High priests, Ananus and Ananias in Josephus

[ficino]

I hope these are questions easily answered by those more up than I on "high priest" as an office.

In Josephus:

1. does the title, "high priest," άρχιερεύς, refer to
a. exactly one supreme priest in office at any one time;
b. more than one leading priests in office simultaneously at any one time;
c. sometimes a. and sometimes b.

2. Are Ananus, son of Ananus, in AJ 20.197-203, and Ananias in AJ 20.204ff the same man? Feldman's note ad 20.208 (p. 111), sc. "Variant Ananus," makes it sound as though they are; is he correct? "Ananus" was said to have been deposed as high priest after three months, 20.203, before Albinus arrived in Jerusalem, but in 204 "Ananias" is said to be high priest when Albinus arrives. Perhaps here Josephus simply calls him "high priest" instead of "ex-high priest"?

Many thanks, ficino

[andrewcriddle]

2. Are Ananus, son of Ananus, in AJ 20.197-203, and Ananias in AJ 20.204ff the same man? Feldman's note ad 20.208 (p. 111), sc. "Variant Ananus," makes it sound as though they are; is he correct? "Ananus" was said to have been deposed as high priest after three months, 20.203, before Albinus arrived in Jerusalem, but in 204 "Ananias" is said to be high priest when Albinus arrives. Perhaps here Josephus simply calls him "high priest" instead of "ex-high priest"?

Many thanks, ficino

I think that Ananias in 204 is Ananus the father of the Ananus deposed in 203. This Ananus/Ananias had previously been a high priest as had several of his sons.

Andrew Criddle

[DCHindley]

I hope these are questions easily answered by those more up than I on "high priest" as an office.

In Josephus:

1. does the title, "high priest," άρχιερεύς, refer to
a. exactly one supreme priest in office at any one time;
b. more than one leading priests in office simultaneously at any one time;
c. sometimes a. and sometimes b.

2. Are Ananus, son of Ananus, in AJ 20.197-203, and Ananias in AJ 20.204ff the same man? Feldman's note ad 20.208 (p. 111), sc. "Variant Ananus," makes it sound as though they are; is he correct? "Ananus" was said to have been deposed as high priest after three months, 20.203, before Albinus arrived in Jerusalem, but in 204 "Ananias" is said to be high priest when Albinus arrives. Perhaps here Josephus simply calls him "high priest" instead of "ex-high priest"?

Many thanks, ficino

My understanding is that ἀρχιερεύς can mean both "a chief priest" as well as "a high priest" depending on context.

According to the revised English translation of Emil Shürer''s The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ volume 2 (revised by Vermes, Millar and Black, 1979), pages 229-232, the HPs since Herod were these:

Appointed by Herod the Great (37 BC - 4 BC)
1. Ananel (37 BC - 36 BC)
2. Aristobolus the last Hasmonean (35 BC)
1b. Ananel for 2nd time (34 BC - ?)
3. Jesus son of Phiabi (no date)
4. Simon son of Boethus (possibly Boethus himself, no date), from Alexandria
5. Matthias son of Theophilus (5 BC - 4 BC)
6. Joseph son of Ellem (maybe for a day to perform a function for an unclean Matthias)
7. Joazar son of Boethus (4 BC)

Appointed by Archelaus (4 BC – AD 6)
8. Eleazar son of Boethus (4BC - ?)
9. Jesus son of See (no date)
7b. Joazar for a 2nd time (no date)

Appointed by Quirinius (AD 6)
10. Ananus (or Annas) son of Sethi (AD 6 – AD 15)

Appointed by Valerius Gratus (AD 15 – AD 26)
11. Ismael son of Phiabi (ca. AD 15 – AD 16)
12. Eleazar son of Ananus (ca. AD 16 – AD 17)
13. Simon son of Camithus (ca. AD 17 – AD 18)
14. Joseph surnamed Caiaphas, son in law of Annas = Ananus (ca. AD 18 – AD 36)

Appointed by Vitellius (AD 35 – AD 39)
15. Jonathan son of Ananus (AD 36 – AD 37) also played a role in affairs of 50-52 before being assassinated at instigation of procurator Felix
16. Theophilus son of Ananus (AD 37 - ?)

Appointed by Agrippa I (AD 41 – AD 44)
17. Simon Cantheras son of Boethus (AD 41 - ?)
18. Matthias son of Ananus (no date)
19. Elionaeus son of Cantheras (no date)

Appointed by Herod of Chalcis (AD 44 - AD 48)
20. Joseph son of Camei (or Camydus) (no date)
21. Ananias son of Nedebaeus (ca. AD 47 – AD 59)

Appointed by Agrippa II (AD 50 – AD 92/93?)
22. Ismael son of Phiabi (ca. AD 59 – AD 61)
23. Joseph Cabi son of HP Simon (AD 61 – AD 62)
24. Ananus son of Ananus (AD 62 for 3 months)
25. Jesus son of Damnaeus (ca. AD 62 – AD 63)
26. Jesus son of Gamaliel (ca. AD 63 – AD 64)
27. Matthias son of Theophilus (AD 65 - ?)

