Matthias Curtus
Encyclopedia
Matthias Curtus was an ethnic Jew
living in Jerusalem.
Matthias came from a wealthy family who descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib
, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem
. He was the son of Matthias Ephlias
and the daughter of the High Priest Jonathon. Jonathon may have been Alexander Jannaeus
, the High Priest and Hasmonean ruler who governed Judea
from 103 BC-76 BC. The paternal grandfather of Matthias was Simon Psellus
.
Matthias was a contemporary to the last rulers of the Hasmonean dynasty in particular to Hyrcanus II
who served as High Priest from 76 BC-67 BC and 63 BC-40 BC. He followed in the footsteps of his father and paternal grandfather and served as a Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. He married an unnamed Jewish woman through whom had a son called Josephus
. His son would be the paternal grandfather of the Roman Jewish Historian
of the 1st century, Flavius Josephus
.
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
living in Jerusalem.
Matthias came from a wealthy family who descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib
Jehoiarib
Jehoiarib was the head of a family of priests, which was made the first of the twenty-four priestly divisions organized by King David.- High Priest :...
, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
. He was the son of Matthias Ephlias
Matthias Ephlias
Matthias Ephlias was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.The meaning of Matthias' epithet is obscure. His epithet could mean ‘Handsome’ from the Hebrew language or ‘son of Ephesus’ from the Greek language, as he was sometimes known as ‘Matthias of Ephesus’...
and the daughter of the High Priest Jonathon. Jonathon may have been Alexander Jannaeus
Alexander Jannaeus
Alexander Jannaeus was king of Judea from 103 BC to 76 BC. The son of John Hyrcanus, he inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I, and appears to have married his brother's widow, Shlomtzion or "Shelomit", also known as Salome Alexandra, according to the Biblical law of Yibbum...
, the High Priest and Hasmonean ruler who governed Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
from 103 BC-76 BC. The paternal grandfather of Matthias was Simon Psellus
Simon Psellus
Simon Psellus was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.Simon’s ancestors were contemporary to the rule of the Ptolemaic dynasty and Seleucid dynasty over Judea. He was a wealthy man who served as a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. Simon belonged to the first of the twenty-four orders of Priests in...
.
Matthias was a contemporary to the last rulers of the Hasmonean dynasty in particular to Hyrcanus II
Hyrcanus II
Hyrcanus II, a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, was the Jewish High Priest and King of Judea in the 1st century BC.-Accession:Hyrcanus was the eldest son of Alexander Jannaeus, King and High Priest, and Alexandra Salome...
who served as High Priest from 76 BC-67 BC and 63 BC-40 BC. He followed in the footsteps of his father and paternal grandfather and served as a Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. He married an unnamed Jewish woman through whom had a son called Josephus
Josephus (grandfather of Josephus)
Josephus was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.Josephus was the son born to Matthias Curtus and his unnamed Jewish wife. He came from a wealthy family and through his father he descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the...
. His son would be the paternal grandfather of the Roman Jewish Historian
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
of the 1st century, Flavius Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
.
Sources
- M. Fergus, S. Emil & V. Geza, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 B.C. - A.D. 135), Continuum International Publishing Group, 1973
- Reader’s Digest: Jesus and His Times, The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. Printed by Fourth Printing USA, July 1990
- F. Josephus & S. Mason, Flavius Josephus: translation and commentary, BRILL, 2001