Part of a series of articles on
Priesthood in Judaism
Kohen Presumption of priestly descent Priestly covenant
Roles Priestly Blessing Redemption of the firstborn son Tzaraath (skin disease and mildew) The Torah instruction of the Kohanim Sacrifice Incense offering Beth din shel Kohanim Priestly divisions
High Priests Aaron Eleazar Phinehas Eli Ahimelech Abiathar (First Temple) Zadok Shallum Hilkiah Jehoiada (Second Temple) Joshua the High Priest Simeon the Just Ishmael ben Elisha HaKohen Joshua ben Gamla Phannias ben Samuel
Twenty-four priestly gifts The ten gifts given in the Temple Sin offering Guilt offering Communal peace offering Fowl sin offering Leftovers from the suspensive guilt offering Oil from the offering for the leper Bread from First Fruits Showbread Leftovers of themeal offering Leftovers of the First Sheaf . Four gifts given in Jerusalem Firstborn animal First fruits Burnt offering Parts of thethank offering andNazirite's offering Ten gifts given (even) outside of Jerusalem Heave offering Heave offering of the Levite's tithe Dough offering First shearing of the sheep Foreleg, cheeks and maw Coins for redemption of the firstborn son Redemption of a donkey Dedication of property to a priest Field not redeemed in a Jubilee year The property of the foreigner with no heir
Priestly garments All Priests Undergarments Tunic Turban Sash High Priest Robe Ephod Frontlet Breastplate Urim and Thummim
Miscellaneous topics The mitzvah of sanctifying the Kohen Kohanic disqualifications Holy anointing oil Kahen Aaron's rod Bat-Kohen (daughter of a kohen) Sons of Zadok Contact by a kohen with a dead body 13 Kohanic cities
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This article gives a list of thehigh priests (Kohen Gadol) ofancient Israel up to thedestruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. Because of a lack of historical data, this list is incomplete and there may be gaps.

The High Priests, like all Jewish priests, belonged to theAaronic line. The Bible mentions the majority of high priests before theBabylonian captivity, but does not give a complete list of office holders. Lists would be based on various historical sources. In several periods ofnon-Jewish rule, high priests were appointed and removed by kings, but still most high priests came from the Aaronic line. One exception isMenelaus, who may not have been from theTribe of Levi at all, but from theTribe of Benjamin.

The following lineage appears in1 Chronicles 5:29–31:

• Aaron
• Eleazar, son of Aaron^[1]
• Phinehas, son of Eleazar
• Abishua, son of Phinehas
  • TheSamaritans insertSashai as the son of Abishua and father of Bukki.^[2]
• Bukki, son of Abishua
• Uzzi, son of Bukki

Although Abishua, Bukki and Uzzi are not directly attested as high priests, this portion of the genealogy is assumed by other sources to give the succession of the high priesthood from father to son.

At some time, the office was transferred from descendants of Eleazar to those of his brother Itamar.^[3] The first known and most notable high priest of Itamar's line was Eli, a contemporary ofSamuel.

• Eli, descendant ofIthamar, son of Aaron
• Ahitub, son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli
• Ahijah, son of Ahitub
• Ahimelech, son of Ahijah (or brother of Ahijah and son of Ahitub)
• Abiathar, son of Ahimelech

Abiathar was removed from the high priesthood for conspiring against KingSolomon, and was replaced byZadok, who oversaw the construction of the First Temple. According to the genealogies given in1 Chronicles 5:30–34, Zadok was a descendant of Uzzi (through Zerahiah, Meraioth,Amariah and Ahitub) and thus belonged to the line of Eleazar.

Priestly lists for this period appear in the Bible,Josephus and theSeder Olam Zutta, but with differences. While Josephus andSeder 'Olam Zuta each mention 18 high priests,^[4] the genealogy given in1 Chronicles 6:3–15 gives 12 names, culminating in the last high priest Seriah, father ofJehozadak. However, it is unclear whether all those mentioned in the genealogy between Zadok and Jehozadak were high priests, and whether high priests mentioned elsewhere (such as Jehoiada and Jehoiarib) are simply omitted or did not belong to the male line in this genealogy.

Some nameJehozadak, son of Seriah, as a high priest prior to being sent to captivity inBabylonia, based on the biblical references to "Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest". According to the commentary attributed toRashi, this is a misreading of the phrase, as "the high priest" does not refer to Jehozadak (who was exiled without having served as high priest), but to his sonJoshua.^[7]

The high priests following the exile were:^[8][9]

• Joshua, son of Jehozadak, after the building of the Second Temple. Contemporary ofCyrus the Great (reigned 538–530 BCE) andDarius I (reigned 522–486 BCE).
• Joiakim, son of Joshua (Nehemiah 12:10).
• Eliashib, son of Joiakim (Nehemiah 12:10). Mentioned in the time ofNehemiah in 444 BCE.
• Joiada, son of Eliashib (Nehemiah 12:10). (A son married a daughter ofSanballat the Horonite, for which he was driven out of the Temple by Nehemiah^[10])
• Johanan, son of Joiada (Nehemiah 12:11). Mentioned in theElephantine papyri in 410 BCE.
• Jaddua, son of Johanan (Nehemiah 12:11). Contemporary ofAlexander the Great (reigned 336–323 BCE). Some have identified him asSimeon the Just.

