Page 59 - Advanced Bible Geography ebook

When the Romans removed Archelaus from power in Jerusalem, he was replaced with military
governors. These governors were referred to as Procurators, or Prefects. Pontius Pilate was the fifth of
these governors posted to the province of Judea, ruling from 26-36 AD. Pilate, of course, was the Roman
governor who ordered that Jesus be crucified.

At the time of Christ, the Sanhedrin, a group of 71 Jewish religious A partial list of people
leaders, were given religious, civil, and criminal jurisdiction on
behalf of Rome. The Sanhedrin was composed of Sadducees, executed by Herod the Great
Pharisees, heads of prominent families, plus scribes and lawyers. • His father’s assassin Malichus
• John Hyrcanus II, high priest and past king
The Sanhedrin was a kind of Supreme Court in Judea with the high of Judea, grandfather of his wife Miriamne
priest as its head. Rome assigned to this group a cohort of • Alexandra, mother of his wife Miriamne
legionnaires to keep civil control. One of their few limitations was • Aristobulus IV, high priest, son of Alexandra
not being allowed to hand out death penalties to convicted and brother of Miriamne
criminals. For capital offenses, the Romans would have to become • Antipater II, his first-born son
involved in their cases. • Miriamne, his favorite wife
• Alexander, his oldest son by Miriamne
• Aristobulus III, his son by Miriamne
Though there must have been some members of the Sanhedrin • Joseph, his uncle and sister’s first husband
who were godly men, the highest echelon of leadership had • Costobarus, his sister’s second husband
become very corrupt by the time Jesus lived. The office of high
priest was no longer reserved for the most pious man in Jewish Herod died shortly after Jesus was born, but
life. Instead, it was a political reward for the man who could best not before trying to kill Jesus also. According
to Matthew 2:16-18, Herod realized he’d been
help Rome keep the peace and continue Israel’s good standing outwitted by the magi, who had intentionally
inside the empire. In exchange, the high priest and his circle of not told Herod whether or not the new “King of
leadership were extremely well paid. Archaeological discoveries of the Jews” had been found in Bethlehem.
priestly homes near the Temple show evidence that these men Herod ordered the death of every male child
lived in extravagant wealth. under 2 in Bethlehem and the surrounding
villages.
In such an environment of corruption, it was also terribly difficult
to keep the top position.

In the account of Jesus’ crucifixion, for instance, two high priests are named. Annas served nine years (6-
15 AD) before being relieved of his duties by the Romans. Nevertheless, he held great influence for
many years. Caiaphas, his son in-law, ruled 18 years (18-36). Five of Annas’ sons also served as high
priest, but only for 11 years in total. In the years after Caiaphas, the office was practically renewed on an
annual basis. A few high priests ruled only for a few months. One ruled only for one day! The
information in the Gospels dealing with “two” high priests, therefore, is far from unusual. It simply
means that one of the former high priests still wielded a lot of power and influence.

Before Jesus was born, Herod the Great arranged for the murder of two high priests. The most famous
case deals with the death of the popular brother-in-law of his wife Miriam. Josephus the historian tells
us that Aristobulus III “accidentally” drowned while “playing” in one of Herod’s swimming pools at
Jericho. Few around Herod were fooled. Herod promptly named a new high priest who wasn’t a threat
to his rule. John the Baptist was particularly infuriated with the corruption of the priesthood. Preaching
at a relatively safe distance from Jerusalem, he referred to the Pharisees and Sadducees as a “brood of
vipers” and warned them of coming judgment (Matthew 3:7-10). When John was preaching near
Jericho, as he was when Jesus was baptized, he was very near the Qumran community. Famous for

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