This article gives a list of the High Priests (''Kohen Gadol'') of

Ancient Israel The history of ancient Israel and Judah begins in the Southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. "Israel" as a people or tribal confederation (see Israelites) appears for the first time in the Merneptah Stele, an inscr ...

up to the

destruction of the Second Temple The siege of Jerusalem of 70 CE was the decisive event of the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE), in which the Roman army led by future emperor Titus besieged Jerusalem, the center of Jewish rebel resistance in the Roman province o ...

in 70 AD. Because of a lack of historical data, this list is incomplete and there may be gaps.

High Priests of Israel

The High Priests, like all Levitical priests, belonged to the Aaronic line. The Bible mentions the majority of high priests before the

Babylonian captivity The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile is the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon, the capital city of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, following their def ...

, but does not give a complete list of office holders. Lists would be based on various historical sources. In several periods of

gentile Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym fo ...

rule, high priests were appointed and removed by kings. Still, most high priests came from the Aaronic line. One exception is

Menelaus In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre-Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of t ...

, who may not have been from the

Tribe of Levi According to the Bible, the Tribe of Levi is one of the tribes of Israel, traditionally descended from Levi, son of Jacob. The descendants of Aaron, who was the first '' kohen gadol'' (high priest) of Israel, were designated as the priestly cla ...

at all, but from the

Tribe of Benjamin According to the Torah, the Tribe of Benjamin () was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The tribe was descended from Benjamin, the youngest son of the patriarch Jacob (later given the name Israel) and his wife Rachel. In the Samaritan Pentat ...

From the Exodus to Solomon's Temple

The following section is based on information found in the various books of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts o ...

, including the genealogies given in First Book of Chronicles and the

Book of Ezra The Book of Ezra is a book of the Hebrew Bible; which formerly included the Book of Nehemiah in a single book, commonly distinguished in scholarship as Ezra–Nehemiah. The two became separated with the first printed Mikraot Gedolot, rabbinic bi ...

, the works of

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

and the early-medieval '' Seder Olam Zutta''. *

Aaron According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek ( Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother ...

* Eleazar, son of Aaron () * Phinehas, son of Eleazar * Abishua, son of Phinehas ** The Samaritans insert

Shesha Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod ( Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the Pu ...

as the son of Abishua and father of Bukki. * Bukki, son of Abishua * Uzzi, son of Bukki Although Phinehas and his descendants are not directly attested as high priests, this portion of the genealogy given in is assumed by other sources (including Josephus and ''

Seder 'Olam Zutta Seder Olam Zutta ( Hebrew: ) is an anonymous chronicle from 803 CE, called "Zuta" (= "smaller," or "younger") to distinguish it from the older '' Seder Olam Rabbah.'' This work is based upon, and to a certain extent completes and continues, the ol ...

''), to give the succession of the office from father to son. At some time, the office was transferred from descendants of Eleazar to those of his brother Itamar. The first known and most notable high priest of Itamar's line was Eli, a contemporary of

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bi ...

. * Eli, descendant of Ithamar, son of Aaron * Ahitub, son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli * Ahijah, son of Ahitub * Ahimelech, son of Ahijah (or brother of Ahijah and son of Ahitub) * Abiathar, son of Ahimelech Abiathar was removed from the high priesthood for conspiring against King Solomon, and was replaced by

Zadok Zadok (or Zadok HaKohen, also spelled Ṣadok, Ṣadoc, Zadoq, Tzadok, or Tsadoq; he, צָדוֹק הַכֹּהֵן, meaning "Righteous, Justified") was a Kohen (priest), biblically recorded to be a descendant from Eleazar the son of Aaron (). ...

, son of Ahitub, who oversaw the construction of the First Temple. According to the genealogies given in , Zadok was a descendant of Uzzi (through Zerahiah, Meraioth, Amariah and Ahitub) and thus belonged to the line of Eleazar.

