The Significance Of The Repetition Of Names In The Gospels

"In passing, it is worth noting that fictional writers, for obvious reasons, usually do not have more than one character bearing the same name, even when they are well aware that some of the names they use were very popular in the context they depict. In this respect, the fact that the Gospels have several Marys, several Simons, several Judases, and several Jameses is a noteworthy feature." (Richard Bauckham, Jesus And The Eyewitnesses [Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2017], 545)