Part 10
|
IS JUDAISM THE LAW OF MOSES?
Part 10
A REVELATION OF TRUTH ABOUT THE JEWISH SECTS IN PALESTINE IN THE DAYS OF CHRIST!
All the sects of Judaism in the New Testament period had their roots in the time of religious anarchy, when first the Egyptians and later the Syrians dominated Palestine. This period was after the death of Alexander the Great. These foreign nations brought into Palestine their form of Hellenism. The Jews accepted it almost as readily as any of the countries of the East which had been conquered by Alexander the Great.
Because the Jews represent the major non-Greek element, it is important to observe that their reaction to Hellenism "was initially no different from that of other non-Greek people" (Goodspeed, The Apocrypha, pg. Xiv).
The Jews, were introduced to Hellenism by the Egyptians and accepted it almost totally. It even affected the religious beliefs of the Jews. Changes were made in the Jewish religious services. The foreign influences was so strong, the religious inclination so weak, that this period was called a time of religious anarchy. Hellenism was the philosophy of free-thinking; the right of the individual to think and reason for himself. This philosophy of individualism was accepted by the Jews. The Jews, like their Egyptian rulers, began to think on their own in regard to the arts, sciences, and religion!
As with Hellenism in Greece, Syria and Egypt, so in Palestine, the individual and his opinion became important to the educated. The study of scripture, became more of a private matter and of individual interpretation, rather than the teachings from a body of authority like the Sopherim. In most cases the scripture became interpreted according to the prevailing custom of viewing everything in the light of Hellenistic "enlightenment."
During this time of religious anarchy there arose a number of individual wanting to teach the Scripture. These men were almost wholly laymen--the priest on the whole thought it not necessary to bother themselves with teaching or studying the Scriptures of their forefathers.
At the end of the anarchy, we find these individual laymen establishing themselves, with a few faithful priest, into a body of religious authority among the Jews. However, when these men came together they brought with them many varying opinions of the Scriptures that they had learned in their independent study. Some of the laymen and priest accepted much of Hellenism ways of teaching as well as the customs of Hellenism and practices. There were some teachers however, who were less inclined towards Hellenism. Yet, all in one way or another were influenced by Hellenism, so says Herford in his book "Talmud and the Apocrypha," pg. 77.
There were differences of opinions between the teachers and these differences finally evolved into the real beginning of the sects of Judaism. All these sects had their beginning after the period of religious anarchy. It is important to note that all the sects which came out of the anarchy had some form of Hellenism attached to their beliefs. The various sects of Judaism can be categorized according to the amount of apparent Hellenization that each sect absorbed. Some absorbed a lot, some a little and some hardly at all.
Let's look at the sects of Judaism that existed in the days of Jesus the Christ. It has been obvious that none of them were keeping the true religion and Laws of Moses.
The first sects to be examined will be the Essenes. This group represented the sect which consumed the greatest amount of foreign doctrine. "Greek culture must have had a powerful influence upon Palestine since the time of Alexander the Great--it was not repressed until the Maccabean rising--it is only natural, if we find actual proof of this influence of Hellenism in the circle of the Essenes" (Schurer, The Jewish People in the Times of Jesus Christ, sec ii, vol ii, pg. 218).
There were certain religious customs and beliefs of the Jewish sect of the Essenes which were totally Hellenistic in origin. For one, "Josephus tells us they accepted the doctrine of the immortality of the soul" (Antiquities of the Jews, xviii, 1, 5). He mentions this foreign belief of the Essenes in several places. Notice: "For their doctrines is this: that bodies are corruptible, and that the matter they are made of is not permanent; but that the souls are immortal, and continue forever....and is like the opinions of the Greeks, that good souls have their souls beyond the oceans, etc." (Wars of the Jews, II pg. 11). Josephus goes on to say, speaking of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul: "And indeed the Greeks seem to me to have followed the same notion" (ibid.). Josephus further states, "the Essenes taught their doctrine as did the Greeks. This doctrine is certainly of foreign origin, for no such doctrine is found in Scripture" (ibid.). " The Essenes had always professed the purest doctrines of Greek philosophy concerning the immortality of the soul" (Renan, History of the People of Israel, vol v. pg. 56). "This particular teaching is of itself proof of the influences of foreign philosophies" (Schurer, The Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, sec.ii, vol ii, pg. 214). And Josephus states further, "If then only one sentence which Josephus says concerning the anthropology of the Essenes is true, it is certain that their doctrine of man is dualistic i.e. NON-JEWISH" (ibid.). There is no doubt that the Essenes accepted the doctrine of the immortality of the soul from Hellenism and this doctrine is completely foreign to scripture.
