Judas of Galilee

Biblical Account

Judas of Galilee appears only once in the Bible, in chapter 5 of Acts. When the apostles are brought before the Sanhedrin (the supreme Jewish council) for teaching in the name of Jesus, the council members seek to put them to death. At this point Gamaliel, a Pharisee and teacher of the law, urges caution and cites two earlier movements that had failed.

The first example is Theudas, who was "boasting himself to be somebody" (Acts 5:36); the second is Judas of Galilee. According to Gamaliel, Judas rose up "in the days of the taxing," that is, around the time of a census, and drew people after him. Yet he too perished, and all who followed him were dispersed (Acts 5:37). On this basis Gamaliel declares, "if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it" (Acts 5:38-39).

Significance Within Scripture

In Acts, Judas is not treated as a figure in his own right. He serves only as an example supporting Gamaliel's argument that a movement of merely human origin disperses once its leader is gone. In this way the text draws a contrast with the early church, which did not scatter even under persecution.

Interpretation and Issues

Extrabiblical sources. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus mentions "Judas the Galilean" in his Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War. According to Josephus, Judas rose in revolt against the census conducted under the Roman governor Quirinius (Cyrenius). He maintained that it was wrong to pay tribute to Rome and to serve any human master other than God. Josephus records that Judas started a movement known as the "fourth philosophy," which he set alongside the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. This uprising is commonly dated to around AD 6.

Relationship to the Zealots. Many scholars regard Judas's movement as the root of the later Zealots, who resisted Rome. However, because Josephus does not explicitly call Judas the founder of the Zealots, scholars differ on whether the two should be regarded as the same group.

Chronological question. Acts mentions Theudas as though he preceded Judas. Yet the disturbance led by Theudas that Josephus reports took place in the mid-40s AD, later than Gamaliel's speech. Several explanations have been offered for this discrepancy. Those who emphasize the accuracy of Scripture hold that a different man of the same name is in view, while others regard it as an error that arose in the course of recording. Whether the census under Cyrenius in Luke 2:2 and the taxing mentioned in Acts 5:37 refer to the same event is also debated.

Distinction from other men named Judas. He is a different person from the two members of the Twelve who bore the name—Judas Iscariot and Judas the son of James (Thaddaeus)—and from Judas the brother of Jesus. Accounts concerning his descendants, such as the report that his sons were executed, derive from Josephus and do not appear in the Bible.

In the Korean Church

In preaching in Korean churches, Judas of Galilee is mentioned chiefly in connection with Gamaliel's counsel (Acts 5:38-39). There he is presented as an example of the principle that "what is of men comes to nought." In Korean Sunday schools and Bible studies, teachers sometimes take care to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, who bears the same name, so that the two are not confused.