Page 390 - ILIAS ATHANASIADIS AKA RO1

Their interpretation of the Bible led them to reject the priests and the Temple as
they existed in Jerusalem, and they looked forward to the time when they could

seize control of the Holy City.

To the degree that any of these parties had power, however, it belonged to the
Sadducees. More precisely, the aristocratic priests and a few prominent laymen

had power and authority in Jerusalem;

of the aristocrats who belonged to one of the parties, most were Sadducees.
According to the Acts of the Apostles (5:17), those who were around the high

priest Caiaphas were Sadducees, which recalls the evidence of the Jewish
priestly aristocrat, historian, and Pharisee Josephus.

Although the vast majority of Jews did not belong to a party, the study of these

parties reveals the substantial variety within the general framework of Judaism.

Another indicator of this variety was the diversity of Jewish leaders. Among
them were charismatic healers and miracle workers, such as Honi the Circle

Drawer and Hanina ben Dosa; hermitlike sages, such as Bannus;

eschatological prophets, such as John the Baptist; would-be messianic prophets,
such as Theudas and the Egyptian; and apocalyptic visionaries, represented by

the pseudepigraphal First Book of Enoch.

Most Jews had some form of future hope. In general, they expected God to

intervene in history and to restore Israel to a state of peace, freedom, and

prosperity.

Not all Jews expected God to send a son of David as messiah to overthrow the

Romans, though some did. The Qumran sect believed that there would be a great

war against Rome, that the sect would emerge victorious, and that the main
blows would be struck by the angel Michael and finally by God himself.

Notably, a messiah plays no role in this war of liberation. Some Jews were
ready at any moment to take up arms against Rome, thinking that if they started

the fight, God would intervene on their side.