10 Mysterious Biblical Figures No One Can Explain

The canonical Bible is filled with mysterious

characters, many of whom drop in for a cameo, do
their thing, and then slide out, never to be heard
from again. Some are merely extras, but some
have a contextual presence that begs further
examination. And some are, well, just weird.
10 Melchizedek

Probably the single most mysterious figure in the

Bible, Melchizedek was a priest-king of Salem (later
known as Jerusalem) in the time of Abram
(Abraham), suggesting a religious organization,
complete with ritual and hierarchy, that predated
the Jewish nation and their priestly lineage from
the tribe of Levi. He is only portrayed as active in
one passage, although he is alluded to once in
Psalms, and several times in the New Testaments
Epistle to the Hebrews.
Some Jewish disciplines insist that Melchizedek was
Shem, Noahs son. He is thought of, in Christian
circles, as a proto-messiah, embodying certain
traits later given to Christ. New Testament writings
assert that Christ was a priest forever in the order

of Melchizedek, indicating an older and deeper

covenant with God than the Abrahamic-Levite
lineage.
Hebrews 7, though presents him in a more unusual
light. In verses 3 and 4:
Without father, without mother, without descent,
having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;
but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest
continually. Now consider how great this man was,
unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the
tenth of the spoils.
Not only do these verses grant Melchizedek a
hierarchical level above the most important Jewish
patriarch, they assign him mystical qualities. Some
take this to mean an earlier incarnation of Christ.
Others see it as an ancient manifestation of the
Holy Spirit. His identity, role, and theological
function have long been debated.
The paucity of scriptural references have added to
the mystery, making him a somewhat spectral
figure. As such, newer spiritual traditions, as well
as New Age quacks, have taken liberties with his
persona. Gnostics insisted he became Jesus, and
he is cited as a high-level priest in Masonic and
Rosicrucian lore. Joseph Smith wrote that he was
the greatest of all prophets, and Mormons still
trace their priesthood back to him. The Urantia, a
20th-century pseudo-Bible that claims to merge
religion, philosophy, and science, insists hes the
first in an evolutionary succession of deification

manifestations, with Abraham being his first

convert.
There is even a school of thought that Melchizedek
is a title or assumed character name, sort of a
theological 007, played by a series of JudeoChristian James Bonds.
The lore of Melchizedek is confusing but deep and
fascinating. Apocryphal books give us more details,
some cryptic, some relatively mundane. The
Second Book of Enoch is particularly informative,
insisting Melchizedek was born of a Virgin. When
his mother Sophonim (the wife of Noahs brother
Nir) died in childbirth, he sat up, clothed himself,
and sat beside her corpse, praying and preaching.
After 40 days, he was taken by an archangel to the
Garden of Eden, protected by angels and avoiding
the Great Flood without passage on Uncle Noahs
ark.
9 Cains Wife

Cain was, according to Genesis, the first human

ever born. He later killed his younger brother Abel
in a hissy fit over his sacrifice of meat being more
favored than Cains sacrificial fruit basket. God put
a mark on Cain and cursed the ground he farmed,
forcing him into a life as a wandering fugitive.
That part of the story is fairly well known. Later,
though, we read that he settled in the Land of Nod,
and, all of a sudden, he has a wife. Absolutely
nothing else is mentioned about her. We dont even
know where she came from. In fact, the question of
where Cain got his wife, when his immediate family
were apparently the only people in the world, has
sent many a perceptive young Sunday schooler
down the road of skepticism.

Some have posited a mysterious other tribe of

people, maybe created after Adam and Eve, maybe
even another race or species. But the standard
response is that Adam and Eve had many other
sons and daughters to populate the Earth. The only
way to keep the human race going would be to
mate with siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
In fact, though the Holy Bible is silent on her
identity, the apocryphal Book of Jubilees tells us
exactly who was Cains wife: his sister Awan, who
bore his son Enoch.
8 Joseph Barsabbas

After Judas Iscariot turned in his resignation by

selling out his boss, Jesuss disciples rushed to fill

the open position and bring the number back up to

a more theologically apt 12. The remaining
disciples, including the newly convinced Thomas,
looked over the candidates from the 120 or so
adherents who followed Jesus. Then they cast lots
to pick who would fill the position.
It went to Matthias, a fairly mysterious character
himself. We dont know where he came from or his
previous occupation. Some think he was actually
the diminutive Zacchaeus, the tax collector who
climbed a sycamore tree to get a better glimpse of
Jesuss ride on the donkey.
The man who lost out was Joseph Barsabbas, also
known as Joseph Justus. We know nothing solid
about him, even less than we know about Matthias.
There is, however, one bit of interesting
speculation. A list of names presented in Mark 6:3
includes some of Christs earliest and most loyal
adherents. One of these is a man named Joses, and
another is James the Just. Biblical scholar Robert
Eisenman suggests that James carried on Jesuss
work, and the writer of the Book of Acts assigned
him an alias to minimize his importance.
7 The Beloved Disciple

