Sceva () was a Jew called a " chief priest" in , although whether he was a chief priest is disputed by some writers. Although there was no high priest in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

by this name, some scholars note that it was not uncommon for some members of the Zadokite clan (

Sons of Zadok The Sons of Zadok () or Zadokites is a lineage of priests (kohen, kohanim) descended from Zadok that is described in the prophecies of Ezekiel. Zadok himself was the first High Priest of Israel, high priest in Solomon's Temple (10th century BCE) ...

) to take on an unofficial high-priestly role, which may explain this moniker. However, it is more likely that he was an itinerant

exorcist In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person ...

based on the use of the Greek term () "going from place to place" used in in relation to his so-called "sons". According to the book of

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of The gospel, its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make u ...

, he had seven sons who attempted to exorcise a demon from a man in the town of

Ephesus Ephesus (; ; ; may ultimately derive from ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital ...

by using the name of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

as an invocation. This practice is similar to the Jewish practice, originating in the

Testament of Solomon The Testament of Solomon is a pseudepigraphical composite text ascribed to King Solomon but not regarded as canonical scripture by Jews or Christian groups. It was written in the Greek language, based on precedents dating back to the early 1st mi ...

, of invoking Angels to cast out demons. Because of the emphasis on healing and spiritual authority in the ministry of Sceva, it may be accurate to think of him as a

Shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

figure for the Jewish communities in which he worked.

References

{{New Testament people People in Acts of the Apostles 1st-century Jews 1st-century people Shamans