Simon son of Boethus (also known as Simon son of Boëthus, Simeon ben Boethus or Shimon ben Boethus) () was a

Jewish High priest High Priest ( he, כהן גדול, translit=Kohen Gadol or ; ) was the title of the chief religious official of Judaism from the early post-Babylonian captivity, Exilic times until Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE), the destruction of the Second Temple ...

(ca. 23 – 4 BCE) in the 1st century BCE and father-in-law of

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renov ...

. According to

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

, he was also known by the name Cantheras (). His family is believed to have been connected to the school of the

Boethusian The Boethusians () were a Jewish sect closely related to, if not a development of, the Sadducees. Origins according to the Talmud The post-Talmudic work '' Avot of Rabbi Natan'' gives the following origin of the schism between the Pharisees and S ...

s, and a family whose origins are from

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. He succeeded

Jesus, son of Fabus Jesus, son of Fabus, also known as Jesus, son of Phabet, Jesus son of Phiabi or Joshua ben Fabus (), was a Jewish High priest (c. 30 – 23 BCE) in the 1st century BCE. He succeeded Ananelus and was removed by Herod when he appointed his father-i ...

and was removed by Herod when his daughter,

Mariamne II Mariamne II was the third wife of Herod the Great. She was the daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest. Josephus recounts their wedding thus: There was one Simon, a citizen of Jerusalem, the son of one Boethus, a citizen of Alexandria, and ...

was implicated in the plot of

Antipater Antipater (; grc, , translit=Antipatros, lit=like the father; c. 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general and statesman under the subsequent kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collaps ...

against her husband in 4 BCE. As a result, Herod divorced her and removed her father (Simon Boethus) as high priest.Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews''
Book XVII
Chapter 4:2 Simon's grandson Herod II was removed from the line of succession in Herod's last will.

References

{{Judaism-bio-stub 1st-century BCE High Priests of Israel

See also

References