Antiquities Book 20, Chapter 10
An Enumeration Of The High Priests.
1. And now I think it proper and agreeable to this history to give an
account of our high priests; how they began, who those are which are
capable of that dignity, and how many of them there had been at the end
of the war. In the first place, therefore, history informs us that
Aaron, the brother of Moses, officiated to God as a high priest, and
that, after his death, his sons succeeded him immediately; and that this
dignity hath been continued down from them all to their posterity.
Whence it is a custom of our country, that no one should take the high
priesthood of God but he who is of the blood of Aaron, while every one
that is of another stock, though he were a king, can never obtain that
high priesthood. Accordingly, the number of all the high priests from
Aaron, of whom we have spoken already, as of the first of them, until
Phanas, who was made high priest during the war by the seditious, was
eighty-three; of whom thirteen officiated as high priests in the
wilderness, from the days of Moses, while the tabernacle was standing,
until the people came into Judea, when king Solomon erected the temple
to God; for at the first they held the high priesthood till the end of
their life, although afterward they had successors while they were
alive. Now these thirteen, who were the descendants of two of the sons
of Aaron, received this dignity by succession, one after another; for
their form of government was an aristocracy, and after that a monarchy,
and in the third place the government was regal. Now the number of years
during the rule of these thirteen, from the day when our fathers
departed out of Egypt, under Moses their leader, until the building of
that temple which king Solomon erected at Jerusalem, were six hundred
and twelve. After those thirteen high priests, eighteen took the high
priesthood at Jerusalem, one in succession to another, from the days of
king Solomon, until Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made an expedition
against that city, and burnt the temple, and removed our nation into
Babylon, and then took Josadek, the high priest, captive; the times of
these high priests were four hundred and sixty-six years, six months,
and ten days, while the Jews were still under the regal government. But
after the term of seventy years' captivity under the Babylonians, Cyrus,
king of Persia, sent the Jews from Babylon to their own land again, and
gave them leave to rebuild their temple; at which time Jesus, the son of
Josadek, took the high priesthood over the captives when they were
returned home. Now he and his posterity, who were in all fifteen, until
king Antiochus Eupator, were under a democratical government for four
hundred and fourteen years; and then the forementioned Antiochus, and
Lysias the general of his army, deprived Onias, who was also called
Menelaus, of the high priesthood, and slew him at Berea; and driving
away the son [of Onias the third], put Jaeimus into the place of the
high priest, one that was indeed of the stock of Aaron, but not of that
family of Onias. On which account Onias, who was the nephew of Onias
that was dead, and bore the same name with his father, came into Egypt,
and got into the friendship of Ptolemy Philometor, and Cleopatra his
wife, and persuaded them to make him the high priest of that temple
which he built to God in the prefecture of Heliopolis, and this in
imitation of that at Jerusalem; but as for that temple which was built
in Egypt, we have spoken of it frequently already. Now when Jacimus had
retained the priesthood three years, he died, and there was no one that
succeeded him, but the city continued seven years without a high priest.
But then the posterity of the sons of Asamoneus, who had the government
of the nation conferred upon them, when they had beaten the Macedonians
in war, appointed Jonathan to be their high priest, who ruled over them
seven years. And when he had been slain by the treacherous contrivance
of Trypho, as we have related some where, Simon his brother took the
high priesthood; and when he was destroyed at a feast by the treachery
of his son-in-law, his own son, whose name was Hyrcanus, succeeded him,
after he had held the high priesthood one year longer than his brother.
This Hyrcanus enjoyed that dignity thirty years, and died an old man,
leaving the succession to Judas, who was also called Aristobulus, whose
brother Alexander was his heir; which Judas died of a sore distemper,
after he had kept the priesthood, together with the royal authority; for
this Judas was the first that put on his head a diadem for one year. And
when Alexander had been both king and high priest twenty-seven years, he
departed this life, and permitted his wife Alexandra to appoint him that
should be high priest; so she gave the high priesthood to Hyrcanus, but
retained the kingdom herself nine years, and then departed this life.
