Josephus makes it clear that Annas the younger committed two breaches of policy and law: he convened the Sanhedrin, which was a breach of policy, and he executed James and “certain others” (probably also Christians), which was a breach of law, for only the Roman governor possessed the power of capital punishment, something Roman authority took very seriously.21 Josephus notes that the “fair-minded” of Jerusalem urged King Agrippa to order Annas “to desist from any further such actions.” Reference to “any further such actions” may imply that Annas was planning a major pogrom against the
...more
