What happened with Caiaphas

[imo]

Caiaphas is really a character that interests me a lot. What would have happened to him after all? Did he really have a heart so closed in the beginning that he really believed that Jesus was an “imposter”? Or he believed, but wanted to destroy him anyway? Or did he have no faith and see things only through a pragmatic prism? Or would he have believed after Christ’s death and resurrection? And if he would have believed, would that have led him to despair like Judas or conversion?

 

[Todd_Easton]

The online Catholic Encyclopedia has an article on “Caiaphas.” It says, in part:

According to Josephus (Antiquitates, XVIII, iv, 3), Caiphas was appointed High-Priest of the Jews by the Roman procurator Valerius Gratus, the predecessor of Pontius Pilate, about A.D. 18 (Ant., XVIII, ii, 2), and removed from that office by the procurator Vitellius, shortly after he took charge of affairs in Palestine, A.D. 36 (Ant., XVIII, iv, 3).

Based on the dates given by Josephus, the article concludes:

After the death of Jesus, Caiphas continued to persecute his followers. When Peter and John were brought before the Council after the cure of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple (Acts 4:6 sqq.), Caiphas was still high-priest, since he was removed A.D. 36 or 37. We can say with almost equal certainty that he was the high-priest before whom St. Stephen appeared (Acts 7:1), and that it is from him that Saul obtained letters authorizing him to bring the Christians of Damascus to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2). At a time when high-priests were made and unmade by officials of Rome, and when the principal quality required seems to have been subserviency, it is no credit to the character of Caiphas to have enjoyed their favour so long. Josephus mentions his rule in connection with a series of acts of Vitellius which were agreeable to the Jews. We are not told what became of him after his deposition.