First Century CE Jewish Sects
We know about four specific Jewish sects active during the time of Jesus:
Pharisees Sadducees Essenes Zealots
Total Population: (roughly) 4,000,000 Pharisees: 6,000 Saducees: 2,000? Essenes: 4,000 Zealots: fewer
Am-ha-Aretz (People of the Land)
Sometimes we may read the New Testament and think that Jewish people had to find themselves in one or the other of these four main sects, and that all four together accounted for a majority of Judaism. This is simply not the case. The vast majority, at least 80 percent (some would say as high as 95 percent) of all first-century Jews, belonged to no particular sect at all. They were the ordinary working people—the fishermen, the farmers, the small-tradesmen or artisans, the craftsmen, the carpenters. It is not surprising that the vast majority of all of Jesus’ first followers emerged from these “people of the land”: ordinary people who had kept a faithful hope for a Messiah—for a liberator, for a savior to come—even if they had neither the time nor the interest nor perhaps even the ability to study the law in such meticulous detail, or to follow any of the Jewish sects.
Pharisees
Pharisees are often linked together in the New Testament with scribes. A scribe was simply a profession, one who had learned to copy the Hebrew Scriptures over and over again by hand, and in the process, became very familiar with them and frequently, therefore, an expert. The Pharisees were not politically influential during the lifetime of Jesus, and were not in charge of the Temple. Instead, they were devoted to finding ways to apply the Torah, the Hebrew Teaching or scripture, to every aspect of contemporary Jewish life. They developed a set of "oral" traditions to go alsonside scripture, teaching everyday people how to worship G-d in their daily lives. This made the Pharisees the most popular sect among the ordinary people of the land. This Oral Tradition contained ideas not necessarily found in the Hebrew Scriptures, like belief in resurrection, angels, and an afterlife.
Sadducees
The Sadducees were members of the Jewish aristocracy in Jerusalem. Many Sadducees were priests, and this sect controlled the Temple. The the the group most favored by Rome, who allowed their limited measure of control under occupation. This, of course, made other Jews think of them as collaboraters with Roman officials. Saducees sat on the Jewish court or council known as the Sanhedrin. Sadducees accepted the validity of only the written, Hebrew Scriptures. As a result, they were skeptical of ideas that were not clearly or frequently found in the Scriptures, such as belief in resurrection, angels, or an afterlife.
Essenes
A group that does not appear by name on the pages of the New Testament is nevertheless a very significant one. The Essenes were a monastic group, they believed that the only way to please God was to withdraw themselves from society, to a certain measure, and more scrupulously attempt to follow scripture. They developed some distinctive doctrines, such as the belief in the coming of two Messiahs, one priestly and one kingly.
Zealots
The Zealots were freedom fighters. Emerging sporadically with brief tterrorist movements throughout the first century, they finally coalesced in the 60s CE and attempted to overthrow Rome. They failed miserably.
Pharisees Sadducees Essenes Zealots
What do you think happened to members of these four groups after Roman legions destroyed Jerusalem in 70CE, burned the Temple and exileed the Jewish popualation?
Problematically... later Christianity often demonizes Jewish first century sects, and later forms of Judaism.
First Century CE Jewish Sects
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First Century CE Jewish Sects
We know about four specific Jewish sects active during the time of Jesus:
Pharisees Sadducees Essenes Zealots
Total Population: (roughly) 4,000,000 Pharisees: 6,000 Saducees: 2,000? Essenes: 4,000 Zealots: fewer
Am-ha-Aretz (People of the Land)
Sometimes we may read the New Testament and think that Jewish people had to find themselves in one or the other of these four main sects, and that all four together accounted for a majority of Judaism. This is simply not the case. The vast majority, at least 80 percent (some would say as high as 95 percent) of all first-century Jews, belonged to no particular sect at all. They were the ordinary working people—the fishermen, the farmers, the small-tradesmen or artisans, the craftsmen, the carpenters. It is not surprising that the vast majority of all of Jesus’ first followers emerged from these “people of the land”: ordinary people who had kept a faithful hope for a Messiah—for a liberator, for a savior to come—even if they had neither the time nor the interest nor perhaps even the ability to study the law in such meticulous detail, or to follow any of the Jewish sects.
Pharisees
Pharisees are often linked together in the New Testament with scribes. A scribe was simply a profession, one who had learned to copy the Hebrew Scriptures over and over again by hand, and in the process, became very familiar with them and frequently, therefore, an expert. The Pharisees were not politically influential during the lifetime of Jesus, and were not in charge of the Temple. Instead, they were devoted to finding ways to apply the Torah, the Hebrew Teaching or scripture, to every aspect of contemporary Jewish life. They developed a set of "oral" traditions to go alsonside scripture, teaching everyday people how to worship G-d in their daily lives. This made the Pharisees the most popular sect among the ordinary people of the land. This Oral Tradition contained ideas not necessarily found in the Hebrew Scriptures, like belief in resurrection, angels, and an afterlife.
Sadducees
The Sadducees were members of the Jewish aristocracy in Jerusalem. Many Sadducees were priests, and this sect controlled the Temple. The the the group most favored by Rome, who allowed their limited measure of control under occupation. This, of course, made other Jews think of them as collaboraters with Roman officials. Saducees sat on the Jewish court or council known as the Sanhedrin. Sadducees accepted the validity of only the written, Hebrew Scriptures. As a result, they were skeptical of ideas that were not clearly or frequently found in the Scriptures, such as belief in resurrection, angels, or an afterlife.
Essenes
A group that does not appear by name on the pages of the New Testament is nevertheless a very significant one. The Essenes were a monastic group, they believed that the only way to please God was to withdraw themselves from society, to a certain measure, and more scrupulously attempt to follow scripture. They developed some distinctive doctrines, such as the belief in the coming of two Messiahs, one priestly and one kingly.
Zealots
The Zealots were freedom fighters. Emerging sporadically with brief tterrorist movements throughout the first century, they finally coalesced in the 60s CE and attempted to overthrow Rome. They failed miserably.
Pharisees Sadducees Essenes Zealots
What do you think happened to members of these four groups after Roman legions destroyed Jerusalem in 70CE, burned the Temple and exileed the Jewish popualation?
Problematically... later Christianity often demonizes Jewish first century sects, and later forms of Judaism.