Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 4:6

"and Annas the high priest [was there], and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest." — Acts 4:6 (ASV)

And Annas the high priest . . .—These are mentioned by themselves as representing the section that had probably convened the meeting, and came in as if to dominate its proceedings. The order of the first two names is the same as in Luke 3:2, and as that implied in John 18:13 and John 18:24. Annas, or Ananus, had been made high priest by Quirinus, the Governor of Syria, filled the office A.D. 7-15, and lived to see five of his sons occupy it after him.

At this time, Joseph Caiaphas was the actual high priest (see Note on John 11:49), having been appointed in A.D. 17. He was deposed A.D. 37. He had married the daughter of Annas; and the latter seems to have exercised a dominant influence, perhaps, as the Nasi, the Prince, or President, of the Sanhedrin, during the remainder of his life. If he presided on this occasion, it may explain St. Luke’s calling him “the high priest.”

John.—This may have been the Johanan ben Zaccai, who is reported by Jewish writers to have been at the height of his fame forty years before the destruction of the Temple, and to have been President of the Great Synagogue after its removal to Jamnia. The identification is, at best, uncertain; but the story told of his death-bed, in itself full of pathos, becomes, on this assumption, singularly interesting.

His disciples asked him why he wept: “O light of Israel, ... from where are these tears?” And he replied: “If I were going to appear before a king of flesh and blood, he is one who today is, and tomorrow is in the grave; if he were angry with me, his anger is not eternal; if he were to cast me into chains, those chains are not forever; if he kills me, that death is not eternal; I might soothe him with words or appease him with a gift.

But they are about to bring me before the King of kings, the Lord, the Holy and Blessed One, who lives and abides forever. And if He is angry with me, His anger is eternal; and if He binds, His bonds are eternal; if He kills, it is eternal death; and Him I cannot soothe with words or appease with gifts. And besides all this, there are before me two paths, one to Paradise and the other to Gehenna, and I do not know to which they are about to lead me. How can I do anything else but weep?” (Bab-Beracoth, fol. 28, in Lightfoot: Cent.-Chorogr., Acts 15:0)

Alexander.—This name has been identified by many scholars with Alexander, the brother of Philo, the Alabarch, or magistrate of Alexandria (Jos. Ant. xviii. 8, § 1; xix. 5, § 1). There is, however, not the shadow of any evidence for the identification.

As many as were of the kindred of the high priest.—The same phrase is used by Josephus (Ant. xv. 3, § 1), and may mean either those who were personally related by ties of blood with the high priest for the time being, or the heads of the twenty-four courses of priests. (See Notes on Matthew 2:4; Luke 1:5.) All these had probably taken part in our Lord’s condemnation.