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Episode 119 – Perfectly Quiet – The Intertestamental Period 5
Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.
Script:
Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error. “
The Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verses 18 and 26 and 27, New Living Translation
********
VK: Hello. I’m Victoria K. Welcome to another episode of Anchored by Truth. Today we are continuing our look at “The Intertestamental Period” - the 400-plus year period between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. I’m in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder Crystal Sea Books. RD, today we’re going into our 5th episode in this series. Last time we talked a bit about the conflict between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids for the control of Palestine during the intertestamental period. So, to set the stage for today’s discussion how about giving us a bit of a review of what we’ve been discussing.
RD: Hello to all the Anchored by Truth listeners. We really appreciate you taking some time to be with us for this episode. The intertestamental period is probably the period of Biblical history that receives the least attention today. Most people are very familiar with the accounts of Jesus’ birth, life, and resurrection. Most are pretty familiar with some of the most popular episodes from the Old Testament such as Noah and the ark, Daniel in the lions’ den, or Elijah battling the prophets on Mt. Carmel. But even people who are regular Bible readers often pay little attention to the hundreds of years that elapsed between Malachi and Matthew. But we should because there were a great number of events that occurred during that period that are very important to us having a well-developed understanding of both the Old and New Testaments. And those events include the protracted conflict between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids that occurred between around 300 B.C. and 160 B. C.
VK: And, as a refresher Ptolemy and Seleucus had both been generals in Alexander the Great’s army. After Alexander’s death his empire was carved into four territories. Ptolemy became the king of the Egyptian portion and Seleucus became the king of the Syrian portion. Israel, obviously, was between those two. So, when conflicts occurred between these two dynasties – which was pretty much all the time – Israel was always caught in the conflict. One of the most important prophetic chapters in the Old Testament has got to be chapter 11 of the book of Daniel. The entire chapter is devoted to the conflict between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids. It’s so detailed that it could almost read like a historical report of the conflict but it was written over 200 years before the first events of the struggle.
RD: Right. And that’s a very good reason for looking at the intertestamental period. In the intertestamental period we see the fulfillment of a large number of prophecies contained in the Old Testament such as those in Daniel, chapter 11. See those prophecies fulfilled in such fine granularity cannot do anything but enhance our confidence in the Bible. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the strongest lines of evidence of the Bible’s supernatural inspiration. But beyond just seeing the prophetic fulfillment that occurred during the intertestamental period we also see the foundation for many of the events that we read about in the New Testament. For instance, there is no mention of the Sadducees or Pharisees at all in the Old Testament. But both groups were prominent in Israel in the first century A.D.
VK: And since our contemporary calendar is dated according to Jesus’ life this is the period during which Jesus lived and performed his earthly ministry. Jesus frequently encountered both the Sadducees and the Pharisees during that ministry – though unfortunately most references to them are not positive ones.
RD: Unfortunately, they are not. At any rate, both the Sadducees and Pharisees arose sometime during the intertestamental period though scholars are not exactly sure when. But it can be helpful to our understanding of Israel during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry to try to understand some of the forces that gave rise to them.
VK: So, what is some of the thinking behind what gave rise to these two groups and why they became so prominent?
RD: Well, as we have already mentioned after Alexander the Great died his empire was divided among four of his generals. Initially Palestine came under the rule of Ptolemy who also ruled Egypt. Under Ptolemy the Jews seemed to have retained a large measure of self-rule and were able to have their own high priest. Traditionally, the high priest had just a religious function but in the absence of a Jewish king the high priest also became a major source of political influence. Under the Ptolemies the Jews also flourished in Egypt and as we’ve noted the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint was eventually produced by the Jewish colony in Alexandria. The Ptolemies controlled Palestine from about 300 B.C. to 198 B.C.
VK: But in 198 B.C. the Seleucids were finally able to get control of Palestine. There had been frequent conflicts between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids but this was the first time the Seleucids actually were able to directly rule Palestine. The Seleucid rulers normally went by the title of Antiochus. In 175 B.C. Antiochus IV (the 4th) came to power. This turned out to be a very bad thing for the Jews.
