Page 166 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

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
council was under the direction of whoever the High Priest was at the time. 217 This is the council that
met and is recorded as being worried that Jesus would cause an uprising and the Romans would destroy
Judea and what they had worked hard to build. Jesus is seen before the Sanhedrin in Matthew 26:57-68.

The Village
The village had its own council of elders that would meet to discuss business, political affairs, issues that
affected daily life, judicial affairs, and to worship. They often met at the town gate in the Old Testament
and in the time of Jesus, and the early church meetings were often held at the local synagogue. The
Synagogue ruler was very influential. To be put out of the synagogue was to be ostracized and excluded
from the community. This was a shame to the individual, their family, and their community.

Diaspora and Jewish Culture

The Diaspora refers to the scattering of the Jewish people throughout the world. We have seen that
many were taken throughout the Greek and then the Roman empire. This was proof of the exile; the
Jews had not all returned home. So the exile continued in the Jewish understanding. Paul was from
Tarsus in Asia Minor (specifically from Cilicia). He was himself a Diaspora Jew. Jews built synagogues in
their homes in the diaspora. They would worship Yahweh, which included reading the Scripture. Paul
would often go straight to the local synagogue first. Some communities had thousands and even
hundreds of thousands of Jews. These Jews participated in the commercial life of the cities they lived in
but often tried to maintain the purity standards as they would have in Judea. One of the great problems
was that they could not worship at the temple. This made covenant obedience and purity incredibly
difficult. The Diaspora Jews could worship within the parameters of their beliefs as a special
dispensation from Rome. Therefore, Paul was not immediately under the suspicion of Rome; Christianity
was seen as a Jewish cult. When Rome was about to march on and destroy the Jews around 70 AD, the
Jews asked the Christians to stand with them. The Christians, however, came out to seek a heavenly
Jerusalem. The Jews have never forgotten that abandonment.

The Disciple in Jewish understanding and its importance for biblical interpretation:

Much current theology likes to focus on making disciples. Jim Putnam says in Discipleshift that every
believer is by default a disciple. He goes so far as to call any who will trust in Christ in the future a “Pre-
disciple.” How accurately does his view conform to the Jewish understanding of a disciple in the time of
Jesus? Frankly, it is very far off. A disciple in Jesus' time, and therefore in the Gospels, was a learner. The
rabbi would select disciples to teach his interpretation of the Scriptures and purification standards to.
The goal of each disciple was to master the rabbi’s teaching and be chosen to be the successor to the
rabbi and continue his teaching. The rabbi was expected to provide for his disciples. He was expected to
test his disciples. Discipleship was not a permanent relationship. A disciple could leave at any time or
even be told to go by the rabbi.

217 Gary M. Burge, Gene L. Green, and Lynn H. Cohick, The New Testament in Antiquity (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Zondervan, 2009), 70.

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