Caiaphas

Caiaphas (Hebrew meaning uncertain; perhaps "depression" or a family name), in full Joseph Caiaphas, served as High Priest of the Jews under the Roman prefects Valerius Gratus and Pontius Pilate, from approximately AD 18 to 36. He was the son-in-law of Annas, the former High Priest who retained great influence, and both are named in Luke 3:2 as the high-priestly authorities at the time of John the Baptist's ministry. Caiaphas presided over the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus and was the instigator of the plot to arrest and execute him (John 11:49–53; Matt. 26:3–5, 57). John records his unwitting prophecy that "it is better for you that one man should die for the people" (John 11:50). He also interrogated Peter and John before the Sanhedrin following the healing at the temple gate (Acts 4:6). His tenure as High Priest was unusually long for the period, suggesting skilled political management of his role within the Roman administrative framework. Archaeological confirmation of his family came with the 1990 discovery of an ossuary inscribed with the name "Joseph son of Caiaphas" in Jerusalem.