Given how often my position on Pantera is distorted into the three things I do not say—namely, that the biological father of Jesus was not Joseph, that Pantera was a Roman soldier who raped Mary, and that his tomb is in German. So, it kind of amazed me to get this summary of my views via ChatGPT4.o without any prompting or suggested revisons.
Apparently someone actually reads the primary sources–in this case what I have in fact published on this topic, even if it is an AI Large Language Model program. I was pleasingly surprised. Maybe there is hope:
Dr. James Tabor, a scholar specializing in early Christianity, has explored the traditions surrounding “Pantera” as the possible biological father of Jesus. He acknowledges ancient sources that refer to Jesus as the “son of Pantera,” particularly in Jewish and early non-Christian writings. However, Dr. Tabor emphasizes that these traditions are complex and should not be dismissed outright as mere slander or polemic.
In his writings, Dr. Tabor suggests that while the identity of Jesus’ biological father remains uncertain, it is unlikely to have been Joseph, the husband of Mary. He notes that the name “Pantera” appears in various ancient sources and that there is a tombstone of a Roman soldier named Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera from Sidon, buried in Germany. Dr. Tabor examines these references to explore the historical context and the possibility that such traditions may preserve echoes of actual events or perceptions from that era.
It’s important to note that Dr. Tabor does not assert definitively that Pantera was Jesus’ father. Instead, he presents the “Pantera” traditions as part of the broader historical and textual landscape, encouraging a nuanced consideration of all available evidence. He also clarifies that these traditions do not necessarily imply that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier, a common misconception. Instead, he points out that the term “Pantera” was a real name and not merely a pun or slander used against Jesus.
For a more in-depth exploration of Dr. Tabor’s views on this topic, you can refer to his blog posts:
• “The ‘Jesus son of Pantera’ Traditions”
• “Did Jesus Have a Biological Father–Sorting out the Pantera Traditions”
These writings provide a detailed analysis of the historical sources and interpretations related to the Pantera traditions.
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