215

The Hebrew Josephus, relating the events of the times somewhere in the eighteenth book of the Jewish Antiquities: "Herod, having been entrusted with the kingdom by the Romans, no longer appointed as high priests those of the Asamonaean family"—these were the ones called Maccabees—"but certain obscure men and only of priestly descent, except for one, Aristobulus. After appointing him, the son of Hyrcanus, as high priest, he married his sister Mariamne, seeking the goodwill of the multitude towards him because of the memory of Hyrcanus. 8.2.94 Then, fearing that all might turn to Aristobulus, he killed him in Jericho, having contrived for him to be drowned while swimming, as we have already shown. After this man, he no longer entrusted the high priesthood to the descendants of the children of Asamonaeus. And Archelaus his son did things similar to Herod concerning the appointment of the high priests, and after him the Romans, having taken over the kingdom of the Jews." 8.2.95 Again, in other places, he says these things about them: "But Herod, having become king, lavishly constructed this fortress, which was situated in a suitable place, calls its name Antonia, and he takes the high priestly robe, and held it in keeping, trusting that the people would not revolt on account of it. And King Archelaus, being his son, who was appointed after him, did things similar to Herod, from whom the Romans, succeeding to the rule, had control of the robe of the high priest, stored in a house built of stone, under seal." 8.2.96 Through these things, I think the outcome of the oracle that said, "and after the seven and sixty-two weeks, anointing shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in it," has become very clear to everyone. 8.2.97 And you will see even more how the statement, "there is no judgment in it," is said, having perceived the lack of judgment in the appointment of the high priests who came into being after Herod and during the times of our Savior. 8.2.98 For whereas the high priest according to the divine law was commanded to administer the liturgy for all the time of his life with a legitimate son as successor, in the times under examination, after the anointing was destroyed in accordance with the prophecy, first Herod, and then the Romans after him, appointed the high priests without judgment and not according to the law, as they saw fit, bestowing the honor upon certain common and obscure men, and they sold and trafficked in the name, at different times granting the office to different men for a year. 8.2.99 Therefore it seems to me that the holy evangelist Luke, in recording the time of our Savior's preaching, notes this through what he says: "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governing Judea, and Herod and Philip and Lysanias were tetrarchs, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas." 8.2.100 For how could these two have become high priests at the same time unless the legislation concerning the high priests had been dissolved? At any rate, Josephus also bears witness to these things, writing: "Valerius Gratus," a Roman general, "having stopped Ananus from being high priest, declares Ishmael, the son of Phabi, high priest, and not long after, having removed this man, he appoints Eleazar, the son of the high priest Ananus, as high priest. And after a year had passed, having stopped this man also, he hands over the high priesthood to Simon, the son of Cathimus. And not more than a year's time passed for this man holding the honor, and Josephus, who is also Caiaphas, was his successor." 8.2.101 I have necessarily set these things forth because of the "anointing shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in it," which I also consider to have irrefutable proof. Next to these things the prophecy says: "and he will corrupt the city and the holy place with the leader who is to come." Where again I suppose Herod himself and those who ruled after him from a foreign race are being indicated. 8.2.102 For as above he named the high priests "anointed leaders," saying, "until an anointed leader," in the same way after them and their cessation

