View source for Caiaphas

{{Short description|Jewish high priest (c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD)}}
{{Redirect|Caifa|the Israeli city formerly spelled Caïfa in French|Haifa}}
{{use dmy dates |date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox religious biography
| religion           = [[Second Temple Judaism]]
| image              = Gerard van Honthorst - Christ before the High Priest - WGA11650 (cropped).jpg
| alt                = Painting of Caiaphas in profile. He is pointing his finger in condemnation.
| caption            = Detail from ''[[Christ Before the High Priest]]'' {{circa}} 1617
| name               = Joseph ben Caiaphas
| native_name        = יוֹסֵף בַּר קַיָּפָא
| native_name_lang   = he
| office1            = [[High Priest of Israel]]
| term_start1        = 18 AD
| term_end1          = 36 AD
| birth_date         = c. 14 BC
| death_date         = c. 46 AD
| successor1         = [[Jonathan (High Priest)|Jonathan ben Ananus]]
| predecessor1       = [[Simon ben Camithus]]
| region             = [[Judaea (Roman province)|Judaea]]
| known_for          = [[Sanhedrin trial of Jesus]]
}}
'''Joseph ben Caiaphas'''{{efn|{{Langx|he|יוֹסֵף בַּר קַיָּפָא|Yōsēf bar Qayyāfā}}}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|aɪ|.|ə|.|f|ə|s}};{{efn|{{langx|grc-x-koine|Καϊάφας|Kaïáphas}}, {{IPA|grc|ka.iˈa.ɸas|}}}} c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD) was the [[High Priest of Israel]] during the first century.<ref>[[Josephus]] ''Antiquities'' 18.35</ref> In the [[New Testament]], the Gospels of [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]], [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] and [[Gospel of John|John]] indicate he was an organizer of the plot to kill [[Jesus]]. He is portrayed as presiding over the [[Sanhedrin trial of Jesus]].<ref name="oxford">{{cite book|editor1-first=Bruce M.|editor1-last=Metzger|editor2-first=Michael|editor2-last=Coogan|title=Oxford Companion to the Bible|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195046458|url-access=registration|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxford, England|date=1993|isbn=978-0195046458|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195046458/page/97 97]}}</ref> The primary sources for Caiaphas' life are the New Testament and the writings of Josephus. The latter records he was made high priest by the Roman procurator [[Valerius Gratus]] after [[Simon ben Camithus]] had been deposed.<ref>[[Josephus]] ''Antiquities'' 18.2.2</ref>

==Etymology==
The [[Babylonian Talmud]] ([[Yevamot]] 15B) gives the family name as Kuppai, while the [[Jerusalem Talmud]] (Yevamot 1:6) mentions ''Nekifi''. The ''[[Mishnah]]'', Parah 3:5, refers to the family name as hakKof (perhaps "the Monkey", a play on his name for opposing the [[Pharisees]]).<ref name="Paulist Press">{{cite book|first=Harvey|last=Falk|title=Jesus the Pharisee: a new look at the Jewishness of Jesus|publisher=[[Wipf & Stock]]|location=Eugene, Oregon|date=1985|isbn=978-1592443130|page=137}}</ref>

The family name ''Caiaphas'' קַיָּפָה has a few possible origins:{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
* from קוּפָּה 'basket', 'tub', verbalized as קִיֵּף , whence קַיָּף meaning 'basket maker', or a worker utilizing baskets such as to sell spices
* κεφάλαιος: from κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”) + -ιος (-ios, adjective suffix) - meaning: main, chief, principal, primary
* "as comely" in [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
* a "dell", or a "depression" in [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]].

