Scripture Studies Chapter 16 The World of the New Testament

The World of the New Testament “The land of Zebulun and the land of Napthali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,... ” (Matthew 4:15-16)

The World of the New Testament This chapter introduces us to the state of the world at the time Jesus chose to enter it The major religious players at this time were the Pharisees and the Sadducees, both of whom rejected the Samaritans

The World of the New Testament Each of these three groups believed that they were the true believers After the triumph of Pompey in 63 BC, the Jewish people were ruled by Herod’s line, who played vassals to the Romans Generally, it was a time of great abundance and prosperity

The World of the New Testament The amazing success of the Maccabees revealed the power of God Once again there was an independent Israel with Jerusalem as its capital

The World of the New Testament The Temple had been purified and restored, and the worship of the one true God could go on again as it was prescribed in the Law of Moses The High Priest was also the secular ruler of the people, so once again the state and the church became one

The World of the New Testament The family line of the Maccabees was continued by Mattathias’ son Simon Simon ruled until the Romans arrived in 63 BC John Hyrcanus (ruled BC) extended his power into northern Galilee

The World of the New Testament When John Hyrcanus became High Priest, he decided to take the next step He would purify the whole country of pagan influences Everyone in the country had a choice: be circumcised or leave

The World of the New Testament Being circumcised also meant taking on the whole Law of Moses with all its rules and regulations and rituals and requirements The whole country was “Judaized” – made Jewish – almost overnight

The World of the New Testament Hyrcanus also destroyed the temple of the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim This earned him the undying hatred of the Samaritans As a military leader, Hyrcanus conquered almost all of the territories that had belonged to the Davidic kingdom

The World of the New Testament In 106 BC, John Hyrcanus died Aristobulus became High Priest and proclaimed himself king It seemed that the prophecies had been fulfilled Israel was united, and a king reigned in Jerusalem

The World of the New Testament But Aristobulus was a Levite, and was not a descendant of the line of David The prophets had promised that the Lord’s Anointed would be from the tribe of Judah and the line of David

The World of the New Testament Aristobulus ruled for only a year His brother Alexander Janneus then became king and High Priest

The World of the New Testament But soon Israel became deeply divided between the Pharisees and the Sadducees There were other minor factions such as the Essenes and the Zealots

The World of the New Testament Judah was a small province of a huge pagan empire One faction thought the only way to remain pure was to build a wall around themselves and keep the Gentiles out

The World of the New Testament The Pharisees were a lay movement that became very influential around this time They strictly interpreted the Ten Commandments and added 613 other laws and regulations They were a small group, probably never more than about six thousand

The World of the New Testament They were called “the separated,” or “Perushim” in Hebrew This is where we get the word “Pharisee” The Pharisees thought that the Law alone wasn’t enough

The World of the New Testament Ordinary Jewish families should imitate the complicated and ritualistic purity of the priests in Jerusalem More and more customs and oral traditions were legislated Washing hands before meals is an example

The World of the New Testament They washed not to get rid of dirt, but to make themselves ritually pure The Pharisees refused to associate with Gentiles Even visiting a Gentile’s house made them ritually impure They emphasized and exaggerated their distinctly Jewish customs

The World of the New Testament It’s easy to see why they believed what they believed They knew that Israel’s history showed that associating with pagans had always led to trouble But the Pharisees made the Law an intolerable burden

The World of the New Testament More and more, they emphasized the external signs of separation Some exaggerated the details of Jewish national dress, wearing big phylacteries and conspicuous fringes They strictly interpreted dietary laws

The World of the New Testament Yet they were capable of evading the law when it suited them, by inventing interpretations that helped them cheat the poor, or even their own parents “They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and ly them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men: for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market place, and being called rabbi by men.” (Jesus, in Mt 25:6-7

The World of the New Testament The Sadducees originated with the priest Zadok, and also became influential around this time They were priestly and aristocratic, and sought to preserve their privileges against those claimed by the Pharisees

