Jesus ben Ananias
- ANCIENT SOURCES: see Jesus ben Ananias (sources)
- SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see Jesus ben Ananias (works)
Jesus ben Ananias (Yeshua ben Hananiah) was a first-century Jewish preacher.
Overview
The "trial" of Jesus ben Ananias offers some striking parallels with the "trial" of Jesus of Nazareth. In 62 CE Jesus ben Ananias also was arrested in Jerusalem as he preached against the Temple. It was enough that some of the more prominent citizens [were] very annoyed at [his] ominous words, to have him taken by the "Jewish authorities" before the Roman procurator, Albinus. Jesus ben Ananias was brutally scourged by the Romans but then released as Albinus decided that he was a "madman." What made the destiny of Jesus ben Ananias different from that of Jesus of Nazareth was probably the fact that the Roman procurator judged him to be an isolated individual without a dangerous following.
According to Josephus, Jesus ben Ananias continued to utter his prophecy of doom against the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in the years before the Jewish War, until he died during the siege of Jerusalem, struck by a stone.
Jesus ben Ananias in ancient sources
Josephus is the only source on Jesus ben Ananias.