In the Gospel of John, several references are made

to the disciple whom Jesus loved. This particular
favorite is present at the Last Supper, the
crucifixion, and after the resurrection. The writer of
the Gospel of John even states that the testimony
of this disciple is the basis for the text. But there is
considerable debate over the identity of this
mystery figure.
The most obvious nominee is John the Apostle, one
of Christs inner circle of 12 and the namesake of
the Gospel. But none of the 12 apostles were
present at the crucifixion, so that crosses him off
the list. Lazarus, resurrected by Christ, is also
considered. He seems to have been present at the
cited events and is referred to specifically, in the

story of His death and resurrection, as he whom

Thou lovest.
Mary Magdalene, Judas, Jesuss brother James, or
an unnamed disciple, possibly even a Roman or
governmental official, have all been considered.
There is even a school of thought that John is an
interactive gospel, with the reader being the
beloved disciple.
6 Simon Magus

Simony is the selling of church position or

privilege. It is named for Simon Magus, or Simon
the Magician, who makes only a brief appearance
in the Bible, in Acts 8:924. Simon has since
become synonymous with heretical thought, and
religious exploitation.

He is presented as a powerful magician with a

large following of in Samaria, who converts to
Christianity and wishes to learn from apostles Peter
and Phillip. When he sees the gifts of the Holy
Spirit, including speaking in tongues and an
ecstatic spiritual state, he offers the men money if
they will give him the secret to passing these gifts
to others. They are not amused.
Apocryphal texts reveal quite a bit more, like his
alleged ability to levitate and even fly, emphasizing
that he was something akin to a cult leader in his
hometown. It is suggested that his conversion is
more for economic purposes than spiritual, and he
set himself up as a messianic figure himself,
competing for the Jesus dollar with his own
homespun theology.
He is thought by some to be a founder of
Gnosticism, a patchwork of various religious
systems that relied heavily on Judaic and Christian
symbolism.
5 Onan

Not unlike Simon Magus, Onans brief appearance

inspired a name for a particular action.
He was the second son of Abrahams grandson
Judah, the patriarch and namesake of one of the 12
tribes of Israel. His older brother, Er (yes, just Er)
was wicked in the sight of the Lord, so God killed
him. What he did to deserve such an execution
remains a mystery.
Tradition at the time dictated that Ers widow,
Tamar, become Onans wife. Onan had to
impregnate her to keep the lineage alive, but he
was not as wild about the idea. Maybe it was the
thought of impending fatherhood, or Tamar just
wasnt his type. So, taking matters into his own
hands, he committed the first recorded act of

coitus interruptus. Or, as Genesis 38:9 so poetically

put it: And Onan knew that the seed should not be
his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his
brothers wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest
that he should give seed to his brother. God was
displeased and slew Onan.
The whole tale gets even more sordid. Onan had a
younger brother, Shelah. Customarily, he would
have been next in line to impregnate Tamar, but
Judah forbade it. Tamar, rather than graciously
accepting forced spinsterhood, seduced Judah and
(became pregnant) by the old man. Judah fathered
twins Zerah and Perez, the latter of whom was
listed by Matthew as an ancestor of Jesuss earthly
father Joseph...
Some have even suggested that Onans death
warns that sex is meant only for purposes of
reproduction, and not for pleasure.
4 Nicodemus

Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, a

council of men who ruled on Jewish law and
governance. He became a friend, follower, and
intellectual foil for Jesus, whose egalitarian
teachings often ran counter to the Sanhedrins rigid
decrees. He was also a Pharisee, a leader within
the Jewish community who toadied up to the
Roman government at the time of Christs arrest
and subsequent crucifixion.
He is mentioned three times in the New Testament,
all in the Gospel of John. He subtly defends Jesus as
the Pharisees discuss His impending arrest. Later,
he helps prepare Jesuss body for burial, indicating
he had become an adherent to Christ and His
teachings.

