Transcript Jewish GROUPS IN Jesus* time

JEWISH GROUPS IN
JESUS’TIME
Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots, Essenes
SADDUCEES
• Mostly upper class
• Had conservative political and
religious views
• Held powerful positions
• Liked things as they were, didn’t
like change
• Kept their distance from the
“common” people
SADDUCEES ON
RELIGION
• Believed that only the Torah (the 1st 5 books
of the Bible) had authority
• If the Torah didn’t have something to say
on an issue, they believed that the rulers
were the best to decide what to do
• Were mainly concerned with the Temple
cult
• Made deals with non-Jewish authorities as
long as rituals and sacrifices were allowed
and left in the control of the priests
IDEAS NOT IN THE TORAH
WERE NOT ACCEPTABLE,
LIKE:
• the resurrection of the body,
• rewards and punishments after
death,
• they did not believe in angels
or demons,
• they did not think about God’s
final plans
PHARISEES
• concerned with keeping the
distinctive character of Judaism
• their work was centered around
the synagogue
• study
• worship
• works of charity
PHARISEES ON THE “LAW”
/ TORAH
• The Torah must be enough for all time and all
situations
• In every situation, the scriptures had to be
interpreted in a way that addressed the situation
• The oral law helped people understand the written
law
• The oral law was an essential partner to the written
law and just as binding
• Keeping both the written and oral law was
necessary for the future of Judaism
PHARISEES TRIED TO SEE EVERYONE AS
EQUAL
• wanted every Israelite to go
through priestly purification
• Every home was a temple
• Every table was an altar
• Every Jew a priest making
an offering to the Lord
IDEAS PHARISEES ACCEPTED
(EVEN THOUGH SADDUCEES
DIDN’T)
• The resurrection of the body
• Angels and demons
• Made the expectation of a
Messiah part of the Jewish
consciousness at the time of
Jesus
• Believed that God was in control
of history
ZEALOTS
• Fought for religious and political
independence
• Saw themselves as the agents of God’s
wrath
• Believed that God would redeem them for
their zeal (enthusiasm) for protecting and
promoting God’s law
• Were strong nationalists, believing that
Jewish independence was part of God’s
plan
• They were ready to fight and trusted that
God would help them.
ESSENES
• Reminded people that the present world
was going to end and that God would
create a new order
• Believed in a final battle between the
forces of light (God) and the forces of dark
(evil)
• Lived by strict discipline to be able to side
with the forces of light
• Rejected the Temple
• Believed that the priesthood was corrupted
by the Greek influences
SCRIBES
• Often called rabbis (teachers) because
they interpreted sacred writings
• Had the power to say whether actions
were lawful or not according to Jewish law
• Many scribes were also Pharisees
• Some were members of the Sanhedrin, the
highest legal authority in the Jewish state