Jehoiada


Jehoiada in the Hebrew Bible, was a prominent priest in the kingdom of Judah during the reigns of Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash. Jehoiada became the brother-in-law of King Ahaziah as a result of his marriage with princess Jehosheba. Both Jehosheba and Ahaziah were children of King Jehoram of Judah. Ahaziah died a year after assuming the throne, which was then usurped by his mother Athaliah, who ordered the execution of all members of the royal family.
Jehosheba and Jehoiada rescued Athaliah's one-year-old grandson, Joash, from Athaliah's slaughter. For six years, they hid the sole surviving heir to the throne within Solomon's Temple. Jehoiada was instrumental in the staging of a coup d'état which dethroned and killed Athaliah. The account in 2 Chronicles notes the of Jehoiada. Athaliah described the coup as an act of treason.
Under Jehoiada's guidance, Baal-worship was renounced and the altar and temple of Baal were destroyed. Jehoiada is also noteworthy for the national covenant that he made "between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD's people". Jehoiada lived for 130 years and was buried very honorably among the kings in the city of David. Jehoiada's son, Zechariah ben Jehoiada, was later martyred by King Joash.

Priest or High priest?

Jehoiada's name does not appear in the list of the Zadokite dynasty in .
Josephus mentions Jehoiada as "high priest in his Jewish Antiquites Book 9, Chapter 7," "How Athaliah reigned over Jerusalem for five years, when Jehoiada the high priest slew her." However, Josephus does not mention a Jehoiada in his list of High Priests.
According to the medieval chronicle Seder Olam Zutta, Jehoiada was a High priest.
The Book of Chronicles states in 2 Chronicles 24:6 that Jehoiada was the chief priest, another term for high priest.