a few times, and Antigonus briefly claimed the royal office (40-37b.c.e.).
Josephus indicates that in the first century the aristocratically constituted
state of the Jews was led by the high priests (Ant.20.251), although this was
done under Roman supervision.
Herod’s appointment as king by the Roman senate profoundly
changed the political landscape. From the time of his reign (37-4b.c.e.)
until the destruction of Jerusalem (and beyond), he and his descendants
were dominant rulers among the Jews in the land. Herod held the office of
king, and two of his sons (Antipas [4b.c.e.–39c.e.] and Philip [4b.c.e.–
33/34c.e.]) were tetrarchs in parts oftheir father’s realm, while Archelaus
(4b.c.e.–6c.e.), who inherited the rule of Judea, served as ethnarch until
he was deposed for his incompetent and violent rule. In Judea the Romans
then assumed more direct control by appointing prefects (from 6 to 41),
among whom the best known is Pontius Pilate (26-36/37). King Agrippa I
briefly reunited the kingdom of his grandfather Herod the Great (between
37 and 44) before dying at a young age. Following his death in 44c.e., the
Romans again assumed closer control by appointing procurators, an ar-
rangement that lasted until the end of the revolt. During this latter period,
Agrippa’s son Agrippa II came to have a significant influence in Jewish po-
litical and religious affairs.
A second institution that seems to have occupied an important place
in Jewish society was the council of elders (g 3 rousiain Greek) or Sanhe-
drin, if, as seems likely, the two terms refer to the same type of body. There
are references in Ezra to “the elders” as an influential group, but whether
they constituted a ruling body is not said (Ezra 5:5, 9; 6:7, 14; in these pas-
sages they are involved in rebuilding the Temple and negotiations about
it). Apart from the book of Judith (e.g., 4:8), which has a weak claim to his-
toricity, the earliest mention of a council of elders is in Josephus’s citation
of the letter issued by Antiochus III (223-187b.c.e.) regarding the Jewish
people: he says they with their senate(g 3 rousia)greeted him when he vis-
ited the city (Ant.12.138); later the king mentions the Jewish form of gov-
ernment and lists the senate among the groups exempt from three taxes
(12.142). In 2 Macc. 4:4 the senate is the body that sends representatives to
King Antiochus IV to press a case against the actions of the high priest
Menelaus (vv. 43-50). In subsequent times the term continues to be used in
official letters in which the leaders of the Jews are listed (e.g., 2 Macc. 1:10)
or addressed (2 Macc. 11:27; 1 Macc. 12:6; 13:36 [where they are called “the
elders”; see also 11:23; 12:35]; 14:20, 28 [in the section regarding the decree
honoring Simon]). Josephus reports that Gabinius, a Roman official, set78james c. vanderkamEERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:03:54 PM