Valerius Gratus
Valerius Gratus was the 4th Roman Prefect of Judaea province under Tiberius from 15 to 26 AD.
History
He succeeded
high-priesthood. He deposed Ananus, and substituted Ishmael ben Fabus, then Eleazar, son of Arianus, then Simon, son of Camith, and lastly Joseph Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Ananus.[1]
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, 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.
See also
- Gens Valeria
- Roman Procurator coinage
References
- ^ Antiquities of the Jews xviii. 2. §2.
Bibliography
- Josephus - Antiq. xviii. 6. § 5.
- Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
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