Backgrounds
A Gospel Brief Overview
Promises of God to Israel:
King, temple (ritual, religious faith & practice), monotheism, covenant (Torah), land
A Problem
Election: Israel was to be the means through which the world would be saved. Not just an example of a nation under God. Eschatology: Achieved through a moment in history, climax, when Israel would be saved from her enemies, and therefore enable the world to be saved. However, Israel was under Roman rule. Since 597 BCE, Israel had experienced geographical exile but many believed a theological exile still existed. Therefore, the physical return was not the final restoration. A new day was still coming.
History of the exile
Exile
Three waves with the destruction of the temple in 586 BCE. Loss of Land, Temple, and King.
Return
Three waves:
Zerubbabel--land Ezra--law Nehemiah--the walls
Second Temple Judaism in the province of Yehud
Really hard to know what Judaism was like in the 5th to 3rd century. But the 2nd century onward we have the rise of second temple Judaism. No king, therefore, the role and influence of the High Priest grew. Egypt, Babylon, and Judea were the centers of the rise of Judaism. But even in Judea, there was foreign rule. The levitical priests are reorganized after the exile. See the Levitical genealogical table in Ezra 8.2ff and 10.18ff. During the intertestamental time, the family of Zadok will be identified increasingly with the Hasmoneans so that by the NT times the priesthood resides in the hand of the Sadducees. The validity of the high priests during the time of Jesus is highly questionable as Rome chose many of them. Luke gives testimony that the order of priesthood begun by David and reorganized in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah was still operable; Of course, after AD 70, that way of doing business ends
Second Temple Judaism in the province of Yehud
The rise of the Sanhedrin, role of the rabbi, the role of the synagogue, ritual baths, burial customs, canon, Haisidim, zealots, sicarrii, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes. Herod's Temple built between 20-10BCE. After 70 AD (135) we have the rise of rabbinic Judaism (life without land and temple where home is central and God still mattered. Diaspora becomes a controlling force in the development of Judaism. Two primary themes: coming home (a return to the land); the coming messiah.
Kingdom
Kingdom referred to the overthrow of Rome and establishment of God's kingdom on earth (heaven on earth). How? When? Through whom?
Qumran--separate yourselves and wait for the Lord. Jerusalem establishment was utterly corrupt. Herod--compromise with Rome and do the best you can. Zealot--Sicarrii, fight a holy war.
Kingdom
Now put Jesus in the mix and you find another kingdom model.
Fulfilling the apocalyptic vision of the prophets where God would enter space and time with theological and cosmic significance. God's reality breaking into their midst, to become the true Israel, a new exodus, a return from exile, a new story, and a new creation.
Josephus
Essenes (4000 in number)
Qumran and the DSS community is only one branch. Clearest example of a sect within Judaism. Alternative vision for Israel than the Jerusalem establishment. Stricter interpretation of the purity codes (identity issues).
Josephus
(small
Sadducees wealthy elite)
Very little known. Rejected the oral law and enforced the five books of Moses. Connected to power due to the High Priest and Israel being a temple state that was permitted to exist only by Rome's authority.
Income was produced through the sacrificial cult, temple tax, and pilgrim traffic.
See increase influence of Hellenism.
Josephus
Pharisees (6000 in number)
Not a grace vs law debate. That is a Reformation view (protestant vs catholic). Large group even extending itself beyond Jerusalem maybe numbering several thousand.
Separated ones and the forerunners of rabbinic Judaism. They handed down the traditions to the people. A desire to develop halakic interpretations of the traditions/oral laws. The Judaism that survived 70 AD was due to their devotion to law and resembled a devotion to rabbi, Torah, and Halakah. Torah was what enabled the people to move from a Temple/priest setting to a Torah/rabbi setting after the Jewish wars. Not a uniformed group (Hillel vs Shammai). More flexible in their rulings than for example Qumran. E.g., Hillel was more flexible than Jesus on the question of divorce. Paul is the only source prior to Josephus.
Josephus
Pharisees (6000 in number)
Purity was not the end but only a means, a symbol of their political struggle to maintain Jewish identity and national liberation. The Shammaites desired to purify the nation against pagan forces. The whole people (see Judith as an example of a possible proto-). Identity markers Paul points out are: circumcision, foods (Mk 7), and holidays like the Sabbath (Mk 2:23-3:6). Also monotheism, nation/land; children of Abraham identity; Temple; Torah (Israel as the people who live by Torah obedience as a basis of their election). These symbols became the center of the clash between Pharisees and Jesus. Not thought police. They held no office. Yet unofficially still tried to pressure folks in keeping Torah.
Josephus
The fourth philosophy
A political body--maybe zealots, freedom fighters from the north country. Resistance force connected to Phineahas and the Maccabees. But Josephus does not use the term zealot until he gets to the revolt itself.
Zealot can be a generic term not associated with a political party (e.g., Josephus and Paul as a selfdescription). Simon the zealot maybe/maybe not a freedom fighter.
Definitions
Elders
Long established feature of Israel's life often associated with the High Priest (17 times) and scribes (12 times).
Definitions
Priests and Scribes
Not a party but an indispensable role of middle ranking professionals. Responsible for the daily operations of temple (maybe 2-3 weeks/year). Scribes--necessitated by daily living where legal experts and copyist were needed (especially where literacy levels were lower).
Definitions
Herodians
Obscure group (3:6)
Active partisans on behalf of Herod Antipas (political). Herod supporters Herod's household
Definitions
Samaritans
Those who settled and mingled with the local population after exile.
Definitions
Synagogue
Archaeology seems that we should consider this not as a building but as a congregation/assembly (James 2). Yet, may imply place, or a large house. First archaeological record is in Egyptian inscription around 250 BCE.