FROM JOSHUA TO CAIAPHAS

"The primary purpose of this history of the high priests in the Second Temple age has been to gather and assess all of the available information about each one of them, from Joshua in the late sixth century bce to Phannias during the Jewish revolt against Rome (66–70 ce). A secondary aim has been to investigate the status of these high-ranking officials—specifically whether they also wielded civic authority. . . .It is worth emphasizing what this book is and is not. It is a history of the Second Temple high priests; it is not a history of the priesthood. . . . The book is not primarily a history of the Second Temple period, although the history regularly impinges on the narrative and provides the organizing principle of the presentation." — from the Preface