Onias
The High Priests Named Onias
The name Onias was borne by four notable figures in Jewish history, all connected to the high priesthood during the Hellenistic period (roughly 300-150 BC). Of these, two are mentioned in the Apocrypha: Onias I and Onias III. Their stories illuminate the tensions between faithfulness to God's covenant and the political pressures of living under foreign empires, providing crucial background for understanding the world into which Jesus was born.
Onias I and the Spartan Connection
Onias I served as high priest during the late fourth and early third centuries BC. According to 1 Maccabees 12:7, 20, he received a remarkable letter from Areus (Arius), king of Sparta (reigned 309-265 BC), claiming a kinship between the Spartans and the Jews as descendants of Abraham. While the historical accuracy of this Spartan-Jewish connection is debated, the correspondence reveals the diplomatic reach of the Jewish high priesthood during this era. Josephus also records this exchange, though he incorrectly assigns the letter to the time of Onias III.
Onias III: A Righteous High Priest
Onias III, the most prominent bearer of the name, served as high priest during the reigns of the Seleucid kings Seleucus IV and Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He was renowned for his godliness, his zeal for the Law, and his care for the temple. Under his leadership, the temple enjoyed such peace that even the Seleucid king Seleucus IV contributed to the costs of the sacrificial services (2 Maccabees 3:1-3). His character exemplified the priestly ideal of faithfully mediating between God and His people.
The Temple Treasury Incident
Onias III's tenure was disrupted when Simon, a temple guardian, informed the Seleucid governor about untold wealth stored in the temple treasury. King Seleucus IV dispatched his chancellor Heliodorus to seize the funds. Onias pleaded that the treasury contained deposits belonging to widows and orphans, but Heliodorus pressed forward. According to 2 Maccabees 3:22-34, a miraculous intervention occurred: a horse with a terrifying rider appeared, accompanied by two young men who struck Heliodorus down. He was spared only through the intercession of Onias, demonstrating both God's protection of His holy place and the high priest's intercessory role.
The Betrayal and Murder of Onias III
When Antiochus Epiphanes came to power in 175 BC, Onias's brother Jason bribed the new king for the high priesthood, displacing Onias. Jason was himself later supplanted by Menelaus, who offered an even larger bribe (2 Maccabees 4:7-26). Onias, having sought refuge at the sanctuary in Daphne near Antioch, was treacherously lured out and murdered by Andronicus at Menelaus's instigation (2 Maccabees 4:33-34). Even the pagan king Antiochus was moved to grief and anger at this unjust killing, executing Andronicus on the very spot where Onias had been slain.
Legacy and the Temple at Leontopolis
Onias IV, the son of Onias III, never became high priest in Jerusalem. Instead, according to Josephus, he fled to Egypt and built a rival Jewish temple at Leontopolis around 160 BC. This temple stood for over two centuries until it was closed by the Romans in 73 AD. The displacement of the legitimate Onias line from the Jerusalem priesthood was part of the broader corruption that fueled the Maccabean revolt and shaped Jewish expectations for a purified priesthood and a coming Messiah.
Biblical Context
The Onias high priests appear primarily in the deuterocanonical books of 1 and 2 Maccabees and in the writings of Josephus. Onias I is mentioned in 1 Maccabees 12:7, 20 in connection with Spartan diplomacy. Onias III features prominently in 2 Maccabees 3-4, where his righteous leadership and tragic murder are recorded. These narratives belong to the intertestamental period and provide essential context for the political and religious situation of Judaism before the New Testament era.
Theological Significance
The story of the Onias priests illustrates how corruption of the priesthood and the influence of foreign powers threatened the covenant faithfulness of God's people. Onias III stands as a model of priestly integrity, intercession, and faithfulness to the Law. The miraculous deliverance of the temple treasury under his watch demonstrates God's sovereignty over His holy place. The corruption that followed his removal foreshadows the need for a perfect and eternal high priest, a theme fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 7:23-28).
Historical Background
The Onias high priests served during the Hellenistic period when the Seleucid Empire controlled Judea. Josephus provides extensive documentation of their activities in his Antiquities of the Jews. The diplomatic correspondence between Onias I and Sparta has been debated by historians, though the cultural exchange between Jews and Greeks during this period is well attested. Archaeological work at Tell el-Yahudiyya in Egypt has identified the likely site of the Leontopolis temple built by Onias IV.