Valerius Gratus was the 4th Roman

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of Judaea province under

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

from 15 to 26 AD.

History

He succeeded Annius Rufus in 15 and was replaced by

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of ...

in 26. The government of Gratus is chiefly remarkable for the frequent changes he made in the appointment of the high-priesthood. He deposed Ananus, and substituted

Ishmael ben Fabus Ishmael ben Fabus also known as Ishmael ben Phiabi and Ishmael ben Phabi () was a High Priest of Israel in the 1st century CE. He was High Priest of Israel from 15 CE to 16 CE under the Roman procurator, Valerius Gratus, and is thought to be th ...

, then Eleazar, son of Arianus, then Simon, son of Camith, and lastly Joseph Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Ananus.''Antiquities of the Jews'' xviii. 2. §2.

In popular culture

In the book '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'' and its derived films, Gratus is almost killed by a roof tile which accidentally falls from the home of

Judah Ben-Hur Judah Ben-Hur, shortened to Ben-Hur, is a fictional character, the title character and protagonist from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ''. The book covers the character's adventures and struggle against the Roman Empire ...

, which prompts all subsequent events of the story. In the novel, Gratus is portrayed as a corrupt governor who acted against the Jews by removing the rightful head priest of the Temple, Hannas, and replacing him with a Roman puppet, Ishmael.

References

Bibliography

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 ...

- Antiq. xviii. 6. § 5.
Smith, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology''
Roman governors of Judaea 1st-century Romans 1st-century Roman governors of Judaea Valerii {{AncientRome-bio-stub

History

In popular culture

See also

References

Bibliography