The like duration [and no longer] did her son Hyrcanus enjoy the high
priesthood; for after her death his brother Aristobulus fought against
him, and beat him, and deprived him of his principality; and he did
himself both reign, and perform the office of high priest to God. But
when he had reigned three years, and as many months, Pompey came upon
him, and not only took the city of Jerusalem by force, but put him and
his children in bonds, and sent them to Rome. He also restored the high
priesthood to Hyrcanus, and made him governor of the nation, but forbade
him to wear a diadem. This Hyrcanus ruled, besides his first nine years,
twenty-four years more, when Barzapharnes and Pacorus, the generals of
the Parthians, passed over Euphrates, and fought with Hyrcanus, and took
him alive, and made Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus, king; and when he
had reigned three years and three months, Sosius and Herod besieged him,
and took him, when Antony had him brought to Antioch, and slain there.
Herod was then made king by the Romans, but did no longer appoint high
priests out of the family of Asamoneus; but made certain men to be so
that were of no eminent families, but barely of those that were priests,
excepting that he gave that dignity to Aristobulus; for when he had made
this Aristobulus, the grandson of that Hyrcanus who was then taken by
the Parthians, and had taken his sister Mariarmne to wife, he thereby
aimed to win the good-will of the people, who had a kind remembrance of
Hyrcanus [his grandfather]. Yet did he afterward, out of his fear lest
they should all bend their inclinations to Aristobulus, put him to
death, and that by contriving how to have him suffocated as he was
swimming at Jericho, as we have already related that matter; but after
this man he never intrusted the priesthood to the posterity of the sons
of Asamoneus. Archelaus also, Herod's son, did like his father in the
appointment of the high priests, as did the Romans also, who took the
government over the Jews into their hands afterward. Accordingly, the
number of the high priests, from the days of Herod until the day when
Titus took the temple and the City, and burnt them, were in all twenty-
eight; the time also that belonged to them was a hundred and seven
years. Some of these were the political governors of the people under
the reign of Herod, and under the reign of Archelaus his son, although,
after their death, the government became an aristocracy, and the high
priests were intrusted with a dominion over the nation. And thus much
may suffice to be said concerning our high priests.
account of our high priests; how they began, who those are which are
capable of that dignity, and how many of them there had been at the end
of the war. In the first place, therefore, history informs us that
Aaron, the brother of Moses, officiated to God as a high priest, and
that, after his death, his sons succeeded him immediately; and that this
dignity hath been continued down from them all to their posterity.
Whence it is a custom of our country, that no one should take the high
priesthood of God but he who is of the blood of Aaron, while every one
that is of another stock, though he were a king, can never obtain that
high priesthood. Accordingly, the number of all the high priests from
Aaron, of whom we have spoken already, as of the first of them, until
Phanas, who was made high priest during the war by the seditious, was
eighty-three; of whom thirteen officiated as high priests in the
wilderness, from the days of Moses, while the tabernacle was standing,
until the people came into Judea, when king Solomon erected the temple
to God; for at the first they held the high priesthood till the end of
their life, although afterward they had successors while they were
alive. Now these thirteen, who were the descendants of two of the sons
of Aaron, received this dignity by succession, one after another; for
their form of government was an aristocracy, and after that a monarchy,
and in the third place the government was regal. Now the number of years
during the rule of these thirteen, from the day when our fathers
departed out of Egypt, under Moses their leader, until the building of
that temple which king Solomon erected at Jerusalem, were six hundred
and twelve. After those thirteen high priests, eighteen took the high
priesthood at Jerusalem, one in succession to another, from the days of
king Solomon, until Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made an expedition
against that city, and burnt the temple, and removed our nation into
Babylon, and then took Josadek, the high priest, captive; the times of
these high priests were four hundred and sixty-six years, six months,
and ten days, while the Jews were still under the regal government. But
after the term of seventy years' captivity under the Babylonians, Cyrus,
king of Persia, sent the Jews from Babylon to their own land again, and
gave them leave to rebuild their temple; at which time Jesus, the son of
Josadek, took the high priesthood over the captives when they were
returned home. Now he and his posterity, who were in all fifteen, until
king Antiochus Eupator, were under a democratical government for four
hundred and fourteen years; and then the forementioned Antiochus, and
Lysias the general of his army, deprived Onias, who was also called
Menelaus, of the high priesthood, and slew him at Berea; and driving
away the son [of Onias the third], put Jaeimus into the place of the
high priest, one that was indeed of the stock of Aaron, but not of that
family of Onias. On which account Onias, who was the nephew of Onias
that was dead, and bore the same name with his father, came into Egypt,
and got into the friendship of Ptolemy Philometor, and Cleopatra his
wife, and persuaded them to make him the high priest of that temple
which he built to God in the prefecture of Heliopolis, and this in
imitation of that at Jerusalem; but as for that temple which was built
in Egypt, we have spoken of it frequently already. Now when Jacimus had
retained the priesthood three years, he died, and there was no one that
succeeded him, but the city continued seven years without a high priest.