==Accounts==

===New Testament===
====John: relations with Romans====
[[Annas]], father-in-law of Caiaphas ([[John 18]]:13), had been high-priest from AD 6 to 15, and continued to exercise a significant influence over Jewish affairs.<ref>{{Cite CE1913 |wstitle =Joseph Caiphas |first=Wendell|last=Reilly }}</ref> Annas and Caiaphas may have sympathized with the [[Sadducees]], a religious movement in Judaea that found most of its members among the wealthy Jewish elite. The comparatively long eighteen-year tenure of Caiaphas suggests he had a good working relationship with the Roman authorities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livius.org/articles/person/caiaphas/|title=Caiaphas - Livius|website=livius.org}}</ref>

The New Testament is critical of Caiaphas. In the [[Gospel of John]] ([[John 11]]), the high priests call a gathering of the [[Sanhedrin]] in reaction to the [[raising of Lazarus]].<ref>{{cite book|first=James|last=Vanderkam|title=From Joshua to Caiaphas: High Priests after the Exile|publisher=[[Augsburg Forest|Augsburg Fortress Publishers]]|location=Minneapolis, Minnesota|date=2004|isbn=978-0800626174|page=426}}</ref> While many scholars believe the repeated name is simply coincidence, some have suggested that the parable in the [[Gospel of Luke]] ([[Luke 16]]:28–30) may be connected. In the parable, a rich man and the [[Rich man and Lazarus|beggar Lazarus]] have died. The rich man is suffering while Lazarus is with Abraham. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers. Abraham says that even if Lazarus rises from the dead,  the "five brothers" of the rich man will ignore his message. This has given rise to the suggestion by [[Claude-Joseph Drioux]] and others that the "rich man" is itself an attack on Caiaphas, his father-in-law, and his five brothers-in-law.<ref>e.g. [[Johann Nepomuk Sepp]]; [[Claude-Joseph Drioux]]; Whittaker, H.A. Studies in the Gospels, Biblia Staffordshire 1984, 2nd Ed. 1989 p. 495</ref>

Caiaphas considers, with "the Chief Priests and [[Pharisees]]", what to do about Jesus, whose influence was spreading. They worry that if they "let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation."

In the [[Gospel of John]] ([[John 18]]), Jesus is brought before Annas, whose palace was closer.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Richard|last1=Gottheil|first2=Samuel|last2=Krauss|chapter-url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3903-caiaphas|title=1906 Jewish Encyclopedia|chapter=Caiaphas|website=Jewish Encyclopedia|access-date=11 January 2019}}</ref> Annas questioned him regarding his disciples and teaching, and then sent him on to Caiaphas. Caiaphas makes a political calculation, suggesting that it would be better for "one man" (Jesus) to die than for "the whole nation" to be destroyed. Similar ideas can be found in rabbinical discussion in Talmud and [[Midrash]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Bereishit_Rabbah.94.9?lang=bi|title=Bereishit Rabbah 94:9|website=sefaria.org}}</ref> According to [[John 11]]:51-52 it states that "He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."

Afterward, Jesus is taken to [[Pontius Pilate]], the [[Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135)|Roman governor of Judea]]. Pilate tells the priests to judge Jesus themselves, to which they respond they lack authority to do so. Pilate questions Jesus, after which he states, "I find no basis for a charge against him." Pilate then offers the gathered crowd the choice of one prisoner to release—said to be a [[Passover]] tradition—and they choose a criminal named [[Barabbas]] instead of Jesus.

====Matthew: trial of Jesus====
{{main|Sanhedrin trial of Jesus}}[[File:Christ before Caiaphas - Capella dei Scrovegni - Padua 2016.jpg|thumb|"Christ before Caiaphas". The High Priest is depicted tearing his robe in grief at Jesus' perceived [[blasphemy]].]]

In the [[Gospel of Matthew]] ([[Matthew 26]]:56–67), Caiaphas and others of the [[Sanhedrin]] are depicted interrogating Jesus. They are looking for evidence with which to convict Jesus, but are unable to find any. Jesus remains silent throughout the proceedings until Caiaphas demands that Jesus say whether he is the Christ (which means Messiah). Jesus replies "The words are your own: and you will see the [[Son of man|Son of Man]] seated at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of [[heaven]]." ([[Mark 14]]:62) Caiaphas and the other men charge him with [[blasphemy]] and sentence him to [[corporal punishment]] for his crime.

