Annas (Ananus)

Annas was a historical member of a prominent sacerdotal family in Judaea. Appointed High Priest by the Roman legate Quirinius, he held the high-priesthood from AD 6 to AD 15. Though later formally deposed by the procurator Valerius Gratus, sources emphasize that his family — including five sons and a son-in-law, Caiaphas — dominated the high-priestly office over subsequent decades, leaving Annas as an influential patriarchal figure within Jerusalem's religious and political order.

Contemporary and near-contemporary sources included in this entry provide no physical description of Annas; he is represented in the sources by office, family ties, and social standing rather than by bodily detail.

As high priest (AD 6–15) and patriarch of a priestly clan, Annas exercised religious and political authority within Jerusalem. Sources depict him as retaining significant influence after his official removal, with family members occupying the high-priesthood in succession. In New Testament accounts he is presented as an interrogator and authority figure who questioned Jesus and participated in Sanhedrin-related proceedings, and Acts cites him among leaders before whom early Christian figures were brought.