- Annas
Annas (also "Ananus"), son of Seth, was a Jewish High Priest from AD
6 to15 and remained an influential leader afterwards.Annas was appointed High Priest in AD 6 by the Roman legate
Quirinius just after the Romans had deposed Archelaus, Ethnarch ofJudaea , thereby putting Judaea directly under Roman rule as part ofIudaea Province . Annas served in the office for ten years, until the procurator Gratus dismissed him in AD 15.After that, Annas saw several members of his family succeed him as High Priests:
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Eleazar ben Ananus (16–17)
*Joseph Caiaphas (18–36), who had married the daughter of Annas (John 18:13)
*Jonathan ben Ananus (36–37 and 44)
*Theophilus ben Ananus (37–41)
*Matthias ben Ananus (43)
*Ananus ben Ananus (63)Josephus comments on this situation:
:"It is said that the elder Ananus was extremely fortunate. For he had five sons, all of whom, after he himself had previously enjoyed the office for a very long period, became high priests of God - a thing that had never happened to any other of our high priests." (Jewish Antiquities XX, 9.1)
References in the Mosaic Law to "the death of the high priest" (Num 35:25, 28) suggest that the high-priesthood was ordinarily held for life. Perhaps for this reason, Annas was still called "high priest" even after his dismissal, along with
Caiaphas (Luke 3:2). He also may have been acting as president of theSanhedrin , or a coadjutor of the high priest.According to the
Gospel of John (the event is not mentioned in other accounts),Jesus was first brought before Jonathan Ananus, and after a brief questioning of him (John 18:19-23) was sent toCaiaphas , where some members of the Sanhedrin had met, and the first trial of Jesus took place (Matt. 26:57-68).After
Pentecost , he presided over the Sanhedrin before which the Apostles Peter and John were brought (Acts 4:6).External links
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* [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1554&letter=A&search=Annas Jewish Encyclopedia: Annas]
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