Johanan (High Priest)
Encyclopedia
Johanan son of Joiada
, was the fifth Jewish high priest
after the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem
by the Jews who had returned from the Babylonian captivity
. His reign is estimated to have been from c. 410-371 BCE; he was succeeded by his son Jaddua
. The bible gives no details about his life. Johanan lived during the reigns of king Darius II
of Persia and his son Artaxerxes II
, whose empire included Judah
as a province.
and Johanan killed him. Bagoses knew that Johanan had slain Jesus in the temple saying to him "Have you had the impudence to perpetrate murder
in the temple." Johanan was forbidden to enter the temple, but he entered anyway saying "Am not I purer than he that was slain in the temple?" Bagoses had not seen such a savage crime and responded by commanding the Persians to destroy the temple and impose a tribute on the Jews. The rest of his tenure as high priest remains a mystery. His son Jaddua eventually took over the position when Johanan died, as briefly mentioned by Josephus.
, a collection of 5th century BCE Hebrew manuscripts from the Jewish community at Elephantine
in Egypt
, a letter was found in which Johanan is mentioned. The letter is dated "the 20th of Marshewan, year 17 of king Darius
", which corresponds to 407 BCE. It is addressed to Bagoas, the governor of Judah, and is a request for the rebuilding of a Jewish temple at Elephantine, which was destroyed by Egyptian pagans. The letter includes the following passage:
It has been suggested that the Anani that is referred to here might be the same as in 1 Chronicles 3:24.
According to the Anchor Bible Dictionary there is also a dispute regarding the genealogy of Johanan. Neh 12:10-11 lists Johanan as the grandson of Eliashib while Neh 12:23 identifies him as the son of Eliashib. “Although it is possible that Heb ben is to be translated as “grandson” in Neh 12:23; cf. NEB, JB)”
Part of the confusion is that names, in the original Hebrew
, appear identical. There is yet to be extrabiblical proof that a man named Jonathan ever served as high priest. This has led many to believe that the biblical text has a copy mistake.
Joiada
Joiada, , which means "Yahu knows," is a name found from the form "Jehoiada" in the Old Testament and used alternately in English versions . Joiada is the fourth high priest after the Babylonian Exile and his name is only found in the lists of Neh 12:10-11, 22 and in Neh 13:28. Most historians...
, was the fifth Jewish high priest
Kohen Gadol
The High Priest was the chief religious official of Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...
after the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
by the Jews who had returned from the Babylonian captivity
Babylonian captivity
The Babylonian captivity was the period in Jewish history during which the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon—conventionally 587–538 BCE....
. His reign is estimated to have been from c. 410-371 BCE; he was succeeded by his son Jaddua
Jaddua
Jaddua was a the son of Jonathan and a high priest during the postexilic period. However, according to Nehemiah12:22 it is possible that a transcribing error has occurred in the rendering of Juddah's father's name. A more likely translation is that Juddah's father was Johanan. . Reference to Jaddua...
. The bible gives no details about his life. Johanan lived during the reigns of king Darius II
Darius II
Darius II , was king of the Persian Empire from 423 BC to 405 BC.Artaxerxes I, who died on December 25, 424 BC, was followed by his son Xerxes II. After a month and a half Xerxes II was murdered by his brother Secydianus or Sogdianus...
of Persia and his son Artaxerxes II
Artaxerxes II of Persia
Artaxerxes II Mnemon was king of Persia from 404 BC until his death. He was a son of Darius II of Persia and Parysatis.-Reign:...
, whose empire included Judah
Yehud Medinata
Yehud Medinata or simply Yehud, was an Achaeminid autonomous province covering Judea and parts of Samaria, located south to Eber-Nari...
as a province.
Murder in the Temple
Flavius Josephus records that Johanan's brother Jesus was promised the high priesthood by Bagoses, general of Artaxerxes. Jesus got in a quarrel with Johanan in the templeTemple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
and Johanan killed him. Bagoses knew that Johanan had slain Jesus in the temple saying to him "Have you had the impudence to perpetrate murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in the temple." Johanan was forbidden to enter the temple, but he entered anyway saying "Am not I purer than he that was slain in the temple?" Bagoses had not seen such a savage crime and responded by commanding the Persians to destroy the temple and impose a tribute on the Jews. The rest of his tenure as high priest remains a mystery. His son Jaddua eventually took over the position when Johanan died, as briefly mentioned by Josephus.
Letter from Elephantine Papyri
Among the Elephantine PapyriElephantine papyri
The Elephantine Papyri are a collection of ancient Jewish manuscripts dating from the 5th century BC. They come from a Jewish community at Elephantine, then called Yeb, the island in the Nile at the border of Nubia, which was probably founded as a military installation in about 650 BC during...
, a collection of 5th century BCE Hebrew manuscripts from the Jewish community at Elephantine
Elephantine
Elephantine is an island in the River Nile, located just downstream of the First Cataract at the southern border of Ancient Egypt. This region is referred to as Upper Egypt because the land is higher than that near the Mediterranean coast. The island may have received its name because it was a...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, a letter was found in which Johanan is mentioned. The letter is dated "the 20th of Marshewan, year 17 of king Darius
Darius II
Darius II , was king of the Persian Empire from 423 BC to 405 BC.Artaxerxes I, who died on December 25, 424 BC, was followed by his son Xerxes II. After a month and a half Xerxes II was murdered by his brother Secydianus or Sogdianus...
", which corresponds to 407 BCE. It is addressed to Bagoas, the governor of Judah, and is a request for the rebuilding of a Jewish temple at Elephantine, which was destroyed by Egyptian pagans. The letter includes the following passage:
"(...) We have also sent a letter before now, when this evil was done to us, to our lord and to the high priest Johanan and his colleagues the priests in Jerusalem and to Ostanes the brother of Anani and the nobles of the Jews, Never a letter have they sent to us. (...)"
It has been suggested that the Anani that is referred to here might be the same as in 1 Chronicles 3:24.
Name
There is dispute over the his actual name. Neh 12:11 lists him as Jonathan, while 12:22 mentions Joiada's successor as Johanan. Josephus also lists him as Johanan (John).According to the Anchor Bible Dictionary there is also a dispute regarding the genealogy of Johanan. Neh 12:10-11 lists Johanan as the grandson of Eliashib while Neh 12:23 identifies him as the son of Eliashib. “Although it is possible that Heb ben is to be translated as “grandson” in Neh 12:23; cf. NEB, JB)”
Part of the confusion is that names, in the original Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, appear identical. There is yet to be extrabiblical proof that a man named Jonathan ever served as high priest. This has led many to believe that the biblical text has a copy mistake.