The temple was the religious and politic center of the Jewish people, and, therefore, the ones who ran it, namely the priests, were the real rulers of the Jewish nation throughout the Second Temple period. The great power in the hands of the priest gave qay to the birth of a priestly oligarchy, which consisted of a few families who had a member who was a high priest. This elite status was devloped thanks to Herod's effort to reduce the priesly rule and until the late Second Temple period.