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Chapter 2Religious Sects In Jesus’ Time

The Sadducees

The Sadducees Mainly made up of the priestly and

aristocratic classes. Chief Priests!

Temple practices and worship were incredibly important, and therefore they centered their activities in Jerusalem.

They also collaborated with the Romans to stay in power.

Theologically conservative, CITY FOLK.

The Sadducees What they didn’t believe in:

Oral Tradition/Oral Interpretation and daily application of the Torah

Resurrection of the dead (Jesus?) Immortality of the soul Angels

They essentially disappeared completely after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD.

The Pharisees

The Pharisees Strict Legalists; the Law was incredibly

important.

From the middle class, they had a lot of influence during Jesus’ time; we believe that Jesus was a rabbi from the Pharisee class.

They held firm to prayer, almsgiving and fasting. COUNTRY FOLK!

Jesus is most critical and has more encounters with this group than any other.

The Pharisees What they also believed in:

The Resurrection of the body Divine judgment by God of the living

and the dead Oral Interpretation of the Law (which

they held to be almost as sacred as the Law itself).

Jesus was generally wrong and they were often in conflict with Him, especially in regards to God’s love and how one is to live their life.

The Essenes

The Essenes An apocalyptic group, they believed that

God would bring forth His Kingdom and His Messiah with a great, even catastrophic, event. DOOMSDAY believers!

We believe that John the Baptist was from the this group.

They lived strict, pure lives. DESERT FOLK!

Like the Sadducees, they too disappeared after the destruction of the Temple

The Essenes They believed that those who taught

in the Temple were corrupt, so they withdrew to Qumran, near the Dead Sea and completely separated themselves from mainstream Jewish society.

They didn’t marry, remained celibate and bath many times a day to try and remain as pure as possible through acts of ritual purification.

The Zealots

The Zealots Began and lead by Judas the

Galilean, the Zealots believed that no foreign power had the right to collect taxes from the Jews, who had been given the Holy Land by God.

Between 66-70 AD, during the time of the First Jewish War against the Romans, the Zealots were armed, organized and wanted to defeat and overthrow the Romans.

Other Groups Tax Collectors: hated by all,

collected taxes for the Romans, and skimmed alittle of the top as well

Common Folk: fishermen, tradesmen, farmers, skilled laborers (Jesus’ contemporaries).

Slaves: wealthy Romans employed many. Had great freedoms

Bottom Feeders Women: considered 2nd class

citizens

Prostitutes, Lepers, Sick, Lame, Blind, Possessed etc.

(ANYONE who was unhealthy in ANY form was considered PUNISHED by GOD)

THE ROMANS Different Classes within the

Roman society BUT….

Better to be Roman of any class than…NOT