What was it like to be Jewish in first-century Palestine?
Judaism was not just one monolithic religion but was quite pluralistic. The three main sects within Judaism were the Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes. All three groups had different interpretations of the Law.
The Sadducees, the priestly aristocracy, accepted the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, but rejected the authority of the Prophets and the Writings, the other divisions of the sacred Scriptures recognized at that time. They laid particular store by Temple worship, where the sacrificial system was seen as a means of atoning for sins both individual and communal. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead and seem to have felt that God gave out all rewards in this life.
The historian Josephus tells us that the Sadducees found their adherents primarily among the wealthy and not among the ordinary people.
The Essenes strongly disagreed with the Sadducees. They were strict observers of the Law, and they disapproved of Temple worship and no longer offered sacrifice, but practiced ritual bathing as a way to forgive sins. They were mostly celibate but had many adherents who were married and lived out in various towns. There were groups of them at Bethany (home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus). They had a community at Qumran and at Mount Zion (believed by many to be the place where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper). They used a different calendar than the other groups. Theirs had 364 days and they celebrated the Passover feast always on a Tuesday night. Documents found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran suggest that the Essenes were expecting two Messiahs, a priestly one and a prophet.
The Pharisees were the "separate ones," scrupulous observers of the Law. Their enthusiasm was such that they surrounded the basic laws of the Torah (613 of them) with still other laws in order to safeguard it. As much emphasis was put on oral law as on written. One could scarcely move without infringing on the law in some way or other. They were looking for a Messiah who would bring complete reform, politically and religiously.
Click here to read a full article on this topic.
The Sadducees, the priestly aristocracy, accepted the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, but rejected the authority of the Prophets and the Writings, the other divisions of the sacred Scriptures recognized at that time. They laid particular store by Temple worship, where the sacrificial system was seen as a means of atoning for sins both individual and communal. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead and seem to have felt that God gave out all rewards in this life.
The historian Josephus tells us that the Sadducees found their adherents primarily among the wealthy and not among the ordinary people.
The Essenes strongly disagreed with the Sadducees. They were strict observers of the Law, and they disapproved of Temple worship and no longer offered sacrifice, but practiced ritual bathing as a way to forgive sins. They were mostly celibate but had many adherents who were married and lived out in various towns. There were groups of them at Bethany (home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus). They had a community at Qumran and at Mount Zion (believed by many to be the place where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper). They used a different calendar than the other groups. Theirs had 364 days and they celebrated the Passover feast always on a Tuesday night. Documents found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran suggest that the Essenes were expecting two Messiahs, a priestly one and a prophet.
The Pharisees were the "separate ones," scrupulous observers of the Law. Their enthusiasm was such that they surrounded the basic laws of the Torah (613 of them) with still other laws in order to safeguard it. As much emphasis was put on oral law as on written. One could scarcely move without infringing on the law in some way or other. They were looking for a Messiah who would bring complete reform, politically and religiously.
Click here to read a full article on this topic.
posted by See Tho Zhang Jacob at
11:31 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home