RD: Correct. Antiochus IV also was known as Antiochus Epiphanes (god manifest). Well, Antiochus Epiphanes began to feel pressure from the Romans who were already beginning their expansion to the east. Macedonia, which is the northern part of the Greek peninsula actually fell to Rome in 146 B.C. but even before that Rome’s expanding territorial ambitions were becoming obvious. Antiochus Epiphanes saw this so in an attempt to strengthen his control Antiochus stepped up the process of Hellenizing his empire.
VK: Hellenization referred to the process of importing the Greek language and culture into the territories Alexander had conquered. It had always occurred at some pace within the territories the Greeks controlled but not at the same rate everywhere. Evidently, Antiochus felt that if his empire were thoroughly Hellenized the people would be more resistant to the Romans. So, part of what Epiphanes did was to try to get the Jews to change their culture and even give up their religion. This produced a terrible period of persecution for the Jews. Not unpredictably it spawned a revolt.
RD: Right. In 167 B.C. Antiochus set up a statue of Zeus in the temple and slaughtered pigs as a sacrifice to it. Many of the Jews thought that this event was what the prophet Daniel had referred to when he spoke of the “abomination of desolation.” It’s hard to imagine doing anything that would inflame faithful Jews more. Right after this desecration the Maccabean Revolt broke out. The revolt was led by Judas Maccabeus or Judas the “Hammer.”
VK: And the revolt was successful. In 164 B.C. the Jews were able to regain control of Jerusalem and they cleansed the temple. This event is still celebrated among the Jews as Hannukah. All this history was recorded and is part of the book known as 1 (first) Maccabees.
RD: And the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees are part of the group of books known as the Apocrypha which we talked about in the first episode of this series. The Apocrypha are thought by Roman Catholics and the Orthodox branches of Christianity to be part of a second canon or “deuterocanonical.”
VK: So, after the Ptolemies lost control of Palestine there was a lot going on during the next 4 decades. How did all this lead to the formation of the Sadducees and Pharisees?
RD: Let’s remember that both the Ptolemies and the Seleucids were Greek. They may have been fighting for control of territory but they were both part of the original Greek empire. So, Hellenization was present under both. It’s just that Antiochus Epiphanes had taken it to a whole new level. Well, after the Jews regained their religious freedom they also wanted political freedom. It took another 2 decades but in 142 B.C. the Jews finally regained their independence.
VK: And this is hard for us to grasp but when the Jews regained their independence it was the first time in over 400 years. The first Babylonian deportation of the Jews to Babylon had taken place around 600 B.C. Even after the Jews returned to Palestine around 70 years later they still weren’t independent. They were just a vassal state of the Persian Empire and then part of the Greek Empire. That must have been an amazing period for the Jews – to finally have their freedom after over 450 years of foreign rule.
RD: Undoubtedly. But of course even at that point the Jews had been subject to Greek influence for over 150 years. So, the process of Hellenization had been going on a long time. And as with any large cultural movement some Jews had welcomed the changes the Greeks had brought with them. But many did not. Even after the Jews under the Maccabeans gained their political independence they did not return to their traditional priestly line of governance. Instead, the Maccabees founded the Hasmonean Dynasty – named for one of their ancestors, Hashmon – and continued their control of the country. This was fine with some Jews but not with others. The Hasmonean rulers dominated the priesthood, even though they weren’t from the priestly line of Aaron, and continued to adopt Greek ways of life.
VK: And the Sadducees appear to have been a group that supported them in this plan. The Sadducees were an aristocratic group that seemed to have prized political stability above everything else. I suppose we could think of them as being the “establishment” of their day?
RD: Yes. Religiously, the Sadducees only recognized the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, as being canonical. They saw the rest of the books of the Old Testament as having lesser authority. This is one of the reasons they rejected the doctrine of the resurrection which Jesus confronted them about.
VK: We heard that in our opening scripture today from Mark, chapter 12. There’s a parallel account of the same confrontation in Matthew, chapter 22, verses 22 through 33. So, it’s fair to say that the Sadducees had embraced the process of Hellenization far more than some other groups within Israel at the time.
RD: Yes.
VK: Then where do the Pharisees fit in?
RD: The Pharisees seemed to have arisen as one of the groups that opposed the loss of the traditional Jewish culture and laws. They were not primarily a political group but they seemed to have begun to function as a cultural, religious, and political counterweight to the Sadducees and the Hellenizing intentions of the Hasmoneans. The Pharisees did accept the entire body of scripture we call the Old Testament so the Pharisees did accept the doctrine of resurrection and life after death.
