Valerius Gratus was the 4th Roman Prefect of Judaea province under Tiberius from 15 to 26 AD.
History
He succeeded
Annius Rufus in 15 and was replaced by
Pontius Pilate in 26. The government of Gratus is chiefly remarkable for the frequent changes he made in the appointment of the
Kohen Gadol. He deposed
Annas, and substituted Ishmael ben Fabus, then Eleazar, son of Arianus, then Simon, son of Camith, and lastly
Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Ananus.
[ Antiquities of the Jews xviii. 2. §2.]
In popular culture
In the book
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
Bibliography
