This is the final installment of Wayne Jackson's series concerning the time between the Testaments. This was published in the November 1975 edition of The Christian Courier which was published by the East Main Street Church of Christ and edited by Jackson.
As mentioned in a previous article, several Jewish sects arose from the conflicts of the Inter-Testamental period. Some of these play a major role in New Testament history.
(1) The Pharisees (separated ones) grew out of a reaction against Hebrew acceptance of Greek culture. Numbering about 6,000 at the time of Christ's birth, they were the "strictest sect" among the Jews (Acts 26:5). The Pharisees were known for several things: (a) They were ultra-legalists. In addition to the Mosaic law, they bound rabbinic traditions so that Jesus charged them with making void the word of God (Matthew 15:1-9). (b) They were notoriously inconsistent (gnat straining camel swallowers, Matthew 23:24); for instance, though they scrupulously tithed their smallest garden produce (Matthew 23:23), they perverted the law to avoid parental obligations (Mark 7:11). (c) They were religious show offs (Matthew 6:1-17). (d) The Pharisees were extremely self righteous (Luke 18:9-14). (e) They were the chief opponents of Christ, attacking Him for allegedly breaking the Sabbath, associating with sinners, etc. and were active in plotting His death, as well as subsequently persecuting Christians.
(2) Though not named in the New Testament, the Essenes, about 4,000 strong were similar to the Pharisees though more extreme. They remained aloof from the temple and were ascetically communistic. It is fairly certain that the Qumran community (southeast Palestine), where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, was an Essene site.
(3) The Sadducees were an outgrowth of the Hellenistic-Maccabean amalgamation of the Inter-Biblical era. The name may be a corruption of "Zadok" (an Old Testament priest from whom they claimed to descend), or possibly from "zaddikim" meaning the righteous, asserting a boasted faithfulness to the law in contrast to Pharisaic traditionalism. Their traits were: (a) they were rich, aristocratic and politically powerful; the party of the high priesthood (Acts 4:1). (b) They accepted only the Pentateuch as authoritative. (c) They were materialists, rejecting belief in angels and spirits (Acts 23:8) and denying the resurrection of the body and future punishment (Matthew 22:23; Josephus, Antiquities, 18:1:4). (d) The Sadducees were very instrumental in putting Jesus to death (Matthew 27:1).
(4) The Herodians were political partisans and followers of the Herod family. (Compare the suffix "ian" as used with the name Christ in Acts 11:26.) These people collaborated with the Pharisees to crucify Christ (Matthew 22:16; Mark 3:6).
(5) The Zealots were a nationalistic group bent on reviving Maccabean patriotism and throwing off the yoke of Roman oppression. They are sometimes identified with the Assassins, (Acts 21:38) a fanatical group that carried concealed daggers to murder their enemies. Jesus may have been alluding to the Zealots when He spoke of those who sought to take the kingdom "by force" (Matthew 11:12; Cf. John 6:15). Interestingly, one of the apostles, Simon Zealotes may have come from this band (Luke 6:15). If so, think what a marvel Christ wrought by bringing together Simon, the Zealot and Matthew the publican in the common endeavor of preaching the gospel. The former hated Roman sympathizers and refused to pay taxes. The latter was a Jew employed by the Romans to collect taxes!
This study would certainly be incomplete without some consideration of those infamous Herods. This bloody family cast an ominous shadow on the pages of the New Testament.
(1) Herod the Great (of Edomite ancestry) ruled by Roman appointment as King of the Jews from 37-4 B.C. In an attempt to pacify the Jews who hated him, Herod initiated a temple beautification program lasting forty six years (John 2:20). But he was a vicious monarch. It was he who massacred the infants in the attempt to eliminate the Messiah (Matthew 2:16). When he died, his kingdom was divided among his sons: Archelaus (Matthew 2:22) reigned over Judea, Samaria and Idumaea; Antipas was assigned Galilee and Philip (Luke 3:1) was given territory in northeast Palestine. Archelaus, a failure was deposed in 6 A.D. and Judea was henceforth ruled by Roman appointed procurators, the 5th or 6th of which was Pilate. The "scepter" had departed from Judah. Shiloh had come (Genesis 49:10)!
(2) The fox-like Antipas (Luke 13:32) reigned as tetrarch of Galilee from 4 B.C. to 39 A.D. John the Baptist courageously denounced his sinful marriage to Herodias (his brother Philip's wife) and was beheaded for his efforts (Matthew 14:1-12). During His trial, Jesus was sent to Antipas who interrogated Him in vain (Luke 23:8-12).
(3) Agrippa I a grandson of Herod the Great, through a series of appointments (37-44 A.D.) ultimately became King over Palestine. He martyred the first apostle, and smitten of God died a horrible death (Acts 12).
(4) Agrippa II, son of the former, became ruler of various territories in northern Palestine in 50 A.D. It was before this monarch and his sister Bernice (their scandalous incestuous conduct was widely rumored) that Paul made his great defense in Acts 26. The apostle also preached before Drusilla, another of Agrippa's sisters and her adulterous husband Felix (Acts 23:24). With this brief sketch of the Jewish sects and some of the significant political figures, we conclude this series on the four silent centuries.
No comments:
Post a Comment