Theudas

Theudas was a Jewish insurrectionist cited by the Pharisee Gamaliel in his speech before the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:36). Gamaliel argued that if the apostles' movement was merely human in origin, it would collapse as Theudas's revolt had — Theudas had gathered about four hundred followers but was killed, and his movement dissolved. The name may relate to a Greek root meaning flowing or giver.

The identification of this Theudas is historically complex, as Josephus mentions a Theudas who led a revolt around AD 44-46 — after Gamaliel's speech in Acts (set in the early 30s). The discrepancy has generated extensive discussion: either Josephus and Acts refer to different men, Josephus's chronology is imprecise, or Luke's use of Gamaliel's speech introduces a later detail. The episode illustrates the pattern of failed messianic movements in first-century Judea against which the apostolic mission is implicitly contrasted.