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Jesus Had a Small Following

CHURCH POSITION

"And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message....” (Mark 3:14-15)
SCHOLARS

"...unless Jesus had had a large following, he would not have been crucified." (Smith, 1978, p. 24)

"Here was a moderate man [Jesus] who had a massive following..." (Marsh, 1975, p. 130)

"The Pharisees had to be concerned about what the Romans would do to their city if a Jew rode in on a major holiday like Passover with a large throng proclaiming him king." (Haggith, 1999, p. 76)

"[Jesus] was a popularly arresting figure in Palestine. He caught the public imagination....large numbers of common people were drawn to him." (Fosdick, 1949, p. 46)
THE REALITY

We all know about the 12 disciples (who really are 14 or more). Most people believe that the number 12 was chosen because it referred to the 12 tribes of Israel. In fact, both the 12 disciples and the 12 tribes of Israel come from a more ancient source, the 12 signs of the Zodiac. Indeed, many of the disciples’ names can be traced to Zodiac signs (e.g., the Sons of Thunder [1] refer to Jupiter, the God of Thunder; Alpheus comes from the Babylonian word alpu which refers to the Bull or Zodiac sign Taurus; Thomas the Twin refers to Gemini, etc).

 

In addition to the 12, there were the people closely related to Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, his mother Mary and his brothers, especially James, his uncle Cleophas (aka Clopas) and cousin Simeon, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea. Schonfield (1974) estimates that Jesus’ “traveling company” alone numbered 60 or 70 people. Moreover, Jesus had a support system that also included Simon the leper [2] (Mark 14: 3), the woman with the alabaster jar (Mark 14:3), the villagers who provided a donkey for his ride into Jerusalem (Mark 11:2), the supporters who spread their cloaks and leafy branches when he entered Jerusalem (Mark 11:8), the supporters who arranged for the last supper (Mark 14:13), “a certain young man was following him…” (Mark 14:51), the “many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.” (Mark 15:41),  “some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities” (Luke 8:1), and “many others, who provided for him out of their resources (Luke 8:3), etc.

 

Beyond this, there are various references to another 70 disciples [3] (Luke 10:1), the Gentile converts (John 12:20), 120 "believers”  (Acts, 1:15), the Samaritan converts and "many more" (John 4:40-41), the Jews who "sought therefore for Jesus (John 11:56), and a group of 500 disciples  (1 Cor 15:6). Add to this, the 4000 and/or 5000 people whom he fed at the Sermons, and the unspecified numbers in the crowds who gathered about him and followed him or were baptized/initiated by him (John 3:22). Indeed, John 4:1 says that "Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John." Now consider that Josephus tells us that John was killed because Herod feared John would spark a rebellion, and this means that John must have had a sufficient following to be able to provoke fear in Herod. Yet the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus baptized more than John (4:1) and converted many of John's followers (10:42).

Jesus influence even went beyond his immediate followers to the extent that others began using his name in their spells (Acts 19:13).

 

All told, we can estimate that Jesus’ followers numbered between 5000 and 10,000 [4] people, which for that time, was an enormous number. Josephus estimated that the total membership of the Essene community was 4000, and the Pharisees only 6000. Wilson (1992) claims that among the Essenes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, “None of these groups numbered more than a few thousand adherents… (p. 97).” So the Jesus cult, at 5000 to 10,000 followers, was a major force.  No wonder the chief priests and the Pharisees feared Jesus’ influence. No wonder the political undertones of the Gospels (e.g., John 6:15) are so tempting. Indeed, in several places, the Jewish authorities are frozen with fear, worried about the reactions of Jesus’ followers (e.g., Acts 5 24-26; Luke 19:47-48; Matthew 21:46; John 18:6; 7:45-49). The Gospel of John records the Pharisees saying to one another: “Look, the whole world has gone after him.” (John 12:19) and Klinghoffer (2005) observes – “…on the days leading up to Passover…his movement suddenly exploded in numbers and enthusiasm…(p. 74).” Johnson (1976) makes the point: “Jesus had succeeded in uniting an improbable, indeed unprecedented, coalition against him: the Roman authorities, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, even Herod Antipas (p.29).”