The first time he is mentioned, however, is in

dialogue with Jesus, and these conversations reveal
some of the most important aspects of Christian
theology, such as the notion of being born again
and the most famous reference to the divinity of
Christ, John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.
This detailed conversation explores the divide
between the Old Covenants dogmatic and
exclusive Jewish Law and the New Covenants
spiritually inclusive concepts. But for a vital
contributor to such an important passage of the
New Testament, Nicodemus remains a mysterious
figure. Some scholars have suggested he may be
Nicodemus ben Gurion, a Talmudic figure of wealth
and mystical power. Christian tradition suggest he
was martyred, and he is venerated as a saint. His
name has come to be synonymous with seekers of
the truth and is used as a character in many works
of biblically inspired fiction.
3 James The Just

He is considered, next to Paul and Peter, the most

important apostolic figure in the Churchs history.
The Book of Acts specifically names him the head
of the Christian church in Jerusalem, and he is
frequently cited, both scripturally and
apocryphally, as being consulted by both Paul and
Peter. So who is he?
Traditionally, he is thought of as Jesuss brother (or,
more precisely, His half-brother). Jesus is listed, in
the Gospels, as having siblings, some younger than
Him. One was named James.
But James was a common name, and there are
several mentioned in the Bible. Two of the 12
disciples were named James, but both are listed as
having different fathers than Jesus, and neither

went on to become James the Just. James the son

of Zebedee went on to be known as James the
Great, and James the son of Alphaeus was called
James the Less.
It is known that he was a contemporary of Jesus,
although he seems to have had no real inner-circle
status during Christs ministry. The apocryphal
Gospel of Thomas says Christ Himself designated
James to lead the movement upon His death. The
Apostle Paul initially seems respectful, even
subservient, to James the Lords brother, calling
him a pillar of the movement, even though he
was later to disagree with him on matters of
doctrine.
Some, though, have suggested the brother
designation was spiritual, rather than physical. St.
Jerome, among others, suggested that the doctrine
of perpetual virginity indicated James could be a
cousin, which, given the tribal associations and
clannishness of the Jewish community of the time,
seems valid. Such a relationship would indicate a
certain social proximity without necessarily being a
true sibling.
2 Simon The Zealot

Of Christs 12 disciples, none are more mysterious

than Simon the Zealot. His name was meant to
differentiate him from Simon Peter and has come
to symbolize, for some, that he was a member of a
similarly named political movement that advocated
Jewish defiance to Roman law. Some have
speculated that he acted, within Christs inner
circle, as a political adviser. His presence then
indicated that Jesus had a revolutionary political
agenda.
The truth is much less exciting. The Zealot
movement did not take place until long after the
time that Christ would have given Simon his
sobriquet, and there has never been any serious
evidence that Simon, despite the designation, was

a political radical. The name, and the word upon

which it is based, did not take on those aggressive
undertones until the movement itself was in full
swing. More than likely, Simon was given his name
because of intense spiritual devotion, rather than
any radical political stance.
Nothing else is known of him, at least not with any
surety. The Catholic Encyclopedia mentions him as
possibly being a brother or cousin of Jesus, with no
real evidence. The Eastern Orthodox tradition says
he developed his zeal when Jesus attended his
wedding and changed water into wine. Some
legends say he was martyred; the philosopher
Justus Lipsius somehow got it into his head that he
was sawed in half.
1 Og

Cited twice specifically, but alluded to frequently in

general terms, the Nephilim were a race of violent
giants that lived in the pre-Flood world at the same
time as humanity. Were they, as some suggest, the
offspring of demons and human women? Fallen
angels themselves? Or simply the descendants of
Seth mentioned in the Dead Sea scrolls, a tribe of
cranky cases cursed by God for their
rebelliousness? Regardless, they evolved and
became known by other names, like the Raphaim,
and frequently battled humans for land and power.
The most storied of them was Og, the King of
Bashan. He was killed, along with his entire army,
and his kingdom was ransacked. All of the
survivorsmen, women, and childrenwere put to

death, and the strongest and most powerful line of

Nephilim descendants was eliminated. Some
Nephilim bloodlines continued to do battle with the
Israelites, though they were becoming less
powerful and dying out. One tribe, the Anakim,
allied themselves with the human tribes in Philistia.
Goliath was thought to have been one of the last
few descendants of the Nephilim.
Goliaths height is given in the earliest manuscripts
as 275 centimeters (9). Thats hardly as aweinspiring as the creature laying in Ogs bed, which
measured, according to Deuteronomy, 400
centimeters (13 6). Thats basically Yao Ming
sitting on Shaquille ONeals shoulders.
Biblically, descendants of the Nephilim could not
have survived the Flood, even though Og and other
giants are post-Flood figures. Some biblical
literalists have attributed their later existence to
the descendants of Noahs family hooking up, once
again, with demons. Or, being fallen angels and not
human, they did survive the flood.
Jewish tradition gets deeper into information about
the Nephilim and their descendants, going against
the grain of the biblical account. It tells of Og
booking passage on the Ark by promising to act as
a slave to Noah and his family. Other accounts
have him hanging on to the side of the Ark and
riding the flood out rodeo-style.