Judaism: Old Testament Religion 2/3
Thursday, May 15, 2014
, Posted by ManilasMan at 6:45 PM
Bible Study: "Judaism", the Jews' Religion (1785).
Full Article- Part Two:
"Judaism"
Is it the Old Testament Religion?
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words? John 5:46-47
JUDAISM DIVIDED INTO MANY SECTS!
Many have assumed that Judaism in the time of Christ was a religion united in a common bond and every Jew believed the same thing and were united into a one Jewish Denomination.
History reveals this to be in error! Judaism was divided into many sects during the time of Jesus. Dr. Herford, one of the most noted Jewish writers said, "If it were possible to analyze the Judaism of the New Testament period into all its component elements, the results of the process would be to show how complex a variety is summed up under that name and how far from the truth it is to speak of 'the Jews' collectively as if they were all alike, in respect to their Judaism" (Judaism in the New Testament Period, pp. 41,42).
Judaism then and today is not one unified organization. There were and are many religious sects comprising Judaism. There are many 'splinter' groups which had their own ideas and beliefs. In many ways Judaism in Christ's time is like our day today. We have many different groups making up the Church of God.
Some of the different sects will be recognized when reading the New Testament. These sects were the Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Zealots, and Herodians. There were many more divisions of which there is a good deal of history. Some of these were the Essenes, the Qumran sects (those who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls of which so much has been written), and others who are called by contemporary religious historians, Apocalyptic. There were other different divisions among the Jews who lived in Egypt, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Greece, etc.
There was not one single Jewish sect-- Judaism was divided into many different fragments! History has shown us another mis-understood fact: THE JEWS AS A WHOLE WERE NOT INTERESTED IN RELIGION AT THIS TIME IN HISTORY!
The records show that less that 5% of the total Jewish population of Palestine belonged directly to any of the religious groups mentioned above! Unbelievable as it sounds, over 95% of the population of Palestine were neither Pharisee, Scribe, Zealot, Herodian, Essene, Qumran or Apolcalyptic, or Sadducees. The majority of the people in Palestine had no direct membership in religious denominations of Judaism. In most cases people were not particularly religious. These people were referred to by the Pharisees, as the Am ba-aretz, meaning in Hebrew, the "people of the Land or simply, "the common people." Dr. Herford says, "It is clear that the Am ba-aretz (the common people) were not all of one type, either in respect of their religion or socially and economically. Just as they included rich and poor, capitalist and labourer, the merchant, the farmer, the artisan, the tax-gather (publican) and the tradesman, so, on the religious side, they included those who were not Pharisees, and those who paid little or no heed to religion at all, with every shade of piety and indifference in between" (ibid, pg. 72). Several sources say there were between two and one-half to three million people living in Palestine at the time of Christ (Encyclopedia Biblica--A Social and Religious History of the Jews, Vol. I, pg. 370- 372). Jewish historians have summed up the opinions of the experts in this matter. Dr. J. Klausner, a contemporary Jewish scholar: has studied in particular, the records pertaining to the wars between 63 and 37 B.C. and has reached the conclusion that at the end of the Maccabean reign there lived in all of Palestine approximately three million Jews, not including half a million Samaritians, Syro-Phoenicians, Arabs, and Greeks" (ibid, Vol. i, pg. 372).
The most prominent sect in Judaism at this time were the Pharisees. Christ had more to say against them than any other group. One of the reasons for this was that the Pharisees were the most influential group and had more members. They also had direct control over the majority of the synagogues and schools and in this respect had the most popularity among the people. Even though they were the most influential and prominent religious group among the Jews in the time of Christ, only about 6000 out of three million Jews were Pharisees! The Jewish historian, Josephus who was a Pharisee himself, informs us of this fact in his history Antiquities of the Jews, xvii, 2,4. What does this mean? The Pharisees, the major religious sect among the Jews represented .2% of all the Jews in Palestine. These facts should open the eyes of many who have erroneous ideas that most of the Jews in Christ's time were Pharisees. Most New Testament readers have never taken the time to really ascertain the religious conditions of the Jews during the life of Christ. They have overlooked Christ's warning not to follow the commandments of men and the traditions of the Jews! "Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition" (Mark 7:7,9).
The other Jewish sects within Judaism were less significant than the Pharisees. The Sadducees, for example were a sect that Christ came into contact with frequently, but were less prominent than the Pharisees. The Sadducees had control of the temple at the time of Jesus Christ. According to Antiquities of the Jews, xviii, 1,4 and the Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Vol i, pg. 322, the Sadducees numbered less than 3000 members.
