Onias's father
Onias III served as High Priest from 187–175 BCE. High Priest was also a governmental position, albeit one that kings did not usually interfere with after appointment. However, in 175 BCE, Onias III was dismissed from the High Priesthood and his brother
Jason was given the role instead. It is not entirely clear why; possibly Jason offered a larger tribute to King
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, possibly Onias III was seen as too friendly to the
Ptolemaic dynasty, which had recently ruled Judea and aimed to reclaim it which would eventually become the
Sixth Syrian War in 170 BCE. Onias III fled to the Seleucid capital
Antioch (perhaps hoping to petition Antiochus IV to restore him), where he was killed by his enemies while attempting to claim sanctuary at the shrine to
Apollo and
Artemis. Around 167–166 BCE, the
Maccabean Revolt began, with one of its major causes being discontent with the policies of
High Priest Menelaus. Presumably Onias IV hoped from afar for a victory by the rebel forces of
Judas Maccabeus. In Onias IV's preferred scenario, the Maccabees would win, then invite Onias IV to take the office of his fathers. Alternatively, the Seleucid government would relent and appoint him as a bid to regain legitimacy among the populace. Neither of these happened, and instead the Seleucids appointed
Alcimus around 162 BCE. Onias IV left Judea for Ptolemaic Egypt at some unknown point, most likely around the time of Alcimus's appointment as High Priest.
Josephus presents two contradicting traditions: in
The Jewish War, it is Onias III that flees to Egypt (possibly taking his son with him?). In
Antiquities of the Jews, Onias IV leaves for Egypt during the reign of
Antiochus V Eupator, around the time of Alcimus's ascension. Most historians favor the version in
Antiquities, but it is difficult to know for sure. It might have happened around 145 BCE. That said, some scholars such as
Victor Tcherikover have argued that the Temple was merely a center for local worship, and the opposition from the Temple of Jerusalem was an overreaction. Onias IV, who enjoyed the favor of the Egyptian court, did succeed in elevating Egyptian Judaism to a position of dignity and importance. A large number of able-bodied Judeans had accompanied Onias to Egypt, and these strangers, who were there called
Κάτοικοι ("inhabitants"), received, on condition of performing military service and preserving the internal peace of the country, tracts of land of their own, on which they lived with their families The district inhabited by them lay between
Memphis and
Pelusium, and was long called the "
land of Onias." The first-born sons of the colonists inherited their fathers' privileges and duties. Both
Chelkias (Hilkiah) and
Ananias ben Onias (Hananiah), the sons of Onias IV, performed military service and acted as generals under
Cleopatra III who reigned from 117 to 101 BCE. In the power struggle between Cleopatra III and
Ptolemy Physcon (who reigned from 146 BCE to 117 BCE), the son of Onias were faithful to Queen Cleopatra. This suggests that candidates for the office of high priest occupied a prominent military position. In the course of time the family of Onias lost its prestige, and the later Alabarchs belonged to another family, not entitled to the rank of high priest. The Temple of Onias was closed in 73 CE by order of
Vespasian in the aftermath of the
First Jewish-Roman War. == Patrilineal ancestry ==