Judaism in the time of Jesus

1. JUDAISM IN THE TIME OF
JESUS

5.  The religious situation in Palestine
Jews
 The Qumran Community
 The Jewish Diaspora

6. THE RELIGIOUS SITUATION IN
PALESTINE JEWS

7. The religious situation in
Palestine Jews
 Palestine, the land in which Christianity first
appeared, has long been a land of strife and
suffering. In ancient times, this was due
mostly to it’s geographical position, at the
crossroads of the great trades routes that
joined Egypt with Mesopotamia, and Asia
Minor with Arabia. As we read the Old
Testament, we see that, as empires came
and went, they cast covetous eye on that
narrow strip of land; for this reason, it’s
inhabitants repeatedly suffered
invasion, bondage, and exile.

8.  Twenty centuries ago in Palestine there lived
people of differing races and religions; all differed
in ways of understanding of living.
THE ROMANS
The Romans were the conquerors who had
invaded and occupied Palestine. Palestine and
nearly all the countries of the Middle East fell
under Roman rule. The Romans were considered
heathens, worshipping the Greek Olympian Gods
and Goddesses to whom they gave Latin names.
Their languages were Latin and Greek.

9.  Among the Romans living in Palestine two
thousand years ago were: The Governor and his
family; the officers and employees of the Roman
government and their families; the
soldiers, spearmen, archers, and swordsmen
and their families; Roman commercial traders; as
well as Romans who for various reasons chose
to live there.
Caesar recognized an Israelite King under his
orders and authority and the Israelite
Sanhedrin, the highest Israelite religious
authority, headed by the Chief High Priest with an
executive body of Pharisees, Scribes and others
appointed by the Chief High Priest.

10.  Although the Romans considered the Mosaic
Law to be barbarous, cruel and inhuman, the
Sanhedrin was authorized to apply that law to the
non-Roman citizens: Israelites and Essenes. The
Sanhedrin cruelly executed many Israelites and
Essenes by such savage means as stoning and
crucifixion.
The Roman Governor, by order of
Caesar, cunningly offered to the Israelites and
the Essenes Roman citizenship, which would
have released them from the authority of the
insane King of the Israelites, Herod, and of the
Sanhedrin. Some prosperous Israelites accepted
this offer.

11.  THE ISRAELITES
The Israelites were the majority of the population
grouped as Judeans, Galileans, Samaritans, and
others. They were very often hostile to one
another. Their languages were Hebrew and
Aramaic and, for some, Greek. They worshipped
the God of Moses, the one God of the Heavens
and of the Earth. But their God was cruel and
jealous, visiting the iniquities of the fathers on the
children to the third and fourth generation. Their
God was vengeful, with many human vices.
The Israelites had long expected the coming of
the Messiah—the Son of God—the Savior of the
world and liberator of Palestine.

12.  THE ESSENES
The Essenes of Palestine were Greco-Israelites, and
were sometimes called Nazarenes. Their mother
tongues were Greek and Aramaic. Like their brother
Israelites, the Essenes expected the coming of the
Messiah, but they believed He would be born into
Palestine into an Essene community.
They were peace-loving people, worshipping the One
Spirit God, the God of the Heavens and of the Earth;
the God of Everlasting Life and Love; God
Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent. In the
minds and hearts of the Essenes was enthroned that
Spirit God, Father of all human beings, a God of Love
and Mercy whom they called Aton-ai.

13.  Two centuries after the Exodus from Egypt of the
Egyptian-Israelites slaves led by Moses, the Pharaoh
Amenophis IV, as Akhen-aton, denounced the false God
and introduced in Egypt the worship of the One Spirit
God who was the same God that the Essenes
worshipped.
The main centers of the Essenes were Egypt: notably in
Annu (Heliopolis) and in Iskenderia (Alexandria). There
were other centers in the Middle East including
Palestine, Syria, and Cyprus. Most Essenes in
Palestine were unwilling to separate themselves entirely
from the Israelites by accepting citizenship from the
heathen Roman infidels. And so they remained under
the cruel yokes of Herod and the Sanhedrin.

14.  The Sanhedrin considered the
Essenes heretics, but the Israelite
Sanhedrin authorities were cautious
and never said so openly since most
of the scribes and some of the
Pharisees were related to Essenes.
But the Sanhedrin would lose no
opportunity to accuse the Essenes of
violating Mosaic Law.

15.  THE GREEKS
The Greeks of Palestine were Roman
citizens and heathens who
worshipped the Olympian Gods and
Goddesses. They were
scholars, artists, teachers, philosopher
s, writers, and commercial traders.
Their languages were Greek and
Latin, with a few speaking Aramaic.

