Jonathan (Hebrew:יוֹנָתָן;Imperial Aramaic:יוֹנָתָן; died c. AD 58), also referred to asJonathan the High Priest, was a first-centuryJewish high priest andreligious leader. Shortly after he was announcedHigh Priest of Israel, he was killed in AD 58 byAntonius Felix, the Romanprocurator of the provinceJudea. He was stabbed by robbers hired byFelix with daggers at theTemple.^[1]

Felix disliked Jonathan, because he often got criticized by the latter about governing the Jewish affairs, and threatened to be reported to Caesar if not doing well as the priest was the one who made the recommendation to Caesar to send Felix to be the procurator of Judea. Felix persuaded one of Jonathan's most trusted friends, Doras, a citizen of Jerusalem, to hire robbers to kill Jonathan by promising to give a large sum of money. Doras arranged for some hired men to mingle with the worshippers in the Temple in Jerusalem, while they hid daggers under their garments. These assassins succeeded in killing Jonathan during a Jewish festival and were never caught.^[1] The main source that mentions this high priest is theAntiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus.

It is suggested that this Jonathan is the son ofTheophilus ben Ananus mentioned on anAramaicossuary of the granddaughter of Theophilus, named Johanna. The inscription of theossuary reads, "Yehoḥanah (Johanna) daughter of Yehoḥanan (Jonathan) son of Thefilus (Theophilus), the High Priest."^[2] Since many male descendants of Ananus ben Seth also became high priests in the1st century CE, it is possible that this Jonathan is the son ofTheophilus. However, theossuary only refers to Theophilus as a high priest, so it may have been a different person. According to Tal Ilan,Jonathan was the eighth most common male Jewish name inPalestine.^[3]

Another possible identification for him is that he wasJonathan ben Ananus.^[4] It is possible that the title was restored to him for a second time after 14 years. This could explain why Josephus refers to him only by his first name rather than his full name.

Some historians believe that Jonathan's true killers may have been JewishSicarii, rebels against Roman rule infamous for assassinating enemies withsicae.