215

Ἑβραίων Ἰώσηπος, ὧδέ πως ἱστορῶν τὰ κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους ἐν ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς Ἀρχαιολογίας· «τὴν δὲ βασιλείαν Ἡρώδης παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐγχειρισθεὶς οὐκέτι τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ Ἀσαμωναίου γένους» οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ καλούμενοι Μακκαβαῖοι «καθίστησιν ἀρχιερεῖς, ἀλλά τινας ἀσήμους καὶ μόνον ἐξ ἱερέων ὄντας, πλὴν ἑνὸς Ἀριστοβούλου, ὃν Ὑρκανοῦ υἱὸν ὄντα καταστήσας ἀρχιερέα, τῇ ἀδελφῇ αὐτοῦ συνῴκησε Μαριάμμῃ, τὴν τοῦ πλήθους πρὸς αὐτὸν θηρώμενος εὔνοιαν διὰ τὴν Ὑρκανοῦ μνήμην. 8.2.94 εἶτα δεδιὼς μὴ πρὸς τὸν Ἀριστόβουλον πάντες ἀποκλίνωσιν ἀνεῖλεν αὐτὸν ἐν Ἰεριχοῖ, πνιγῆναι μηχανησάμενος κολυμβῶντα, καθὼς ἤδη δεδηλώκαμεν. μετὰ τοῦτον οὐκέτι τοῖς ἐκγόνοις τῶν Ἀσαμωναίου παίδων τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ἐπίστευσεν. ἔπραξεν δὲ ὅμοια τῷ Ἡρώδῃ περὶ τῆς καταστάσεως τῶν ἀρχιερέων Ἀρχέλαός τε ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Ῥωμαῖοι, τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων βασιλείαν παρειληφότες». 8.2.95 πάλιν ἐν ἑτέροις ταῦτα περὶ αὐτῶν φησιν· «Ἡρώδης δὲ βασιλεύσας τήν τε βᾶριν ταύτην ἐν ἐπιτηδείῳ τόπῳ κειμένην κατασκευάσας πολυτελῶς, Ἀντωνίαν καλεῖ ὄνομα, καὶ τὴν στολὴν τὴν ἀρχιερατικὴν λαμβάνει, τὴν δὲ κειμένην κατεῖχεν, πιστεύων οὐδὲν νεωτερίσειν τὸν λαὸν δι' αὐτήν. ἔπραξεν δὲ ὅμοια τῷ Ἡρώδῃ καὶ ὁ ἐπικατασταθεὶς αὐτῷ βασιλεὺς Ἀρχέλαος, υἱὸς ὢν αὐτοῦ, παρ' οὗ Ῥωμαῖοι διαδεξάμενοι τὴν ἀρχήν, ἐκράτουν τῆς στολῆς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ἀποκειμένης ἐν οἴκῳ λίθου οἰκοδομηθέντι ὑπὸ σφραγῖδι». 8.2.96 διὰ τούτων τὸ ἀποτέλεσμα παντί τῳ νομίζω καταφανὲς γεγενῆσθαι τοῦ φήσαντος χρησμοῦ «καὶ μετὰ τὰς ἑβδομάδας τὰς ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑξήκοντα δύο ἐξολοθρευθήσεται χρίσμα, καὶ κρίμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ». 8.2.97 Ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ὄψει, πῶς εἴρηται τὸ «κρίμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ», τὸ ἄκριτον συνιδὼν τῆς τῶν ἀρχιερέων καταστάσεως τῶν μετὰ Ἡρώδην καὶ κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γεγενημένων. 8.2.98 τοῦ γὰρ κατὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον ἀρχιερέως πάντα τὸν τῆς ζωῆς χρόνον τὴν λειτουργίαν διέπειν κεκελευσμένου ἐπὶ διαδόχῳ παιδὶ γνησίῳ, κατὰ τοὺς ἐξεταζομένους καιρούς, μετὰ τὸ ἐξολοθρευθῆναι τὸ χρίσμα τῇ προφητείᾳ συμφώνως, πρῶτος μὲν Ἡρώδης ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι μετὰ τοῦτον ἀκρίτως καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὸν νόμον τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καθίστων, οὓς ἐδόκει αὐτοῖς, δημοτικοῖς τισι καὶ ἀσήμοις ἀνδράσι τὴν τιμὴν χαριζόμενοι, ἐπίπρασκόν τε καὶ ἐκαπήλευον τοὔνομα, ἄλλοτε ἄλλοις ἐνιαυσιαῖον τὸ ἀξίωμα δωρούμενοι. 8.2.99 διό μοι δοκεῖ ὁ ἱερὸς εὐαγγελιστὴς Λουκᾶς, τὸν χρόνον τοῦ κηρύγματος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ὑπογράφων, σημειοῦσθαι τοῦτο δι' ὧν φησιν· «ἐν ἔτει πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας Τιβερίου Καίσαρος, ἡγεμονεύοντος Ποντίου Πιλάτου τῆς Ἰουδαίας, τετραρχούντων δὲ Ἡρώδου καὶ Φιλίππου καὶ Λυσανίου, ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως Ἄννα καὶ Καϊάφα». 8.2.100 δύο γὰρ οὗτοι κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀρχιερεῖς πῶς ἂν ἐγένοντο ἢ καταλυθείσης τῆς περὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων νομοθεσίας; τούτοις γοῦν καὶ Ἰώσηπος ἐπιμαρτυρῶν ταῦτα γράφει· «Οὐαλέριος Γρᾶτος», Ῥωμαίων στρατηγός, «παύσας ἀρχιερᾶσθαι Ἄνανον, Ἰσμαῆλον ἀρχιερέα ἀποφαίνει τὸν τοῦ Φήβα, καὶ τοῦτον μετ' οὐ πολὺ μεταστήσας, Ἐλεάζαρον τὸν τοῦ Ἀνάνου τοῦ ἀρχιερέως υἱὸν ἀποδείκνυσιν ἀρχιερέα. ἐνιαυτοῦ δὲ διαγενομένου καὶ τόνδε παύσας, Σίμωνι τῷ Καθίμου τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην παραδίδωσιν. οὐ πλέον δὲ καὶ τῷδε ἐνιαυτοῦ τὴν τιμὴν ἔχοντι διεγένετο χρόνος, καὶ Ἰώσηπος, ὁ καὶ Καϊάφας, διάδοχος ἦν αὐτῷ». 8.2.101 ταῦτα ἀναγκαίως παρεθέμην διὰ τὸ «ἐξολοθρευθήσεται χρίσμα, καὶ κρίμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ», ἃ καὶ ἡγοῦμαι ἀναμφίλεκτον τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχειν. Ἑξῆς τούτοις φησὶν ἡ προφητεία· «καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθερεῖ σὺν τῷ ἡγουμένῳ τῷ ἐρχομένῳ». ἔνθα πάλιν τὸν Ἡρώδην αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτὸν ἄρξαντας ἐξ ἀλλοφύλου γένους ὑπολαμβάνω δηλοῦσθαι. 8.2.102 ὡς γὰρ ἀνωτέρω ὠνόμαζεν χριστοὺς ἡγουμένους τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς, λέγων «ἕως χριστοῦ ἡγουμένου», τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον μετ' ἐκείνους καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων κατάπαυσιν