16.  THE BEDOUINS
The Bedouins of Palestine were a
nomadic Arab race. Most worshipped the
One God of the Heavens and of the
Earth, the God of their Father Ibrahim
(Abraham), calling Him ‘Allah’. Some
also worshipped Fire and the Stars. For
the most part, the Bedouins were horse
breeders. Their languages were Arabic
and Aramaic. A few wealthy Bedouins
were also fluent in Greek and Latin

17. Judaism in the Time of Jesus
 In Christian circles the Judaism of the time of Jesus has
often been thought of as an outward legalistic religion to
which the message of Jesus and the early Christians
was a complete antithesis. Such a picture
has, however, proved to be a blatant caricature. Today
the ministry of Jesus is seen rather as a movement
within Judaism rather than as something opposed to it.
At the same time people have begun to understand how
complex and still developing a phenomenon first-
century Judaism was.
 At the beginning of the Christian era Judaism was
divided into several different groups, each of which had
its own views concerning the true Jewish way of life. On
the other hand, certain basic beliefs were common to
them all.

18. The Basic Beliefs of Judaism

19. The Basic Beliefs of Judaism
 Although at the beginning of the Christian era Judaism
comprised several different groups, certain basic beliefs were
common to them all: belief in one God, belief in the covenant
which God had made with his people Israel, and belief in the
foundational book of this covenant, the Law of God or the
Torah.
 The covenant between God and Israel comprised duties and
commitments which pertained to both parties. God committed
himself to treat Israel in accordance with its special position
as his own people, and to teach the Israelites the principles of
a good and blessed life. Israel made the commitment to be
obedient to God and to live a life befitting the people of God.
These principles are found in the Torah or Law of Moses, its
teaching and practical applications. The Torah also included
directions concerning atonement for offences committed so
that the covenant might nevertheless remain in effect.
 It is important to note that in Judaism the Law is not a way of
salvation. Salvation - the election of God - is based
exclusively on the grace of God.

20. Jewish Groups
 At the beginning of the Christian era
Judaism was divided into many
different groups. These were the
Pharisees, the Sadducees, the
Essenes, the Zealots - and the Jesus
Movement. In spite of differences
between them the groups were united
by certain basic beliefs.

21. The Pharisees
 In the Gospels the Pharisees often appear as the
influential arch-enemies of Jesus. They tirelessly watch
how the Jewish people observe the purity and holiness
code. From this the word 'Pharisee' has come
commonly to be a synonym of 'hypocrite'. Such a
picture of the Pharisees is, however, one-sided. In fact
the Pharisees were one Jewish group among many - a
lay movement which placed emphasis on the Torah (the
Law of Moses and its interpretation) and in particular on
the importance of the purity code for everyday holiness.
 There were also many different types of Pharisee.
Some of them seem to have been fairly close to Jesus
in their thinking. Sayings resembling the teaching of
Jesus occur among the sayings of Rabbi Hillel, for
instance, and Hillel was active in Pharisaic circles. The
Apostle Paul also came from among the Pharisees.

22.  In the opinion of the Pharisees holiness was not only for the priests
and the Temple. By observing the purity code every member of the
people of God might participate in the holiness of God. In the
interpretation of the written Law the Pharisees had the help of the
so-called 'Oral Law', i.e. oral tradition consisting of explanations of
the Law which was thought to go back to Moses himself.
 Conflicts between the Pharisees and the disciples of Jesus came to
a head after the death of Jesus, when the Jesus movement began to
accept Gentiles into membership without demanding that they be
circumcised or that they observe the purity code. These
controversies are reflected in the way the Pharisees are portrayed in
the New Testament.
 Another group often mentioned in the New Testament in connection
with the Pharisees are the Teachers of the Law. Here we are dealing
with a very different group of people. While the Pharisees were a
kind of revival movement, 'Teacher of the Law' is a professional
term. The Teachers of the Law were authoritative professional
interpreters of the Torah.

23. The Sadducees
 Only sparse information has been preserved
concerning the Sadducees, and none of it is impartial;
most of the information comes from their opponents. In
the traditional view the Sadducees were from the
Hellenized Jewish upper class, which supported stable
conditions and the prevailing social order, and whose
religion was reasonable and worldly. The Sadducees
did not, for example, believe in life after death.
 The name of the Sadducees is believed to derive from
the family of Zadok, the high priest who served as high
priest in the days of King David. Not all the Sadducees
were priests, however, and their number included other
aristocrats. On the other hand, evidently only a small
minority of the upper class were Sadducees.

