Religious Groups in Jesus' Time

Flashcards covering the major religious, political, and social groups in Jewish society during the time of Jesus, including the Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots, Scribes, Essenes, and Tax Collectors.

The Sadducees

A conservative, upper-class Jewish religious group mostly comprised of priests in powerful or executive positions who favored the status quo, rejected change, restricted authority solely to the Torah, and kept their distance from commoners.

Torah (Sadducean Belief)

The only religious text that the Sadducees believed possessed absolute religious authority.

Temple, Rituals, and Sacrifices

The central elements of religious worship and life that the Sadducees strictly believed in and maintained.

Sadducean Rejection of Doctrines

The refusal of the Sadducees to believe in the resurrection, angels, or demons.

The Pharisees

A Jewish group concerned with preserving the distinctive characteristics of the Jewish people; their life centered around the synagogue and they sought to make everyone equal within Judaism.

Synagogue Pillars (Pharisees)

The three main practices around which Pharisaic life in the synagogue was centered: study, worship, and charity.

Written and Oral Law

The legal traditions that the Pharisees believed were the most important authorities in Judaism.

Priestly Kingdom

The concept drawn from Exodus that the Pharisees sought to achieve by raising every Jewish person to the level of priests.

Pharisaic Doctrines

Religious beliefs accepted by the Pharisees—which were rejected by the Sadducees—including the resurrection, angels, demons, and the concept of a messiah.

The Zealots

Strong nationalists who fought for national independence, believing that Jewish independence was part of God's plan and that God would save them for protecting and promoting His law.

The Scribes

Religious scholars and teachers in Jewish society, often called rabbis, who studied and taught the law.

The Essenes

A sectarian group who believed the present world order was ending, rejected the Temple due to its corrupted priesthood, and followed a strict discipline.

New World Order (Essene Belief)

The divine state of the world that the Essenes believed God would create after the current order of the world came to an end.

Final Battle (Essene Belief)

The anticipated apocalyptic confrontation between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, for which the Essenes prepared by living under strict discipline.

Tax Collectors

Figures in Jewish society who collected revenue on behalf of a foreign occupying government, creating resentment among the Jewish people who grumbled about paying taxes to a foreign power.