A brief history of Judaism
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“A BRIEF HISTORY OF JUDAISM”
WHERE DID THE PHARISEES GET THEIR AUTHORITY?
WHO SET THE POSTPONEMENT RULES INTO THE HEBREW CALENDAR?
THIS WILL BE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HOW THE PHARISEES CAME TO POWER AND HOW OVER THE PERIOD OF YEARS THE POSTPONEMENTS WERE INTRODUCED INTO THE HEBREW CALENDAR.
Maccabaean period:
In the Maccabaean period, two parties sharply contrasted with each other, were developed from the priests and scribes. The Sadducean party come from the ranks of the priest, the party of the Pharisees from the scribes. The characteristic feature of the Pharisees arise from their legal tendency, that of the Sadducees from their social position. The scribes appeared in the time of John Hyrcanus under the name “Pharisees,” no longer on the side of the Maccabees but in hostile opposition to them. Queen Alexandra, for the sake of peace with her people, abandoned her power to the Pharisees. Their victory was now complete, the whole conduct of internal affairs was in their hands. All the decrees of the Pharisees done away with by Hyrcanus were reintroduced, and the Pharisees ruled the public life of the nation.
Although the Sadducean high priest was at the head of the Sanhedrin, the decisive influence upon public affairs was in the hands of the Pharisees. “They had the bulk of the nation as their ally, and women especially were in their hands. Hence, too, the Sadducees, in their official acts, adhered to the demands of the Pharisees, because otherwise the multitude would not have tolerated them. Amid all the changes of government under Romans and Herodians, the Pharisees maintained their spiritual authority” (Ungers Bible Dictionary, 1989, pages 997-998).
Mattathias, the Jewish High Priest:
Josephus in, “Josephus, The Essential Writings” page 220, “After John Hycranus, (grandson of Mattathias, the Jewish high priest 166 B.C.E.), was proclaimed high priest (135 B.C.E-I04 B.C.E.), his many successes produced jealousy among the Jews, and the Pharisees were particularly hostile. At first he was a disciple of
the Pharisees and was cherished by them. But later, a Pharisee named Eleazar wanted him to give up the high priesthood and just govern the people. The teachings of the Pharisees are opposed to the other most prominent school among the Jews, the Sadducees. Hyrcanus finally left the Pharisees to join the Sadducees. In doing this he drew the peoples's hatred on himself, since they preferred the Pharisees. The Sadducees were viewed as the party of the few and wealthy.”
“Alexander Janneus (103B.C.E-76 B.C.E.) page 224-225, on his deathbed told the queen to appease the Pharisees, since they had the popular support. Alexandra favored the Pharisees, the Jewish sect most strict in the observance of the laws. They became the real rulers of the nations. Alexandra managed to rule with great wisdom, doubling the military and intimidating neighboring rulers. But if she ruled the others the Pharisees ruled her” (“Josephus, The Essential Writings,” Paul Maier, 1994).
“This is how the Pharisees came into the power of the civil Jewish government, under the Roman Empire. When the Romans came in direct contact with the Jewish religion, particularly with the conquest of Pompey in the East, where they subjugated Syria and the Jews during the years 65-63 B.C., they encountered a religious problem. They were willing to tolerate the Jewish religion, but it was so completely intertwined with Jewish life, that they found toleration had to be maintained. They installed Herod as king of the Jews. He was professedly Jewish, although only through a compulsion exerted upon his family, by the Maccabaean Jews years before.” (S.D.A. Bible Commentary, Vol 6, page 59-60).
Hillel, the Elder:
Hillel, the Elder, a Pharisee [first century B.C.E and beginning of first century C.E.] became one of the greatest sages of the Second Temple period. The title Zaken [the elder] indicates a person holding a position of honor and was generally conferred on those in high standing in the community. Hillel was a native of Babylonia and is sometime referred to as Hillel the “Babylonian.” He was appointed “nasi” after making oral rulings on whether the Passover supersedes the Sabbath or not. His decision came from studying under Shemaiah and A vtalyon. At this time there were two schools of Pharisee teachings, Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai. The Hillel School became the leading authority. Hillel, the Elder, made several changes in the law, which were against what God had ordained. Hillel, the Elder, is described as a man of great humility, who in his pursuit of peace was even prepared to depart from the truth” (Bezah 20a) (EncyclopedIa Judaica, 1972).