Appointed by the people during the War (AD 67/68)
28. Phannias/Phanni/Phanasos son of Samuel

DCH

[ficino]

Thank you, gentlemen. So, is Ananias of AJ 20.204ff the same man as Ananias son of Nedebaeus, Schürer's #21? I have only vol. 1, the Vermes update.

[DCHindley]

Thank you, gentlemen. So, is Ananias of AJ 20.204ff the same man as Ananias son of Nedebaeus, Schürer's #21? I have only vol. 1, the Vermes update.

They identify #24 Ananus son of Ananus (probably #10) as the HP of Ant 20:204.

As you can see, the Greek spelling of the names can vary quite a bit, making it difficult to know for sure whom is related to whom.

DCH

Damn if a long post about the other three volumes of the revised Schürer wasn't just eaten by e-gremlins!

Regardless, anyone who wants a MUCH better than average look at the history, culture and literature of the period would do themselves a great service to locate and secure copies of them all if at all possible.

Emil Schürer, The History of the Jewish people in the age of Jesus Christ

Vol I (1), 1973, ISBN 0567022420, 614 pages:
1. Scope and Purpose of Work
2. Auxiliary Sciences (Archaeology, Geography, Chronology, Numismatics, Epigraphy)
3. The Sources (Books of Maccabees, Fragments of Lost sources, Josephus, Greek & Latin Writers, Rabbinic Lit, Mss from the Judean Desert)
4. Religious Crisis and Revolution
5. Judas Maccabaeus
6. Jonathan
7. Simon
8. John Hyrcanus
9. Aristobulus
10. Alexander Jannaeus
11. Alexandra
12. Aristobulus II
13. Hyrcanus II & Rise of Antipater & his Sons Phasael and Herod
14. Antigonus
15. Herod the Great
16. Disturbances after Herod's Death
17. From Death of Herod the Great to Agrippa I: the Sons of Herod Philip, Antipas, Archelaeus, Judea under Roman Governors, Excursus on The Census of Quirinius and Excursus on Josephus on Jesus and James
18. Agrippa I
19. The Roman Governors and Excursus on Agrippa II
20. The Great War with Rome
21. From Destruction of Jerusalem to Downfall of Bar Kokhba
Appendices on History of Chalcis, Ituraea & Abilene, History of the Nabatean Kings, Features of the Jewish Calendar, Hebrew Coins, Parallel years of the Olympic, Seleucid & Christian Eras, The Seleucids, The Hasmonean Family, The Herodian Family.

Vol II (2), 1979, ISBN 0567022439, 606 pages:
22. The Cultural Setting
23. Political Institutions (Hellenic Cities, Jewish Region, Sanhedrin, The High Priests)
24. Priesthood and Temple Worship
Appendix. Gentile Participation in Worship at Jerusalem
25. Torah Scholarship
26. Pharisees & Sadducees
27. School & Synagogue
28. Life & Law
29. Messianism (Old & New, Historical Survey, Systemic Presentation)
Appendix a. The Suffering Messiah
Appendix b. The Qumran Messiahs & Messianism
30. The Essenes (of Literature and the Qumran Community form the DSS)
Appendix a. The Therapeutae
Appendix b. The Fourth Philosophy

Vol III.1 (3, part 1), 1986, ISBN 0567022447, first 704 pages:
31. Judaism in the Diaspora (Geo Survey, Community Organization & Constitution, Civic & Religious Life, Gentiles and Judaism such as 'God Fearers' and Proselytes)
32. Jewish Literature Composed in Hebrew or Aramaic (very detailed overviews by type)
33a. Jewish Literature Composed in Greek (again, very detailed overviews)

Vol III.2 (3, part 2), 1987, ISBN 0567093735, pp 705-1015 (311 pages):
33b. Jewish Literature of which the Original Language is Uncertain (did I mention that the overview is very detailed?)
34. The Jewish Philosopher Philo
Indexes for all volumes (Names & Subjects, Greek Word List, Hebrew & Aramaic Word List)

I was extremely lucky to snag my set while the 2nd printing was still available. I am pretty sure it is out of print presently, but individual volumes may go into print form time to time. Because neither Amazon or Barnes & Noble could keep the volume numbers straight, I could only order the first three from one of them (B&N, I think), and that was by telephone (the CSRs couldn't locate volume 3.2 for the life of them). I had to get the final volume III.2 from Christian Book Publishing House, and had to order by phone to make sure the CSR knew which volume I wanted. This is why I give the ISBNs. Total cost at the time, somewhere between $120 & $140 US.