"The Essenes also adhered to the doctrine of asceticism--the doctrine of perennial self-denial of even the good things of life. This belief as a continuing custom (of self denial) is entirely alien to the teachings of the Scripture. However, such practices were common among certain Greek sects and Egyptian philosophies"(Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Ed., vol ii, pg. 717,720). Because of this peculiar belief, (which the Apostle Paul condemned in Colossians 2:23), "The Essenes developed themselves into monastic orders and repudiated marriage" (Wars of the Jews, II, 8,2). No place in Scripture commands an individual to withdraw into a monastery or nunnery and live a life of celibatic asceticism. The New Testament teaches us not to withdraw ourselves deliberately from society. "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world" (1 Cor. 5:9-10). God's Word also teaches us that marriage is honorable and holy. "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge" (Heb. 13:4).
While God's Temple was on this earth, the worshiper of God prayed facing the Temple in Jerusalem. "Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place" (1 Kings 8: 28-29). Daniel prayed three times a day in this manner. "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did afore time" (Dan. 6:10). The Temple was symbolically designed originally to be the residence of God and the people were to sacrifice at the Temple and pray toward it.
The Essenes however, worshipped toward the sun. They omitted two requirements of God which were obvious violations of Scripture. They refused to sacrifice at the Temple, or anywhere for that matter and they did not face the Temple when they prayed. "They worshipped toward the sun!" (Josephus, "Wars of the Jews" ii, 8,9). This act was strictly forbidden in the Scriptures. "Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east" (Eze. 8:15-16). But nevertheless, the Essenes turned their backs on the Temple and prayed towards the sun!
Relative to this esteem of the sun by the Essenes, Shurer writes that this clearly "leads to the conclusion, that they were in real earnest in their religious estimation of the sun. However this may be, the very turning to the sun in prayer was contrary to Jewish customs and notions, which required the turning to the temple and expressly repudiated the direction towards the sun as HEATHENISH!" (The Jewish People in the Times of Christ, see ii vol. ii, pg. 213). Shurer adds: "Thus are we more and more driven to the view, that foreign influence co-operated in the formation of the Essenes" (ibid., pg. 214).
Essenism was extreme Pharisaicism! We should not believe that Essenism, or any of the sects of Judaism were completely heathen in doctrines in all respects. What existed was a combining or blending of pagan doctrines with certain teachings of the Scripture. The Essenes kept the Sabbath, circumcision, and many of the other customs common to the Jews. They also kept many of the traditional laws of the Pharisees. Schurer also tells us in his book "The Jewish People in the Times of Jesus Christ" pg. 209, that the rigid religions legalism of the Essenes and their care for ceremonial clean-ness, were genuinely Pharisaic in origin. The Essenes were not a part of the popular Pharisee sect. They were an entirely different and separate group. They may have represented a group that began as a division of the Pharisaic sect and broke away early after the religious anarchy ended. "Essenism then is in the first place merely Pharisaicism in the superlative degree" (ibid.). The Essenes completely separated himself from the multitude and formed exclusive societies, and were actually more rigorous and exacting (if it were possible) than the Pharisees as a whole. They even went beyond the Pharisaic commandments in regard to ritualistically clean" (ibid. Pg. 210-211).
Thus this extreme Pharisaicism led to asceticism and their other peculiar customs that most Jews completely disavowed! The Essenes went quit a bit farther than the Pharisees in accepting outright many of the customs of the heathen they learned while under Hellenism. There is no doubt that the Essenes were recipients of many pagan doctrines and many of them came from Egyptian Hellenism. "Essenism represents a Judaism of quite peculiarly blended into-Pharisaic and Alexandrian view and appears in alliance with pagan philosophy and with many rites of Egyptian priests" (Condor, "Judas Maccabeans," pg. 208,210). The Essenes teachings were far from those of Moses! "So Essenism can be understood only when regarded as a blending of Jewish and Greek ideas" (Ency. Biblica, col. 2011).
