For the sake of brevity, I have put down from
Josephus only a single example of the application of this title in the
plural number; but it is his usual style.
Ib. [p. 871.] Luke ill. 1. "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Juries, and Herod
being tetrarch of Galilee, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests,
the word of God came unto John." There is a passage in Josephus very
nearly parallel to this, and which may at least serve to vindicate the
evangelist from objection, with respect to his giving the title of high
priest specifically to two persons at the same time: "Quadratus sent two
others of the most powerful men of the Jews, as also the high priests
Jonathan and Ananias." (De Bell. lib. ix. c. 12, sect. 6.) That Annas
was a person in an eminent station, and possessed an authority
coordinate with, or next to, that of the high print properly so called,
may he inferred from Saint John's Gospel, which in the history of
Christ's crucifixion relates that "the soldiers led him away to Annas
first." (xviii.13.) And this might be noticed as an example of
undesigned coincidence in the two evangelists.
Pages:
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429