scripture studies chapter 16 the world of the new testament

Scripture StudiesScripture StudiesChapter 16Chapter 16

The World of the New TestamentThe World of the New Testament


“The land of Zebulun and the land of Napthali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, . . . ” (Matthew 4:15-16)


This chapter introduces us to the state of the world at the time Jesus chose to enter it

The major religious players at this time were the Pharisees and the Sadducees, both of whom rejected the Samaritans


Each of these three groups believed that they were the true believers

After the triumph of Pompey in 63 BC, the Jewish people were ruled by Herod’s line, who played vassals to the Romans

Generally, it was a time of great abundance and prosperity


The amazing success of the Maccabees revealed the power of God

Once again there was an independent Israel with Jerusalem as its capital


The Temple had been purified and restored, and the worship of the one true God could go on again as it was prescribed in the Law of Moses

The High Priest was also the secular ruler of the people, so once again the state and the church became one


The family line of the Maccabees was continued by Mattathias’ son Simon

Simon ruled until the Romans arrived in 63 BC

John Hyrcanus (ruled 134-104 BC) extended his power into northern Galilee


When John Hyrcanus became High Priest, he decided to take the next step

He would purify the whole country of pagan influences

Everyone in the country had a choice: be circumcised or leave


Being circumcised also meant taking on the whole Law of Moses with all its rules and regulations and rituals and requirements

The whole country was “Judaized” – made Jewish – almost overnight


Hyrcanus also destroyed the temple of the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim

This earned him the undying hatred of the Samaritans

As a military leader, Hyrcanus conquered almost all of the territories that had belonged to the Davidic kingdom


In 106 BC, John Hyrcanus diedAristobulus became High Priest and

proclaimed himself kingIt seemed that the prophecies had

been fulfilledIsrael was united, and a king reigned

in Jerusalem


But Aristobulus was a Levite, and was not a descendant of the line of David

The prophets had promised that the Lord’s Anointed would be from the tribe of Judah and the line of David


Aristobulus ruled for only a yearHis brother Alexander Janneus then

became king and High Priest


But soon Israel became deeply divided between the Pharisees and the Sadducees

There were other minor factions such as the Essenes and the Zealots


Judah was a small province of a huge pagan empire

One faction thought the only way to remain pure was to build a wall around themselves and keep the Gentiles out


The Pharisees were a lay movement that became very influential around this time

They strictly interpreted the Ten Commandments and added 613 other laws and regulations

They were a small group, probably never more than about six thousand


They were called “the separated,” or “Perushim” in Hebrew

This is where we get the word “Pharisee”

The Pharisees thought that the Law alone wasn’t enough


Ordinary Jewish families should imitate the complicated and ritualistic purity of the priests in Jerusalem

More and more customs and oral traditions were legislated

Washing hands before meals is an example


They washed not to get rid of dirt, but to make themselves ritually pure

The Pharisees refused to associate with Gentiles

Even visiting a Gentile’s house made them ritually impure

They emphasized and exaggerated their distinctly Jewish customs


It’s easy to see why they believed what they believed

They knew that Israel’s history showed that associating with pagans had always led to trouble

But the Pharisees made the Law an intolerable burden


More and more, they emphasized the external signs of separation

Some exaggerated the details of Jewish national dress, wearing big phylacteries and conspicuous fringes

They strictly interpreted dietary laws


Yet they were capable of evading the law when it suited them, by inventing interpretations that helped them cheat the poor, or even their own parents

“They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and ly them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men: for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market place, and being called rabbi by men.” (Jesus, in Mt 25:6-7


The Sadducees originated with the priest Zadok, and also became influential around this time

They were priestly and aristocratic, and sought to preserve their privileges against those claimed by the Pharisees


They ran the government and often held the position of High Priest

They were almost the opposite of the Pharisees

The Pharisees believed in the afterlife and the resurrection of the body

The Sadducees did not


The Pharisees believed that pious Jews had to distance themselves from the Gentiles to preserve their faith

The Sadducees deeply invested themselves with the secular or pagan powers to maintain their priestly privileges and worship at the Temple


The Roman General Pompey entered Palestine in 64-63 BC

He settled a dispute in the Hasmonean line for the throne

Israel became part of the Roman Empire


The Herodian family line became the rulers of the Jewish people, as vassals of the Romans

Herod the Great (rules 37-4 BC) was a shrewd politician

By ingratiating himself with Octavian (Emperor Augustus), he became king of Israel


Herod could be a ruthless murderer in order to further his goals

Once he had eliminated his political enemies, he attempted to win the support of the Jews by engaging in a broad construction program


The reconstruction of the Second Temple was one of his chief accomplishments

His construction programs brought great wealth to Israel

But he never succeeded in winning the favor of the Jews


Herod was an Edomite, and the Jews regarded him as only half Jewish

He was also a HellenistHis last years were marked by

intense strife within his family


He repudiated some of his ten wivesHe ordered the execution of some of

his sonsHis last years were marked by

brutalityOnly force or the threat of force kept

the Jewish people in line


All things considered, it would probably not be inaccurate to describe Herod as a brutal psychopath

But the Romans didn’t care how many people he murdered as long as he kept the tribute money flowing


As long as he kept the money flowing to Rome, and the money flowing to the Temple priesthood, he stayed in power

“The Romans did not build a great empire by having meetings. They did it by killing those who opposed them.”