VK: And the Apostle Paul was a Pharisee. He famously invoked this religious difference when he was arrested in Jerusalem in Acts, chapter 23. This was a bit of clever lawyering on Paul’s part wasn’t it.
RD: Yes. Paul’s trial before the Sanhedrin was around 60 A.D. So, it was about 200 years later than the events we’ve been describing. As we mentioned, we’re not sure exactly when the Sadducees and Pharisees formed as identifiable groups but they are first mentioned by the historian Josephus in connection with a Hasmonean ruler named John Hyrcanus I who ruled from 134 to 104 B.C.
VK: So, sometime between the latter part of the 2nd century B.C. and the opening of the New Testament period the Sadducees and the Pharisees had become so well established and prominent that together they became the ruling group within Israel. Both groups had longevity. They persisted for well over 150 years. And we know that both groups had influence and power in Jesus’ day.
RD: Yes. While we don’t know the exact origin of either group we do know that both groups have their roots in the intertestamental period and I think we can see how the Greek control of Palestine was a significant factor in shaping the Israel in which Jesus appeared.
VK: What are you thinking about?
RD: The Roman general Pompey occupied Jerusalem in 63 B.C.
VK: Which put an end to the Jews’ independence. So, they were independent for less than 100 years?
RD: Yes. So, let’s think about this. Between 300 B.C. and 142 B.C. the Jews were subject to Greek rule by either the Ptolemies or the Seleucids. And even after they became politically independent there were still factions within Israel that had supported the increasing Hellenization of their culture. The Greeks actively sought to transmit and spread their ideas. The Greeks were replaced by the Romans but the Romans did not make a corresponding effort to change the cultures, languages, or religious practices of the people they conquered.
VK: The Romans were a very practical people. They were interested in stability within their far flung empire. They wanted control over economies, taxes, the military, and what we might term “infrastructure.” But the Romans didn’t have any particular interest in the religions or worship practices of their subject provinces provided those practices didn’t disrupt the Roman governance or the peace and stability of their empire. In fact the Romans afforded the Jews a fair amount of self-rule even during Jesus’ day didn’t they? The Jews had their own ruling council comprised of the Sadducees and Pharisees. The high council was permitted to make judgments about civil and criminal matters, although only the Romans could pronounce a death sentence. The Jews selected their own high priest. They were permitted to regulate the activities of the temples and synagogues. And even some of the high ranking Jews became friends with very senior Romans including members of Caesar’s family.
RD: Right. As you mentioned, the Romans were very practical and this made them very capable builders and administrators. While it’s painting with a very broad brush you might say that Romans were builders while the Greeks had been thinkers. Alexander took an entire contingent of Greek scientists and philosophers along with his Army. The Greeks not only sought knowledge but they actively spread their knowledge and culture. During Jesus’ time, even after the Roman Empire had displaced the Greek Empire, Greek was the most common language used in international commerce and affairs. Even today the names of Greek philosophers are household names. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are still well known in our day and time.
VK: So, there are Greek philosophers that are well known in our day and time - but there are still Roman public facilities in use in our day and time. Aqueducts and roads built by the Romans have survived and some are still functioning after 2,000 years. The Romans were masters at construction including pouring and curing concrete under water to build very sophisticated ports and harbors. Naturally, the Roman military prowess is legendary because they were masters of metallurgy and military design. So, what you’re saying is that the differences in these two empires was significant in God’s preparation of the world for the arrival of Jesus.
RD: Exactly. While we’ll talk more about this in a future episode the Romans made it safe for the first evangelists to travel throughout the Roman Empire and spread the gospel. But the Greeks had made it possible for the evangelists to speak with the people wherever they went.
VK: But you are also saying that the impact of the Greek and Roman Empires on the preparation for Jesus’ arrival wasn’t just limited to the world outside Palestine. There were also impacts within Palestine. This was especially true of the Greeks whose had been present in Palestine in one form or another for 300 years. And part of that impact was reflected in the presence and differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees.