====Political implications====
Caiaphas was the [[son-in-law]] of Annas by marriage to his daughter and ruled longer than any high priest in New Testament times. For Jewish leaders of the time, there were serious concerns about Roman rule and an insurgent [[Zealots (Judea)|Zealot movement]] to eject the Romans from [[Israel]]. The Romans would not perform executions for violations of [[Halakha]], therefore a charge of blasphemy would not have mattered to Pilate. Caiaphas' position, therefore, was to establish that Jesus was guilty not only of blasphemy, but also of proclaiming himself to be the [[Messiah]], which was understood as the return of the [[Davidic dynasty in Bible prophecy|Davidic kingship]].

====Acts: Peter and John refuse to be silenced====
Later, in [[Acts 4]], [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[John the Apostle|John]] went before Annas and Caiaphas after having healed a crippled beggar. Caiaphas and Annas questioned the apostles' authority to perform such a miracle. When Peter, full of the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]], answered that Jesus of Nazareth was the source of their power, Caiaphas and the other priests realized that the two men had no formal education yet spoke eloquently about the man they called their saviour. Caiaphas sent the apostles away, and agreed with the other priests that the word of the miracle had already been spread too much to attempt to refute, and instead the priests would need to warn the apostles not to spread the name of Jesus. However, when they gave Peter and John this command, the two refused, saying "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."<ref>Acts 4:19–20 NIV</ref>

===Josephus===
The 1st-century Jewish historian [[Josephus]] is considered the most reliable extra-biblical literary source for Caiaphas.<ref>Bond, ''Caiaphas'', pp. 18–19.</ref> His works contain information on the dates for Caiaphas' tenure of the high priesthood, along with reports on other high priests, and also help to establish a coherent description of the responsibilities of the high-priestly office. Josephus (''[[Antiquities of the Jews|Antiquitates Judaicae]]'' 18.33–35) relates that Caiaphas became a high priest during a turbulent period. He also states that the [[Legatus|Legate]] of [[Roman Syria|Syria]] [[Lucius Vitellius the Elder]] deposed Caiaphas (''Antiquitates Judaicae'' 18.95–97).<ref>Bond, ''Caiaphas'', p. 86.</ref> Josephus' account is based on an older source, in which incumbents of the high priesthood were listed chronologically.<ref>Josephus' source is mentioned in ''Antiquitates Judaicae'' 20.224–51 and ''[[Against Apion]]'' 1.36; see Bond, ''Caiaphas'', p. 163, n. 2.</ref>

According to Josephus, Caiaphas was appointed in AD 18 by the Roman [[Judea (Roman province)|prefect]] [[Valerius Gratus]]<ref name="oxford"/> who preceded [[Pontius Pilate]].

According to [[John the Evangelist|John]], Caiaphas was the son-in-law of the high priest [[Annas]], who is widely identified with Ananus the son of Seth, mentioned by Josephus.<ref>Josephus, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=J.+AJ+18.26 Ant., Book 18 Section 26]</ref> 

===Rabbinic literature===
According to [[Helen Bond]], there may be some references to Caiaphas in the rabbinic literature.<ref>For a discussion of [[Tosefta]] Yevamot 1.10 and other possible rabbinic references, see Bond, ''Caiaphas'', p. 164, n. 3.</ref>

==Archaeology==
[[File:Ossuary of the high priest Caiaphas P1180853.jpg|upright|thumb|Ossuary with the name קפא carved into its side, found in Jerusalem in 1990]]
{{Main|Caiaphas ossuary|Miriam ossuary}}
In November 1990, workers found an ornate limestone [[ossuary]] while paving a road in the [[List of forests in Israel|Peace Forest]] south of the [[Abu Tor]] neighborhood of [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="oxford"/><ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Specter|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/14/world/tomb-may-hold-the-bones-of-priest-who-judged-jesus.html?pagewanted=all|title=Tomb May Hold the Bones Of Priest Who Judged Jesus|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 14, 1992|access-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref> This ossuary appeared authentic and contained human remains. An [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] inscription on the side was thought to read "Joseph son of Caiaphas" and on the basis of this the bones of an elderly man were considered to belong to Caiaphas.<ref name="oxford"/><ref name="Charlesworth">{{cite book|first=James H.|last=Charlesworth|title=Jesus and archaeology|publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing]]|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan|date=2006|isbn=978-0802848802|pages=323–329}}</ref> Since the original discovery, this identification has been challenged by some scholars on various grounds, including the spelling of the inscription, the lack of any mention of Caiaphas' status as [[High Priest of Israel|High Priest]], the plainness of the tomb (although the ossuary itself is as ornate as might be expected from someone of his rank and family), and other reasons.<ref name="Charlesworth"/><ref>{{cite book|first=Helen Katharine|last=Bond|title=Caiaphas: friend of Rome and judge of Jesus? |date=2004|publisher=Westminster/John Knox Press|location=Louisville, Kentucky|isbn=978-0-664-22332-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TRGpNmDmfxAC&q=family+tomb+of+Caiaphas&pg=PA7|pages=4–8}}</ref>

