a Sadducee, high priest of the Jews, who put to death St James, the brother of our Lord, and was deposed by Agrippa.

a Christian belonging to the infant church at Jerusalem, who, conspiring with his wife Sapphira to deceive and defraud the brethren, was overtaken by sudden death, and immediately buried. (Acts v. 1-11).

a Christian of Damascus who was commanded in a vision to go and visit the newly converted Saul of Tarsus. (See Acts ix. 10; xxii. 12.)

Tradition represents Ananias as the first that published the Gospel in Damascus, over which place he was subsequently made bishop; but having roused, by his zeal, the hatred of the Jews, he was seized by them, scourged, and finally stoned to death in his own church.