JUDAISM DIVIDED INTO MANY SECTS!
Many have assumed that Judaism in the time of Christ was a religion united in a common bond and every Jew believed the same thing and were united into a one Jewish Denomination.
History reveals this to be in error! Judaism was divided into many sects during the time of Jesus. Dr. Herford, one of the most noted Jewish writers said, "If it were possible to analyze the Judaism of the New Testament period into all its component elements, the results of the process would be to show how complex a variety is summed up under that name and how far from the truth it is to speak of 'the Jews' collectively as if they were all alike, in respect to their Judaism" (Judaism in the New Testament Period, pp. 41,42).
Judaism then and today is not one unified organization. There were and are many religious sects comprising Judaism. There are many 'splinter' groups which had their own ideas and beliefs. In many ways Judaism in Christ's time is like our day today. We have many different groups making up the Church of God.
Some of the different sects will be recognized when reading the New Testament. These sects were the Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Zealots, and Herodians. There were many more divisions of which there is a good deal of history. Some of these were the Essenes, the Qumran sects (those who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls of which so much has been written), and others who are called by contemporary religious historians, Apocalyptic. There were other different divisions among the Jews who lived in Egypt, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Greece, etc.
There was not one single Jewish sect-- Judaism was divided into many different fragments! History has shown us another mis-understood fact: THE JEWS AS A WHOLE WERE NOT INTERESTED IN RELIGION AT THIS TIME IN HISTORY!
The records show that less that 5% of the total Jewish population of Palestine belonged directly to any of the religious groups mentioned above! Unbelievable as it sounds, over 95% of the population of Palestine were neither Pharisee, Scribe, Zealot, Herodian, Essene, Qumran or Apolcalyptic, or Sadducees. The majority of the people in Palestine had no direct membership in religious denominations of Judaism. In most cases people were not particularly religious. These people were referred to by the Pharisees, as the Am ba-aretz, meaning in Hebrew, the "people of the Land or simply, "the common people." Dr. Herford says, "It is clear that the Am ba-aretz (the common people) were not all of one type, either in respect of their religion or socially and economically. Just as they included rich and poor, capitalist and labourer, the merchant, the farmer, the artisan, the tax-gather (publican) and the tradesman, so, on the religious side, they included those who were not Pharisees, and those who paid little or no heed to religion at all, with every shade of piety and indifference in between" (ibid, pg. 72). Several sources say there were between two and one-half to three million people living in Palestine at the time of Christ (Encyclopedia Biblica--A Social and Religious History of the Jews, Vol. I, pg. 370- 372). Jewish historians have summed up the opinions of the experts in this matter. Dr. J. Klausner, a contemporary Jewish scholar: has studied in particular, the records pertaining to the wars between 63 and 37 B.C. and has reached the conclusion that at the end of the Maccabean reign there lived in all of Palestine approximately three million Jews, not including half a million Samaritians, Syro-Phoenicians, Arabs, and Greeks" (ibid, Vol. i, pg. 372).
The most prominent sect in Judaism at this time were the Pharisees. Christ had more to say against them than any other group. One of the reasons for this was that the Pharisees were the most influential group and had more members. They also had direct control over the majority of the synagogues and schools and in this respect had the most popularity among the people. Even though they were the most influential and prominent religious group among the Jews in the time of Christ, only about 6000 out of three million Jews were Pharisees! The Jewish historian, Josephus who was a Pharisee himself, informs us of this fact in his history Antiquities of the Jews, xvii, 2,4. What does this mean? The Pharisees, the major religious sect among the Jews represented .2% of all the Jews in Palestine. These facts should open the eyes of many who have erroneous ideas that most of the Jews in Christ's time were Pharisees. Most New Testament readers have never taken the time to really ascertain the religious conditions of the Jews during the life of Christ. They have overlooked Christ's warning not to follow the commandments of men and the traditions of the Jews! "Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And He said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition" (Mark 7:7,9).
The other Jewish sects within Judaism were less significant than the Pharisees. The Sadducees, for example were a sect that Christ came into contact with frequently, but were less prominent than the Pharisees. The Sadducees had control of the temple at the time of Jesus Christ. According to Antiquities of the Jews, xviii, 1,4 and the Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Vol i, pg. 322, the Sadducees numbered less than 3000 members.
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