The World of the New Testament They ran the government and often held the position of High Priest They were almost the opposite of the Pharisees The Pharisees believed in the afterlife and the resurrection of the body The Sadducees did not

The World of the New Testament The Pharisees believed that pious Jews had to distance themselves from the Gentiles to preserve their faith The Sadducees deeply invested themselves with the secular or pagan powers to maintain their priestly privileges and worship at the Temple

The World of the New Testament The Roman General Pompey entered Palestine in BC He settled a dispute in the Hasmonean line for the throne Israel became part of the Roman Empire

The World of the New Testament The Herodian family line became the rulers of the Jewish people, as vassals of the Romans Herod the Great (rules 37-4 BC) was a shrewd politician By ingratiating himself with Octavian (Emperor Augustus), he became king of Israel

The World of the New Testament Herod could be a ruthless murderer in order to further his goals Once he had eliminated his political enemies, he attempted to win the support of the Jews by engaging in a broad construction program

The World of the New Testament The reconstruction of the Second Temple was one of his chief accomplishments His construction programs brought great wealth to Israel But he never succeeded in winning the favor of the Jews

The World of the New Testament Herod was an Edomite, and the Jews regarded him as only half Jewish He was also a Hellenist His last years were marked by intense strife within his family

The World of the New Testament He repudiated some of his ten wives He ordered the execution of some of his sons His last years were marked by brutality Only force or the threat of force kept the Jewish people in line

The World of the New Testament All things considered, it would probably not be inaccurate to describe Herod as a brutal psychopath But the Romans didn’t care how many people he murdered as long as he kept the tribute money flowing

The World of the New Testament As long as he kept the money flowing to Rome, and the money flowing to the Temple priesthood, he stayed in power “The Romans did not build a great empire by having meetings. They did it by killing those who opposed them.”

The World of the New Testament Still, Herod had a talent for building magnificent palaces, fortresses, and other public buildings, and for restoring the Temple in glorious style Pilgrims came from all over the known world to see it And they spent money in Jerusalem while they were there

The World of the New Testament Roman peace, worldwide trade, nd Herod’s extensive building program brought an economic boom like nothing Israel had seen before It seemed that the prophecies had at last been fulfilled

The World of the New Testament “Herod the Great” was great not because he was good or admired, but because his reign was so prosperous When Herod died, the Romans divided his kingdom among his four sons

The World of the New Testament One of them, Herod Antipas, ruled over Galilee during the time of Jesus The Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”) established by Caesar Augustus lasted into the fifth century AD Wars were fought only on the far borders of the empire

The World of the New Testament Cities had clean water, sewer systems, theaters and public baths The wealth gathered from the conquest of Egypt was a major contribution

The World of the New Testament This stability contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity despite intermittent persecutions that began under Nero Roman religion was not based on faith like Judaism and Christianity

The World of the New Testament It was based on the idea of “covering all bases” to win the favor of the gods, whoever they might be Conquered people were usually free to worship their own gods and practice their own religious traditions

The World of the New Testament By the beginning of the Christian era, many Romans no longer believed in the traditional Roman gods By the end of Herod’s reign, many Jews were still expecting the Messiah

The World of the New Testament Others believed that Herod’s Temple represented the fulfillment of the prophecies Despite occasional infighting and terrorist raids, Herod kept the peace, with Rome’s backing

The World of the New Testament This was the world into which Jesus was born, in the fullness of time “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

The World of the New Testament The political state of the world was largely stable Most of the civilized world was under the power of the great Roman empire The Pax Romana would last hundreds of years

The World of the New Testament Caesar Augustus had become sole ruler of most of the known world Travel was relatively easy with no national borders to cross Conditions were right for Christianity to spread to the farthest ends of the empire in relative peace

The World of the New Testament There was one great empire, one currency, one set of laws, no borders to cross The Roman political situation was stable, but Roman religion had begun to crumble into irrelevance

The World of the New Testament Roman religious practice was like a business transaction If you performed the right ceremonies for the right gods, at the right times, with the right words, then you expected that the gods would be happy with you, and everything would go well in your life

