[TheCrusader]

"How many Simon-bar-Jonahs were in Israel in the first century?"

If Jerasulem had phone books back then you'd probably have found more Simon-bar-Jonahs than you'd find Chins in a Chinatown cafe.

Here are some Simons mentioned in the Bible, use your imagination to figure out how many others had the name, and then took the name after Saint Peter's death:

Simon Peter (the Apostle)

Simon the Cyrenian (Mark 15)

Simon Niger (Acts 1)

Simon Magus (Acts )

Simon the Leper (Mathew 26)

Simon the high priest (1 Maccabees)

Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7).

Simon the Zealot (Luke 6).

Simeon the Prophet - (Luke 2 ~ Simeon is Greek for Simon).

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Here are some Simons mentioned in the Bible, use your imagination to figure out how many others had the name, and then took the name after Saint Peter's death:

Actually, "after Peter's death" is not in the cards here, as the usage of burial cave in question is dated prior to AD70 -- not thereafter.

Which doesn't, of course, alter the fact that there were lots of Simons running around prior to AD70; what narrows the matter down to the proverbial eye of a needle is the fact that we have a Mary, Martha, and Lazarus together with a Simon Bar-Jonah all together in a cemetery specifically reserved for Jerusalem-area Jewish Christians.

If the Apostle Simon Peter bar-Jonah died amongst the company of the Jerusalem Christian Church, then this is about what we would expect to find.

And this is what was, in fact, found.

Best, OP