In June 2011, archaeologists from [[Bar-Ilan University]] and [[Tel Aviv University]] announced the recovery of a stolen ossuary, plundered from a tomb in the [[Valley of Elah]]. It is inscribed with the text: "Miriam, daughter of Yeshua, son of Caiaphas, Priest of Ma’aziah from Beth ‘Imri". The [[Israel Antiquities Authority]] declared it authentic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Israeli authorities: 2,000-year-old burial box is the real deal |work=CNN |date = 2011-06-30 | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/29/israel.ancient.burial/index.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110701021547/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/29/israel.ancient.burial/index.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 1 July 2011 | access-date = 2011-08-26}}</ref>

==Literature and arts==

===Literature===
In the thirteenth-century French text [[Lancelot-Grail|''Estoire del Saint Graal'']], Caiaphas is responsible for imprisoning Joseph of Arimathea. The Roman emperor Vespasian promises not to slay or burn him for information about Joseph. To punish him, he instead sets him adrift at sea.

In [[Inferno (Dante)|''Inferno'']], [[Dante Alighieri]] places Caiaphas in the sixth realm of the [[Inferno (Dante)#Eighth Circle (Fraud)|eighth circle of Hell]], where [[hypocrite]]s are punished in the afterlife. His punishment is to be eternally crucified across the hypocrites' path, who eternally step on him.

Caiaphas is mentioned throughout the works of [[William Blake]] as a byword for a traitor or [[Pharisee]].

Caiaphas is mentioned in the 19th verse of ''[[The Ballad of Reading Gaol]]'' by [[Oscar Wilde]]:
{{Quote box
| quote = He does not stare upon the air<br/>
Through a little roof of glass;<br/>
He does not pray with lips of clay<br/>
For his agony to pass,<br/>
Nor feel upon his shuddering cheek<br/>
The kiss of Caiaphas
| source = [[Oscar Wilde]], ''The Ballad of Reading Gaol''
}}
He is also depicted having an argument with [[Pontius Pilate]] regarding the passing of the death sentence against [[Jesus]] in ''[[The Master and Margarita]]'' by [[Mikhail Bulgakov]].

Contrary to the conventional depiction, the short novel ''[[The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ]]'' (2010) by [[Philip Pullman]] portrays Caiaphas as a kindly man, heartbroken that Jesus must die for the good of the Jewish nation.

===Arts===
''Christ before Caiaphas,'' c.1490, is one of only a handful of works attributed to [[Antonio della Corna]].

<gallery heights="200">
File:Antonio della Corna - Christ Before Caiaphas - Walters 37481 - Detail.jpg|''Christ Before Caiaphas'', Antonio della Corna. [[Walters Art Museum]].
File:Mattias Stom, Christ before Caiaphas.jpg|<nowiki>''Christ before Caiaphas''</nowiki> by [[Matthias Stom]], c. 1630s
</gallery>

===Film portrayals===
Actors who have portrayed Caiaphas include: 

