Eusebius: Ecclesiastical History, Books I–X

Chapter X.—The High Priests of the Jews under whom Christ taught.

1. It was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, ^{Edition note 1} according to the evangelist, and in the fourth year of the governorship of Pontius Pilate, ^{Edition note 2} while Herod and Lysanias and Philip were ruling the rest of Judea, ^{Edition note 3} that our Saviour and Lord, Jesus the Christ of God, being about thirty years of age, ^{Edition note 4} came to John for baptism and began the promulgation of the Gospel.

2. The Divine Scripture says, moreover, that he passed the entire time of his ministry under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, ^{Edition note 5} showing that in the time which belonged to the priesthood of those two men the whole period of his teaching was completed. Since he began his work during the high priesthood of Annas and taught until Caiaphas held the office, the entire time does not comprise quite four years.

3. For the rites of the law having been already abolished since that time, the customary usages in connection with the worship of God, according to which the high priest acquired his office by hereditary descent and held it for life, were also annulled and there were appointed to the high priesthood by the Roman governors now one and now another person who continued in office not more than one year. ^{Edition note 6}

4. Josephus relates that there were four high priests in succession from Annas to Caiaphas. Thus in the same book of the Antiquities ^{Edition note 7} he writes as follows:

Accordingly the whole time of our Saviour’s ministry is shown to have been not quite four full years, four high priests, from Annas to the accession of Caiaphas, having held office a year each. The Gospel therefore has rightly indicated Caiaphas as the high priest under whom the Saviour suffered. From which also we can see that the time of our Saviour’s ministry does not disagree with the foregoing investigation.

5. Our Saviour and Lord, not long after the beginning of his ministry, called the twelve apostles, ^{Edition note 14} and these alone of all his disciples he named apostles, as an especial honor. And again he appointed seventy others whom he sent out two by two before his face into every place and city whither he himself was about to come. ^{Edition note 15}