Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes Characteristic Pharisees Sadducees Essenes (a) Hebrew word meaning “separate”; (a) Hebrew word tsadiq, meaning Possibly derived from an Aramaic Possible Origin of Name or (b) Hebrew word meaning “holy”; or (b) the name “Zadok”, the word for “pious”. “specifier”. Aaronic priest who anointed Solomon, which led to the Jewish desire that the High Priest be of the family of Zadok. Around 150 - 140 BC during the Around 150 - 140 BC during the Around 170 or 160 BC, founded by an Timeframe When Sect Appears Hasmonean dynasty. Hasmonean dynasty. (Same enigmatic figure called the “Teacher of timeframe as Pharisees.) Righteousness”. Pharisees were common people, but Sadducees advocated an ironclad link Their isolationist lifestyle precluded an knowledgeable. Taught in the between Judaism and the temple. active role in then-contemporary synagogues and interpreted the Torah They oversee the sacrifices and Judaism. They very likely copied and Role in Judaism and the oral traditions. Well-liked by maintenance of the temple. During preserved scrolls that were deemed the common people. Advocated for most of the intertestamental period scripture; as well as scrolls that social justice. they make up the majority of the defined the rules that governed their By the first century AD, Pharisees Sanhedrin. High Priest is usually a lifestyle and beliefs. became mired in the minutia and letter Sadducee. Minimal intermingling with outsiders. of Mosaic Law, rather than its intent. - Strict adherence to the Torah; oral - Ritual purity. - Oral law and traditions were sacred teachings were noted but not sacred. - Hierarchical system of angels. along with the Torah. - A person’s circumstances in this - The soul lives in a bodiless eternity Beliefs - Literal resurrection of the dead. world are what that person has earned and is temporarily entombed in a - Immortality of the soul. in the eyes of God. worldly body. - Reward and punishment after death. - The soul dies when the body dies; no - No animal sacrifices. - Angels are real. afterlife. - No accumulation of wealth. - Temple was good; but sacredness - No reward or punishment after death. - No slavery. could also be found in the home. - Angels do not exist. - With proper purification, God will help - No temple, no Judaism. the Jews overthrow the pagans. Free will; but God knows the outcome Free will. God is in charge, but God God’s Role & Free Will and can opt to intercede. does not have knowledge of the Predestination. outcome. Social Class Common people. Priests and aristocrats. Unknown. Attitude toward Hellenism Selective; favored some practices, Favored. Opposed. opposed others. Vanished after the Jewish Revolt of 67 Today Today’s rabbis. Vanished within 10 years of the AD; but some Essene churches have destruction of the temple in 70 AD. started up since discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

The Covenant Renewal Ceremony As the Main Function of Qumran
religions Article The Covenant Renewal Ceremony as the Main Function of Qumran Daniel Vainstub Department of Bible, Archaeology and Ancient Near East, Ben‑Gurion University, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; [email protected] Abstract: Unlike any other group or philosophy in ancient Judaism, the yahad sect obliged all mem‑ ˙ bers of the sect to leave their places of residence all over the country and gather in the sect’s central site to participate in a special annual ceremony of renewal of the covenant between God and each of the members. The increase of the communities that composed the sect and their spread over the en‑ tire country during the first century BCE required the development of the appropriate infrastructure for hosting this annual gathering at Qumran. Consequently, the hosting of the gathering became the main function of the site, and the southern esplanade with the buildings surrounding it became the epicenter of the site. Keywords: Qumran; Damascus Document; scrolls; mikveh 1. Introduction The subject of this paper is the yearly gathering during the festival of Shavuot of all members of the communities that composed the yahad sect.1 After close examination of the Citation: Vainstub, Daniel. 2021. The ˙ evidence for this annual gathering in the sect’s writings and analysis of the archaeological Covenant Renewal Ceremony as the data on the development of the site of Qumran, it became evident that in the generation Main Function of Qumran. Religions 12: 578. https://doi.org/10.3390/ following that of the site’s founders, the holding of the annual gathering became the main ¶ rel12080578 raison d’ tre of the site and the factor that dictated its architectural development.
