He appears in the third position of all the episcopal lists of Jerusalem, succeeding James the Just and Simeon of Clopas, starting with that of Eusebius of Caesarea.
He is probably the leader of the city's Nazarene community, or at least of those who survived the massive Romans repressions after the Jewish revolt of 66-74 and its upheavals.
In this case, he would have acceded to the episcopate at an advanced age since he would be "necessarily born before 61/62, date of the execution of his father, which could then explain the short duration of his mandate[5]", in particular if Simeon died under the consulate of Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes (103), as Eusebius of Caesarea indicates.
No bishop of this name is attested in the usual lists, and it is certainly a pseudonym relating to "Joseph dit Barsabbas, nicknamed Justus", the unlucky candidate for the succession of the traitor Judas (namely Matthias) in Ac.
[10] Eusebius of Caesarea also knows a tradition, undoubtedly drawn from Papias, which delivers at least one apocryphal detail on this quasi-apostle (a story of miraculous healing).