 

If you examine the stories associated with Jesus’ followers, you see two recurrent themes: the women are steadfast and the men, particularly the disciples, are undependable. For example…

  • The only witnesses at his crucifixion were women: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and “many other women” who were his followers  (Mark 15:40-41). All the male disciples fled.
  • The first ones to visit his tomb were women (Mark 16:1).
  • Jesus was anointed by a woman (Mark 14:3), who was then criticized by the men, and defended by Jesus, who claimed: “She had performed a good service for me.” (Mark 14:6)
  • Peter denied he knew Jesus 3 times (Mark 14: 30).
  • Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to remain with him while he prayed in Gethsemane, but they all fell asleep (Mark 14:41).
  • Jesus is betrayed by a man - Judas (Mark 14:10).
  • Despite all his teachings, the disciples never seemed to understand what he was truly saying (Mark 4:13, 6:51, 8:21, 9:19; Matthew 15:16; Thomas 51).
  • Everyone involved in his arrest, trial, punishment, and crucifixion was a male. The only person who believed Jesus was “innocent” was Pilate’s wife (Matthew 27:19)
  • Among his family members, it was the brothers who doubted him (John 7:5) and who believed he was out of his mind (Mark 3:21). His sisters were never mentioned from a negative perspective[5].
  • Male followers typically had little faith, even among his disciples (e.g., Matthew 14:31; 16:8; 17:20), while female followers were said to have great faith (e.g., Matthew 15:28). Male followers wondered what’s in it for them (e.g., Matthew 19:27; Mark 10:35), but women followers had no selfish interests (e.g., Matthew 26:10)

 

Craveri notes: “Jesus must often have had to suffer patiently under the ignorance and pettiness of his disciples (1967, p. 284).”

 

Another interesting characteristic of Jesus’ followers was their diversity. Most were fishermen [6] (which was appropriate considering that fishing was a major industry in Galilee), but others included a tax collector (Matthew), a zealot (Simon), and a member of the assassin cult (Judas Iscariot). His inclusion of so many women followers was revolutionary for its time, as was his inclusion of the poor.

In summary, Jesus had a large and diverse following. They numbered in the thousands and rivaled the largest contemporary groups. In addition, Jesus’ followers were marked by the inclusion and relatively high status of women and poor people.

Updated 4/20/2007

[1] The original “Sons of Thunder” were the Greek brothers Castor and Pollux, said to be the torchbearers for the Sun God Mithras.

[2]  The word “tsaraat” in Hebrew and Aramaic meant an outbreak of the skin. It was translated as “lepra” in Greek, and later leprosy in English. But the original condition simply referred to a skin outbreak which was curable (Chilton, 2000).

[3] Schonfield (1965) claims that Luke’s use of the number “70” is symbolic of Jesus sending his disciples to the Gentiles, who were said to inhabit 70 nations.

[4] The Ascent of Jacob, quoted in Schonfield (1974) chronicles an event shortly after Jesus’ death, at the conclusion of which “…we went down to Jericho, to the number of 5000 men.” (p. 124)

[5] Actually, Jesus’ sisters aren’t mentioned very much, positively or negatively. Given the context of Jewish society at that time, this is not surprising.