[Show full text]
A New Essenism: Heinrich Graetz and Mysticism
Trinity College Trinity College Digital Repository Faculty Scholarship 1998 A New Essenism: Heinrich Graetz and Mysticism Jonathan Elukin Trinity College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/facpub Part of the History Commons Copyright © 1998 The Journal of the History of Ideas, Inc.. All rights reserved. Journal of the History of Ideas 59.1 (1998) 135-148 A New Essenism: Heinrich Graetz and Mysticism Jonathan M. Elukin Since the Reformation, European Christians have sought to understand the origins of Christianity by studying the world of Second Temple Judaism. These efforts created a fund of scholarly knowledge of ancient Judaism, but they labored under deep-seated pre judices about the nature of Judaism. When Jewish scholars in nineteenth-century Europe, primarily in Germany, came to study their own history as part of the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement, they too looked to the ancient Jewish past as a crucia l element in understanding Jewish history. A central figure in the Wissenschaft movement was Heinrich Graetz (1817-1891). 1 In his massive history of the Jews, the dominant synthesis of Jewish history until well into the twentieth century, Graetz constructed a narrative of Jewish history that imbedded mysticism deep within the Jewish past, finding its origins in the first-cen tury sectarian Essenes. 2 Anchoring mysticism among the Essenes was crucial for Graetz's larger narrative of the history of Judaism, which he saw as a continuing struggle between the corrosive effects of mysticism [End Page 135] and the rational rabbinic tradition. An unchanging mysticism was a mirror image of the unchanging monotheistic essence of normative Judaism that dominated Graetz's understanding of Jewish history.
[Show full text]
The Political and Religious Structure in Jesus' Time
The Political and Religious Structure in Jesus’ Time In looking at the political and religious structure at the time of Jesus, we could explore countless topics. In this article we look at topics of the structure of the Jewish sects, the practice of taxation and tithing, and the exercising of crucifixion as a means of execution and control. Jewish Sects Just as Christianity today is divided into different groups (Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, nondenominational evangelical churches), so too ancient Jewish religion had distinct groups or sects. In Jesus’ time in Palestine, three groups were particularly influential. Josephus identifies these groups (he calls them “philosophies”): the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. We should make clear from the start that only a small minority of people actually belonged to these sects, but their strong influence on Jewish society is undeniable. The Pharisees were the largest of the three, consisting of about six thousand members during the time of Herod the Great (out of a total population of perhaps one million people in Palestine). These groups can be compared not only to Christian denominations but also to modern political parties. In ancient Judaism there was no sharp distinction between religion and politics. All three groups were concerned not only with religious behavior but also with the political issues of their day. Sadducees The name Sadducees most likely comes from the name Zadok, a priest who anointed David’s son Solomon as king (see 1 Kings 1:32–40). The descendants of Zadok, the Zadokites, were recognized as the only legitimate priests by Ezekiel (see Ezekiel 44:9–31) and the author of the Book of Chronicles.
[Show full text]
Norman Golb 7 December 2011 Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
This article examines a series of false, erroneous, and misleading statements in Dead Sea Scroll museum exhibits. The misinformation can be broken down into four basic areas: (1) erroneous claims concerning Judaism and Jewish history; (2) speculative, arbitrary and inaccurate claims about the presumed “Essenes” of Qumran; (3) misleading claims concerning Christian origins; and (4) religiously slanted rhetoric concerning the “true Israel” and the “Holy Land.” The author argues that the statements, viewed in their totality, raise serious concerns regarding the manner in which the Scrolls are being presented to the public. Norman Golb 7 December 2011 Oriental Institute, University of Chicago RECENT SCROLL EXHIBITS AND THE DECLINE OF QUMRANOLOGY While significant advances have been made in Dead Sea Scrolls research over the past decade, defenders of the traditional “Qumran-sectarian” theory continue to use various publicity tools to push their agenda. These tools include, for example, the recent media campaign surrounding the claim that textiles found in the caves near Qumran “may” demonstrate that the site was inhabited by Essenes — a sensationalist argument that misleads the public with a mix of speculation and presuppositions.1 The tools have also included museum exhibits where efforts, either overt or subtle, are made to convince the public that the traditional theory is still viable. If we focus merely on the museums, we find that a noteworthy aspect of the exhibits involves the dissemination of certain erroneous and misleading facts concerning Jewish history and Christian origins. I here discuss some of the more obvious distortions, quoting from various exhibits of the past two decades.