24. The Essenes
 The Essenes are not mentioned in the New Testament; the
information concerning them is derived from other sources.
Since 1947 manuscript and archaeological discoveries have
been made at Qumran on the north-west shore of the Dead
Sea, and they are thought to derive from the Essenes who
dwelt there.
 The Essenes were a protest movement which withdrew from
the world. They believed that the high priest of the Jerusalem
Temple was elected on false pretences, which invalidated the
whole Temple cult. In addition, the calendar used by the
Essenes and their way of interpreting and observing the Law
of Moses differed from the rest of Judaism.
 The Essene community of Qumran saw itself as the only true
Israel, "children of light" as distinct from the "children of
darkness" and their corrupt religious practices. The members
of the community lived a disciplined life dictated by the
regulations and a strict system of values. At the same time
they - like many of their contemporaries - expected that God
would soon intervene in the course of history in a decisive
manner.

25. THE QUMRAN COMMUNITY

26. The Qumran Discoveries
 The Qumran discoveries were made at the north-
western end of the Dead Sea in the years 1947-
56. In eleven caves in the desert there were found
manuscripts of the Old Testament, other religious
texts and the writings of the religious group who
lived at Qumran: rules of the community, liturgical
texts and doctrinal material. The texts written on
leather and papyrus scrolls were in the
Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages. Some of
the manuscripts were carefully packed in clay jars;
most, however, were lying on the floors of the
caves, at the mercy of damp and worms.

27.  In the vicinity of the caves were excavated ruins
of a group of buildings covering an area of 100 x
80 metres. The first of these was built in about
150 B.C. The main building contained assembly
and work rooms and had a two-storey stone
tower. Water collected from high up in the
mountains was stored in large rainwater storage
containers and tanks. Some tanks were used for
ritual bathing. In the area was also found a large
cemetery containing over a thousand graves.
The manuscripts were evidently concealed in the
caves for fear of discovery by Roman soldiers.
The Roman army destroyed the settlement in 68
A.D.

28.  The oldest manuscripts found at Qumran
were fragments of Old Testament
manuscript copies from the third century
B.C. The majority of the
manuscripts, however, date from the two
centuries preceding the turn of the era
and the first century following it, that
is, the time when the group that wrote
and copied the scrolls lived at Qumran.
 The number of texts found is over two
hundred. Many of the scrolls
are, however, so badly damaged that
only odd fragments are left.

29.  Many scholars believe the location to
have been home to a Jewish sect, the
Essenes being the preferred choice;
others have proposed non-sectarian
interpretations, some of these starting
with the notion that it was a
Hasmonean fort which was later
transformed into a villa for a wealthy
family or a production center, perhaps
a pottery factory or similar.

30.  A large cemetery was discovered to the east
of the site. While most of the graves contain
the remains of males, some females were
also discovered, though some burials may be
from medieval times. Only a small portion of
the graves were excavated, as excavating
cemeteries is forbidden under Jewish law.
Over a thousand bodies are buried at
Qumran cemetery.[1] One theory is that
bodies were those of generations of
sectarians, while another is that they were
brought to Qumran because burial was easier
there than in rockier surrounding areas.[2]

31.  The scrolls were found in a series of eleven
caves around the settlement, some
accessible only through the settlement. Some
scholars have claimed that the caves were
the permanent libraries of the sect, due to the
presence of the remains of a shelving
system. Other scholars believe that some
caves also served as domestic shelters for
those living in the area. Many of the texts
found in the caves appear to represent widely
accepted Jewish beliefs and practices, while
other texts appear to speak of
divergent, unique, or minority interpretations
and practices.

32.  Some scholars believe that some of these
texts describe the beliefs of the inhabitants of
Qumran, which, may have been the
Essenes, or the asylum for supporters of the
traditional priestly family of the Zadokites
against the Hasmonean priest/kings. A
literary epistle published in the 1990s
expresses reasons for creating a
community, some of which resemble
Sadducean arguments in the Talmud.[3] Most
of the scrolls seem to have been hidden in
the caves during the turmoil of the First
Jewish Revolt, though some of them may
have been deposited earlier.

34.  This is the location of the community of
Jewish men (Essenes). They are the
ones who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.
 This is a picture of the scriptorium where
the Essenes would have written the
scrolls. Benches, inkwells, etc.have been
found in this room.
 Around 70 AD, as they saw the Romans
approaching, these men hid their scrolls
in caves in this area.

