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Episode 2 – Caiaphas – Villains of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina
Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss Caiaphas, the high priest who played a crucial role in the trial and death of Jesus. Caiaphas lived in a time when religion and politics were inseparable—his role required balancing faith and diplomacy under Roman rule. Though the office of high priest was meant to be lifelong, Caiaphas’s father-in-law, Annas, was deposed by the Romans, showing their interference in Jewish religious life. Caiaphas maintained power by cooperating with Rome, seeking stability in a politically charged environment. He viewed Jesus as a potential threat to national peace, preferring compromise with foreign rulers over potential conflict, even at the cost of condemning an innocent man.
Mike Aquilina explores how Caiaphas’s story reveals the dangers of valuing worldly peace over divine truth. Though he believed he acted for the good of his people, Caiaphas allowed fear and convenience to guide his judgment. Every Christian faces the same temptation—to protect comfort or reputation rather than stand for what is right before God.
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
- How do I, like Caiaphas, sometimes prioritize comfort or stability over faithfulness to God’s will?
- In what ways might I compromise spiritual truth to maintain peace with others or avoid conflict?
- What “temples” in my life need cleansing of attitudes or habits that dishonor God?
- How can I deepen my trust in God’s providence instead of relying on human control or compromise?
- Do I examine my conscience regularly to recognize where fear influences my moral choices?
- How does Caiaphas’s story challenge me to place divine truth above social or political convenience?
- Where in my life am I called to speak truth boldly, even if it disrupts the status quo?
- How can I grow in detachment from worldly success or approval to seek only God’s glory?
- In what ways does the hope of Caiaphas’s possible redemption inspire me to pray for my own conversion?
- How does reflecting on my complicity in sin deepen my gratitude for Christ’s mercy on the cross?
An excerpt from Villains of the Early Church
“Caiaphas IS mentioned everywhere in the Church Fathers, but almost as furniture—“ and Jesus was brought before Caiaphas.” If the early Christian writers are interested in anything about him, it’s that he could prophesy truly because of his office. Otherwise, they don’t seem to find much remarkable in him. He’s the banality of evil. A bureaucrat.
Yet, Caiaphas, like many of the characters caught up in the Passion story, was in a complicated position—more complicated than we may realize when we hear the story in the Gospels.”
Aquilina, Mike. Villains of the Early Church: And How They Made Us Better Christians (Kindle Locations 304). Emmaus Road Publishing. Kindle Edition.
You can find the book on which this series is based here.
For more episodes in the Villians of the Early Church podcast visit here – Villains of the Early Church – Discerning Hearts Podcast
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.
Mike Aquilina’s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com
