Tuesday, April 7, 2009

AS SEEN ON TV: CAIAPHAS

"As Seen On TV" is observing Holy Week with daily showcases for historical figures portrayed in the 1977 mini-series 'Jesus Of Nazareth'.

Today the spotlight is on Caiaphas: From Wikipedia:

Yosef Bar Kayafa (which translates as Joseph, son of Caiaphas), also known simply asCaiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest between AD 18 and 37.

According to some parts of the New Testament, Caiaphas is involved in the trial of Jesus after his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.The Gospels of Matthew and John (though not those of Mark and Luke) mention Caiaphas in connection with the trial of Jesus. Because he was the high priest, Caiaphas was also chairman of the high court.

According to the Gospels, Jesus was arrested by the Temple guard and a hearing was organized by Caiaphas and others in which Jesus was accused of blasphemy. Finding him guilty, the Sanhedrin took him to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, where they further accused him of sedition against Rome.

Even though I went to Catholic school through eighth grade, my first exposure to any mention of Caiaphas came when I saw "Jesus Christ Superstar" during a school trip to NYC back in the early 1970's.

BCnU!
Toby O'B

1 comment:

Terence Towles Canote said...

Of course, I learned about Caiaphas in Sunday School, but my first exposure to him on screen was in Jesus Christ Superstar. To this day I can't think of Caiphas without thinking of the rock opera.