The Truth About the Pharisees--- "like the Essenes, many of the Pharisees had adopted the pagan belief in the immortality of the soul" (Josephus, "Wars of the Jews," II, 8, 14). This doctrine is plainly recognized by scholars, to have come from heathenism and not from Scripture. The Pharisees were not willing to go as far as the Essenes in its complete pagan interpretation. Some of the Pharisees seem to have had certain reservations concerning the new doctrine. Josephus, himself a Pharisee and throughly acquainted with their doctrines, makes a vague distinction between the Pharisee belief and that of the Essenes. He says, "The Pharisee believed in an "immortal vigour" to be in the body; while the Essenes believed outright in the immortality of the soul" (Antiquities of the Jews, xviii, 1,3 & 4). There seems to be some doubt in some of the Pharisees but most believed in it, but with varying degrees of interpretation. The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is not taught in Scripture! In fact the Scripture teaches the exact opposite. "Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die" (Eze. 18:4,21). In the New Testament we find, "Which in His times He shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen" (1 Tim. 6:15-16).
Who were the Apocalyptists? These were a very minor religious group. The name denotes those who supposedly reveal "hidden truths" or "secret doctrines." These sects certainly differed from the major groups of Judaism. They did not represent any large religious movements among the Jews. "The Apocalyptic literature certainly represents an element in the Judaism of its time, but it was an element of very minor importance compared with those of the Pharisees, in which lay the real vitality and strength of Judaism! It is a fundamental mistake to suppose that the Apocalyptic literature can explain what Judaism really stood for, in that or any other age" (Herford, Judaism in the New Testament Period, pg. 11).
The writings of these few individuals or religious sects were completely rejected by the Jews. Some of the reasons for their rejection by the other sects is because they were obviously contradictory with one another in many way they were at variance with popular teachings of the Scripture. All the writings of these Apocalyptists were written during or sometime after the period of the religious anarchy. Some were written even as late as the First Century A.D.
"Their teachings on the whole, while having Jewish basis, reflect men's opinions and ideas which were absorbed from Hellenism. The teachings of the various book are extremely diverse. Strong elements of Hellenism are found in some and in others to a lessor degree" (Ency. Biblica, col 2010, 2011). Some of their teachings were directly influenced by Egyptian and Syrian Hellenism. Their teachings represent those of some individuals teachers who, after the religious anarchy, began to teach their own religious beliefs independent of the Pharisees, but nonetheless, equally erroneous!
"Traces of Syrian Hellenism, which had been implanted among the less educated masses, endured, and the victorious Judean people (after the successful Maccabean Revolt) harbored a growing semi-Hellenism crowd who had neither grasped the pure Hebraic faith nor received the pure Hellenic spirit. This populace (certain leaders among them) fostered the apocalyptic literature with its fantastic and yet somewhat materialistic spirituality, which, while it was largely an expression of the Hebraic mind and a development of the prophetic vision, shows a marked impress of foreign doctrine" (Bentwich, Hellenism, pg. 335).
The principles behind the apocalyptic literature are an infusion of certain Jewish beliefs with Hellenism. "The aspect that, that literature presents is of so diversified a character that it is difficult to combine all the different elements into one connected whole" (Schurer, "The Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ," Sec .ii, Vol. iii, pg. 1).
"Because so many of the doctrines of the writers of these various books seem to show a near kinship to certain Essenistic beliefs, some scholars have endeavored to show that the authors were undoubtedly part of that group" (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol i, pg. 164).
Josephus mentions that "the Essenes were fond of keeping "secret" books that related doctrines only the initiated could know" (Wars of the Jews, ii, 8,7 ). We can see that these sects who wrote the various apocalyptic books were closer in doctrine to the Essenes than any other religious group among the Jews. They were not Pharisees! "Those who really do know the Pharisee literature, including all the great Jewish scholars, agree in the view that the Apocryphal and Apocalyptic writings represent a type (or types) of Judaism different from the Pharisaic type" (Herford, Judaism in the New Testament, pg. 123).