First Temple period

From Solomon's time until the Babylonian captivity the High Priests officiated at

Solomon's Temple Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple (, , ), was the Temple in Jerusalem between the 10th century BC and . According to the Hebrew Bible, it was commissioned by Solomon in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited by th ...

in Jerusalem. Information about who served in that office diverges between the Bible, Josephus and the '' Seder Olam Zutta''. While Josephus and ''Seder 'Olam Zuta'' each mention 18 high priests, the genealogy given in gives twelve names, culminating in the last high priest Seriah, father of Jehozadak. However, it is unclear whether all those mentioned in the genealogy between Zadok and Jehozadak were high priests and whether high priests mentioned elsewhere (such as Jehoiada and Jehoiarib) are simply omitted or did not belong to the male line in this genealogy. Some name Jehozadak, son of Seriah, as a high priest prior to being sent to captivity in

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state ...

, based on the biblical references to "Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest". According to

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compr ...

(Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi), this is a misreading of the phrase, as "the high priest" does not refer to Jehozadak, who was exiled to Babylon without having served as high priest, but to his son Joshua, who ascended from Babylon at the end of the exile.

After the Babylonian captivity

Dates and contemporaries are taken from James C. VanderKam's ''From Joshua to Caiaphas: High Priests After the Exile''. *

Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. ' Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...

, son of Jehozadak, after the building of the Second Temple. Contemporary of

Cyrus the Great Cyrus II of Persia (; peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Under his rule, the empire embraced ...

(reigned 538-530 BC) and

Darius I Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his ...

(reigned 522-486 BC). * Joiakim, son of Joshua, (Nehemiah 12:10). * Eliashib, son of Joiakim, (Nehemiah 12:10). Mentioned in the time of

Nehemiah Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. He was governor of Persian Judea under Artaxerxes I of Persia (465–424 BC). The name is pronounced ...

in 444 BC. * Joiada, son of Eliashib, (Nehemiah 12:10)
(A son married a daughter of

Sanballat the Horonite Sanballat the Horonite ( he, סַנְבַלַּט ''Sanḇallaṭ'') – or Sanballat I – was a Samaritan leader and official of the Persian Achaemenid Empire who lived in the mid to late 5th century BC and was a contemporary of Nehemiah. Etymo ...

for which he was driven out of the Temple by Nehemiah) (Nehemiah 13:28) *

Johanan Yohanan, Yochanan and Johanan are various transliterations to the Latin alphabet of the Hebrew male given name ('), a shortened form of ('), meaning " YHWH is gracious". The name is ancient, recorded as the name of Johanan, high priest of the ...

, son of Joiada,(Nehemiah 12:11). Mentioned in the Elephantine papyri in 410 BC. *

Jaddua Jaddua was a son of Jonathan and a high priest during the post-exilic period. However, according to Nehemiah 12:22 it is possible that a transcribing error has occurred in the rendering of Jaddua's father's name. A more likely translation is that ...

, son of Johanan, (Nehemiah 12:11) Contemporary of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

(reigned 336-323 BC). Some have identified him as

Simeon the Just Simeon the Righteous or Simeon the Just ( he, שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַדִּיק ''Šīməʿōn haṢadīq'') was a Jewish High Priest during the Second Temple period. He is also referred to in the Mishnah, where he is described as one of the l ...

. The five descendants of Joshua are mentioned in

, chapter 12, 10f. The chronology given above, based on Josephus, however is not undisputed, with some alternatively placing Jaddua during the time of Darius II (423-405/4 BC) and some supposing one more Johanan and one more Jaddua in the following time, the latter Jaddua being contemporary of Alexander the Great. * Onias I, son of Jaddua. Contemporary of Areus I of Sparta, (reigned 309-265 BC)? * Simon I, son of Onias. Josephus identified him as

* Eleazar, son of Onias and brother of Simon I. Contemporary of

Ptolemy II Philadelphus ; egy, Userkanaenre Meryamun Clayton (2006) p. 208 , predecessor = Ptolemy I , successor = Ptolemy III , horus = ''ḥwnw-ḳni'Khunuqeni''The brave youth , nebty = ''wr-pḥtj'Urpekhti''Great of strength , golde ...

of Egypt, (reigned 283-246 BC)? * Manasseh, son of Jaddua, brother of Onias I and uncle of Simon I and Eleazar. * Onias II, son of Simon I. Contemporary of

