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It was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, according to
the evangelist, and in the fourth year of the governorship of Pontius
Pilate, while Herod and Lysanias and Philip were ruling the rest of
Judea, that our Saviour and Lord, Jesus the Christ of God,
being about thirty years of age, came to John for baptism and began
the promulgation of the Gospel.
The Divine Scripture says, moreover, that he passed the entire time
of his ministry under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, showing
that in the time which belonged to the priesthood of those two men the
whole period of his teaching was completed. Since he began his work
during the high priesthood of Annas and taught until Caiaphas held the
office, the entire time does not comprise quite four years.
For the rites of the law having been already abolished since that
time, the customary usages in connection with the worship of God,
according to which the high priest acquired his office by hereditary
descent and held it for life, were also annulled and there were
appointed to the high priesthood by the Roman governors now one and now
another person who continued in office not more than one year.
Josephus relates that there were four high priests in succession from
Annas to Caiaphas. Thus in the same book of the Antiquities he
writes as follows: "Valerius Graters having put an end to the
priesthood of Ananus appoints Ishmael, the son of Fabi, high
priest. And having removed him after a little he appoints Eleazer,
the son of Ananus the high priest, to the same office. And having
removed him also at the end of a year he gives the high priesthood to
Simon, the son of Camithus. But he likewise held the honor no more
than a year, when Josephus, called also Caiaphas, succeeded him."
Accordingly the whole time of our Saviour's ministry is shown to have
been not quite four full years, four high priests, from Annas to the
accession of Caiaphas, having held office a year each. The Gospel
therefore has rightly indicated Caiaphas as the high priest under whom
the Saviour suffered. From which also we can see that the time of our
Saviour's ministry does not disagree with the foregoing
investigation.
Our Saviour and Lord, not long after the beginning of his ministry,
called the twelve apostles, and these alone of all his disciples he
named apostles, as an especial honor. And again he appointed seventy
others whom he sent out two by two before his face into every place and
city whither he himself was about to come.
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