Moreover, there are some sources inRabbinic tradition that supports the notion thatEzra may have served as Kohen Gadol.^[11]

The chronology given above, based on Josephus, however is not undisputed, with some alternatively placing Jaddua during the time ofDarius II (423–405/4 BC) and some supposing one more Johanan and one more Jaddua in the following time, the latter Jaddua being contemporary of Alexander the Great.

• Onias I, son of Jaddua. Contemporary ofAreus I of Sparta (reigned 309–265 BCE).
• Simon I, son of Onias. Josephus identified him asSimeon the Just^[12]
• Eleazar, son of Onias and brother of Simon I. Contemporary ofPtolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt (reigned 283–246 BCE).
• Manasseh, son of Jaddua, brother of Onias I and uncle of Simon I and Eleazar.
• Onias II, son of Simon I. Contemporary ofPtolemy III Euergetes of Egypt (reigned 246–221 BCE).
• Simon II, son of Onias II. Contemporary ofPtolemy IV Philopator of Egypt (221–204 BCE).
• Onias III, son of Simon II (?–175 BC), murdered 170 BCE
  • Onias IV, son of Onias III, fled to Egypt and in c. 150 BCE built aJewish Temple atLeontopolis (closed between 66–73 CE).
• Jason, son of Simon II, 175–172 BCE (the last of theZadokite dynasty).
• Menelaus, 172–162 BCE
• Alcimus, 162–159 BCE

It is unknown who held the position of High Priest of Jerusalem between Alcimus' death and the accession ofJonathan Apphus. Josephus relates that the office was vacant for seven years.^[13] As theYom Kippur Temple service requires the high priest, Josephus' account would suggest a seven-year gap in service soon after the restoration of the Temple.

Elsewhere, Josephus suggests thatJudas Maccabeus, the brother of Jonathan, held the office for three years, succeeding Alcimus.^[14] However, Judas actually predeceased Alcimus by one year. The nature of Jonathan's accession to the high priesthood makes it unlikely that Judas held that office during the inter-sacerdotium. TheJewish Encyclopedia tries to harmonise the contradictions found in Josephus by supposing that Judas held the office "immediately after the consecration of the Temple (165–162), that is, before the election of Alcimus".^[15]

It has been argued that the founder of theQumran community, theTeacher of Righteousness, was High Priest (but not necessarily the sole occupant) during the inter-sacerdotium and was driven off by Jonathan.^{[citation needed]}

• Jonathan Apphus, 152–143 BCE
• Simon Thassi, brother of Jonathan Apphus, 143–134 BCE
• John Hyrcanus I, son of Simeon Tassi, 134–104 BCE
• Aristobulus I, son of John Hyrcanus, 104–103 BCE
• Alexander Jannaeus, son of John Hyrcanus, 103–76 BCE
• John Hyrcanus II, son of Alexander Jannaeus, 76–66 BCE
• Aristobulus II, son of Alexander Jannaeus, 66–63 BCE
• Hyrcanus II (restored), 63–40 BCE
• Antigonus, son of Aristobulus II, 40–37 BCE

• Ananelus, 37–36 BCE
• Aristobulus III, grandson of Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II, 36 BCE (He was the last of the Hasmoneans; brother of Herod's second wifeMariamne I)
• Ananelus (restored), 36–30 BCE
• Joshua ben Fabus, 30–23 BCE
• Simon ben Boethus, 23–4 BCE (his daughterMariamne II was the third wife ofHerod the Great)
• Matthias ben Theophilus, 4 BCE^[16]
• Joazar ben Boethus, 4 BCE
• Eleazar ben Boethus, 4–3 BCE
• Joshua ben Sie, 3 BCE – ?
• Joazar ben Boethus (restored), ? – 6 CE
• Ananus ben Seth, 6–15
• Ishmael ben Fabus (Phiabi), 15–16
• Eleazar ben Ananus, 16–17
• Simon ben Camithus, 17–18
• Joseph ben Caiaphas, 18–36 (son-in-law of the high priest Ananus ben Seth)
• Jonathan ben Ananus, 36–37
• Theophilus ben Ananus, 37–41
• Simon Cantatheras ben Boethus, 41–43
• Matthias ben Ananus, 43
• Elioneus ben Simon Cantatheras, 43–44
• Jonathan ben Ananus, 44 (restored)
• Josephus ben Camydus, 44–46
• Ananias son of Nedebeus, 46–58^[17]
• Jonathan, 58^[18]
• Ishmael II ben Fabus, 58–62 (relation to priest of same name from 15–16 CE?)
• Joseph Cabi ben Simon, 62–63
• Ananus ben Ananus, 63
• Jesus son of Damneus, 63
• Joshua ben Gamla, 63–64 (his wifeMartha belonged to family ofBoethus)
• Mattathias ben Theophilus, 65–66
• Phannias ben Samuel, 67–70

• Josephus' chain of high priests (from the Second Temple)
• Samaritan High Priest

• Article in the Jewish Encyclopedia
• Génébrard, Gilbert (1599).Chronographiæ libri quatuor. Priores duo sunt de rebus veteris (in Latin). Lyon: Jean Pillehotte. p. 35. Seder Olam Zutta chronology
• Meyer, John (1699).Seder 'Olam sive Chronicon Hebræorum majus et minus (in Latin). Amsterdam: John Wolters. p. 102. Seder Olam Zutta chronology

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