But then the posterity of the sons of Asamoneus, who had the government
of the nation conferred upon them, when they had beaten the Macedonians
in war, appointed Jonathan to be their high priest, who ruled over them
seven years. And when he had been slain by the treacherous contrivance
of Trypho, as we have related some where, Simon his brother took the
high priesthood; and when he was destroyed at a feast by the treachery
of his son-in-law, his own son, whose name was Hyrcanus, succeeded him,
after he had held the high priesthood one year longer than his brother.
This Hyrcanus enjoyed that dignity thirty years, and died an old man,
leaving the succession to Judas, who was also called Aristobulus, whose
brother Alexander was his heir; which Judas died of a sore distemper,
after he had kept the priesthood, together with the royal authority; for
this Judas was the first that put on his head a diadem for one year. And
when Alexander had been both king and high priest twenty-seven years, he
departed this life, and permitted his wife Alexandra to appoint him that
should be high priest; so she gave the high priesthood to Hyrcanus, but
retained the kingdom herself nine years, and then departed this life.
The like duration [and no longer] did her son Hyrcanus enjoy the high
priesthood; for after her death his brother Aristobulus fought against
him, and beat him, and deprived him of his principality; and he did
himself both reign, and perform the office of high priest to God. But
when he had reigned three years, and as many months, Pompey came upon
him, and not only took the city of Jerusalem by force, but put him and
his children in bonds, and sent them to Rome. He also restored the high
priesthood to Hyrcanus, and made him governor of the nation, but forbade
him to wear a diadem. This Hyrcanus ruled, besides his first nine years,
twenty-four years more, when Barzapharnes and Pacorus, the generals of
the Parthians, passed over Euphrates, and fought with Hyrcanus, and took
him alive, and made Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus, king; and when he
had reigned three years and three months, Sosius and Herod besieged him,
and took him, when Antony had him brought to Antioch, and slain there.
Herod was then made king by the Romans, but did no longer appoint high
priests out of the family of Asamoneus; but made certain men to be so
that were of no eminent families, but barely of those that were priests,
excepting that he gave that dignity to Aristobulus; for when he had made
this Aristobulus, the grandson of that Hyrcanus who was then taken by
the Parthians, and had taken his sister Mariarmne to wife, he thereby
aimed to win the good-will of the people, who had a kind remembrance of
Hyrcanus [his grandfather]. Yet did he afterward, out of his fear lest
they should all bend their inclinations to Aristobulus, put him to
death, and that by contriving how to have him suffocated as he was
swimming at Jericho, as we have already related that matter; but after
this man he never intrusted the priesthood to the posterity of the sons
of Asamoneus. Archelaus also, Herod's son, did like his father in the
appointment of the high priests, as did the Romans also, who took the
government over the Jews into their hands afterward. Accordingly, the
number of the high priests, from the days of Herod until the day when
Titus took the temple and the City, and burnt them, were in all twenty-
eight; the time also that belonged to them was a hundred and seven
years. Some of these were the political governors of the people under
the reign of Herod, and under the reign of Archelaus his son, although,
after their death, the government became an aristocracy, and the high
priests were intrusted with a dominion over the nation. And thus much
may suffice to be said concerning our high priests.