[6] The four fishermen who follow Jesus mirror the four fishermen who served the Egyptian God Horus.
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Date:     2006-05-29 Username:   drj Helpful:   5 of 5
No, the Zealots are not included here, although some authors believe that Jesus was involved with their movement. It's certain that Jesus was familiar with the Zealot movement, and it's probable that the Zealots were the military wing of the Essenes, with whom Jesus was also familiar. In all probability, the Zealots were sympathetic to Jesus' movement since they shared many common beliefs (e.g., anti-Roman, anti-Temple, escathological)
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Date:     2006-08-14 Username:   drj Helpful:   2 of 3
Hi Anne. Even at the end, the High priest is worried about the reaction of the multitudes, indicating that Jesus still has a large following. Most scholars attribute the "Give us Barabas" vote, even it really happened (for which there is no evidence, especially since that tradition of sparing a prisoner was a myth) to a group who have been preselected by the High Priests and allowed into the area.
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Date:     2006-08-26 Username:   jimfoxy Helpful:   2 of 2
Hello, drj, Let me start in a positive way. Your overall statement is probably correct. Jesus had a large following if you include all who were interested in Him and His message. Devoted followers probably numbered at least in the hundreds in His lifetime. The ideas that Jesus was involved with the Zealots or the Essenes are just speculative theories, which have never been proven. Probably about as likely as a claim that Abraham Lincoln was a Persian fire worshipper. The gospel accounts themselves are good evidence for the tradition of Paschal clemency -- so it is incorrect to claim that there is "no evidence". The greatest weakness of your site is your references to "most scholars" who apparently all believe the most outrageous things and never have to prove anything. Another annoying habit is your practice of tossing out little zingers "...a myth..." wihout a shred of evidence to back it up. Still, I like the idea that you are taking a fresh look at these things. Peace...
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Date:     2006-09-06 Username:   drj Helpful:   1 of 1
Hi Jim. Thanks for the praise (I think?). I've tried to include quotes from various scholars to support these claims, since I know that these topics are (generally speaking) not the accepted ideas. I've also tried to include references and a reference section to support the ideas. Sometimes I go beyond the evidence and advance my own theories based on the information, which is unavoidable in this area. As to the zealots, I didn't include them in this article, and only addressed them in response to a question from Matt, and even there I said I didn't think he was a Zealot, so I'm not sure to what you are referring. As far as Jesus being an Essene at some point in his life, I believe this was true and will try to include that when we add some more topics. But please keep me honest and ask me to support any claim I've made. Recently I completely re-wrote the "Jesus was nailed to the Cross" topic as a result of feedback from posters, and I learned a great deal by doing this. So I'm not opposed to counter claims and evidence that refutes what I've put forward.
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Date:     2006-09-07 Username:   jimfoxy Helpful:   2 of 2
Hi Drj, I like your attitude. I kinda sensed this, or I would not have bothered posting here. I have no problem with people disagreeing with my theories, either. All I ask is that they share their logic. Perhaps we can all be confused at a higher level. Blessings........... Jim
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Date:     2007-04-11 Username:   minas Helpful:   2 of 2
According to the Gospel account, Jesus had a large following. But there is little evidence for that outside the Bible. We have several dozen documents dating from that era and none talks about Jesus. All that do are christian (including those that are considered heretic today) *and* were written much later. If Jesus had a large following then some secular historian would have said something. The christian accounts came too late, are contradictory in most details and the authors had every reason to exaggerate. And even if the Gospels were reliable as a historical source, we would have trouble explaining the silence of History.
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Date:     2007-11-26 Username:   drj Helpful:   1 of 1
Hi Minas. I think that Jesus' followers were part of the Essene movement that circulated widely throughout the Middle East in those times. They were derived from but distinct from the desert dwellers, and we have multiple attestations to this group. I believe that John the Baptist was the originator of this movement and Jesus later took over. This group was later usurpted by the "Christians" who subsequently re-wrote history, removing any association between Jesus and this group since they wanted to associate Jesus with their own following. Others believe that Jesus was a Zealot and we have multiple attestations to the existence of this group. In fact, I believe that there were several people named Jesus who existed at this time, and the oral stories eventually combined them into one character. who appears in the gospels. Thus, there was a Zealot named Jesus and we have many examples of his rhetoric and actions in the gospels. And there was a Jesus who was a healer (Essene) and teacher and he is aptly described in the gospels too.
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Date:     2007-12-22 Username:   tall Helpful:   2 of 2
I have two comments to make. I found the idea that there were 14 disciples and that their names were based on the signs of the Zodiac interesting. Hopefully you will do a separate article on this. However you mention that Luke has the sending out of the 70 disciples. I thought it was in Matthew as well and therefore came from Q but I think I am mistaken and Luke added 70 and Q does not have a second mission. You state that Schonfield (1965) claims that Luke’s use of the number “70” is symbolic of Jesus sending his disciples to the Gentiles, who were said to inhabit 70 nations. Does he go on to state that because of this symbolism this might be a creation by Luke who wants to portray Jesus as interested in Gentiles?
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Date:     2008-01-01 Username:   drj Helpful:   1 of 1
Hi Tall. IMO Luke was the least authentic of all the gospels, although Matthew probably places a close second. Luke borrowed freely from whatever sources were available, and hence anything said in that gospels has to be studied closely for the underlying origins and meaning (true of all the gospels, but I'm talking relatively here). All the gospels are thick with the use of gematria, which is the use of numbers to portray a second layer of meaning. It originates (as far as we know) with Pythagoras whose formulations underly much of Middle Eastern mysticism. Luke, of course, is a gentile gospel and very distinct from Matthew that appears to be written for a Jewish audience.
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