Page 159 - Biblical Backgrounds

force in Judea. As a result of this, they strongly opposed Jesus’ rise to prominence. His rise threatened
their rule. One comical scene in the early church is when Paul stands before the Council and recognizes
some are Pharisees and some Sadducees. So he cries out to the Pharisees that he was on trial for
believing in the resurrection (Acts 23:6). As he planned, a huge argument developed between the two
groups. The Pharisees wanted to protect him because he agreed with them. The Sadducees saw this as
proof of his guilt.

The Essenes
Many have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls that were found in the caves in Qumran. 205 The mystical sect
that copied them was likely an Essene group. They were disenfranchised with the political and religious
corruption of their time and withdrew to live out the purity they believed would entice messiah to
return. Some have said John the Baptist may have been an Essene because he withdrew from society to
the wilderness and practiced a careful purity and diet regimen.

The Scribes
The scribes were learned individuals who could read and write. Their primary job was teaching the law
and settling disputes about it.

The Samaritans
The Samaritans were the descendants of the Israelites who had survived the destruction of the Northern
Kingdom. Over the years, they had intermarried with those who had moved into the region. This made
them unclean and therefore despised among the Jews. They did not appreciate this ostracism, so they
built their own temple and tried to defile the Jewish temple by spreading human bones inside it. 206

The Herodians
The Herodians are mentioned in Scripture, but not much is known about them. We believe that they
likely were related to or patrons of the Herodian rulership. They were involved in the trap to discredit
Jesus. They and the Pharisees asked Jesus whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus saw the
trap and asked them something akin to “Why are you carrying around pagan money?” 207 That could be
considered unclean.

The Zealots
Zealots were the political revolutionaries of Jesus’ day. They could not abide the continued rule of Rome
and sought to violently overthrow it. Barabbas is said, in Mark 15, to have been a murderer and to have
been involved in insurrection. For this reason, he is thought to have been a zealot.
Jewish Government Structure under Rome:

The Sanhedrin
This was the ruling body of Judaism under Roman rule. Joseph of Arimathea was a member of this
group. This council was made up of 70 members, comprised of Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees. The

205 Gary M. Burge, Gene L. Green, and Lynn H. Cohick, The New Testament in Antiquity (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Zondervan, 2009), 65.
206 Ibid, p. 67.
207 N.T. Wright and Michael F Bird, The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and
Theology of the First Christians. 52.

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