JEWISH GROUPS IN JESUS’TIMESadducees, 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