RD: Yes. The Sadducees seem to have followed the Hasmonean practice of embracing the Hellenization that had been brought to Israel. The Pharisees did not. In fact, the Pharisees seem to have actively resisted attempts to change their culture. This meant that the Sanhedrin, the Jews’ ruling council at the time of Jesus was split religiously and philosophically. The one thing they did agree on, though, was on a desire to maintain their own power and influence.
VK: Well just about anyone who has read the Gospels or listened to a sermon on Jesus’ life has heard about the Sadducees and Pharisees. But what are you thinking about when you talk about their presence being important insofar as the arrival of Jesus in the world is concerned.
RD: As you said just anyone who has ever read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John – or heard a sermon about them – has heard of the Sadducees and Pharisees. Part of the reason we’ve all heard about them is because it was often encounters between Jesus and a Sadducee or Pharisee that provided us with some of the clearest statements we have on major issues that pertain to salvation.
VK: Such as?
RD: Let’s look at the encounter we heard about in our opening scripture. This same encounter is described in Matthew and Mark. A group of the Sadducees were trying to trip Jesus up by asking, what was to them, a standard question they used in their debates with the Pharisees about whether there would be a physical resurrection. Remember the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection but the Pharisees did. So the Sadducees posed the famous married-to-seven-different-brothers question.
VK: Let’s listen to the question from Matthew, chapter 22, verses 25 through 28. The Sadducees said, “Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.”
RD: Right. The basis for the question was the Levirate requirement for a younger brother to marry the widow of an older brother. Then the first son of that union would be reckoned as the son of the older brother. At any rate, it was a trick question.
VK: Like the philosophy professor who asks the Christian student “If God is all powerful can God make a rock so big God can’t lift it?”
RD: Exactly like that. It was a trick question but of course it couldn’t trick Jesus. Jesus quickly pointed out that even the part of the Old Testament that the Sadducees did accept, the Pentateuch, stated clearly that there was life after death. Jesus quoted from Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. That encounter is described in Exodus, the 2nd book of the Bible. Jesus pointed out that God had used the present tense when he was speaking with Moses indicating clearly that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive with God even though all 3 had died physically decades before the encounter. So, we can see from this exchange with the Sadducees that Jesus often used his contact with either the Sadducees or Pharisees, or both, to clarify much of the confusion that existed at that time about major issues that pertained to faith and salvation.
VK: So, you’re saying that the presence of the Sadducees and Pharisees in Israel during Jesus’ lifetime was actually helpful in Jesus getting out His message. The Sadducees and Pharisees were the leaders of society in their day. People listened to them just as they listen to various kinds of leaders and celebrities in our day. People would follow what the Sadducees and Pharisees said and did. And people would have been particularly interested if anyone confronted them. So, when Jesus had a debate or exchange with one the report would spread far more widely and quickly than it would otherwise. And, of course, we need to know something about the intertestamental period to know why that was true. If we don’t know anything about the intertestamental period the Sadducees and Pharisees appear in the Bible just like Dorothy dropping in from Kansas.
RD: I like that visual. Next time we’ll take a little more about how some of Jesus’ exchanges with the Sadducees and Pharisees produced some of the clearest and most important teaching we have in the Bible. This is particularly important because so many of the things we learn pertain directly to our salvation and eternal life. Just as we heard in the scripture today Jesus Himself has affirmed that the resurrection is real. And since all things were made for Him and through Him when it comes to knowing how things work He is the most trustworthy voice possible. Now, I’m not saying that God or Jesus couldn’t have made these important revelations if the Sadducees and Pharisees didn’t exist. But I am saying that God chose to use the Sadducees and Pharisees as part of His plan of revelation. As such I think we need to take some time and understand how their arrival on the scene is part of the grand saga of redemption.
VK: Amen. This sounds like a great time for a prayer. Jesus’ ministry while He was on this earth was all about saving those who are lost spiritually. The need for doing that continues today. So, today let’s listen to a prayer for the spiritually lost – knowing that God has promised that as we diligently and faithfully present our petitions He will respond with grace and mercy:
---- PRAYER FOR THE SPIRITUALLY LOST (JERRY).
We hope you’ll be with us next time and we hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show.
If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!”
