About Panthera

Jesus' real father? According to one widespread early Jewish story, Jesus was the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier called Pantera or Panthera. The name is an unusual one, and was thought to be an invention until this first- century tombstone came to light in Bingerbnick, Germany. The inscription reads:

'Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera of Sidon, aged 62, a soldier of 40 years' service, of the ist cohort of archers, lies here.'
Bad Kreuznach Museum,
W. Germany