[Show full text]
The Persecution of Christians in the First Century
JETS 61.3 (2018): 525–47 THE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN THE FIRST CENTURY ECKHARD J. SCHNABEL* Abstract: The Book of Acts, Paul’s letters, 1 Peter, Hebrews, and Revelation attest to nu- merous incidents of persecution, which are attested for most provinces of the Roman empire, triggered by a wide variety of causes and connected with a wide variety of charges against the fol- lowers of Jesus. This essay surveys the twenty-seven specific incidents of and general references to persecution of Christians in the NT, with a focus on geographical, chronological, and legal matters. Key words: persecution, mission, hostility, opposition, Jerusalem, Rome, Peter, Paul, Acts, Hebrews, Revelation This essay seeks to survey the evidence in the NT for instances of the perse- cution of Jesus’ earliest followers in their historical and chronological contexts without attempting to provide a comprehensive analysis of each incident. The Greek term diōgmos that several NT authors use, usually translated as “persecu- tion,”1 is defined as “a program or process designed to harass and oppress some- one.”2 The term “persecution” is used here to describe the aggressive harassment and deliberate ill-treatment of the followers of Jesus, ranging from verbal abuse, denunciation before local magistrates, initiating court proceedings to beatings, flog- ging, banishment from a city, execution, and lynch killings. I. PERSECUTION IN JUDEA, SYRIA, AND NABATEA (AD 30–38/40) 1. Persecution in Jerusalem, Judea (I). Priests in Jerusalem, the captain of the tem- ple, and Sadducees arrested the apostles Peter and John who spoke to a crowd of * Eckhard J.
[Show full text]
Who Were the Pharisees?
Making Life Count Ministries Who Were the Pharisees? www.makinglifecount.net No group in Israel was more dedicated to their religion than the Pharisee. The historian Josephus reports that there were over 6,000 members of the party of the Pharisees, but that number doesn’t include many of their followers. The common Jew looked at the Pharisees with the greatest admiration because no one appeared to be more dedicated to God than this bunch. When a boy in a Pharisee family turned two years old, they would take the scroll of the Law, the Torah, put honey on it, and have him lick it so that his earliest memory would be, “How sweet are Your Words to my taste. Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119:103). At four years old he would start memorizing the book of Leviticus. By twelve years old, he had memorized Genesis through Deuteronomy. As a teenager, he memorized the Prophets and the Psalms. If you chose to become a Pharisee, you had to publicly promise to “take the yoke of the Torah” upon you. They vowed to yoke themselves to the Law of God. They kept the hours of prayer wherever they were, whether in the Temple, the marketplace, or the street corner. They would fast twice a week. They didn’t just tithe their money, but tithed on everything they had, even down to their herbs and spices. How can you fault a man for trying so hard to please God? Because of their dedication to God’s Law, you would think the Pharisees would embrace the promised Messiah when He appeared in the flesh.
[Show full text]
Anarchist Modernism and Yiddish Literature
i “Any Minute Now the World’s Overflowing Its Border”: Anarchist Modernism and Yiddish Literature by Anna Elena Torres A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Joint Doctor of Philosophy with the Graduate Theological Union in Jewish Studies and the Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender and Sexuality in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Chana Kronfeld, Chair Professor Naomi Seidman Professor Nathaniel Deutsch Professor Juana María Rodríguez Summer 2016 ii “Any Minute Now the World’s Overflowing Its Border”: Anarchist Modernism and Yiddish Literature Copyright © 2016 by Anna Elena Torres 1 Abstract “Any Minute Now the World’s Overflowing Its Border”: Anarchist Modernism and Yiddish Literature by Anna Elena Torres Joint Doctor of Philosophy with the Graduate Theological Union in Jewish Studies and the Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender and Sexuality University of California, Berkeley Professor Chana Kronfeld, Chair “Any Minute Now the World’s Overflowing Its Border”: Anarchist Modernism and Yiddish Literature examines the intertwined worlds of Yiddish modernist writing and anarchist politics and culture. Bringing together original historical research on the radical press and close readings of Yiddish avant-garde poetry by Moyshe-Leyb Halpern, Peretz Markish, Yankev Glatshteyn, and others, I show that the development of anarchist modernism was both a transnational literary trend and a complex worldview. My research draws from hitherto unread material in international archives to document the world of the Yiddish anarchist press and assess the scope of its literary influence. The dissertation’s theoretical framework is informed by diaspora studies, gender studies, and translation theory, to which I introduce anarchist diasporism as a new term.