(Bible Quote from the New International Version)
Daniel, chapter 8, verses 5 through 8 and 20 and 21, New International Version
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By R.D.Fierro
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DESCRIPTION
Episode 119 – Perfectly Quiet – The Intertestamental Period 5
Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.
Script:
Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error. “
The Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verses 18 and 26 and 27, New Living Translation
********
VK: Hello. I’m Victoria K. Welcome to another episode of Anchored by Truth. Today we are continuing our look at “The Intertestamental Period” - the 400-plus year period between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. I’m in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder Crystal Sea Books. RD, today we’re going into our 5th episode in this series. Last time we talked a bit about the conflict between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids for the control of Palestine during the intertestamental period. So, to set the stage for today’s discussion how about giving us a bit of a review of what we’ve been discussing.
RD: Hello to all the Anchored by Truth listeners. We really appreciate you taking some time to be with us for this episode. The intertestamental period is probably the period of Biblical history that receives the least attention today. Most people are very familiar with the accounts of Jesus’ birth, life, and resurrection. Most are pretty familiar with some of the most popular episodes from the Old Testament such as Noah and the ark, Daniel in the lions’ den, or Elijah battling the prophets on Mt. Carmel. But even people who are regular Bible readers often pay little attention to the hundreds of years that elapsed between Malachi and Matthew. But we should because there were a great number of events that occurred during that period that are very important to us having a well-developed understanding of both the Old and New Testaments. And those events include the protracted conflict between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids that occurred between around 300 B.C. and 160 B. C.
VK: And, as a refresher Ptolemy and Seleucus had both been generals in Alexander the Great’s army. After Alexander’s death his empire was carved into four territories. Ptolemy became the king of the Egyptian portion and Seleucus became the king of the Syrian portion. Israel, obviously, was between those two. So, when conflicts occurred between these two dynasties – which was pretty much all the time – Israel was always caught in the conflict. One of the most important prophetic chapters in the Old Testament has got to be chapter 11 of the book of Daniel. The entire chapter is devoted to the conflict between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids. It’s so detailed that it could almost read like a historical report of the conflict but it was written over 200 years before the first events of the struggle.
RD: Right. And that’s a very good reason for looking at the intertestamental period. In the intertestamental period we see the fulfillment of a large number of prophecies contained in the Old Testament such as those in Daniel, chapter 11. See those prophecies fulfilled in such fine granularity cannot do anything but enhance our confidence in the Bible. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the strongest lines of evidence of the Bible’s supernatural inspiration. But beyond just seeing the prophetic fulfillment that occurred during the intertestamental period we also see the foundation for many of the events that we read about in the New Testament. For instance, there is no mention of the Sadducees or Pharisees at all in the Old Testament. But both groups were prominent in Israel in the first century A.D.
VK: And since our contemporary calendar is dated according to Jesus’ life this is the period during which Jesus lived and performed his earthly ministry. Jesus frequently encountered both the Sadducees and the Pharisees during that ministry – though unfortunately most references to them are not positive ones.
RD: Unfortunately, they are not. At any rate, both the Sadducees and Pharisees arose sometime during the intertestamental period though scholars are not exactly sure when. But it can be helpful to our understanding of Israel during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry to try to understand some of the forces that gave rise to them.
VK: So, what is some of the thinking behind what gave rise to these two groups and why they became so prominent?
RD: Well, as we have already mentioned after Alexander the Great died his empire was divided among four of his generals. Initially Palestine came under the rule of Ptolemy who also ruled Egypt. Under Ptolemy the Jews seemed to have retained a large measure of self-rule and were able to have their own high priest. Traditionally, the high priest had just a religious function but in the absence of a Jewish king the high priest also became a major source of political influence. Under the Ptolemies the Jews also flourished in Egypt and as we’ve noted the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint was eventually produced by the Jewish colony in Alexandria. The Ptolemies controlled Palestine from about 300 B.C. to 198 B.C.
VK: But in 198 B.C. the Seleucids were finally able to get control of Palestine. There had been frequent conflicts between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids but this was the first time the Seleucids actually were able to directly rule Palestine. The Seleucid rulers normally went by the title of Antiochus. In 175 B.C. Antiochus IV (the 4th) came to power. This turned out to be a very bad thing for the Jews.