What is the truth about the Sadducees? The Sadducees completely rejected the traditions of the elders (Pharisees of Old). "They maintained that the Scripture alone was sufficient for religious truths" (Lauterbach, Rabbinic Essays, Pg. 209). The Sadducees were certainly right in the decision!!
The actions of the Sadducees against the erroneous opinions of the Pharisees seemingly puts them in a good light---as though they were zealously upholding the Law of God and His divine truth! However, the Sadducees position was not honest as it may appear on the surface. There were real reasons behind the Sadducees apparent stand for the acceptance of only the Scripture and those reasons were not always out of honor for the Scripture or even God!!
We cannot say that the Sadducees respected the Scriptures when many of the plain teachings of the Word of God they openly renounced! They clearly rejected Scripture teaching of the resurrection, they did not believe in angels nor spirits. Yet, God's Word teaches these truths. The Sadducees rejected fundamental doctrines and did not hold the Scripture teachings in very high esteem.
Why did the Sadducees rejected the traditions of the elder? It will come as a surprise to many people to realize that the reason the majority of Sadducees rejected the Pharisaic traditions of the elder, so-call, was not because of a reverence for the Scripture and an abhorrence for heathen customs. Their motive for rejecting these new religious laws, in reality, was on account of their lack of interest in religion. They did not care for any more religious laws than was necessary!
It is clearly known that the majority of the Sadducees were not zealous for religion. Their main interest lay in securing for themselves political positions of power among the influential people in Palestine---they reverenced the gaining of wealth and power more than anything else. They did not want to subject themselves to any of the religious laws of the Pharisees nor even of the Scripture. The Sadducees represented the "worldly minded" sect of the Jews---not especially interested in religion.
"The Sadducees saw in the traditions of the elders an excess of legal strictness which they refused to have imposed upon them, while the advanced religious views of the Pharisees were, on the one hand superfluous to the worldly-minded and on the other, inadmissible by their higher culture and enlightenment" (Schurer, The Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, sec.ii, Vol ii, pg. 41).
The Sadducees simply did not want to be burdened with more religious laws. They thought the Laws of Scripture were certainly enough, without adding more! And in fact, sometimes, if the Scripture did not teach what they wanted, they would even disallow it!! "The Sadducees, with the easy indifference of men of the world, finding that there was quite enough in the Law for them to obey, denied that there was anything obligatory outside of the Books of Moses" (Renan, History of the People of Israel vol 5, pg. 41, 42).
"With their rejection of the traditions of the elders and their acceptance of only the Scripture, it is not to be supposed that they were interested in getting the people back to the religion of Moses or in bringing the people to a proper reverence for the Scripture. They were willing to accept just what they had to, in order to retain their political positions among the rich and wealthy of Jerusalem" (Antiquities of the Jews, xviii,10,6). "Their doctrinal position gave them liberty to follow their desires for political power and worldly satisfaction. Hence they had a deeper interest in sustaining the power of the reigning prince (whether Jewish or Roman) than in maintaining the observance of Moses" (Riggs, A History of the Jewish People, pg.111).
While on the surface it may seem the Sadducees were a little closer to the truth, because they maintained that the Scripture was sufficient Law to have, yet the fact is they were just as far away from the truth---even further! While the Sadducees blamed the Pharisees for not adhering to Scripture for their doctrines, they themselves were rejecting doctrine after doctrine of plain Scripture. They were no more following the complete directions of the Scriptures than were the Pharisees!
Throughout Scripture there are examples that God intervenes in the affairs of nations and individuals. There are multitudes of prophecies which show that God is very soon going to personally intervene in the lives of mankind. Yet, the Sadducees did not believe a word of it. They believed that God did not direct the mind of many in any form or manner- -all things that happened were the results of man's own doing!
"And the Sadducees, take away fate (the determination of God) and say there is no such things, and that the events of human affairs are not at its (God's) disposal: but they suppose that all our actions are in our power, so that we are ourselves the cause of what is good, and receive what is evil from our own folly" (Antiquities of the Jews, xiii, 5,9, Wars of the Jews, ii, 14).