[Show full text]
Judaism: Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots Extremist Fighters Who Extremist Political Freedom Regarded Imperative
Judaism: Pharisees,Scribes,Sadducees,Essenes,andZealots © InformationLtd. DiagramVisual PHARISEES SCRIBES SADDUCEES ESSENES ZEALOTS (from Greek for “separated (soferim in ancient Hebrew) (perhaps from Greek for (probably Greek from the (from Greek “zealous one”) ones”) “followers of Zadok,” Syriac “holy ones”) Solomon’s High Priest) Evolution Evolution Evolution Evolution Evolution • Brotherhoods devoted to • Copiers and interpreters • Conservative, wealthy, and • Breakaway desert monastic • Extremist fighters who the Torah and its strict of the Torah since before aristocratic party of the group, especially at regarded political freedom adherence from c150 BCE. the Exile of 586 BCE. status quo from c150 BCE. Qumran on the Dead Sea as a religious imperative. Became the people’s party, Linked to the Pharisees, Usually held the high from c130 BCE Underground resistance favored passive resistance but some were also priesthood and were the Lived communally, without movement, especially to Greco-Roman rule Sadducees and on the majority of the 71-member private property, as farmers strong in Galilee. The Sanhedrin Supreme Sanhedrin Supreme or craftsmen under a most fanatical became Council Council. Prepared to work Teacher of Righteousness sicarii, dagger-wielding with Rome and Herods and Council assassins Beliefs Beliefs Beliefs Beliefs Beliefs • Believed in Messianic • Defined work, etc, so as • Did not believe in • Priesthood, Temple • “No rule but the Law – redemption, resurrection, to keep the Sabbath. resurrection, free will, sacrifices, and calendar No King but God”. They free will, angels and Obedience to their written angels, and demons, or were all invalid. They expected a Messiah to demons, and oral code would win salvation oral interpretations of the expected the world’s early save their cause interpretations of the Torah – enjoy this life end and did not believe in Torah resurrection.
[Show full text]
Judaism: a Supplemental Resource for Grade 12 World of Religions: A
Change and Evolution Stages in the Development of Judaism: A Historical Perspective As the timeline chart presented earlier demonstrates, the development of the Jewish faith and tradition which occurred over thousands of years was affected by a number of developments and events that took place over that period. As with other faiths, the scriptures or oral historical records of the development of the religion may not be supported by the contemporary archaeological, historical, or scientific theories and available data or artifacts. The historical development of the Jewish religion and beliefs is subject to debate between archeologists, historians, and biblical scholars. Scholars have developed ideas and theories about the development of Jewish history and religion. The reason for this diversity of opinion and perspectives is rooted in the lack of historical materials, and the illusive nature, ambiguity, and ambivalence of the relevant data. Generally, there is limited information about Jewish history before the time of King David (1010–970 BCE) and almost no reliable biblical evidence regarding what religious beliefs and behaviour were before those reflected in the Torah. As the Torah was only finalized in the early Persian period (late 6th–5th centuries BCE), the evidence of the Torah is most relevant to early Second Temple Judaism. As well, the Judaism reflected in the Torah would seem to be generally similar to that later practiced by the Sadducees and Samaritans. By drawing on archeological information and the analysis of Jewish Scriptures, scholars have developed theories about the origins and development of Judaism. Over time, there have been many different views regarding the key periods of the development of Judaism.
