Joshua ben Gamla (Hebrew: יהושע בן גמלא), also called Jesus the son of Gamala (Greek: Ἰησοῦς υἱὸς Γαμάλα), was a Jewish high priest in about 64-65 CE.
[1] Joshua married the rich widow Martha of the high-priestly family Boethus[2] and was appointed High Priest by Herod Agrippa II.
[3] According to Talmudic sources,[4] Martha bribed a "King Jannai" into appointing Joshua High Priest with a tarkab of denarii.
[8] Although Joshua was not a scholar, he cared for the instruction of the young and provided schools in every town for children over five years of age, earning thereby the praises of posterity.
[12] Scholars have argued that Joshua ben Gamla of the Talmud is the same high priest from the days of the destruction, and that the priesthood was acquired from Herod Agrippa II.