A Brief Cultural Survey

What’s the point in studying the Scriptures? Surely we can learn everything we need to know by simply reading our modern English translations of the text, right? Sure – as long as you are a first-century Palestinian Jew. But if not, we’ve got a ways to go before we can hope to understand even a fraction of the Scriptures.

Today, we’ll take a brief look at some of the relevant people groups in and around Jerusalem at the time of the Incarnation ministry:

1. Sadducees, Priests and Aristocracy. The great majority of the priests were not aristocrats, nor were they particularly wealthy. Many of these, along with the Levites – their assistants – lived away from Jerusalem (a great many lived in Jericho, for instance) and would travel to Jerusalem when it was their time to serve at the temple. The rest of the time they were the primary teachers and arbiters of Jewish law and religion. The chief priests, however, at the top of the social pecking order were notoriously corrupt, greedy, and unliked. These were wealthy aristocrats (through corruption, nepotism and other connections), and most belonged to the group known as the Sadducees.

The Sadducees rejected almost everything the Pharisees (and pious Jews) believed theologically. For instance, they did not believe in angels, spirits, the resurrection, the last judgement, life after death, or a coming messiah. These ostensibly held a majority in the Sanhedrin (the Jewish court) and had massive influence both theologically and politically amongst the Jews. However, their wealth and livelihood was linked to the temple, so they disliked Jesus’ predictions regarding the impending destruction of the temple.

2. Pharisees. These were the equivalent of lay pastors, to use a modern metaphor. Although not exclusive, it seems that most of the Pharisees were not official priests. A relatively small group (around 6,000), the Pharisees were split into two schools – the school of Shammai (larger during Jesus’ ministry) and the school of Hillel (smaller).

The Pharisees were a Jewish renewal movement. The word “Pharisee” seems to come from an Aramaic term meaning “separate” or “holy,” and indeed we see that they were a holiness movement, encouraging the Jews to (finally) live and honor their covenant(s) with God. These were effectively antithetical to the Sadducees in almost every way. The chief priests were despised, the Pharisees were loved. The Sadducees enforced rituals, the Pharisees encouraged holiness. The Sadducees represented formal religion, the Pharisees represented practical faith – faith in action.

Theologically, much of what the Pharisees believed was also believed by early Christians (and indeed, Jesus Himself). It is a strange and harmful misconception to think of the Pharisees as self-righteous, hypocritical adversaries to Jesus, when in reality most of Jesus’ teachings were almost perfectly aligned with the school of Hillel. “The reality is that Jesus’ debates with the Pharisees would be better seen as torrid insider debates between different visions of the same goal: the coming of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.” (Wright, The New Testament in its World pp. 125)

3. Essenes. A group of pious monks who lived relatively secluded from the broader culture and spent their days in prayer and study. They refused to own slaves, and spent much of their time working, living, eating and worshipping together in community. They were wiped out during the Jewish War, but left behind a significant library in the caves of Qumran – the Dead Sea Scrolls!

The Essenes were strongly anti-temple, and strongly legalistic about ritual purity. Theologically they were similar to the Pharisees, but practically they were incredibly legalistic and exclusive, viewing themselves as the righteous remnant living in the last days. “New members were allowed in only after an extended novitiate (two or three years) and a series of solemn vows.” (Elwell & Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament pp. 58)

4. Zealots. The Zealots were theologically similar to the Pharisees, but much more extreme in practice. Many Zealots were revolutionaries (who stirred up the ire of Rome). They prized liberty and Jewish patriotism to the point of violence on many occasions. They refused to acknowledge any man as a lord over them – only God. These were, politically speaking, the antithesis of the Herodians.

5. Herodians. This was a political group loyal to the Herodian dynasty (Herod the Great and his sons). They sought political advantage and greater autonomy through peaceful relationships with their Roman overlords. Herod the Great had been gifted his kingly title by Caesar, granting a measure of autonomy to the Jews, but this autonomy was constantly under threat due to revolutionaries such as the Zealots.

6. Samaritans. Samaria was the former capital of Northern Israel until the Assyrian conquest in 722 BC. The remnant permitted to stay in the land adopted pagan worship practices and assimilated with the Assyrians. Several centuries later, they were prevented from helping to rebuild Solomon’s temple – an insult they never really forgave the Southern Jews for. They built their own temple on Mount Gerizim and ceased to recognize the authority or legitimacy of the temple in Jerusalem.

Bad blood persisted through the centuries – a “blood-feud,” if you will. John Hyrcanus (around 128 BC) invaded Samaria, devastated the land and destroyed their temple. Later, after the removal of Archelaus (in 6 AD), the Samaritans defiled the temple in Jerusalem by scattering corpses around. And so on. Things were so bad that the two groups – related by blood and by covenant – tried to avoid each other altogether.

And so we return to our premise that studying the Scriptures, as well as the significant times, places and people surrounding the original events and text, is an essential and beneficial practice. Perhaps this short survey of just some of the relevant contemporaries to Jesus and his Incarnation ministry will help to inform and enlighten the ways you read and apply the New Testament Scriptures moving forward.