Historical/Religious context of the Gospels

 

(1                          Historical/Religious context of the Gospels

Just an introduction. There is a lot!!! More one could say on every point! (2) Don’t try and remember it all, just get the big picture. Happy to chat about details after.

Historical setting

(3) Biggest thing in Jewish history since the Exodus was the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BC as punishment for their sins – murder, idolatry, breaking the Sabbath etc. The exile itself began earlier, with Daniel being carried off in 605 BC (Jeremiah’s letter to these exiles gives the 70 years of exile prophecy). In 538 the Persian Cyrus allowed them to return, and in 516 the Temple was rededicated, and in 445 Nehemiah was sent to rebuild the walls. Big watershed!

The Jews were grateful to the Persians and basically happy under their rule. Here they existed essentially as a self-governing community, led by the High Priest and the developing Sanhedrin. Then, as Daniel had prophesied, the Greeks under Alexander came in 332BC. After Alexander, his kingdom was divided in 4 (then 3) kingdoms. We become interested when the Seleucids (one of these Greek successor kingdoms) ruled Israel in 167BC. The Greek culture and religion were already extremely popular across the empire. The Greeks had defeated the Persians, so their gods were better. Likewise Greek culture, language etc. This was exactly what Alexander had wanted. A new unity through multi-ethnic Greek culture. The Jews basically replied; “you other guys can worship who you want, we are happy to be good citizens, pay taxes etc., even learn Greek, but we will only worship the one true God.” It was the guys wanting unity/inclusion, “lets all worship together,” who refused to let the Jews just worship their own God. So, rather than just let them play in their old jerseys, they determined to bench them, permanently. A significant minority of Jews went along with this, until the Seleucids went too far in their desire for unity and inclusion on Greek terms, and outlawed Judaism. They massacred the inhabitants of Jerusalem and sacrificed abominations in the Temple (as prophesied by Daniel in a prophecy Jesus says has yet to have its final fulfillment). The regular temple sacrifices were abolished, as was the observance of the Law, the keeping of the Sabbath and circumcision. In every town in Judea, a sacrifice was ordered to be offered to heathen Greek gods, and anyone found with a Torah scroll was put to death. So, in 167BC, when the Greeks erected a statue of their gods in the small Jewish town of Mod’in, the Jews there under the priest Mattias rose up, killed the Greeks and started a rebellion for their religious freedom. After Mattias’s death, the revolt would be led by his 5 sons, starting with Judas Maccabee. It was a long and brutal war, as tiny, hitherto peaceful Judea took on the great Seleucid empire simply for the right to worship the one true God. Many see reference to the Maccabean martyrs included among the faithful in Hebrews 11:34-35. In 164, they defeated the Seleucids and cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem. The festival celebrating this became known as the festival of dedication, or Hanukkah, and in John 10:22 we read; “Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.” Had the rebellion failed, there would have been no Jewish people for Jesus to come to. This was the high point, and things became more murky afterwards.

Simon Maccabee (the only surviving brother of Judas) was appointed High Priest in 141, and one of Simon’s grandsons claimed the title king in 104BC meaning he thereafter ruled the Hasmonean kingdom.

Now, in 37 BC, Herod, with the help of a Roman army, conquered Jerusalem after a 40-day siege and then carried out a massacre of the population. The last Hasmonean king, who had rallied resistance against Herod by claiming that he was a "commoner and a half-Jew" was then killed by Herod. Herod took his crown, thereby becoming King Herod, aka Herod the Great. Always aware that he was regarded as an illegitimate ruler, he attempted to solidify his claim to the throne by marrying Miriam, the niece of the king he killed. Still feeling insecure, he then killed her brother, then her and then finally, three of his own sons. Herod’s fears of a legitimate king of the Jews would again be seen at the birth of Jesus! Herod was a supremely capable but brutal ruler who was deeply unpopular.

Roman influence steadily increased, and with Herod’s death they took over direct rule of Judea, allowing Joseph and Mary to return home from Egypt. Now, things were not too bad at times – in the gospels there is a peaceful feel, and Roman centurions are not scarry. But by the time Paul returns to Jerusalem in Acts 21 there is far more tension, and a convoy of 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and 100 spearmen are ordered to escort Paul out of Jerusalem. You can feel the war-clouds gathering in a way which is absent in the Gospels. It is only about 10 years after Paul’s visit that the Jewish nation will be annihilated.

What do we make of this?

When did the Messiah come to Israel? Isaiah 11:1-2 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him.