* [[Rudolph Schildkraut]] in [[Cecil B. DeMille]]'s film ''[[The King of Kings (1927 film)|King of Kings]]'' (1927), 
* [[Guy Rolfe]] in [[Nicholas Ray]]'s film ''[[King of Kings (1961 film)|King of Kings]]'' (1961), 
* [[J. Rodolfo Wilcock|Rodolfo Wilcock]] in [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]]'s film ''[[The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film)|The Gospel According to St. Matthew]]'' (1964), 
* [[Martin Landau]] in [[George Stevens]]' film ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965), 
* [[Bob Bingham]] in [[Norman Jewison]]'s film ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar (film)|Jesus Christ Superstar]]'' (1973), 
* [[Anthony Quinn]] in [[Franco Zeffirelli]]'s television miniseries ''[[Jesus of Nazareth (miniseries)|Jesus of Nazareth]]'' (1977), 
* [[Christian Kohlund]] in ''[[Jesus (1999 film)|Jesus]]'' (1999), 
* [[David Schofield (actor)|David Schofield]] in ''[[The Miracle Maker (2000 film)|The Miracle Maker]]'' (2000), 
* [[Frederick B. Owens]] in [[Jesus Christ Superstar]] (2000)
* [[Mattia Sbragia]] in [[Mel Gibson]]'s film ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'' (2004), 
* [[Valentin Gaft]] in the TV miniseries ''[[The Master and Margarita (miniseries)|The Master and Margarita]]'' (2005), 
* [[Bernard Hepton]] in ''[[Son of Man (play)|Son of Man]]'', [[Adrian Schiller]] in the TV miniseries ''[[The Bible (miniseries)|The Bible]]'' (2013) and the film ''[[Son of God (film)|Son of God]]'' (2014), both by same production team, 
* [[Rufus Sewell]] in ''[[Killing Jesus (2015 film)|Killing Jesus]]'' (2015), 
* [[Richard Coyle]] in ''[[A.D. The Bible Continues]]'', an [[NBC]] miniseries by [[Mark Burnett]] and [[Roma Downey]], and 
* [[Makram Khoury]] in ''[[The Master and Margarita (2024 film)|The Master and Margarita]]'' (2024). 

[[Richard Fancy]] portrayed Caiaphas starting in Season 4 of [[The Chosen (TV series)|The Chosen]], and [[Ben Kingsley]] voices him in ''[[The King of Kings (2025 film)|The King of Kings]]''.

==See also==
*[[List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources]]
*[[Aristobulus III of Judea]] - High priest who was the last [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] royal

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite book
 | editor1-last = Metzger
 | editor1-first = Bruce M.
 | editor-first2 = Michael D.
 | editor-last2 = Coogan
 | title = The Oxford Companion to the Bible
 | publisher = Oxford University Press
 | year = 1993
 | location = Oxford, UK
 | url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195046458
 | isbn = 0-19-504645-5
 | url-access = registration
 }}
*{{cite book
 | last = Bond
 | first = Helen Catharine
 | year = 2004
 | title = Caiaphas: Friend of Rome and Judge of Jesus?
 | location = Louisville
 | publisher = Westminster John Knox
 | isbn = 0-664-22332-X}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071007130329/http://dev.bible.org/netbible/dictionary.php?word=Caiaphas NETBible: Caiaphas]
*{{catholic|wstitle=Joseph Caiphas}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.kchanson.com/ANCDOCS/westsem/caiaphas.html The Ossuary of Joseph Caiaphas]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040224173911/http://www.abu.nb.ca/courses/NTIntro/images/CaiaphasOss.htm Images of the Ossuary of Caiaphas]

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|jw}}
{{succession box
|before=[[Simon ben Camithus]]
|title=[[List of High Priests of Israel|High Priest of Israel]]
|years=18–36
|after=[[Jonathan ben Ananus]]
}}
{{succession box | before = [[Shammai]] | title = [[Av Beit Din]] | years = c. 20–36 | after = [[Theophilus ben Ananus]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{High Priests of Judaism}}
{{New Testament people}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Caiaphas| ]]
[[Category:10s BC births]]
[[Category:40s deaths]]
[[Category:1st-century high priests of Israel]]
[[Category:1st-century clergy]]
[[Category:Jesus and history]]
[[Category:People from Roman Judea]]
[[Category:People in the Gospel of John]]
[[Category:Religious leaders from the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Characters in the Divine Comedy]]
[[Category:People in the Gospel of Luke]]
[[Category:People in the Gospel of Matthew]]