Warning: Because these volumes are now generally out of print, if you can find them, they may be fairly expensive! Not quite Brill prices, but expensive enough. HOWEVER, THEY ARE WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT!

If enough prospective buyers put pressure on T & T Clark, they may reprint the series again or at least allow another publisher to issue paperback editions!

While we're at it, also ask for the Anchor Bible Dictionary, as I was too poor to afford them in their heyday.

[ficino]

Thank you, gentlemen. So, is Ananias of AJ 20.204ff the same man as Ananias son of Nedebaeus, Schürer's #21? I have only vol. 1, the Vermes update.

They identify #24 Ananus son of Ananus (probably #10) as the HP of Ant 20:204.

As you can see, the Greek spelling of the names can vary quite a bit, making it difficult to know for sure whom is related to whom.

OK, I guess that works. So we are to think that the "gifts" that Ananias/Ananus #24 gave to Albinus did the job of converting Albinus' fury of 20.203 into willingness to work with An., even to exchange ten imprisoned sicarii for his son's grammateus, captured by sicarii. Even though #24 had been deposed by Agrippa after three months as high priest, then, #24 continues to be called "high priest" by Josephus and continues to be a powerful player and even, a racketeer.

The fact that the change in Albinus' disposition toward Ananias/Ananus goes unremarked, however, makes me suspect that Josephus has changed sources here. I have seen discussions of his source switches in this part of AJ 20, but I haven't made a bibliography on that problem. I recall someone, maybe Feldman, as saying that Josephus displays weariness and carelessness by the time he gets this far in the AJ. Josephus' sloppy handling of this part of the narrative seems an instance of such an attitude.

This passage, though, helps me answer my question about the range of meaning of archiereus. 20.205 has "the high priest Ananias" cultivating "the high priest," sc. #25 Jesus son of Damneus, showing that Josephus will use archiereus both of the high priest in office and of him as "ex-high priest" after he has given up his office. On the other hand, when Josephus calls others, who join in Ananias' racket, "the high priests," 20.207, this plural pretty clearly is an instance of the meaning "leading priest," my b. above. W/o doing a word study, I'm guessing that archiereus in the singular always will denote the holder of the office of high priest or a former holder of that office, but that in the plural, this noun may denote the holders of that office or may denote a group of leading priests more generally. They will all be aristocrats.

I still have an even more picky question. Does anyone know to what page in Schürer Feldman refers in his note ad 20.208 s.v. "Ananias"? There Feldman writes "Variant Ananus. Cf. Schürer, i. 584 n. 50." I see no reference to high priests in that note in the 1973 update of Schürer, where the topic is Nabatean prosopography, and in the original German edition, there is no footnote on I.584 and no discussion of high priests.

Many thanks, f

[andrewcriddle]

I think that Ananias in 204 is Ananus the father of the Ananus deposed in 203. This Ananus/Ananias had previously been a high priest as had several of his sons.

Andrew Criddle

On reflection I withdraw this.

Although Ananus father of Ananus was a very prominent figure, by this time (c 62 CE) he would have been either very very old or dead. As suggested in other posts Ananus son of Ananus is more likely.

Andrew Criddle

[toejam]

Thanks DC for that list!! Makes it much easier! I find it hard to get my head around all these characters with similar names and titles. A list like this helps heaps.

[Tenorikuma]

This is the list given by Steve Mason in Josephus and the New Testament (Second Edition):

Jesus son of See (to 6 CE)
* Ananus (=Annas) I (6-15 CE)
Ishmael son of Phabi (15-16 CE)
Eleazar son of Ananus (16-17 CE)
Simon son of Camith (17-18 CE)
* Joseph Caiaphas (18-37 CE)
Jonathan son of Ananus (37 CE)
Theophilus son of Ananus (37-41 CE)
Simon Cantheras son of Boethus (from 41 CE)
Matthias son of Ananus
Elionaeus son of Cantheras (44 CE)
Joseph son of Camei
* Ananias son of Nebedaeus (47-59 CE)
Ishmael son of Phabi II (59-61 CE)
Joseph Kabi son of Simon (to 62 CE)
Ananus (=Annas) II son of Ananus (62 CE)
Jesus son of Damnaeus (62-64 CE)
Jesus son of Gamaliel (64-65? CE)
Matthias son of Theophilus (65-67 CE)
Phanasus (=Phanni) son of Samuel (67-70 CE)

* Appears in the NT