Looking at the broad sweep of Israelite history, you might think that Moses gives us the Law, Joshua brings us into the land, David establishes the kingdom and Solomon builds the Temple. Everything is going great, and on the up and up, surely Solomon’s son will then be the crowning glory, the Messiah – but no, Solomon’s kingdom falls apart, and Jesus came when the kingdom of Judea was on its last legs. Ruled first by an illegitimate king, then by the power that would shortly destroy it. Jesus came when all human hope was gone, when all our great plans had crashed. The mighty tree was cut down, and he came from the stump of Jesse (note the humility here, David is not mentioned, but his un-regarded father). He came then so that Israel would know that it was not about their greatness, but about his mercy. You may meet people who are all fired up to change the world, no time for Jesus. Often it is only when these grand hopes have collapsed under the weight of human sin that they are ready for the still quiet voice of Jesus to speak into their lives, to behold their true king, humble and riding on a donkey. Sometimes our idols need to fall before we will consider the claims of Jesus.

Religious setting

To understand the religious society into which Jesus was born, we need to start with the fall of Jerusalem over 500 years previously. With the destruction of the Temple, the kingdom and myriads of people.

In a sense, the survival of the Jewish people through their 70 years of exile was not a given. They might have just assimilated into the surrounding peoples and, disappeared from history. God however had looked after them in advance, pre-placing the supplies they would need to get them through this. The prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, written before the exile, contained within them the teachings they would need to understand and survive and come back from this catastrophe.

A purified remnant did return. Having spent the previous thousand years chasing idols every chance they got, after 70 years of exile, the Jewish people to this day have never fallen back into idolatry. The remnant knew the reality of God’s punishment and lived with its consequences. They also knew that he was faithful. There is a genuine element of PTSD in the background of Jewish society at this time. Sometimes preachers mock the Jews in Jesus day for wanting to know how far they could walk on the Sabbath, or should they tithe their mint and cumin. But remember, last time they broke the Sabbath, maybe a million people died. They don’t want to break it again, so how far can I walk, how do I walk in all the commandments? Jesus does not mock them for asking such questions. Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” The people of Israel at this time have indeed been described as a God obsessed peasantry. They were not following football teams, music bands or political parties. Rather, crowds flocked to hear John the Baptist, crows flocked to hear Jesus. Can you imagine Australia being that hungry for God?

With this society in general wanting to please God, the parties that form are religious sects/denominations, each majoring on differing ways of how that should be done. How do we please God? The four main Jewish sects/answers were; (4)

The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes (and the Zealots - not technically a sect).

(5) The Pharisees majored on obedience as the way to God. They are all about obeying the Law given by God to Moses. They are middle class, centred in the Synagogues throughout the villages, and try to teach the masses what the Law requires. As part of this, they vigorously promoted public education and the establishment of schools throughout Israel. They did so during the Hasmonean time, and again while the Romans ruled. Of this, we read; “Joshua ben Gamala came and ordained that teachers of young children should be appointed in each district and each town and that children should enter school at the age of six or seven.” Girls also had some education, and we read of several women who were renowned for their scholarship. Josephus multiple times says that it was the Pharisees who had the greatest impact on the people, and describes them as “the leading sect”. While Sadducees are only mentioned 14 times in the New Testament, the Pharisees are mentioned 98 times. Not only did they teach obedience to the Law of Moses, but they went further and said their own interpretations of that law were as authoritative as the law itself!! (Truly scary! Even if you’re right, hold your theology with humility.) We see this in Matthew 15:2-3 Jesus replied, "why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?”

The Sadducees, were an aristocratic and priestly party, believe you approach God through sacrifice. They are centred in and maintain the Temple in Jerusalem, where a constant stream of sacrifices were offered up. They were generally very conservative, heavily involved in politics and you get the feeling that they were basically happy with the status quo. They rejected the oral law of the Pharisees, and may have considered only the books of Moses as authoritative for doctrine. They tended to be more severe in their legal judgements than the generally mild Pharisees, but were also more lax in personal religion. Josephus (an important Jewish historian from this time) notes that “they win over only the wealthy, they have not the people on their side.” The High Priests were Sadducees, but some ordinary priests were Pharisees.

The Essenes majored on purity. More than the other sects, they objected to the Maccabees assuming the High Priesthood because they were not qualified to do so, and left Jerusalem in protest. Found in communes throughout the towns and villages of Israel, they practiced poverty, having no personal money/property, took daily ritual baths and prohibited divorce. They were very careful in the reading and study of the Law, and in their keeping of the Sabbath. They did not own slaves. They lived in group houses, and ate together at common tables. They held a bit aloof from society, but may have joined in the war against Rome – John the Essene was a general in Galilee, the Romans massacred the community at Qumran in 68AD.