RD: Correct. Antiochus IV also was known as Antiochus Epiphanes (god manifest). Well, Antiochus Epiphanes began to feel pressure from the Romans who were already beginning their expansion to the east. Macedonia, which is the northern part of the Greek peninsula actually fell to Rome in 146 B.C. but even before that Rome’s expanding territorial ambitions were becoming obvious. Antiochus Epiphanes saw this so in an attempt to strengthen his control Antiochus stepped up the process of Hellenizing his empire.
VK: Hellenization referred to the process of importing the Greek language and culture into the territories Alexander had conquered. It had always occurred at some pace within the territories the Greeks controlled but not at the same rate everywhere. Evidently, Antiochus felt that if his empire were thoroughly Hellenized the people would be more resistant to the Romans. So, part of what Epiphanes did was to try to get the Jews to change their culture and even give up their religion. This produced a terrible period of persecution for the Jews. Not unpredictably it spawned a revolt.
RD: Right. In 167 B.C. Antiochus set up a statue of Zeus in the temple and slaughtered pigs as a sacrifice to it. Many of the Jews thought that this event was what the prophet Daniel had referred to when he spoke of the “abomination of desolation.” It’s hard to imagine doing anything that would inflame faithful Jews more. Right after this desecration the Maccabean Revolt broke out. The revolt was led by Judas Maccabeus or Judas the “Hammer.”
VK: And the revolt was successful. In 164 B.C. the Jews were able to regain control of Jerusalem and they cleansed the temple. This event is still celebrated among the Jews as Hannukah. All this history was recorded and is part of the book known as 1 (first) Maccabees.
RD: And the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees are part of the group of books known as the Apocrypha which we talked about in the first episode of this series. The Apocrypha are thought by Roman Catholics and the Orthodox branches of Christianity to be part of a second canon or “deuterocanonical.”
VK: So, after the Ptolemies lost control of Palestine there was a lot going on during the next 4 decades. How did all this lead to the formation of the Sadducees and Pharisees?
RD: Let’s remember that both the Ptolemies and the Seleucids were Greek. They may have been fighting for control of territory but they were both part of the original Greek empire. So, Hellenization was present under both. It’s just that Antiochus Epiphanes had taken it to a whole new level. Well, after the Jews regained their religious freedom they also wanted political freedom. It took another 2 decades but in 142 B.C. the Jews finally regained their independence.
VK: And this is hard for us to grasp but when the Jews regained their independence it was the first time in over 400 years. The first Babylonian deportation of the Jews to Babylon had taken place around 600 B.C. Even after the Jews returned to Palestine around 70 years later they still weren’t independent. They were just a vassal state of the Persian Empire and then part of the Greek Empire. That must have been an amazing period for the Jews – to finally have their freedom after over 450 years of foreign rule.
RD: Undoubtedly. But of course even at that point the Jews had been subject to Greek influence for over 150 years. So, the process of Hellenization had been going on a long time. And as with any large cultural movement some Jews had welcomed the changes the Greeks had brought with them. But many did not. Even after the Jews under the Maccabeans gained their political independence they did not return to their traditional priestly line of governance. Instead, the Maccabees founded the Hasmonean Dynasty – named for one of their ancestors, Hashmon – and continued their control of the country. This was fine with some Jews but not with others. The Hasmonean rulers dominated the priesthood, even though they weren’t from the priestly line of Aaron, and continued to adopt Greek ways of life.
VK: And the Sadducees appear to have been a group that supported them in this plan. The Sadducees were an aristocratic group that seemed to have prized political stability above everything else. I suppose we could think of them as being the “establishment” of their day?
RD: Yes. Religiously, the Sadducees only recognized the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, as being canonical. They saw the rest of the books of the Old Testament as having lesser authority. This is one of the reasons they rejected the doctrine of the resurrection which Jesus confronted them about.
VK: We heard that in our opening scripture today from Mark, chapter 12. There’s a parallel account of the same confrontation in Matthew, chapter 22, verses 22 through 33. So, it’s fair to say that the Sadducees had embraced the process of Hellenization far more than some other groups within Israel at the time.
RD: Yes.
VK: Then where do the Pharisees fit in?
