Ananel

Ananel (or Hananel ) was high priest in the Temple of Jerusalem. He was by Herod the Great shortly after his reign in 37 BC. Appointed high priest.

Its origin is unclear, allegedly it comes from Babylon ( Flavius ​​Josephus , Antiquitates Judaica 15, 2, 4), but according to other sources it was of Egyptian origin. In any case, he did not belong to the Hasmonean house or to one of the noble priestly families, which made his appointment a scandalous nuisance, especially for Alexandra (Hasmonean) , Herod's mother-in-law. In their eyes, their 16-year-old son Aristobulus III. far more likely to claim this honorary position.

In order to achieve her goal, she sent pictures of her two children, Aristobulus III. and Mariamne to Marcus Antonius , who ruled the eastern part of the Roman Empire under the influence of Cleopatra of Egypt. She did so in the hope that the great beauty of the two would take Antonius for her children and their wishes. This also succeeded: Mariamne was married to Herod and was therefore not available, but Antonius, who was also open to male beauty, ordered Aristobulus to be sent to Herod's court, which of course could not be in Herod's mind. Faced with the choice of seeing Aristobulus in Antony's bed or at the altar of the temple, Herod opted for the latter.

He unceremoniously deposed Ananel and made Aristobulus the high priest of the Jews, which made him indispensable qua office. Soon, however, the youthful high priest's great popularity posed a new threat in the eyes of Herod. He therefore invited in the autumn of 35 BC. BC invaded Aristobulus into Jericho and let his servants drown him in a swimming pool tampering.

Then he made 34 BC The Ananel again to the high priest. It is not known when he was replaced by his successor Jesus ben Phiabi . However, no later than 23 BC. Since Jesus ben Phiabi was replaced by Simon ben Boethos .

literature

• Heinrich Graetz : History of the Jews from the oldest times to the present. Leipzig 1902, Vol. 2, 2, pp. 197ff.