The Scripture prove the Sadducees wrong! It shows that God at times direct individuals and nation to do certain duties. "For He saith, By the strength of My hand I have done it, and by My wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: And My hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood" (Isa. 10:13-15). This does not mean every single action of an individual is being determined by God. "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all" (Ecc. 9:11). "The Pharisees understood correctly that God intervenes in the affairs of mankind when He considers it necessary for the carrying out of His plan, but on the whole, mankind's actions are his own" (Antiquities of the Jews, xiii, 5, 9).
The Sadducees did not have belief in many truths of the Scripture. By disbelieving the resurrection, disbelieving the spirit world and also rejecting the fact that God ever intervenes in the affairs of man, they show clearly that they had little regard for the Word of God.
"The Sadducees were very nearly free- thinkers, and in all cases were men of little religion. Their wisdom was all worldly. The doctrines attributed to them by Josephus concerning liberty and divine Providence are interpretations or compromise after the Greek fashion. For them, all this was an attempt to reduce the supernatural to its minimum, a process for eliminating God" (Renan, "History of the People of Israel, vol v, pg. 40).
"Their interests were entirely in this world, and they had no such intensively religious interest as the Pharisees" (Schurer, The Jewish People at the time of Jesus Christ, ii vol. ii, pg. 39).
Let's look at a brief history of the Sadducees. "When religious authority was again established among the Jews after the period of religious anarchy, the Pharisees were anxious for the people to start living a religious life, even though they brought into their religion many of the new customs from Hellenism. However, the majority of the Sadducees made no real attempt to return to religion. They certainly saw no reason for accepting the many new customs as extra religious duties to perform. The majority of Sadducees were priest who were ordained of God to teach the people the Scriptures" (Cyd. Of Bib. Theo. And Ecc. Lit., vol ix, pg 238).
"The forefather of the priest, the Sopherim, were entirely faithful in their appointed tasks. But the majority of the priests after the period of religious anarchy made no attempt to teach the people the Scriptures. One of the main reasons for their attitude was because most of them had been out and out Hellenists!" (Herford, Talmud and Apocrypha, pg. 77, 78). Among all the Jews in Palestine, the priests had become the most Hellenistic.
"After the religious anarchy, when the lay leaders, the Pharisees, began to exert an influence over the people, they "refused to recognize the authority of the priests as a class, and inasmuch as many of the priest had proven unfaithful guardians of the Law, they would not entrust to them the religious life of the people" (Lauterbach, Rabbinic Essays, pg. 209).
Thus, many of the priests comprised the sect of the Sadducees, which in all principles, rivaled the Pharisees. The origin of the priestly sect of the Sadducees was actually prompted as a reaction to the Pharisees taking over much of the religious control of the Jewish people. The Sadducees sect was not formed to endeavor to return to the original Law of Moses by the priests, nor did the priests attempt to gain the people to accept only the Scripture as Law. This sect evolved as merely a reaction to the assumption of the power by the lay Pharisees!!
Many of the priests continued in Hellenism. Even after the religious anarchy, many of the priests retained their love for the culture! The Sadducees represented the division of the Jews which continued a reverence for the ethical views of Hellenism. It is true they did not hold to many religious doctrines of the pagan cults of Hellenism, but they did retain many of the social aspects of the culture. They did this so they could be in constant contact with the political powers in Jerusalem, who found it necessary to adhere to much of the Hellenistic beliefs in order to carry on matters of state with the other countries around them.
Thus, many of the priest did not completely repent of their secular Hellenism, even though on the religious side they acknowledged the Scripture as the only Law.
"The Sadducees made, however the open door through which Greek influences CAME BACK into the land, and as another has tersely said, `the antagonism between them and the Pharisees was really a secondary version of the old feud between the Hellenists and the Hasideans" (Riggs, A History of the Jewish People, pg. 111). The Hasideans were those Jews of the Maccabean Revolt who maintained a zeal for religion and of course, the Hellenists were the Jews, many of them priests who had not interest in religion.
