Priestly Politics and the Cause of War
At the same time things were happening in the temple. Eleazar, the son of the high priest Ananias, a young radical who was Captain of the Temple at the time, persuaded the ministers in charge of temple worship to accept no gift from a foreigner or any sacrifice on behalf of a foreigner. This laid the foundation for war with Rome, as it meant…
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Josephus here describes the decision made by the Temple leadership to stop offering sacrifices on behalf of foreigners, including the Romans and even Caesar, against the protests of other priests and political leaders. Elements of this account are echoed in the talmudic story of Kamza and Bar Kamza in b. Gittin 55b (see “Why the Temple Was Destroyed”).
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Key Events in the History of the Early Priesthood
2nd Century BCE–1st Century CE
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Temple and Priesthood in Ancient Judaism
4th Century BCE–6th Century CE
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