Theudas

Thanksgiving, referred to by Gamaliel in his speech before the council at Jerusalem (Acts 5:36). He headed an insurrection against the Roman authority. Beyond this nothing is known of him.

(God-given), the name of an insurgent mentioned in Gamaliel’s speech before the Jewish council, (Acts 6:35-39) at the time of the arraignment of the apostles. He appeared, according to Luke’s account, at the head of about four hundred men. He was probably one of the insurrectionary chiefs or fanatics by whom the land was overrun in the last year of Herod’s reign. Josephus speaks of a Theudas who played a similar part in the time of Claudius, about A.D. 44; but the Theudas mentioned by St. Luke must be a different person from the one spoken of by Josephus.

THEU'DAS (thanksgiving), an insurrectionary chieftain mentioned by Gamaliel. Acts 5:36, Josephus mentions a similar character of this name, but his insurrection occurred some eleven years after Gamaliel's speech. An explanation of the difficulty is to identify Theudas with Matthias, an eloquent and popular Jewish teacher, who headed a band in the days of Herod and destroyed the Roman eagle set up by the king over the great gate of the temple, being outraged by Herod's impiety. "The name 'Matthias' in Greek would be 'Theodorus,' and this is equivalent to 'Theudas.'" But perhaps it is best to say that this Theudas was an obscure individual who is not mentioned elsewhere. The name was a common one.

flowing with water

THEU'DAS (thanksgiving), an insurrectionary chieftain mentioned by Gamaliel. Acts 5:36, Josephus mentions a similar character of this name, but his insurrection occurred some eleven years after Gamaliel's speech. An explanation of the difficulty is to identify Theudas with Matthias, an eloquent and popular Jewish teacher, who headed a band in the days of Herod and destroyed the Roman eagle set up by the king over the great gate of the temple, being outraged by Herod's impiety. "The name 'Matthias' in Greek would be 'Theodorus,' and this is equivalent to 'Theudas.'" But perhaps it is best to say that this Theudas was an obscure individual who is not mentioned elsewhere. The name was a common one.