The Sadducees were simply the remnants of the Hellenists who cared nothing for religion, while the Pharisees were the descendants of the religionists--the Hasideans. "Politically, the Sadducees were, as a party, open to foreign influences, and it was through them that Hellenic culture spread in Israel" (The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, pg. 134). The Sadducees were really secular Hellenists. Their acceptance of the Scripture as the only code of Law, even though they rejected much of its teachings, was really out of spite to the Pharisees, who accepted the so-called traditions of the elders. The Sadducees saw no reason to become overly religious by the acceptance of burdensome customs and rites.
"Their interest were entirely in this world, and they had no such intensively religious interest as the Pharisees" (Schurer, The Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, sec. Ii, vol, ii, pg 39). The Sadducees had no real interest in teaching the people the true Laws of God and they had no real interest in religion, even though most were priest and were ordain of God to instruct the people in righteousness, they totally renounced their responsibility! This is why it was easy for the lay Pharisees to take over religious control of the people.
"Such as they were, the Sadducees had little or no direct influence upon the mass of the people, nor did they seek to have. They made no effort to teach the people, presumably because the thought of doing so never entered their minds" (Herford, Judaism in the New Testament Period, pg. 122). "We shall perhaps be not far wrong if we represent the Sadducees as holding the ancestral religion mainly as an inheritance and NOT AS A LIVING REALITY...it is in accordance with this view that they did NOTHING to enlarge the meaning or increase the influence of the Torah as the Pharisees did" (ibid. Pg. 121). The Sadducees made no attempt to make the Scriptures known to the people or to carry out their God given function of instruction the people in the Law. They were willing to sacrifice the Laws of Scriptures, if they could gain politically from it. "They were the less restrained by any religious scruples from engaging in public affairs which involved some amount of compromise with Gentiles" (ibid. Pg. 122). Schurer adequately describes the Sadducees "as pre-eminently have a recession of the religious motive, rather than a zealousness for the Scripture" (The Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, sec.ii, vol. Ii pg. 39).
WHAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER ABOUT THE SECTS OF JUDAISM---When the truth is known, the sects of Judaism were not really teaching the Law of Moses. What they all did, to one degree or another, was to blend pagan customs and beliefs, along with various man-made opinions, with the Law of Moses and then endeavored to teach their contradictory doctrines as the truth of God!
The Pharisees had accepted many customs of the heathen as so-called traditional laws of Moses. They had also enacted many of their own commandments which by-passed the commands of the Scripture and in fact, the Pharisaic commands even annulled, in many cases the plain commandments of God.
The Sadducees were disinterested in religion. The only reason they had any connection with religion at all was because most of them were priests who had the hereditary right to minister in the Temple and to have an association with the religious life of the people. They maintained their hereditary religious right mainly for political purposes in order for them to more easily pursue their worldly-minded aspirations, not out of any desire to teach the people the truth of God.
The Essenes had accepted many heathen customs and beliefs without reservation. Almost all their doctrines were antagonistic to the Law of Moses. The writer of the Apocalyptic books also show an impress of foreign doctrines and philosophies. The writer of the Apocalyptic books were probably in one way or another connected with the Essenes.
Thus, all the religious sects of Judaism can adequately be shown to be schismatic deviations from the pure and simple Law of Moses. They were all affected by the beliefs that mixed and blended paganism and Hellenism with the Law of God.
The combined numbers of the Jews who belonged to the religious sects of Judaism, however, numbered less than 5% of the total Jewish population in the days of Christ. The great majority of the Common People, were not overly religious. Outside of observing a few basic forms of religion, the masses were not zealously concerned!
(To be continued in the next Prove All Things. Information for this article was taken from the October, 1961 issue of the Good News Magazine, published by Ambassador College. We encourage you to read the original article entitled "Is Judaism the Law of Moses? Part 10).
IT IS NOT THE CHURCH OF GOD, IN TRUTH'S INTENTION TO DEGRADE THE JEWISH PEOPLE. IT IS OUR INTENTION TO SHOW AND PROVE THAT JUDAISM IS NOT THE RELIGION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, JUST LIKE CATHOLICISM IS NOT THE TRUE RELIGION OF JESUS CHRIST!
|