36.  This is the lunchroom for the Qumran
community.
 Notice in the background the Dead
Sea is visible.

38.  This is cave number 4 of the eleven
caves that were found with scrolls.
Fragments of over 550 manuscripts
were found in this cave. These and
other manuscripts became known to
us as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

39. This is a close up photo of Cave 4

40. The Zealots
 The Zealots (Greek zelotes, 'zealot') was
a general term for a person who was
zealous for a cause, in particular for the
religious group he belonged to. One of
Jesus' twelve disciples was a Simon
who bore this nickname.
 Later the name Zealots came to refer to
a rebel organization which supported
armed resistance to Rome. This group
only became a united, recognizable party
just before the Jewish War.

41. THE JEWISH DIASPORA

42. The jewish diaspora

43. The Jewish Diaspora
 Diaspora means 'dispersion'. The term was
used of Jewish communities living outside
Palestine.
 At the beginning of the Christian era there
were Jews living all over the Roman Empire
and in the East beyond the frontiers of the
Empire. They lived in the country and in the
towns, and they came from all social classes
and professions. Their customs were known
everywhere, even if they were not always
regarded favourably. On the other hand, their
strict monotheism and high moral standards
attracted many, and they often had influential
patrons.

44.  Sometimes non-Jews joined the Jewish
community. Those who converted and
became full members were called
proselytes. Becoming a member was
preceded by ritual purification (baptism)
and in the case of male proselytes by
circumcision. At the same time the
newcomers committed themselves to
observing the commands of the Torah.
This was a great deal to ask, and the
number of proselytes remained fairly

45.  "God-fearers" was the name for non-Jews who instead
of becoming proselytes were satisfied with observing
the Jewish way of life and taking part in the life of the
Jewish community as far as it was possible. This group
later become fertile ground for early Christian
missionary work.
 Diaspora Jews also met in synagogues, the size and
manner of construction of which depended on the
resources of the community. In large towns there might
be several. The head of the synagogue was the spiritual
leader and senior teacher of the community. Temporal
matters were looked after by the council of elders, the
secretary acting as bookkeeper and correspondent. The
synagogue servant was responsible for maintaining the
property and for keeping order and if necessary he led
the prayers.

46.  Besides being a place of worship the
synagogue had a Torah school. The
synagogue also functioned as a
communal meeting-place and as
somewhere where people from various
professions could meet together.
 Graeco-Roman society set its members
certain obligations, not all of which could
be fulfilled by Torah-observant Jews.
Thus they were granted exemptions, for
instance in relation to the cult of the
emperor and service in the army.

47. The Purity and Holiness Code
 Regulations concerning purity and holiness are
found in many cultures in different parts of the
world. The terms 'clean' and 'unclean' did not then
refer to cleanliness and getting dirty in the present
sense of the words. Rather it was a question of the
kind of actions, substances, matters, objects and
places which it was desired to place out of bounds
for the community.
 In early Judaism attitudes towards the purity and
holiness code contained in the Torah or Law of
Moses varied: in the Diaspora, Jews were more
liberal-minded than in Palestine, among the
Pharisees and Essenes stricter than outside these
groups. In any case the purity code seems to have
grown in importance as the beginning of the
Christian era approached.

48.  According to the Torah, a person
became unclean if he or she touched
something unclean. As long as he or she
was unclean he or she was not allowed
to come in contact with clean people or
objects. In some cases uncleanness
disappeared by itself after a determined
period of time had elapsed; sometimes
to become clean one was required to
offer a sacrifice and/or perform ritual
washing. Typical sources of uncleanness
were bodily secretions, corpses, unclean
animals and wrongly prepared food.

49.  Holiness, too, was based on being
untouched. If the holy and unclean came into
contact, one or other ceased to exist: the holy
became unholy or it destroyed the unclean
thing. Therefore the holy had to be separated
from the areas of everyday life that were
susceptible to uncleanness so as to form an
area of its own. This might happen in several
different ways.
 The way of protecting holiness might be a
time-limit: feast-days such as the Sabbath
and the annual festivals were sanctified by
excluding everyday activities such as work.
This made it possible to observe rites that
demanded holiness at these times.

50.  The boundary might be one of space. The holiest was in
the heart of numerous concentric boundaries: Israel is a
holy land, the holiest place of which is Jerusalem, the
holiest place of which is Mount Zion, the holiest place of
which is the Temple, the holiest place of which is the
Holy of Holies.
 Further, the boundary might be between people. Israel
was a holy people, which was distinguished from the
Gentiles by the fact that Israel observed the Law of
God. The concrete manifestations of this obedience
were male circumcision, the dietary rules and the
observance of the Sabbath. The holiness of the priests
was to be greater than that of the ordinary people. One
of the characteristic features of the Pharisees was that
they endeavoured to observe the purity code of the
priests.