RD: The Pharisees seemed to have arisen as one of the groups that opposed the loss of the traditional Jewish culture and laws. They were not primarily a political group but they seemed to have begun to function as a cultural, religious, and political counterweight to the Sadducees and the Hellenizing intentions of the Hasmoneans. The Pharisees did accept the entire body of scripture we call the Old Testament so the Pharisees did accept the doctrine of resurrection and life after death.
VK: And the Apostle Paul was a Pharisee. He famously invoked this religious difference when he was arrested in Jerusalem in Acts, chapter 23. This was a bit of clever lawyering on Paul’s part wasn’t it.
RD: Yes. Paul’s trial before the Sanhedrin was around 60 A.D. So, it was about 200 years later than the events we’ve been describing. As we mentioned, we’re not sure exactly when the Sadducees and Pharisees formed as identifiable groups but they are first mentioned by the historian Josephus in connection with a Hasmonean ruler named John Hyrcanus I who ruled from 134 to 104 B.C.
VK: So, sometime between the latter part of the 2nd century B.C. and the opening of the New Testament period the Sadducees and the Pharisees had become so well established and prominent that together they became the ruling group within Israel. Both groups had longevity. They persisted for well over 150 years. And we know that both groups had influence and power in Jesus’ day.
RD: Yes. While we don’t know the exact origin of either group we do know that both groups have their roots in the intertestamental period and I think we can see how the Greek control of Palestine was a significant factor in shaping the Israel in which Jesus appeared.
VK: What are you thinking about?
RD: The Roman general Pompey occupied Jerusalem in 63 B.C.
VK: Which put an end to the Jews’ independence. So, they were independent for less than 100 years?
RD: Yes. So, let’s think about this. Between 300 B.C. and 142 B.C. the Jews were subject to Greek rule by either the Ptolemies or the Seleucids. And even after they became politically independent there were still factions within Israel that had supported the increasing Hellenization of their culture. The Greeks actively sought to transmit and spread their ideas. The Greeks were replaced by the Romans but the Romans did not make a corresponding effort to change the cultures, languages, or religious practices of the people they conquered.
VK: The Romans were a very practical people. They were interested in stability within their far flung empire. They wanted control over economies, taxes, the military, and what we might term “infrastructure.” But the Romans didn’t have any particular interest in the religions or worship practices of their subject provinces provided those practices didn’t disrupt the Roman governance or the peace and stability of their empire. In fact the Romans afforded the Jews a fair amount of self-rule even during Jesus’ day didn’t they? The Jews had their own ruling council comprised of the Sadducees and Pharisees. The high council was permitted to make judgments about civil and criminal matters, although only the Romans could pronounce a death sentence. The Jews selected their own high priest. They were permitted to regulate the activities of the temples and synagogues. And even some of the high ranking Jews became friends with very senior Romans including members of Caesar’s family.
RD: Right. As you mentioned, the Romans were very practical and this made them very capable builders and administrators. While it’s painting with a very broad brush you might say that Romans were builders while the Greeks had been thinkers. Alexander took an entire contingent of Greek scientists and philosophers along with his Army. The Greeks not only sought knowledge but they actively spread their knowledge and culture. During Jesus’ time, even after the Roman Empire had displaced the Greek Empire, Greek was the most common language used in international commerce and affairs. Even today the names of Greek philosophers are household names. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are still well known in our day and time.
VK: So, there are Greek philosophers that are well known in our day and time - but there are still Roman public facilities in use in our day and time. Aqueducts and roads built by the Romans have survived and some are still functioning after 2,000 years. The Romans were masters at construction including pouring and curing concrete under water to build very sophisticated ports and harbors. Naturally, the Roman military prowess is legendary because they were masters of metallurgy and military design. So, what you’re saying is that the differences in these two empires was significant in God’s preparation of the world for the arrival of Jesus.
RD: Exactly. While we’ll talk more about this in a future episode the Romans made it safe for the first evangelists to travel throughout the Roman Empire and spread the gospel. But the Greeks had made it possible for the evangelists to speak with the people wherever they went.
VK: But you are also saying that the impact of the Greek and Roman Empires on the preparation for Jesus’ arrival wasn’t just limited to the world outside Palestine. There were also impacts within Palestine. This was especially true of the Greeks whose had been present in Palestine in one form or another for 300 years. And part of that impact was reflected in the presence and differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees.
