Jesus Son of Pantera: Ancient Slander or Historical Probability?

Jun 4, 2023 | Contrary to what is often asserted by scholars as well as general readers, the early traditions that Jesus had a biological father named "Pantera" has nothing to do with an assertion that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. Further, the name Pantera was never said to be a pun on Parthenos--the Greek word for "virgin"--until it was suggested by a German scholar in the 19th century! No ancient writers who comment on the name "Yeshua bar Pantera" associates it with such a pun--they know the name as a real name from the family of Joseph and Mary. Furthermore, 1st century rabbis living in Sepphoris, just north of Nazareth, use the name in a descriptive way--not as slander at all--referring to Jesus of Nazareth. It was a REAL name, not a pun used in slander. In this interview I offer an overview of the Pantera traditions--what we know and don't know, including what I have discovered about the tombstone of a 1st century Roman soldier from Sidon found Bingerbrücke, Germany, on the Rhine river, in 1859.