Provide an overview of one of the various groups within Judaism at the time of Jesus (e.g. Samaritans, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes) and demonstrate how such a knowledge aids the understanding of the Gospels.
The perception of the Pharisees varies between a Jewish sect that influenced society for the better and a hypocritical authority. In this essay I will overview the Pharisees and demonstrate how having knowledge of the Pharisees aids in understanding the Gospels. This will be done through first outlining the origin of the Pharisees, understanding their teachings, seeing the influence they had, and finally examining Jesus’ words on if we are to comply with everything the Pharisees say. Throughout this overview I will explain with each point
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the name ‘Pharisees’ had been implemented. ‘The Pharisees united themselves and became an association that made a duty of the law's meticulous observance. They appear in the time of John Hyrcanus (135-105 B.C.) under the name of ‘Pharisees.’’ Despite the change of government under the Romans and Herodians, the spiritual authority of the Pharisees remained authoritative. At the time the Sadducean high priests were still the head of the Sanhedrin, however, the Pharisees remained the primary influence upon public affairs.
This is important and helps further knowledge of the Gospels because the Pharisees originated with the goal of keeping the Lord's commands and scripture maintained as laws. By doing so, this knowledge provides information of a time where leadership was seen even through a time of captivity.
The teachings of the Pharisees is what defined them in their Jewish sect. They taught strictly from the Torah as they had the authority from God. ‘They saw their role as upholding traditional practices and beliefs, and they resolutely defended worship at the Jerusalem Temple as the action that maintained the covenant between God and Israel.’ At a time where Judaism was at a peak, the Pharisees served as defenders of the worship and taught practices while sharing beliefs with others in the temple. In a time where a requirement for survival was that religious groups must adhere to a source for authenticity, the Pharisees were the leaders in their
The Sadducees were one of the many distinct groups making up the Jewish faith during the first century. Their name is derived from the Greek and Hebrew languages and means the “righteous ones.” This may have been in direct relation to their belief that they were the descendants of Zadok, who was once a high priest during the reigns of King David and King Solomon and the revelation of the prophet Ezekiel advising that only those who were the “sons of Zadok” could approach God and the most do so only in the Temple. Typically wealthy aristocrats, they had supreme control over the priesthood, the Temple and how their followers viewed religion. The Torah and its strict literal interpretation were the central focus of this group as they rejected all other written and oral laws that tried to clarify, question or add to this sacred written work. They shared a special bond with the Roman forces controlling the area and benefited from this alliance allowing the Sadducees to exert their influence over political concerns for the region. They believed that Roman control protected the political ...
The Israelite cult is set apart from other cults in that the people were bound together to worship one God. “The distinctiveness of the Israelite cult is nothing other than the limitation of cultic activity to one particular patron deity” (Anderson, 1987;3). The cult’s foundation of worship centered on those sacrificial gifts and offerings that were given to Yahweh. In addition, the Israelite cults were village centered. In the beginning of the 12th century BC, settlements on the hill country of Judea and Ephraim began to increase in number and density. The farming that took place on these hills allowed Israelites to gain an independent economy from surrounding cult economies (Anderson, 1987;23).
The Pharisees came into existence as a class in the third century BCE. They lived very simple lives and didn't believe in the ideas of luxury. After exile, Israel abandoned the ideas of a monarchical government and the Pharisees created a community of half state, half church. They believed very much in free will and the ability of a man to direct the course of his own life, but at the same time, they believe strongly in divine guidance. For them it was the combination of these two things, which enables a man to choose between good and evil. They believed that these paths of good and evil would be rewarded or punished in the afterlife. Along with this idea of the afterlife came their belief in the eternal soul.
The Sadducees were a very influential group in Judaism, many being priests (Wenham and Walton 40). There was no worry to the Sadducees of losing their position because it was “secure under Roman rule” (Wenham and Walton 41). Their beliefs were different from the Pharisees in that they did not practice oral traditions, that is verbally telling the stories of the Scriptures. Even though they accepted the Old Testament scriptures, they only practiced the beliefs that were in the Pentateuch, which is the first five books from the Old Testament (Murphy 239; Wenham and Walton 42). Another underlying belief the Sadducees had was their disbelief in resurrection as well as they did not believe in fate (Evans 100; Wenham and Walton 42). Furthermore, according to Josephus, the Sadducees “were far more open to the pleasures of life, were harsh in their judgments against those who broke the law…[and] did not believe in heaven or hell” (Evans 105). Thus, the Sadducees were seen as people who did not treat anyone fairly, nor treat each other justly.
Silva, Moisés. Philippians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.
Stanton, Graham. Gospel Truth?: New Light on Jesus and the Gospels. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995. Paperback.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
The study of the Gospel of John can be viewed as distinct and separate from the study of any of the previous three synoptic gospels. The Fourth Gospel contains language and conceptions so distinct from the synoptics that scholars are often faced with the question of its historical origins. Originally, scholars believed the main source for the Gospel of John to be Jewish wisdom literature, Philo, the Hermetic books and the Mandaean writings, leading to the idea that John was the most Greek of the Gospels. However, with the discovery of the scrolls, scholars were now faced with source materials, remarkably similar to the concepts and language found in John, illuminating the literature as not only Jewish but Palestinian in origin. The discovery of the manuscripts opened up an entirely new interpretation of the gospel of John and a progressive understanding of its proper place within biblical scripture.
Baptist Publication Society, 1886). Clarke, Adam; ed. ; pp. 63-63. Clarke's Commentary (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 2003). no date. Criswell, W. A. & Co., W. A. Expository Notes on the Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan).
The book consists of three parts. The first part has five chapters of which focuses on explaining what the key questions are and why we find them difficult to answer. The second part has nine chapters explaining in detail what N.T. Wright considers Jesus’ public career and the approach he had in first century Palestine. The third part of the book, the last chapter, challenges readers to wrestle with the questions of Jesus’ life and ministry.
The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text. Jewish Publications Society of America, 1917. Print.
...pse." In Current Issues in New Testament Interpretation, edited by W. Klaasen and G.F. Snyder, 23-37. New York, NY: Harper and Row, 1962.
The book of Hebrews is a unique portion of the Bible because it is written as though it were a letter, directed at people the writer may have known. However, the book targets a seemingly broad audience of those without faith and also those that could be described as believers that have experienced persecution. A salient message within Hebrews is that people must persevere when they feel persecuted because Jesus Christ is their salvation, regardless of anything else that is happening in the people’s lives. An emphasis on the greatness of Jesus and his role as a mediator between God and those on Earth is dominant throughout the chapters and verses.
However, I feel that the Lord's prayer is essentially a Jewish prayer, exhibiting the form and function of contemporary Jewish prayers. As with many other studies of any writings in the Gospels, it is important to discuss how these traditions have been brought to us, and what, if any modifications were made to the original text. Therefore it would be prudent, for the purpose of this paper to first look at the literary elements of the Lord's Prayer. To illustrate why the Lord's Prayer is essentially a Jewish prayer, we must first define and explore what Jewish prayers were like during the time of Jesus.
God’s goodness and mercy far transcends the comprehension of the most brilliant human mind! He “who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth”(Psalm 113:6).Yet in His infinite love for us He stoops down to reveal Himself to us by a multitude of illustration, types, and shadows, so that we may learn to know him. This paper will describe what is meant by the Kingdom of God; examine the religious philosophy of the various sects of Judaism during the Second Temple period: Pharisee, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots, describe the religious philosophy and political philosophy of each sects, it will also describe how the Messianic expectation differ from the Messianic role that Jesus presented, and include an exegesis of the temptation of Jesus and how other sects defined the Messiah.