Still, Herod had a talent for building magnificent palaces, fortresses, and other public buildings, and for restoring the Temple in glorious style

Pilgrims came from all over the known world to see it

And they spent money in Jerusalem while they were there


Roman peace, worldwide trade, nd Herod’s extensive building program brought an economic boom like nothing Israel had seen before

It seemed that the prophecies had at last been fulfilled


“Herod the Great” was great not because he was good or admired, but because his reign was so prosperous

When Herod died, the Romans divided his kingdom among his four sons


One of them, Herod Antipas, ruled over Galilee during the time of Jesus

The Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”) established by Caesar Augustus lasted into the fifth century AD

Wars were fought only on the far borders of the empire


Cities had clean water, sewer systems, theaters and public baths

The wealth gathered from the conquest of Egypt was a major contribution


This stability contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity despite intermittent persecutions that began under Nero

Roman religion was not based on faith like Judaism and Christianity


It was based on the idea of “covering all bases” to win the favor of the gods, whoever they might be

Conquered people were usually free to worship their own gods and practice their own religious traditions


By the beginning of the Christian era, many Romans no longer believed in the traditional Roman gods

By the end of Herod’s reign, many Jews were still expecting the Messiah


Others believed that Herod’s Temple represented the fulfillment of the prophecies

Despite occasional infighting and terrorist raids, Herod kept the peace, with Rome’s backing


This was the world into which Jesus was born, in the fullness of time

“But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)


The political state of the world was largely stable

Most of the civilized world was under the power of the great Roman empire

The Pax Romana would last hundreds of years


Caesar Augustus had become sole ruler of most of the known world

Travel was relatively easy with no national borders to cross

Conditions were right for Christianity to spread to the farthest ends of the empire in relative peace


There was one great empire, one currency, one set of laws, no borders to cross

The Roman political situation was stable, but Roman religion had begun to crumble into irrelevance


Roman religious practice was like a business transaction

If you performed the right ceremonies for the right gods, at the right times, with the right words, then you expected that the gods would be happy with you, and everything would go well in your life


Any deeper involvement with the gods would be considered superstition

The Romans even paid tribute to local non-Roman gods

Caesar Augustus even had sacrifices offered for himself in the Temple in Jerusalem


The god of the Jews was just one more god to be appeased

Many philosophers of the time didn’t believe in the traditional gods at all

Some thought there were gods, but that they did not care about human affairs


Some believed in a philosophical, theoretical god as a “first cause”

They came to monotheism through pure reason

But they could never know God without revelation


They helped prepare the way for God’s revelation when it came through Jesus

People were searching for answersHow can I have eternal life?How can I know God?Roman religion had no answers for

these questions


The Diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews) also set the stage for the coming of Christ

Many Jews had not returned to Israel after the conquest

Many expanded to all parts of Alexander’s empire


When Rome took over, the dispersed Jews continued to settle everywhere

There was hardly a town in the Roman empire without a Jewish section

They probably made up about 7% of the population of the Empire


Rome had a significant Jewish population

Alexandria was probably about 25% Jewish

By now, the Hebrew Scriptures had been translated into Greek, the vernacular of the eastern part of the Empire


Synagogues appeared during the exile because the dispersed Jews could no longer go to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship

When the faithful met once a week, their worship service was very much like our Liturgy of the Word


They would hear a couple of readings from the Hebrew Scriptures, and a sermon

They still expected the coming of the Messiah

We keep a similar liturgy, but for us, the Messiah has come


Judaism appealed to many Gentiles in the Roman Empire

Some converts didn’t follow the entire prescription (circumcision, dietary laws, ritual purity laws, etc.)

But they did attach themselves to Jewish communities and study the Scriptures


They were called “Proselytes of the Gate”

They were waiting for the Messiah and expected a share in the kingdom

Some recognized Jesus as the Messiah and were fertile ground for conversion to Christianity


Palestine was a troublesome corner of the Roman Empire

There were rebels who would stage occasional uprisings against the Romans

Sometimes one of them would claim to be the Christ and the Roman army would have to restore order


Some Jews settled in Galilee, in what had been the Northern Kingdom

The Jews in Jerusalem regarded them as peasants

Apparently Jews from Galilee were easily recognized in Jerusalem by their accents


Romans usually left a local king in charge

But of course he had to answer to the Roman governor

When Jesus was born, Herod the Great killed all the male children under two years of age in an attempt to kill Jesus


The Samaritans lived in what had been the Northern Kingdom, between Jerusalem and Galilee

They had intermarried with the Assyrians during the exile

Samaritans and Jews had a long history of antagonism for each other


Samaritans were viewed as foreigner to Jewish worship and practice and were to be ignored or avoided

The Samaritans opposed the rebuilding of the Temple

They opposed Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem


The Samaritans established their own Temple to Yahweh on Mount Gerezim

They supported the Seleucid forces during the Maccabean revolt

They worshipped the one true God, but in a different way from the Jews


They only accept the Torah as scripture

They were regarded as heretics by the Jews

There are still a few hundred Samaritans living in Palestine today


In Jesus’ time, being a Samaritan was worse than being a prostitute or a tax collector, barely human

In choosing to speak to a Samaritan woman, Jesus repudiated one of the strongest stigmas of the day


The Pharisees lived strict, simple livesThey believed that everything happened

according to God’s plan, though man was still free to act virtuously or viciously

They also believed in eternal reward or punishment after death and the resurrection of the body


Pharisees were praised for their virtuous conduct in their actions and their teachings

It is good to get to know Christ by reading the New Testament

The Gospels tell us about Christ’s life in his teachings and actions


The letters expound on Christ’s teaching and relate the early history of the Church

The letters also help in discovering what Christ’s Person and work mean for people today

scripture studies chapter 16 the world of the new testament

Documents

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new testament hyrcanus

new testament aristobulus

new testament judah

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