Who were the high priests that wantd Jesus dead?

Answer 1

Caiaphas (Yehosef bar Caiapha) was the high priest who presided over the trial that would eventually end in Jesus death (John 11:49-53). But it was not just Caiaphas but also the chief priests and older men acting as leaders among the Jewish people who would also colluded with Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3-4).

There concern was that Jesus would take away there self-assumed positions of authority over the people. At John 11:47-48 we read: "Consequently the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the San′he‧drin together and began to say: "What are we to do, because this man performs many signs? If we let him alone this way, they will all put faith in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

After bringing Jesus before Roman authorities on false charges, even when the Roman governor Pontius Pilate attempted to release Jesus it was the word of the common Jewish people who would seal his fate:

"Well, from festival to festival he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they petitioned for. At the time there was the so-called Bar‧ab′bas in bonds with the seditionists, who in their sedition had committed murder. So the crowd came on up and started to make petition according to what he used to do for them. Pilate responded to them, saying: "Do YOU want me to release to YOU the king of the Jews?" For he was aware that because of envy the chief priests had handed him over.

"But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Bar‧ab′bas to them, instead. Again in reply Pilate was saying to them: "What, then, shall I do with him whom YOU call the king of the Jews?" Once more they cried out: "Impale him!" But Pilate went on to say to them: "Why, what bad thing did he do?" Still they cried out all the more: "Impale him!" At that Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Bar‧ab′bas to them, and, after having Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be impaled. (Mark 15:6-15)