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- Exilic times until the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. Previousl ...
(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 renova ...
.
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 ...
, 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, Alexandri ...
in
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 Medit ...
.
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
High Priest ( he, כהן גדול, translit=Kohen Gadol or ; ) was the title of the chief religious official of Judais ...
and was removed by Herod when his daughter,
Mariamne II was implicated in the plot of
Antipater 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.
See also
*
Simon son of Joseph
Simon of Peraea or Simon son of Joseph was a former slave of Herod the Great who rebelled and was killed by the Romans some time after Herod's death in 4 BC. Some have identified him as possibly being the messiah of Gabriel's Revelation, but this i ...
References
{{Judaism-bio-stub
1st-century BCE High Priests of Israel