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The Bible has many characters. Of course, we have the main protagonists, but then there are some people who are mentioned yet not identified by name. For example, do you know the name of the pharaoh's daughter who adopted Moses? Or the name of the man who offered Jesus vinegar when he was on the cross? These are just a few of many examples of nameless biblical characters.
But if these people are not named in the Bible, where can we find their names? The answer may lie in a number of apocryphal texts. Yes, some non-canonical gospels and other texts actually identify many of these nameless biblical characters!
Ready to find out who they are? Then click on.
Genesis 4:17 mentions Cain’s wife, but her identity is not clear. This is especially puzzling because up to that point there were only four people in the world: Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel (who’d been murdered). So, who was this woman?
The apocryphal Book of Jubilees suggests this woman was actually Cain’s younger sister and her name was Awan. The Golden Legend, a collection of texts from 1290, also mentions the names Aclima and Delbora.
Noah’s wife is mentioned in Genesis 7, but what was her name? The ancient Jewish apocryphal text Book of Jubilees calls her Emzara. Another non-canonical Jewish text called Genesis Rabbah tells us her name was Naamah.
Exodus 2 tells us that baby Moses was found floating in a basket on the Nile by the pharaoh's daughter. But what was the name of this woman who adopted Moses as her son?
Her name appears in several texts, including the ancient Jewish text Leviticus Rabbah, where the pharaoh's daughter is named Bithiah or Bitya. The 4th-century book Praeparatio Evangelica written by Eusebius of Caesarea calls her Merris, and the historian Flavius Josephus calls her Thermutis.
The Queen of Sheba is mentioned in 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9. She traveled from Sheba (present-day Yemen and Ethiopia) and brought gifts to the Israelite King Solomon. She ended up returning home carrying his child. But what was her name, really?
Traditional Ethiopian lore names her as Makeda, whereas Islamic traditions identify the Queen of Sheba as Bilqis. Roman–Jewish historian Flavius Josephus also mentions a name: Nicaule.
Luke 2 tells us that shepherds were in the area when Jesus was born, but it doesn’t really tell us who they were. The Book of the Bee identifies them as Asher, Barshabba, Joseph, Justus, Nicodemus, and Zebulun. The Book of the Bee is a collection of theological and historical texts from the 13th century written by Solomon of Akhlat, a bishop in the Church of the East.
The Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, visited Jesus when he was born and brought him gifts, namely gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Western tradition named them Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar, but other traditions have different versions.
The Book of the Bee, for instance, says that there were actually 12 wise men. A text called Excerpta Latina Barbari mentions their names as Bithisarea, Melichior, and Gathaspa. The Book of Adam, an apocryphal Ethiopian text, calls them Basanater, Hor, and Karsudan. Additionally, Syriac Christian folklore has them as Larvandad, Hormisdas, and Gushnasaph.
Both Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55–56 mention that Jesus had sisters. As for how many and their names, this is not disclosed in the Bible. There are, however, a number of different names mentioned in apocryphal texts.
The non-canonical Gospel of Philip mentions one Maria (sister, not mother). Another text, called the History of Joseph the Carpenter, mentions the names Assia and Lydia. The names Maria, Anna, and Salomé can be found in texts by Epiphanius of Salamis, and the Chronicle of Hippolytus of Thebes mentions the names Martha, Esther, and Salome.
There are a number of nameless children in the Bible. Matthew 18:2, for instance, mentions a time when Jesus called a little child unto him. This child is later identified in the Book of the Bee as Ignatius, who later became the bishop of Antioch, AKA St. Ignatius of Antioch.
In one specific instance, Jesus told his disciples not to rebuke children and let them come to him (Mark 10:13-14). The Book of the Bee also gives names to these children: Timothy and Titus.
The story of the damned rich man and the blessed Lazarus can be found in Luke 16:19–31. In Western tradition, it’s also known as the story Dives and Lazarus, dives being Latin for “rich.” But what was this man’s name?
Coptic folklore has him named as Nineveh, whereas Phineas is the name that appears in the Pseudo-Cyprian text De Pascha Computus.
John 4:5–42 mentions a Samaritan woman Jesus met at a well, with whom he had a conversation. Well, the Eastern Orthodox Church tradition says this woman was baptized as Photini and became a follower of Jesus.
Both Matthew 15:22-28 and Mark 7:25–30 mention the story of a woman who asks Jesus to save her daughter, who was possessed by a demon.
No names are mentioned in the Bible. However, a 3rd-century text called the Pseudo-Clementine Homilies says that the woman’s name was Justa and her daughter was called Berenice.
Jesus brings a dead man back to life in a town called Nain. The man is the son of a widow, who was in the crowd when Jesus raised him. The story can be found in Luke 7:11-15, but the name of the mother cannot. A Coptic text on Christ’s resurrection, however, tells us she was named Lia or Leah.
The Bible says that Jesus was crucified next to two thieves. Both exchange a few words with Jesus, with one demanding Jesus save him (AKA the bad thief), and the other asking Jesus to remember him when he comes into his kingdom (AKA the good thief). The names of these men are not found in the Bible, but we may find the answer in apocryphal texts.
The answer can be found in a non-canonical text called the Gospel of Nicodemus, also known as the Acts of Pilate. The text says that the thieves were called Gestas and Dysmas. Though the apocryphal Arabic Gospel of the Infancy calls them Titus and Dumachus.
Matthew 27:48, Mark 15:36, and John 19:29–30 mention that a man offered Jesus a sponge with vinegar to drink while he was on the cross. But who was this man? The 10th-century Codex Egberti identifies him as Agathon.
John 19:34 reads, “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” But who was this soldier? Again, his name is nowhere to be found in the Bible.
The apocryphal gospel Acts of Pilate tells us that the soldier who wielded what became known as the Holy Lance was named Longinus.
Matthew 27:65 says that Pontius Pilate assigned a group of soldiers to guard the tomb of Jesus and make it as secure as possible. The Bible does not disclose their names, but who were these men?
The 2nd-century non-canonical Gospel of Peter does not mention their names either, but it does tell us that the men were supervised by a Roman centurion named Petronius.
The Book of the Bee says more. It would seem there were five guards and they were named Issachar, Gad, Matthias, Barnabas, and Simon.
There is, however, another verse in the Book of the Bee that reads: “But others say they were fifteen, three centurions and their Roman and Jewish soldiers.”
Sources: (Listverse) (Internet Sacred
Text Archive)
Who are these nameless biblical characters?
These unnamed Bible figures have names after all!
LIFESTYLE Religion
The Bible has many characters. Of course, we have the main protagonists, but then there are some people who are mentioned yet not identified by name. For example, do you know the name of the pharaoh's daughter who adopted Moses? Or the name of the man who offered Jesus vinegar when he was on the cross? These are just a few of many examples of nameless biblical characters.
But if these people are not named in the Bible, where can we find their names? The answer may lie in a number of apocryphal texts. Yes, some non-canonical gospels and other texts actually identify many of these nameless biblical characters!
Ready to find out who they are? Then click on.