51.  In general purity and holiness codes
have a tendency to be reinforced when
the identity of the community is
threatened. Boundaries remind the
members of the community who they
are. For the same reason the purity and
holiness code played an important part
when Christianity diverged from
Judaism. When the principal external
identifying features of Judaism were no
longer required for membership in the
community, Judaism was left behind.
Christianity had become an independent
movement.

52. The temple

53. The Temple
 The Temple was the most important
symbol of the Jewish people, the
centre of life, where the national, the
cultural, the religious and the political
were fused.
 The first Jerusalem Temple was built
by King Solomon. The Babylonians
destroyed it in 587 B.C. At the same
time the upper classes of the kingdom
of Judah were exiled to Babylon.

54.  After conquering the Babylonian
Empire, Cyrus, the king of
Persia, granted the Jews permission to
return to their homeland and build a new
temple. Five hundred years later King
Herod initiated a massive rebuilding
project, the aim of which was to restore
the splendour of Solomon's Temple. The
Temple was dedicated in 18 B.C., but the
project was only completed in the 60s
A.D. Its size and beauty were widely
known, but it was destroyed in the
turmoil of the Jewish War in 70 A.D.

55.  A new temple could no longer be built
because the Jews were expelled from
Palestine half a century later. Today the site is
occupied by mosques, so both archaeological
excavations and the construction of a new
temple are impossible. All that remains is a
section of the Temple wall, the so-called
'Wailing Wall'.
 The outer court of Herod's Temple was called
the 'Court of the Gentiles'. Inside it was the
Temple area, divided off by a wall, to which all
but Jews were forbidden entry on pain of
death.

56.  The outer part of the Temple area proper was
the 'Court of the Women', then the 'Court of
the Men'. Only priests were permitted to
proceed further, to the altar. On this altar
were performed the daily animal sacrifices.
 The inner vestibule of the Temple was called
'holy'. Here were the seven-branched
candlestick, the table of the shewbread and
the altar. The 'holy' was divided from the 'holy
of holies' by a curtain, inside which the high
priest was allowed to go once a year, on the
Day of Atonement, to offer a sacrifice for the
whole people.

57.  In the outmost court of the Temple were
traders, from whom pilgrims who had
travelled from afar might purchase sacrificial
animals. The money-changers exchanged
foreign currency for silver shekels, with which
the Temple tax and the price of the sacrificial
animal were paid.
 In the Temple area was also the Antonia
Fortress, one of Herod's palaces, which was
located in the north-west corner of the area.
From the fortress it was possible to maintain
order in the Temple, especially during
Passover. It may have been in the Antonia
Fortress that Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus
to be crucified.

58.  In the Temple there served both
priests and Levites. The latter did not
participate in the sacrificial cult but
took care of the music, guarding and
cleaning of the Temple.

59. The Temple Sacrifices
 The priests offered numerous sacrifices
in the Temple every day, since the Law of
Moses obliged Jews to purify themselves
and atone for their sins by offering a
sacrifice. In addition, thanksgiving
offerings were sacrificed. The victim
might be a sheep or a dove; flour and
wine might also be offered as a sacrifice.
In addition to the sacrifices brought by
individuals, communal sacrifices were
offered every day in the Temple.
 - An example of the sacrifice of a sheep

60.  The animal's throat was slit and the
blood was collected in a bowl for
throwing on the altar. The animal was
skinned and the fat was burnt in the fire
on the altar. The hide and part of the
meat was put to one side, for the priests
gained their living from the sacrifices
during their term of service in the
Temple. The rest of the meat was given
to the person who brought the offering.
He left the Temple to eat it with his
friends and family.

61.  A burnt offering was an offering which
was burnt whole in the fire on the altar
(the blood and hide were removed
before the offering was burnt). Because
the sacrificial animal had to be
flawless, it was most convenient to buy it
in the Temple. The pilgrim who came
from afar took a substantial risk in
bringing the sacrificial victim with him, for
it might injure itself on the journey and no
longer be fit to be sacrificed.

62. The Synagogue
 Both in villages and in towns the Jews
gathered for worship in the
synagogue, where other community
matters were also dealt with. The
synagogue was the place for
trials, teaching, care of the poor and
accommodation of Jews from elsewhere.
In the synagogue the first
Christians, too, preached their
message, and the activities of the
synagogue offered a model for the first
Christian communities.

63. Sources:
 http://ph.answers.yahoo.com/question/
index?qid=20110126192041AAjqF5r
 http://www.helsinki.fi/teol/pro/_merenla
h/oppimateriaalit/text/english/judaism.
htm
 Gonzalez, J: The story of Christianity

65. THANK YOU!