Ptolemy III Euergetes , predecessor = Ptolemy II , successor = Ptolemy IV , nebty = ''ḳn nḏtj-nṯrw jnb-mnḫ-n-tꜢmrj'Qen nedjtinetjeru inebmenekhentamery''The brave one who has protected the gods, a potent wall for The Beloved Land , nebty_hie ...

of Egypt, (reigned 246-221 BC)? * Simon II, son of Onias II. Contemporary of

Ptolemy IV Philopator egy, Iwaennetjerwymenkhwy Setepptah Userkare Sekhemankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208. , predecessor = Ptolemy III , successor = Ptolemy V , horus = ''ḥnw-ḳni sḫꜤi.n-sw-it.f'Khunuqeni sekhaensuitef'' The strong youth whose ...

of Egypt (221-204 BC)? * Onias III, son of Simon II, (?-175 BC), murdered 170 BC ** Onias IV, son of Onias III, fled to Egypt and built a Jewish Temple at

Leontopolis Leontopolis was an ancient Egyptian city located in the Nile Delta, Lower Egypt. It served as a provincial capital and Metropolitan Archbishopric. The archaeological site and settlement are known today as Kafr Al Muqdam. Name Known most popular ...

(closed between 66-73 AD) *

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...

, son of Simon II, 175-172 BC (the last of the Zadokite dynasty) *

, 172-165 BC *

Judas Maccabeus Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabæus, Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, ''Yehudah HaMakabi'') was a Jewish priest (''kohen'') and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleuci ...

, son of Mattathias, 165-162 BC (held the office after the consecration of the Temple) * Alcimus, 162-159 BC

Inter-sacerdotium

It is unknown who held the position of High Priest of Jerusalem between Alcimus' death and the accession of Jonathan Apphus. Josephus, in ''Jewish Antiquities'' XX.10, relates that the office was vacant for seven years, but this is highly unlikely, if not impossible. In religious terms, the High Priest was a necessary part of the rites on the Day of Atonement, a day that could have not been allowed to pass uncelebrated for so long so soon after the restoration of the Temple service. Politically, Israel's overlords probably would not have allowed a power vacuum to last that length of time. In another passage ( XII.10 §6, XII.11 §2) Josephus suggests that

, the brother of Jonathan, held the office for three years, succeeding Alcimus. However, Judas actually predeceased Alcimus by one year. The nature of Jonathan's accession to the high priesthood makes it unlikely that Judas held that office during the inter-sacerdotium. The

Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...

tries to harmonise the contradictions found in Josephus by supposing that Judas held the office "immediately after the consecration of the Temple (165-162), that is, before the election of Alcimus" * It has been argued that the founder of the

Qumran Qumran ( he, קומראן; ar, خربة قمران ') is an archaeological site in the West Bank managed by Israel's Qumran National Park. It is located on a dry marl plateau about from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israe ...

community, the Teacher of Righteousness (?159-153 BC). was High Priest (but not necessarily the sole occupant) during the inter-sacerdotium and was driven off by Jonathan.

Hasmonean dynasty

* Jonathan Apphus, 153-143 BC *

Simon Thassi Simon Thassi ( he, ''Šīməʿōn haTassī''; died 135) was the second son of Mattathias and thus a member of the Hasmonean family. Names The name "Thassi" has a connotation of "the Wise", a title which can also mean "the Director", "the G ...

, brother of Jonathan Apphus, 142-134 BC * John Hyrcanus I, son of Simeon Tassi, 134-104 BC * Aristobulus I, son of John Hyrcanus, 104-103 BC * Alexander Jannaeus, son of John Hyrcanus, 103-76 BC * John Hyrcanus II, son of Alexander Jannaeus, 76-66 BC *

Aristobulus II Aristobulus II (, grc, Ἀριστόβουλος ''Aristóboulos'') was the Jewish High Priest and King of Judea, 66 BCE to 63 BCE, from the Hasmonean dynasty. Family Aristobulus was the younger son of Alexander Jannaeus, King and High Pries ...

, son of Alexander Jannaeus, 66-63 BC *

Hyrcanus II John Hyrcanus II (, ''Yohanan Hurqanos'') (died 30 BCE), a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, was for a long time the Jewish High Priest in the 1st century BCE. He was also briefly King of Judea 67–66 BCE and then the ethnarch (ruler) of ...