Rabban Gammliel:
Rabban Gamaliel, grandson of Hillel the Elder, lived in the first half of the first century. He wrote letters, containing reminders about the times of separating tithes and information about the leap year.
The Apostle Paul was one of his students. From the first, the Jewish leaders rejected Christ. They hated the Christian Christ as a rival to their expected Messiah. Christ condemned their tradition. Christ permitted His disciples to “transgress the tradition of the elders.” “Why do Thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” (Matt 15:2-3). Jesus Christ set the authority of the law of God against traditions and showed where the traditions of the Jews had led them to break God's commandments. Christ laid down plainly that the Scriptures “are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39), and used the writings of the Old Testament to establish His Messiahship, in talking with the disciples after His resurrection (Luke 24:27). Paul understood the Scriptures to be sufficient for salvation and for the building up of the Christian man.(S.D.A. Bible Commentary, Vol 6, page 64-65) (Encyclopedia Judaica, 1972 page 295 & 296).
During the time of Christ, the high priestly families belonged to the Sadducean party. The Sadduceans were not, however merely a priestly party but aristocratic priests. The Sadducees acknowledged only the written law as binding and rejected the entire traditionary interpretation and further development of the law during the centuries by the scribes. According to Josephus (Ant. 13.10.6), the Sadducees say only what is written is to be esteemed as legal and what has come down from traditions of the fathers need not be observed. No trace of the Sadduceeism are to be found in Israel previous to the captivity.(Ungers Bible Dictionary, 1989, pages 1109-1111).
The Pharisees for the most part attached greater importance to the traditions than to the written law. Neither Jesus nor His disciples ever quoted oral Jewish tradition to support their teachings, but, rather, appealed to the written Word of God. "But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4). “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4). “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim 3:15-17). (Insight Into Scripture, 1988 page 1119).
The Pharisees called Jesus Christ an uneducated man. He had not learned from the school of Hillel or the school of Shammi. “And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me” (John 7:15-16). Christ taught what He was taught by God, His Father. He had the Word of God as His instructions, Words from the Eternal Living God!
Jesus Christ kept the 14th of Abib as the Passover. He knew that the Pharisees Passover was kept on the 15th to the 21 st. They kept the Night to be Much Observed as a sedar dinner. The Sadducees kept the 14th as the Passover also. [“In Herodian time, the Sadducees had their own calendar, differing from the Pharisees” - Encyclopedia Judaica Vol 5, C-DH page 51].
Rabban Gamaliel II:
Grandson of Gamaliel I, succeeded Johanan b. Zakkai as nasi 80 C.E. Gamaliel's dispute with Joshua b. Hannaniah, on the fixing of the new moon was of great consequence. Gamaliel regarded the affair as a test of the authority of his bet din. He was apparently acquainted with the principles of Greek science. He used astronomical diagrams to examine the witnesses of the new moon (Encyclopedia Judaica. copyright 1972 page 296-298).
