Ananias the High Priest

Life and work

Ananias served as high priest during Paul's final arrest and trials in Jerusalem, a position he held (per Josephus) from roughly AD 47 to 59. When Paul, standing trial before the Jewish council, declared he had 'lived before God in all good conscience,' Ananias 'commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth' — an act Paul, apparently unaware this was the high priest, sharply rebuked as unlawful before backing down once he learned the man's office (Acts 23:1-5).

When Paul was transferred to Roman custody in Caesarea, Ananias personally traveled there with elders and a hired orator, Tertullus, to press formal charges against Paul before the governor Felix, accusing him of being 'a plague, an instigator of insurrections' (Acts 24:1-9). Josephus separately records that Ananias was notorious for corruption and violence, was eventually assassinated by nationalist rebels near the outbreak of the Jewish revolt in AD 66, and had earlier been sent to Rome in chains over an unrelated conflict, though he was released — an independently attested reputation for high-handedness consistent with his treatment of Paul in Acts.

Extra-biblical evidence

Scripture references

• Acts 23:1-5 — Orders Paul struck on the mouth during his trial
• Acts 24:1-9 — Travels to Caesarea to prosecute Paul before Felix

Further reading

• Encyclopaedia Britannica: Ananias (high priest)