1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins. 4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord.
Make his paths straight.
5Every valley will be filled.
Every mountain and hill will be brought low.
The crooked will become straight,
and the rough ways smooth.
6All flesh will see God’s salvation.’”
7He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! 9Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”
11He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”
12Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?”
13He said to them, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.”
14Soldiers also asked him, saying, “What about us? What must we do?”
He said to them, “Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages.”
15As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ, 16John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
18Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people, 19but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, 20added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
21Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized and was praying. The sky was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”
23Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
In 1990 workers in the Peace Forest a mile south of Jerusalem’s Old City happened upon a burial cave where they found twelve ossuaries (bone boxes). One of the ossuaries bore two inscriptions; on one side, “Yehoseph bar Qapha” and on the other, “Yehoseph bar Qaipha.” Scholars think the discrepancy is because the inscription was sloppily made by a relative who was simply noting who was in which box in the cave. This could be the burial box of the high priest mentioned by Luke, Caiaphas. Josephus calls him “Joseph Caiaphas,” which corresponds to the names on the box.
Nearby, in the Field of Akeldama, are caves some argue may also be the burial place of Annas. The Ritmyers argue that Akeldama has been misidentified in tradition. Rather than the burial place of the poor, they argue this was an elegant burial place of either royalty or the priesthood. The tombs are lavishly decorated, to the point that is beyond even the tombs of the wealthy found in other parts of Jerusalem. The Ritmyers argue that this was the tomb of the most powerful and wealthy family in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ life. The only family that fits the bill is that of the high priests, Annas being one of the most important members. Another clue comes from Josephus, who says that Titus built a siege wall to prevent Jews from escaping Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and that this wall was near “the monument (tomb) of Ananus the high priest.” The wall went right by the Akeldama site.
See also Jerusalem; Akeldama
Bibliography. ASB 1772, “Cultural and Historical Notes: The High Priests Annas and Caiaphas” Although included in the ASB, need an article on Annas and Caiaphas in the ZHBBA.
Cornfield, Gaalyah, Archaeology of the Bible: Book by Book, ed. David Noel Freedman, (New York: Harper and Row, 1976), 291; Evans, Craig A., “Excavating Caiaphas, Pilate, and Simon of Cyrene” in Jesus Research and Archaeology: A New Perspective, ed. James H. Charlesworth, (Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s, 2006) 327; Josephus, Antiquities, 18.2.2; Josephus, Wars 5.12.2; Ritmeyer, Kathleen and Leen, “Akeldama: Potter’s Field or High Priest’s Tomb?.” Biblical Archaeology Review, 20, (Nov/Dec 1994): 22-35, 76, 78, accessed May 3, 2010, http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=20&Issue=6&ArticleID=1; Unger, Merrill F., Archaeology and the New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), 73-4.