Jaddua
Encyclopedia
Jaddua was a the son of Jonathan and a high priest
during the postexilic period
. However, according to Nehemiah12:22 it is possible that a transcribing error has occurred in the rendering of Juddah's father's name. A more likely translation is that Juddah's father was Johanan. (Anchor Bible Dictionary
). Reference to Jaddua may be found in Nehemiah
verses 12:11,22. When reading Josephus
' accounts of Jaddua's priestly position, it is unclear whether or not Jaddua was the sole high priest or if he shared the office with Manasseh. The other possibility (which is difficult to discern from Josephus' accounts) is that Manasseh was Jaddua's assistant or sagan. (Anchor Bible Dictionary
).
Jaddua’s brother, Manasseh, married into the gubernatorial
Samaria
n family. The governor's daughter, Nicaso, was given to Manasseh in marriage to try to ease the tensions that existed between the Assyrians and Jews. This posed a problem for the Jewish elders as they did not want the high priesthood tainted should Manasseh try partner with Jaddua as a priest. There are elders in Jerusalem had the ability and authority to force Manasseh to “either to divorce his faith or not to approach the altar.” (Vanderkam). In this dispute, Jaddua himself took the side of the elders of Jerusalem. Although the elders exercised authority, Jaddua was the top authority. In an account of the Jewish historian Josephus, it is speculated that the reason the elders opposed Manasseh’s marriage
was that they resented “the fact that the brother of the high priest Jaddua was sharing the high priesthood while married to a foreigner.” This marriage could possibly be the beginning of an office known as a sagan which later became the second highest priestly position. Because the high priest was the supreme civil and religious head of the Jewish people and the only competing authority would be the elders, naturally Alexander targeted Jaddua.
Manasseh was not willing to "be deprived of his sacerdotal dignity on [Nicaso's] account." Consequently the Governor bribed Manasseh to keep Nicasco as his daughter pending the permission of the king Alexander. Meanwhile, Jaddua had a dream that he would be protected by God from the king Alexander as Alexander was perusing to conqueror Jerusalem. Upon seeing Jaddua , Alexander relented his pursuit as he too had a dream seeing a figure who took the form of Jaddua. Alexander agreed to let Juddah and the Jews to keep the laws of their forefathers in return military cooperation.
Josephus included an account about Alexander reading the book of Daniel
and believed that the prophecy
regarding the destruction of the Persian Empire was talking about him and his future conquests. The account details about Alexander's visit to Jerusalem. However, this account has later been regarded as "a historical myth designed to bring the king into direct contact with the Jews, and to speak of both in laudatory terms. The story has been said to demonstrate "the Jews' surrender to Alexander."
Kohen Gadol
The High Priest was the chief religious official of Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...
during the postexilic period
Babylonian captivity
The Babylonian captivity was the period in Jewish history during which the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon—conventionally 587–538 BCE....
. However, according to Nehemiah12:22 it is possible that a transcribing error has occurred in the rendering of Juddah's father's name. A more likely translation is that Juddah's father was Johanan. (Anchor Bible Dictionary
Anchor Bible Series
The Anchor Bible project, consisting of a Commentary Series, Bible Dictionary, and Reference Library, is a scholarly and commercial co-venture begun in 1956, when individual volumes in the commentary series began production...
). Reference to Jaddua may be found in Nehemiah
Book of Nehemiah
The Book of Nehemiah is a book of the Hebrew Bible. Told largely in the form of a first-person memoir, it concerns the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem by Nehemiah, a Jew who is a high official at the Persian court, and the dedication of the city and its people to God's laws...
verses 12:11,22. When reading Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
' accounts of Jaddua's priestly position, it is unclear whether or not Jaddua was the sole high priest or if he shared the office with Manasseh. The other possibility (which is difficult to discern from Josephus' accounts) is that Manasseh was Jaddua's assistant or sagan. (Anchor Bible Dictionary
Anchor Bible Series
The Anchor Bible project, consisting of a Commentary Series, Bible Dictionary, and Reference Library, is a scholarly and commercial co-venture begun in 1956, when individual volumes in the commentary series began production...
).
Jaddua’s brother, Manasseh, married into the gubernatorial
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
n family. The governor's daughter, Nicaso, was given to Manasseh in marriage to try to ease the tensions that existed between the Assyrians and Jews. This posed a problem for the Jewish elders as they did not want the high priesthood tainted should Manasseh try partner with Jaddua as a priest. There are elders in Jerusalem had the ability and authority to force Manasseh to “either to divorce his faith or not to approach the altar.” (Vanderkam). In this dispute, Jaddua himself took the side of the elders of Jerusalem. Although the elders exercised authority, Jaddua was the top authority. In an account of the Jewish historian Josephus, it is speculated that the reason the elders opposed Manasseh’s marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
was that they resented “the fact that the brother of the high priest Jaddua was sharing the high priesthood while married to a foreigner.” This marriage could possibly be the beginning of an office known as a sagan which later became the second highest priestly position. Because the high priest was the supreme civil and religious head of the Jewish people and the only competing authority would be the elders, naturally Alexander targeted Jaddua.
Manasseh was not willing to "be deprived of his sacerdotal dignity on [Nicaso's] account." Consequently the Governor bribed Manasseh to keep Nicasco as his daughter pending the permission of the king Alexander. Meanwhile, Jaddua had a dream that he would be protected by God from the king Alexander as Alexander was perusing to conqueror Jerusalem. Upon seeing Jaddua , Alexander relented his pursuit as he too had a dream seeing a figure who took the form of Jaddua. Alexander agreed to let Juddah and the Jews to keep the laws of their forefathers in return military cooperation.
Josephus included an account about Alexander reading the book of Daniel
Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
and believed that the prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
regarding the destruction of the Persian Empire was talking about him and his future conquests. The account details about Alexander's visit to Jerusalem. However, this account has later been regarded as "a historical myth designed to bring the king into direct contact with the Jews, and to speak of both in laudatory terms. The story has been said to demonstrate "the Jews' surrender to Alexander."