STUDIES IN THE BIBLE – LESSON 30
#2 – THE RELIGIOUS WORLD OF JESUS:
The Rise Of Jewish Religious Sects Was A Post Exilic Reality:
The Sadduccees = The Religious Aristocracy/Elite.
The Sadducees Appear To Rise With The Roman Occupation.
The Sadducees Were Closely Tied With The Temple, (Matt. 21:23).
The High Priestly Line Came From This Sect.
The Sadducees Sat On The Sanhedrin With The Pharisee.
The Sadducees Despised The Pharisees.
This Sect Received Correction From Jesus, (Matt. 22:23,29). The Scribes & Pharisees = The People’s Teachers.
Scribes & Pharisee Are Seen As A Connected Sect, (Matt. 23:1-2).
Scribes Rose During The Babylonian Exile, (Ezra. 7:6).
Scribes Were Students & Legal Interpreters Of Scripture, (Matt. 23:3).
Pharisees Rose With The Synagogue As Its Teachers, (Matt. 23:6).
Pharisees Spent Most Of Their Time Among The People, (Matt. 23:7).
The Pharisees Despised the Sadducees As Sell-Outs.
This Sect Received Harsh Rebuke From Jesus, (Matt. 23:14-15,27,33) The Essenes = The Ascetics.
The Essenes Arose As A Rejection Of The Spirituality Of The Day.
This Sect Practiced Communal Living, Condemning The Temple Practices.
An Essence Lived A Pure, Simple Life, Waiting For Messiah.
Scholars Believe John Baptist Was An Essene, (Matt. 3:1,4).
The Dead Sea Scrolls Are Believed To Be Writings From This Sect. The Zealots = The Political Revolutionaries.
The Zealots Were Insurrectionists, (Matt. 11:12).
Taking Cues From The Maccabees, Zealots Hated Roman Occupation.
Among The Zealots Were The Sicarii-Knife Men Terrorizing Romans.
Barabbas Is Believed To Have Belonged To This Sect, (Mark 15:7).
Jesus Chose A Zealot As One Of His Disciples, (Luke 6:13-15). The Masses = The People Of The Day
The Masses Consisted Of Farmers, Fishermen, Craftsmen, etc.
As In All Societies The Masses Were The Bulk Of The People.
The Gospel Refer To Them As The Multitude, (Matt. 8:1).
Among The Masses Were The Tax Collectors-Publicani.
Jesus Chose A Publicani As One Of His Disciples, (Matt. 9:9).