Finally, the least religious were the Zealots, who believed you worshipped God by being free. They took Phineas from Numbers as their role model. That is, they also had a religious component. One of their first acts on taking Jerusalem from the Romans was to change the High Priest. They were all about killing Romans, and anyone they thought might be a Roman sympathiser.

Now, people being people, all of these groups suffered from the corruption of their ideals.

(6) Obedience too easily became legalism, even to making up of your own rules, and self-righteousness. Sacrifice shrivelled to ritual and politics. (re the Sadducees, think of the British ruling class 100 years ago and their strong links to the high Church of England, with all its ritual. It was indeed known as “the Tory party at prayer.”) Purity became exclusion, and freedom became unrestrained violence.

Now, while the Sadducees had distinct beliefs, if you focus on these, you miss the point. They were aristocrats, focused on political power (described in the DSS as “those who rule over Israel”). The problem was that it was the priests with their aristocratic allies who had ruled Judea from the time of Ezra. So the priesthood had to embrace secular power, only to find that secular concerns increasingly dominated them – one of the reasons they denied the resurrection – they were taking their eyes off God! Jesus told them "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. (Matthew 22:29) There was a reason why God did not give the priesthood and the kingship to the one tribe, and why the people were longing for the son of David!

The Pharisees on the other hand were a lay grouping who derived their authority from their leaning. They also willingly acknowledged the importance of the priests and the Temple. So, another simplified way of looking at it (7) is that Pharisees were religious, focused on God, Sadducees were political, focused on power, the Essenes liked a social gospel (still profoundly religious), and the Zealots were revolutionary (focused on power through violence).

Interestingly, “Pharisee” was a derogatory nickname everyone else used for them, they referred to themselves as the Sages of Israel. (note, this did not carry over into the Greek, where both Paul and Josephus use it without negative connotations.) Anyway, Pharisee meant someone who separated themselves from the rest, Luke 18:9-10 “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.’” While in many ways attractive to the people, the popularity of this nickname shows people also saw through the hypocrisy of worshipping God in order to get men’s approval – “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:2) Ruth wasn’t kind to Naomi because she knew Boaz was watching!

But the best of the Pharisees were indeed focused on God. Compare the Sadducean High Priest’s reply in John 11:48-50 “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish." it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish."  a purely political judgement, not interested in the things of God. (“So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,” (John 12:10)), with a “Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people” (to quote Acts 5:34) “Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:38-39) a profoundly religious response.

Now, the vast majority of Jews did not belong to any particular party (there were about 6,000 Pharisees, 4,000 Essenes). Equally, you could change parties as you saw fit. The Jewish historian Josephus was born a Sadducee, became an Essene in his wild, rebellious years and ended up a Pharisee. People in general looked at the different sects quite closely and drew their own conclusions. “I like the way the Essenes do charity, the Sadducees are a bit stuck up, but honestly, the ones I like best are those Pharisees. In the villages, teaching the people. It’s a lot of work, but they are what a Jew really should be, if I had to choose, I’d probably join them.”

This popularity carried with it its own problems. When society is hungering after God, and also divided into different sects, then people seeking not God but public approval will likewise join the most popular group. Matthew 23:2-7 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. ‘Everything they do is done for men to see:’” and the brutal judgement in John 12:42–43 “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” And Luke 12:1; “Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

Looking back, the Pharisees themselves saw this as a real problem. In the Jewish writing called the Talmud, written a bit after Jesus time, but looking back through it, seven woes of the Pharisees are included (just as Jesus gave seven woes to them). Five of these woes are for hypocrisy. Interestingly, as seen, Jesus first complaint against them is that they put heavy loads on others shoulders. The first woe in the Jerusalem Talmud concerns “Shechemite Pharisees”, shechem being the Hebrew word for shoulders, the inference being that they put their burden on other men’s shoulders. After the Jewish war, when sectarianism basically ceased within Israel, its like they are looking back and saying “gosh, in those days we attracted a lot of hypocrites!” It should also be noted that with the triumph of rabbinic Judaism, the charge of hypocrisy basically disappeared.

Can anyone tell me, based on what we have here, why sectarianism did disappear after the Jewish War in 70AD? 

So how did Jesus relate to these different groups? Well, he was the embodiment of the highest ideal of each. (8) He was perfectly obedient, the ultimate sacrifice, sinless and he came to set us free. This presented them with a dilemma. They could either unite under him “he is the perfection of everything we have longed for, and look, we now have friends,” or they could unite against him. “he is occupying all of our turf, lets get him, and look, we also now have friends.” It depended on whether they were truly seeking God, or if they had become too comfortable with their own authority. “The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. (Matthew 21:14-15). “‘Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?’ asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.” (Mark 15:9-10) As for the new friends, “Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” (Mark 3:6) And Luke 23:12 “That day Herod and Pilate became friends--before this they had been enemies.”

