Jason (Hebrew: Yason, יאסון) of the Oniad family, brother to Onias III, was a High Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Jason became high priest in 175 BCE after the accession of Antiochus Epiphanes to the throne of the Seleucid Empire.
In an ongoing dispute between the current High Priest, Onias III, and Simon the Benjamite, Jason offered to pay Antiochus in order to be confirmed as the new High Priest in Jerusalem. Antiochus accepted the offer and further allowed Jason to build a gymnasium in Jerusalem and create a Greek-style Polis named after the king, Antioch.[1]
With the creation of Antioch, Jason abandoned the ordinances given under Antiochus III, which defined the polity of the Judeans according to the Torah.
Jason's time as High Priest was brought to an abrupt end in 172 BCE when he sent Menelaus, the brother of Simon the Benjamite, to deliver money to Antiochus. Menelaus took this opportunity to "outbid" Jason for the priesthood, resulting in Antiochus confirming Menelaus as the High Priest. Jason fled Jerusalem and found refuge in the land of the Ammonites.[2]
In 168 BCE Jason made a failed attempt to regain control of Jerusalem. Fleeing again to Ammon, he then continued to Egypt, then finally to Sparta, where he died and was buried [3]
A rock-cut tomb discovered in Jerusalem's Rehavia neighborhood has been identified as the burial site of Jason.[4] It consists of a courtyard and a single Doric column decorating the entrance to the burial chamber, topped with a pyramid-shaped roof. On the walls are charcoal drawings of naval vessels. Among the carved inscriptions in Greek and Aramaic is one that laments the deceased Jason: "A powerful lament make for Jason, son of P.....(my brother) peace ...... who hast built thyself a tomb, Elder rest in peace." [5]
| Preceded by Onias III |
High Priest of Israel 175 BC—172 BC |
Succeeded by Menelaus |