2,000 years ago in the kingdom of Judah, besides Jesus, there were several popular leaders who claimed to be the Savior. The fact is that at the beginning of the era, the Israeli land was under the yoke of the Roman Empire. Outsiders appointed kings, collected taxes, dictated laws, and executed those who disliked the regime.
Naturally, the Jews really did not like walking on tiptoe at the sight of the legionnaires' spears. And it was in these difficult years that the prophecy of the Messiah became popular. It was believed that the messenger of God would free the land of Israel from Roman oppression, stop all wars on earth and become the king of Judah. Jesus was only one of many who considered themselves the very chosen one mentioned in the Bible (Torah). It's like we in the Time of Troubles had as many as 4 impostors posing as Dmitry, the miraculously surviving son of Ivan the Terrible. So contemporaries of Jesus called themselves the future "kings of the Jews", and the people, who dreamed of liberation from foreign dominion, willingly believed them. Of some of these revolutionaries, only nicknames remained.
1. "Egyptian"
This "king of the Jews" is famous for the fact that in 62 AD. gathered in Jerusalem several thousand of his supporters and announced that he would bring down the walls of the city with one word. Together with his comrades, the "Egyptian" climbed the Mount of Olives to perform witchcraft. The Romans, who did not like this Sabbath, went out and multiplied the rebels by zero.
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2. Afront
In 4 BC. a young Jewish shepherd named Afront also believed in his chosenness. "Messiah" led the peasants and attempted to attack the Roman soldiers, but as you know, going on a hedgehog with a bare bottom is a bad idea. 2,000 rebels were crucified on crosses.
3. Bar Kokhba
This warrior was perhaps the closest to becoming the messiah. He became the leader of a real popular uprising. First, he waged a guerrilla war against the Romans. But the ranks of the rebels quickly replenished and in 132 he managed to capture Jerusalem and many other fortresses. The born leader Kokhba was named king and even minted his own coins.
But Rome sent a large punitive detachment to Judea, led by General Julius Sever. The rebels had to retreat into the mountains. The Beitar fortress, which was occupied by Bar Kokhba, held out for 3 years, but still fell. After that Jerusalem was settled by Greeks and Romans, and the Jews were scattered.
There were also candidates for the messiah. "Samaritan", Thebda, a former slave of Herod named Simon. They all ended the same way. So did Jesus, who was, in fact, one of the leaders of a small group of rebels.
Only the followers of the son of Mary acted more cunningly, making him a fighter not for power in Judea, but as a kind of pacifist, a martyr for the sins of the people and a savior of souls. The Jews did not recognize Yeshua as the messiah. But the rest of the world accepted the legend with a bang.