Page 9 - Life of Christ - textbook (3)

blended Judaism and idolatry, claiming that they were commanded to worship God in a mountain in
Samaria. The Jews considered them “half-breeds” and idol worshippers and universally despised them.
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In like manner, the Samaritans also despised the Jews and considered them enemies.

Scribes and Rabbis
During the Diaspora, learned Jews devoted themselves to the study of the Torah and other Old
Testament books. The scribes became experts in and were considered authorities on the interpretation
of the Scriptures. The rabbis were teachers who passed on the scribal understanding of the Scriptures
to the people in Israel.

Synagogue
The temple was destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians, which left the Jews without a place of worship
and sacrifice. Since the majority of Jews did not return to Palestine, buildings called synagogues were
established throughout the region as a place where Jews could come together to worship, offer
sacrifices, and educate their children. Synagogues remained popular even after the rebuilding of the
temple in Jerusalem by Zerubbabel in 516 BCE.

Septuagint
With the emphasis of Greek culture and language, the Jews became primary Greek speaking people.
According to legend, 72 scholars were brought together to translate the Old Testament into Greek in
250 BCE. The legend says they accomplished the work in 72 days. The Latin word for 70 is “Septuagint”.
This name was attached to the Greek translation of the Old Testament Hebrew
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text.

Pharisees
This group of religious leaders was known as the “holy ones” associated with the
resistant movement during the Maccabean Revolt. They fought against the
Hellenization of Israel and thus “separated” from all other religious
establishments that compromised with the Greeks. The Pharisees interpreted the
law strictly in accordance with the developing oral traditions and mandated that
all observe their judgments. They believed that all circumstances that affected
the lives of Jews were divinely ordained. They also believed that a Jewish Messiah
would come and bring peace to the world and rule in Jerusalem. Though few in
number, they enjoyed the favor of the majority of people in Palestine. They were
members of a ruling body called the Sanhedrin.

Sadducees
These religious leaders were the more progressive Hellenized group of aristocratic Jews who became
guardians of the temple policies and practices. They rejected the Old Testament Scriptures except the
Torah, as well as any teaching that they felt was not found in the Torah, for example, the resurrection
from the dead.

Sanhedrin
There were two classes of rabbinical courts called the Sanhedrin, the Great Sanhedrin and the Lesser
Sanhedrin. The Lesser consisted of 23 judges appointed by cities and the Greater consisted of 71 judges,

3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaritans
4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint

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