On the Circumcised Bishop Σενέκας of Jerusalem

The preservation of Hegesippus's original list of Jerusalem bishops by Eusebius and Epiphanius provides a valuable glimpse into the early Christian leadership in Jerusalem, specifically those of Jewish-Christian origin. According to Epiphanius, the list includes: 

1. James, martyred in Jerusalem by beating with a cudgel, who lived until the time of Nero. 
2. Symeon, crucified under Trajan. 
3. Judah 
4. Zachariah 
5. Tobiah 
6. Benjamin 
7. John, who brings the timeline to the ninth or tenth year of Trajan. 
8. Matthias 
9. Philip 
10. Seneca (Σενέκας) 
11. Justus, who brings the timeline to Hadrian. 
12. Levi 
13. Vaphres (Ephraim) 
14. Jose (Joseph)
15. Judah, bringing the timeline to the eleventh year of Antoninus.

Epiphanius notes that these were the circumcised bishops of Jerusalem, indicating their Jewish-Christian identity. The name Seneca stands out as it is a Latin name, which seems unusual for a Jewish-Christian bishop of Jerusalem. Tal Ilan lists this as the name of a Jewish man and points out that Eusebius (H.E. 4.5) specifically mentions it. She suggests that the name might be an appropriation of the Latin cognomen and does not provide any theories of a Hebrew name underlying it, unlike Ιουστος (Justus). 

Furthermore, Ilan notes the unusual transliteration as Ζενεκας instead of Σενεκας. One theory is that Seneca might be a corruption of an original Aramaic note indicating that the previous bishop was "removed" from office. In the Book of Joshua, there is a city named זנוח (Zanoah), meaning "cast off," which Jastrow attests as זנוחא in rabbinic Aramaic sources. This suggests that the name Seneca might not have been a proper name but rather a misinterpreted term indicating a status change. Additionally, it has been noted that there appear to be too many bishops listed to cover the twenty-year period between Trajan and Antoninus, suggesting that some words might have been mistaken for proper names, such as Seneca. 

In summary, the list of bishops provided by Hegesippus, as preserved by Eusebius and Epiphanius, offers a window into the Jewish-Christian leadership in Jerusalem. However, certain names, particularly Seneca, raise questions about their origins and the possibility of textual corruption or misinterpretation over time.

I have long thought that the Church Father "Polycarp" (literally "many fruit") was originally named "Ephraim" (= fruitful) by means of the blessing of Joseph "Joseph is [a] fruitful [bough/son]." I think there is something to the idea that Hegesippus is a literal rendering of the sound of "Joseph" in Greek into Latin. To this end, "Hegesippus" was likely originally taken to be a bishop of Jerusalem who made his way to visit his colleague the Anicetus the bishop of Rome and complain about Marcion and other heretics (what else is new). Irenaeus was cagey about the information because Polycarp was controversial.