[Show full text]
Customs Going Back to the Days of Pharisees and the Torah.Org Sadducees the Judaism Site
Customs Going Back To The Days of Pharisees and the Torah.org Sadducees The Judaism Site https://torah.org/torah-portion/ravfrand-5768-emor/ CUSTOMS GOING BACK TO THE DAYS OF PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES by Rabbi Yissocher Frand Parshas Emor Customs Going Back To The Days of Pharisees and the Sadducees These Divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 547, The Wayward Daughter. Good Shabbos! Parshas Emor contains the Biblical command of Counting the Omer: "And you shall count for yourselves on the morrow of the Sabbath, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving, seven weeks, they shall be complete." [Vayikra 23:15]. The interpretation of the phrase "on the morrow of the Sabbath" (m'macharas haShabbos) was one of the classic debates between the Tzedukim and the Perushim [Sadducees and Pharisees]. Rabbinic interpretation, based on the tradition of the Oral Law, was that the "morrow of the rest day" meant the day after the first day of Pesach, namely the 16th of Nissan. It is based on this tradition that our practice is to begin counting the Omer on the second day of Pesach. The Tzedukim were literalists who did not believe in the Oral Law, and interpreted "the morrow of the Sabbath" to mean Sunday. Thus, the Sunday of Pesach would be the first day of the Omer count and the holiday of Shavuos would always be Sunday, 7 weeks later . Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach made an interesting observation.
[Show full text]
Pharisees Go Wrong?
WHERE DID THE PHARISEES GO WRONG? The Pharisees get a bum wrap. Think about it for a moment. Preachers vilify them in sermons, Christians point out their legalistic ways, and everyone remembers their fierce opposition to Jesus and persecution of early Christians. Essentially, they’re the all-around bad guys of the New Testament. But were they really that bad? Could we be overdoing it? Let’s take a closer look. The Pharisees were the most powerful of the Jewish sects in first century Israel. The Bible includes almost 100 references to them, and other ancient historians confirm their influence. They emerged during a turbulent time when Judaism was struggling to maintain its identity. The priesthood was corrupt, immorality was rampant, and the dominant spread of Greek culture threatened the Jewish way of life. In light of this crisis, a group of pious laymen responded by sounding the alarm on their brethren. Only separation from all that was not Jewish would save the people and their faith. People began to call this group “the separated ones,” or the Pharisees. Other sects controlled the Jewish priesthood and politics, but the Pharisees gained a foothold in local synagogues and among the common people. They were educated, received extensive training, and became the primary Bible teachers in each village. When it came to theological debates, the Pharisees were sharp, biblically-based, tradition-honoring, and conservative in their views. They held an extremely high view of the Torah (God’s Law from the first five books of the Old Testament). Strict obedience to the Torah – both the written commands and the oral traditions – was essential to their faith and identity.
[Show full text]
Sadducees, Pharisees, and the Controversy of Counting the Omer by J.K
Sadducees, Pharisees, and the Controversy of Counting the Omer by J.K. McKee posted 17 January, 2008 www.tnnonline.net The season between Passover and Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot, is one of the most difficult times for the Messianic community. While this is supposed to be a very special and sacred time, a great number of debates certainly rage over Passover. Some of the most obvious debates among Messianics occur over the differences between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewish halachah. Do we eat lamb or chicken during the sedar meal? What grains are “kosher for Passover”? Can egg matzos be eaten? What are we to have on our sedar plate? What traditions do we implement, and what traditions do we leave aside? And, what do we do with the uncircumcised in our midst? Over the past several years, I have increasingly found myself taking the minority position on a number of issues. Ironically, that minority position is usually the traditional view of mainline American, Ashkenazic Conservative and/or Reform Judaism—the same halachah that I was originally presented with when my family entered into Messianic Judaism in 1995. I have found myself usually thrust among those who follow a style halachah that often deviates from the mainstream. Certainly, I believe that our Heavenly Father does allow for creativity when it comes to human traditions. Tradition is intended to bind a religious and ethnic community together, giving it cohesion and a clear connection to the past. It is only natural for someone like myself, of Northern European ancestry, to more closely identify with a Northern and Central European style of Judaism, than one from the Mediterranean.
[Show full text]