(restored), 63-40 BC *

Antigonus Antigonus or Antigonos ( grc, Ἀντίγονος), a Greek name meaning "comparable to his father" or "worthy of his father", may refer to: Rulers * Three Macedonian kings of the Antigonid dynasty that succeeded Alexander the Great: ** Antigon ...

, son of Aristobulus II, 40-37 BC

Herodian-Roman period

* Ananelus, 37-36 BC * Aristobulus III, grandson of Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II, 36 BC
He was the last of the Hasmoneans; brother of Herod's second wife Mariamne I. * Ananelus (restored), 36-30 BC * Joshua ben Fabus, 30-23 BC * Simon ben Boethus, 23-5 BC (his daughter Mariamne II was third wife of

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client state, client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian Kingdom of Judea, Herodian kingdom. He ...

) * Matthias ben Theophilus, 5-4 BC * Joazar ben Boethus, 4 BC * Eleazar ben Boethus, 4-3 BC * Joshua ben Sie, 3 BC - ? * Joazar ben Boethus (restored), ? - 6 AD * Ananus ben Seth, 6-15 * Ishmael ben Fabus (Phiabi), 15-16 * Eleazar ben Ananus, 16-17 * Simon ben Camithus, 17-18 * Joseph ben Caiaphas, 18-36 (son-in-law of the high priest Ananus ben Seth) * Jonathan ben Ananus, 36-37 *

Theophilus ben Ananus Theophilus () was the High Priest in the Second Temple in Jerusalem from 37 to 41 CE according to Josephus's '' Antiquities of the Jews''. He was a member of one of the wealthiest and most influential Jewish families in Iudaea Province during ...

, 37-41 * Simon Cantatheras ben Boethus, 41-43 *

Matthias ben Ananus Annas (also Ananus or Ananias;Goodman, Martin, "Rome & Jerusalem", Penguin Books, p.12 (2007) , ; grc-x-koine, Ἅννας, ; 23/22 BC – death date unknown, probably around AD 40) was appointed by the Roman legate Quirinius as the first High P ...

, 43 * Elioneus ben Simon Cantatheras, 43-44 * Jonathan ben Ananus, 44 (restored) * Josephus ben Camydus, 44-46 * Ananias son of Nedebeus, 46-58 *

Jonathan Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

, 58

Antiquities of the Jews ''Antiquities of the Jews'' ( la, Antiquitates Iudaicae; el, Ἰουδαϊκὴ ἀρχαιολογία, ''Ioudaikē archaiologia'') is a 20-volume historiographical work, written in Greek, by historian Flavius Josephus in the 13th year of the ...

br>20.8.5
/ref> *

Ishmael II ben Fabus Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...

, 58-62 (relation to priest of same name from 15-16 CE?) *

Joseph Cabi ben Simon Joseph Cabi ben Simon was a Herodian-era High Priest of Israel in Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰερο� ...

, 62-63 *

Ananus ben Ananus Ananus ben Ananus (Hebrew: ''Hanan ben Hanan'' Greek: "Ananos son of Ananos" var: Ananias, la, Anani Ananus or ), d. 68 CE, was a Herodian-era High Priest of Israel in Jerusalem, Iudaea Province. He was the High Priest who ordered the exec ...

, 63 * Jesus son of Damneus, 63 * Joshua ben Gamla, 63-64 (his wife Martha belonged to family of

Boethus Boëthus ( el, Βόηθος) was a Greek sculptor of the Hellenistic age. His life dates cannot be accurately fixed, but he probably flourished in the 2nd century BCE. One source gives his birthplace as Chalcedon. He was noted for his representa ...

) *

Mattathias ben Theophilus Mattathias ben Theophilus (; died c. 66 CE) was the Jewish High Priest ( Kohen Gadol) at the start of the Jewish Revolution, and was overthrown by Revolutionary forces. A minority of scholars believe him to be the same as the Theophilus men ...

, 65-66 * Phannias ben Samuel, 67-70

References

External links

Article in the Jewish Encyclopedia
* Seder Olam Zutta chronology * Seder Olam Zutta chronology {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of High Priests Of Israel Israel religion-related lists Lists of Jewish religious leaders High Priests High Priests Priesthood (Judaism)