Hillel II:
Hillel II (330-365 C.E.) After the crushing of the revolt of the Jews against the emperor Gallus in 351-352
C.E., new decrees were issued against the inter-authority of the communities, and also against the observance of Judaism. The Roman government aspired to limit the privileges of the nasi and the freedom of action of the Sanhedrin. Hillel II agreed in principle to limit the authority of the nasi and his function in connection with the proclamation of the new moon, the fixing of the festivals, and the intercalation of the year. He thereupon published Sod ha-lbbur [“The Secret of Intercalation”] Kevi' uta de- Yarha [“The Fixing of the New Month”]. From the time ofHillel...in the year 670 of the Seleucid era, 4118 a.m. [358 c.e.], the Sanhedrin in Erez Israel ceased and it ceased to have experts, and it was he who regulated the order of intercalation, reckoned the years, and fixed the months for generations to come. Some regard the year 344 as that in which the new calendar was introduced, and it is possible that it was not immediately publicized to the same degree in all localities (Mahler). The Jewish 19 year cycle is the same number cycle as the Babylonian calendar, but not the same year. The 19 year cycle was first discovered by the Greek Astronomer Meton [SDA Commentary, 1980 Vol V]. This fixing of the Hebrew calendar happened about the same time the Sabbath was changed to Sunday by the Council of Laodicia in A.D 364 by the Catholic Church.
Talmud:
Talmud, a body of rabbinic litature, consisting of the Mishna [a compilation of laws] and the Gemara, [the discussions and expositions revolving around the Mishna]. There are actually two Talmuds, "The Palestinian and the Babylonian," each having different Gemara but the same Mishnah text: of the two the Babylonian Talmud is the more important and has received far more attention. The Mishnah, after its completion about AD. 200, became the basic text of study in the Babylonian and Palestinian rabbinical academies. The Palestinian Talmud was completed about 400 AD., and the Babylonian Talmud about a century later: the latter, containing approximately 2,500,000 words, is about three times as large as the former.
The Talmud represents the Oral Law and is considered by Orthodox Jews, as authoritative as the Written Law, represented by the Bible.
According to tradition, the teachings of the Oral Law are Mosaic in origin and have been transmitted by word of mouth through the centuries. The Talmudic law is in a sense derivative of Biblical law, but to a great extent it reflects the custom and thought of its own times. The Jewish observance of Biblical law is determined by Talmudic interpretation, and all codes of Jewish law are based on the Talmud; hence the Talmud is of prime importance in Jewish religious practice [Morris A. Gutstein].
Calendar:
According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol 5 C-DH: The present Jewish calendar is luni-solar, the months being reckoned according to the moon and the years according to the sun. A month is the period of time between one conjunction of the moon with the sun and the next conjunction. The conjunction of the moon with the sun is the point in time at which the moon is directly between the earth and the sun (but not on the same plane) and is thus invisible.
The cycle of 12 lunar months must therefore be adjusted to the solar year, because though Jewish festivals are fixed: according to dates in months, they must also be in specific [agricultural] seasons of the year which depend on the tropical solar year.
In Temple times this intercalation was decided upon in the individual years according to the agricultural conditions. Later, however, it was fixed to be in the years, 3,6,8,11,14,17,19 [*HillellI, fixed these years in approximately AD. 359].
Fixing Rosh Ha-Sahanah [New Year's Day]. The years begins on Tishri 1, which is rarely the day of their molad, as there are four obstacles or consideration, called dehiyyot, in fixing the first day of the month. Each dehiyyah defers Rosh Ha- Shanah by a day and combined dehiyyot may cause a postponement of two days. Even though they say there is a true conjunction of the moon, they never use it as the true new moon! !
Historical:
Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol 5 C-DH, page 48 says, “According to a tradition quoted in the name ofHai Gaon (d.1038), the present Jewish calendar was introduced by the patriarch Hillel II in 670 Era of the Seleucids=4119 Era of the creation=358/359 C.E. Development of the Present Order of Intercalation. Page 50. There is, on the other hand, unimpeachable evidence from the works of writers with expert knowledge of the calendar that the present ordo intercalations and epochal molad were not yet intrinsic parts of the calendar of Hillel II, these being seen still side by side with other styles of the ordo intercalationis and the molad as late as the II th century. Also the four dehiyyot developed gradually. The general acceptance of the dehiyyah, as advocated by Saadiah Gaon' s antagonist Aaron b. Meir in their controversary is not earlier than the tenth century. These are likely to have effect on the remaining dehiyyot. By the tenth century the Jewish calendar was exactly the same as today.”
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