, Germany, in 1859.
The Latin inscription on the tombstone reads: Tib(erius) Iul(ius) Abdes Pantera Sidonia ann(orum) LXII stipen(diorum) XXXX miles exs(ignifer?) coh(orte) I sagittariorum h(ic) s(itus) e(st). Which translates to “Tiberius Iulius Abdes Pantera from Sidon, aged 62 years served 40 years, former standard bearer (?) of the First Cohort of Archers lies here.”
Panthera’s tombstone can be found at the Museum Römerhalle in the town of Bad Kreuznach, Germany.
Pantera was a common name among soldiers, especially in the Roman province of Judaea. The standard-bearer of a Roman unit wore animal fur on their head (usually a predatory cat), and Pantera’s responsibility was just that, according to his tombstone inscription.
In this case it’s been suggested that the name Pantera was a satirical connection between the Greek words panthēr (“panther”) and parthenos, which means “virgin.”
According to scholars’ calculations, it’s estimated that Pantera was born between 45 and 22 BCE. Jesus is believed to have been born in 7 BCE, and Pantera’s cohort of archers are reckoned to have passed through Palestine from Germany anywhere between 6–9 CE. So there is a mathematical chance that a Roman soldier named Pantera could have met Mary at the time.
According to The Times of Israel, Pantera fell for a young Jewish girl named Miriam (Mary). There is some dispute whether they had consensual sex or not. Either way, the story goes that they did engage in sexual relations regardless.
When the rabbis discovered Mary’s pregnancy, they “declared her a sotah, an adulteress woman.“ Her fiancé, Joseph, refused to marry her.
Then, the angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph and convinced him to marry Mary, as the baby would be the savior of their people.
Yeshu (Jesus) was born and declared a mamzer (a child born of an illicit relationship). Yeshu went on to claim to be the Son of God “when such a thought was anathema to all strains of Jewish belief and thought.”
The fact that Jesus was not a prophet offended Jews and indeed violated written Jewish law. Jesus healed on the Sabbath, which was forbidden. And his miracles were interpreted as Egyptian magic.
Jesus mingled with the Samaritans, who were excluded by Rabbinic Judaism. He also questioned the rabbis and made his own interpretations of Jewish law.
“Jesus did not found a new religion. He was born and died a Jew. The movement of early Christianity was created by Saul (Paul) of Tarsus, the only disciple who never met nor heard the voice of Jesus,” alleges Esor Ben-Sorek, a former professor of Hebrew, Biblical Literature & History of Israel.
Furthermore, Paul convinced the Greeks that Jewish religious practice was not required, nor was circumcision. He also insisted that Jewish dietary laws be relaxed, Ben-Sorek adds.
The Toledot Yeshu is a Jewish text on the life of Jesus. The disputed biography also portrays Jesus as an illegitimate child. The Toledot Yeshu is not considered canonical or normative within Rabbinic literature.
Jesus may have been a prodigy, regardless of who his father really was. If Pantera was indeed his biological father, he didn’t live to see his son.
Ultimately, whether this remarkable story has any historical truth to it or was simply fabricated in an attempt to discredit Christianity, is still up for debate. – Microsoft Start, October 2023
› Sources: Times of Israel, Grunge, Museum.de, A True Discourse, Kehila News, Robin Helweg-Larsen, Imperium Romanum.
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