The appearance of his name as R. Yehuda the Pious in some versions <ref>page 160 of Quest books 2005 "A Rebirth for Christianity" By Alvin Boyd Kuhn ISBN:0835608387</ref> makes it likely that Gnostic enemies of the Tosafists were responsible for circulating the Toledoth Y.S.W..
[[Rabbeinu Tam|R. Jacob Tam]] expressed his belief that '''Simon CaIaphas''', the first Patriarch of Jerusalem, "was a devout and learned Jew, who dedicated his life to guiding [http://godfearers.com/index.php/Notzrim Heretics] along the proper path. R. Tam further maintained that Simon was the author of the Nishmat prayer recited on Sabbaths and Festivals. (Machzor Vitry, edited by S.Hurwitz, 1923, p.285 note 5 and p. 362 note 5. CF. [[Julius Eisenstein|J. Eisenstein]]'s articles on Simon CaIaphas in [[Otzar Israel]] and [[Otzar Midrashim]].)
Simon's mission to the [[Hellenes|Hillonim]] was later headed by Gamaliel's Benjaminite student Saul of Tarsus the Pharisee of the Manumitted Idumean Synagogue and whose efforts in Simon's direction were organized into the New Testament by [[Shimeon HaKalpas]] with whom Peter is often confused. The Marcionites were the failed result of Paul's mission among the Mandaeans.