The World of the New Testament Any deeper involvement with the gods would be considered superstition The Romans even paid tribute to local non-Roman gods Caesar Augustus even had sacrifices offered for himself in the Temple in Jerusalem

The World of the New Testament The god of the Jews was just one more god to be appeased Many philosophers of the time didn’t believe in the traditional gods at all Some thought there were gods, but that they did not care about human affairs

The World of the New Testament Some believed in a philosophical, theoretical god as a “first cause” They came to monotheism through pure reason But they could never know God without revelation

The World of the New Testament They helped prepare the way for God’s revelation when it came through Jesus People were searching for answers How can I have eternal life? How can I know God? Roman religion had no answers for these questions

The World of the New Testament The Diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews) also set the stage for the coming of Christ Many Jews had not returned to Israel after the conquest Many expanded to all parts of Alexander’s empire

The World of the New Testament When Rome took over, the dispersed Jews continued to settle everywhere There was hardly a town in the Roman empire without a Jewish section They probably made up about 7% of the population of the Empire

The World of the New Testament Rome had a significant Jewish population Alexandria was probably about 25% Jewish By now, the Hebrew Scriptures had been translated into Greek, the vernacular of the eastern part of the Empire

The World of the New Testament Synagogues appeared during the exile because the dispersed Jews could no longer go to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship When the faithful met once a week, their worship service was very much like our Liturgy of the Word

The World of the New Testament They would hear a couple of readings from the Hebrew Scriptures, and a sermon They still expected the coming of the Messiah We keep a similar liturgy, but for us, the Messiah has come

The World of the New Testament Judaism appealed to many Gentiles in the Roman Empire Some converts didn’t follow the entire prescription (circumcision, dietary laws, ritual purity laws, etc.) But they did attach themselves to Jewish communities and study the Scriptures

The World of the New Testament They were called “Proselytes of the Gate” They were waiting for the Messiah and expected a share in the kingdom Some recognized Jesus as the Messiah and were fertile ground for conversion to Christianity

The World of the New Testament Palestine was a troublesome corner of the Roman Empire There were rebels who would stage occasional uprisings against the Romans Sometimes one of them would claim to be the Christ and the Roman army would have to restore order

The World of the New Testament Some Jews settled in Galilee, in what had been the Northern Kingdom The Jews in Jerusalem regarded them as peasants Apparently Jews from Galilee were easily recognized in Jerusalem by their accents

The World of the New Testament Romans usually left a local king in charge But of course he had to answer to the Roman governor When Jesus was born, Herod the Great killed all the male children under two years of age in an attempt to kill Jesus

The World of the New Testament The Samaritans lived in what had been the Northern Kingdom, between Jerusalem and Galilee They had intermarried with the Assyrians during the exile Samaritans and Jews had a long history of antagonism for each other

The World of the New Testament Samaritans were viewed as foreigner to Jewish worship and practice and were to be ignored or avoided The Samaritans opposed the rebuilding of the Temple They opposed Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem

The World of the New Testament The Samaritans established their own Temple to Yahweh on Mount Gerezim They supported the Seleucid forces during the Maccabean revolt They worshipped the one true God, but in a different way from the Jews

The World of the New Testament They only accept the Torah as scripture They were regarded as heretics by the Jews There are still a few hundred Samaritans living in Palestine today

The World of the New Testament In Jesus’ time, being a Samaritan was worse than being a prostitute or a tax collector, barely human In choosing to speak to a Samaritan woman, Jesus repudiated one of the strongest stigmas of the day

The World of the New Testament The Pharisees lived strict, simple lives They believed that everything happened according to God’s plan, though man was still free to act virtuously or viciously They also believed in eternal reward or punishment after death and the resurrection of the body

The World of the New Testament Pharisees were praised for their virtuous conduct in their actions and their teachings It is good to get to know Christ by reading the New Testament The Gospels tell us about Christ’s life in his teachings and actions

The World of the New Testament The letters expound on Christ’s teaching and relate the early history of the Church The letters also help in discovering what Christ’s Person and work mean for people today