Because, just as Jesus was the ultimate of their ideals, so he was the ultimate enemy of their corruptions; legalism, ritual, exclusion and violence. "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." (Matthew 16:6) Matthew 3:7 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?’” The Sadducees took their eyes off God for political power, the Pharisees took their eyes off God for popularity. We are also warned about these things! Don’t be conformed to this world, don’t seek popularity, seek first the kingdom of God!! And Paul’s warning that in the last days “People will be lovers of themselves, …  having a form of godliness but denying its power.”  (2 Timothy 3:2-5) – that’s the Pharisees and Sadducees right there, these are weaknesses we all battle with!

Of all these groups, Jesus was closest to the Pharisees, often in table fellowship with them in Luke (= you are sort of one of us??). The Pharisees warn Jesus about Herod in Luke 13, and the Pharisees are seen positively in Acts. The Pharisees also objected to the Sadducees’ commercialisation of the Temple and might well have approved of his turning over the tables (as they would side with Paul against the Sadducees in Acts 23:6-9). Like the rich young man, they came so close, and their ultimate rejection of Jesus was a tragedy!

Finally, in looking at these groups, we need to rejoice that the Bible records many members of them were saved! Nicodemus and Paul himself were Pharisees, Simon the Zealot was a disciple, we also read in Acts 15 about “some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees” while in Acts 6, “a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” Jesus loved and cared for these people, he wept over Jerusalem, “how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” Never just see people as just part of a group, or as caricatures in a story, but as individuals who need salvation! Never give up on them! Jesus died for Pharisees and Sadducees as much as he did for you and for me.

Final question in this bit, how does my list of the main sects differ from the Gospel accounts?

Yes, no Essenes, but Herodians! Remember how Pharisees was a derogatory term, used by everyone else? Well, the Essenes left Jerusalem in protest at the Maccabees taking on the High Priesthood, so when Herod killed the Maccabees off, they were able to return. Herod likewise was despised by both Pharisees and Sadducees, so was keen to show favour to the one group who didn’t hate him. It seems to me that for everyone else to call them Herodians during Herod’s rule makes sense (they were his favourites), and that this name would have died out after Herod himself died.

(9) Messianic hopes

So, how is the Jewish community feeling around the time of Jesus birth?

The Maccabean revolt, where so many died fighting for religious freedom, has failed. Herod is despised, and still carrying out the occasional massacre. They know that God is real, they remember the fall of Jerusalem as well as the later rededication of the Temple, but the religious parties that they presently see, while having some good members and good points, in general fail to inspire, satisfy or unify. Matthew 9:36 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Even the war against Rome will see no great leader, no great unity, rather a deadly increase in these endless, internal divisions, leading to Jerusalem’s fall.

On top of this, it is now over 400 years since the last word from the Lord. They have fought, rededicated the Temple, been defeated by Herod’s Romans, and still God has not spoken. The people are lonely for God!

They have not given up however, rather hope is growing. Their mood could easily reflect the later words of Paul; “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

That is because God has promised them a deliverer, he has promised the Messiah!  

Luke 2:25-26 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

These hopes were based in the prophecies given through Isaiah, Jeremiah Ezekiel and the other prophets, and on the promises given to Eve, to Abraham and to David.

A beautiful summation of them is found when John the Baptist, inspired by the Holy Spirit, prophecies (all read) (10)

Luke 1:68-75 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-- to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days."

Yes, being “rescued from the hands of our enemies” was part of it, but the goal was “to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” The Romans and Herod had been brutal, it was right to long for peace, but the goal was always to worship.

Not only was this a powerful hope, but it was due any day now!! Daniel had prophesied in 9:25-26 when the Messiah would come! Everyone knew it was time for the Messiah. That’s why false messiahs abounded. We see this in many passages for example, Acts 5:35-37.

For the expectant Jews in Jesus time, however, life had been hard and disappointing. They believed and hoped in God, and were longing for his Messiah, and for him to speak with them again.

And then, after 430 lonely years, an aged priest, righteous and walking in all the commandments, yet not blessed by God with any children, was selected to go into the Holy Place of the Temple. “And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.” (Luke 1:10-11). He tells him that God has heard his prayers, that he will have a son, and that his son will make ready a people for the Lord. The silence was at last broken, the Messiah was coming!!!