Hypothesis About A Jesus Connection
A possible connection between the two Panteras has been hypothesized by James Tabor, and hinges on the assumption that Celsus' information about Jesus' illegitimacy was correct, and a soldier with this name, living at the right period, might be the father. Tiberius Iulius Abdes Pantera's career would place him in Judea (present day Israel) as a young man around the time of Jesus' conception, and Tabor has hypothesized that as a connection.
Maurice Casey rejects Tabor's hypothesis on multiple grounds and states that Tabor has presented no evidence regarding the equality of the two. James Whitehead and Michael Burns state that the chances that Tiberius Iulius Abdes Pantera is the same soldier as that suggested by Celsus seem infinitesimal.
Read more about this topic: Tiberius Iulius Abdes Pantera
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