RD: Yes. The Sadducees seem to have followed the Hasmonean practice of embracing the Hellenization that had been brought to Israel. The Pharisees did not. In fact, the Pharisees seem to have actively resisted attempts to change their culture. This meant that the Sanhedrin, the Jews’ ruling council at the time of Jesus was split religiously and philosophically. The one thing they did agree on, though, was on a desire to maintain their own power and influence.
VK: Well just about anyone who has read the Gospels or listened to a sermon on Jesus’ life has heard about the Sadducees and Pharisees. But what are you thinking about when you talk about their presence being important insofar as the arrival of Jesus in the world is concerned.
RD: As you said just anyone who has ever read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John – or heard a sermon about them – has heard of the Sadducees and Pharisees. Part of the reason we’ve all heard about them is because it was often encounters between Jesus and a Sadducee or Pharisee that provided us with some of the clearest statements we have on major issues that pertain to salvation.
VK: Such as?
RD: Let’s look at the encounter we heard about in our opening scripture. This same encounter is described in Matthew and Mark. A group of the Sadducees were trying to trip Jesus up by asking, what was to them, a standard question they used in their debates with the Pharisees about whether there would be a physical resurrection. Remember the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection but the Pharisees did. So the Sadducees posed the famous married-to-seven-different-brothers question.
VK: Let’s listen to the question from Matthew, chapter 22, verses 25 through 28. The Sadducees said, “Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.”
RD: Right. The basis for the question was the Levirate requirement for a younger brother to marry the widow of an older brother. Then the first son of that union would be reckoned as the son of the older brother. At any rate, it was a trick question.
VK: Like the philosophy professor who asks the Christian student “If God is all powerful can God make a rock so big God can’t lift it?”
RD: Exactly like that. It was a trick question but of course it couldn’t trick Jesus. Jesus quickly pointed out that even the part of the Old Testament that the Sadducees did accept, the Pentateuch, stated clearly that there was life after death. Jesus quoted from Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. That encounter is described in Exodus, the 2nd book of the Bible. Jesus pointed out that God had used the present tense when he was speaking with Moses indicating clearly that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive with God even though all 3 had died physically decades before the encounter. So, we can see from this exchange with the Sadducees that Jesus often used his contact with either the Sadducees or Pharisees, or both, to clarify much of the confusion that existed at that time about major issues that pertained to faith and salvation.
VK: So, you’re saying that the presence of the Sadducees and Pharisees in Israel during Jesus’ lifetime was actually helpful in Jesus getting out His message. The Sadducees and Pharisees were the leaders of society in their day. People listened to them just as they listen to various kinds of leaders and celebrities in our day. People would follow what the Sadducees and Pharisees said and did. And people would have been particularly interested if anyone confronted them. So, when Jesus had a debate or exchange with one the report would spread far more widely and quickly than it would otherwise. And, of course, we need to know something about the intertestamental period to know why that was true. If we don’t know anything about the intertestamental period the Sadducees and Pharisees appear in the Bible just like Dorothy dropping in from Kansas.
RD: I like that visual. Next time we’ll take a little more about how some of Jesus’ exchanges with the Sadducees and Pharisees produced some of the clearest and most important teaching we have in the Bible. This is particularly important because so many of the things we learn pertain directly to our salvation and eternal life. Just as we heard in the scripture today Jesus Himself has affirmed that the resurrection is real. And since all things were made for Him and through Him when it comes to knowing how things work He is the most trustworthy voice possible. Now, I’m not saying that God or Jesus couldn’t have made these important revelations if the Sadducees and Pharisees didn’t exist. But I am saying that God chose to use the Sadducees and Pharisees as part of His plan of revelation. As such I think we need to take some time and understand how their arrival on the scene is part of the grand saga of redemption.
VK: Amen. This sounds like a great time for a prayer. Jesus’ ministry while He was on this earth was all about saving those who are lost spiritually. The need for doing that continues today. So, today let’s listen to a prayer for the spiritually lost – knowing that God has promised that as we diligently and faithfully present our petitions He will respond with grace and mercy:
---- PRAYER FOR THE SPIRITUALLY LOST (JERRY).
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(Bible Quote from the New International Version)
Daniel, chapter 8, verses 5 through 8 and 20 and 21, New International Version