Was Jesus Christ the first recorded victim of identity theft?

Because it has recently become so widespread, many assume identity theft is a whole new phenomenon. However, identity theft has been practiced by the less than scrupulous throughout history. In the early times when personal records were scant, it was not unheard of for identity theft to be perpetrated for the gain of status, authority or even a stately inheritance. Even as the world became more organized, slipping into another identity to gain access to money, goods and benefits was still a rather easy task. Read the rest of this entry »