RELIGIOUS SETTING

CORE JEWISH BELIEFS

• Monotheism -- belief in the one true God, Yahweh, who created the heavens and the earth

The Covenant: Israel as God’s Chosen People
– Yahweh, entered into a unique covenant relationship with the people of

Israel.

– Circumcision for all male children was the sign and seal of the covenant (Genesis 17).

– The Abrahamic covenant was applied to the nation of Israel in the Mosaic covenant, the law (Torah) given through Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19, 24).

– If the people of Israel would obey God’s law, he would bless them and give them the Promised Land.

The Law (Torah): Standard for Covenant Faithfulness

– Faithfulness to the law, and hence the covenant, would bring blessings and prosperity in the land of Israel. Unfaithfulness would mean judgment and exile.

– certain beliefs and practices that set Judaism apart: (1) worship of Yahweh alone,
(2) circumcision for all male children,
(3) observance of a weekly Sabbath rest, and

(4) dietary laws prohibiting the eating of certain “unclean” or ceremonially defiled foods.

TEMPLE, PRIESTHOOD, AND SACRIFICES

Two important institutions of Judaism

(1) the Jerusalem temple with its priesthood and sacrificial system,

– The temple worship is centered on sacrifices conducted by priests

(2) the local synagogues centered on worship and the study of Torah.

– The synagogue worship centered on study of Torah (the law) led by the scribes and rabbis

LEVITES AND PRIESTS

• Levites were descendants of Levi. They were consecrated as God’s special tribe in place of the firstborn of all the Israelites. Their role was to serve as assistants to the priests in the service of the temple.

• Priests were also Levites but were more specifically descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses and firsts high priest of Israel. The functions of the priests were to offer daily sacrifices, maintain the temple grounds, collect tithes, pronounce blessings, and perform purification rites

THE HIGH PRIEST

• The High Priest is the highest religious office in Judaism. The high priest oversaw the temple worship, collected taxes and performed many administrative functions. He is also head of the Sanhedrin.

• The Sanhedrin is the Jewish high court. It was originally made up of the Jerusalem nobility, both lay leaders and priests.

– Sanhedrin exercised wide-ranging jurisdiction in judicial and religious matters

SYNAGOGUES, SCRIBES AND THE STUDY OF TORAH

• Synagogues were Jewish meeting places for worship, education, and community gatherings.

• Synagogue worship –

  • –  recitation of the confession of faith known as the Shema, prayers, readings from the Law and the Prophets, an oral Targum (an Aramaic paraphrase of the Scripture reading), a sermon on the text for the day, and a closing benediction.

  • –  Any qualified male might be invited to read the Scripture and give instruction (as with Jesus in Luke 4:16 and Paul in Acts 13:15).

  • –  The synagogue ruler maintained the synagogue and organized the worship services (Mark 5:35; Luke 13:14). He was assisted by an attendant, who took care of the Scripture scrolls (Luke 4:20) and blew the ram’s horn to announce the beginning and end of the service.

The Shema

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. . . .

• The Shema (hear) is the most important confession of faith in Judaism to be uttered by every Jewish male twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening.

SCRIBES

• Also called “teachers of the law” and “lawyers” in the New Testament, scribes were experts in the exposition and interpretation of the law of Moses.

• As the teaching of Torah gained a more central place in the life of Judaism, the scribal office took on greater importance and influence.

• Many scribes were Pharisees (Mark 2:16; Acts 23:9), though there were also Sadducees and priests among them (cf. Matt. 2:4; 21:15).

GROUPS WITHIN JUDAISM

1. Sadducees
2. Pharisees
3. Essenes
4. Zealots, Social Bandits and Other Revolutionaries 5. Herodians

6. The People of the Land

TRENDS IN FIRST CENTURY JUDAISM

1. Apocalypticism (from the Greek apokalypsis, meaning “revelation”)

– Apocalyptic writings look to the imminent intervention of God in human history to establish his kingdom, deliver the righteous, judge sinners, and bring in the age to come.

– apocalyptic literature is generally “crisis” literature, written to encourage God’s people to persevere in the face of extreme adversity (such as the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes).

– Apocalyptic literature is usually pseudonymous, and contains symbolic and often bizarre imagery describing the times and events leading up to the end. Angels and other heavenly figures often appear as God’s agents, explaining God’s mysteries to the recipient of the revelation.

The Messianic Expectation

– The most widespread messianic hope was for the Davidic Messiah, who would destroy Israel’s oppressors, reestablish her independence, and reign forever on David’s throne in justice andrighteousness

While the expectation of a messiah from David’s line was widespread among first-century Jews, it was not universal.

– Groups like the Sadducees were not expecting a messiah at all but were content with the present rule by the priestly leadership.

– The Samaritans were expecting not a Davidic messiah but a Moses-like deliverer known as Taheb (the “restorer” or “returning one”).

– The Qumran sectarians looked for two messiahs, a military-political one from the line of David and a priestly messiah from the line of Aaron.

THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL SETTING OF THE GOSPEL

The Family

• The extended family was the most important social unit in the ancient world. Families were generally patriarchal, with the male head of the house exercising most authority. A woman’s honor in the family came primarily through childbearing and her domestic skills.

• Marriages were generally arranged with families of similar social and cultural status. Weddings were among the most important social events in society.

Food and Meals

• Banquets were not just meals or social events but rituals of social status which demonstrated one’s position in thecommunity.

Clothing and Style

• . Married women in Jewish society normally had their heads covered with a veil. Greco-Roman customs were more diverse in style and dress.

Cities

• Cities were larger municipalities, typically surrounded by a wall. Cities were often surrounded by small agrarian villages, whose inhabitants would enter the city for protection in time of war.

• Greco-Roman cities often had many municipal facilities, including theaters, stadiums, baths, gymnasiums, and temples.

• Synagogues, scattered throughout the Roman Empire, were the center of Jewish community life.

WORK, TRADES, AND PROFESSIONS

  • The Roman Empire had a small and wealthy upper class made up of royalty, politicians, military generals, and wealthy merchants who wielded most of the power and controlled most of the wealth. The vast majority of people eked out a living as poor farmers, shepherds, craftsmen, and merchants.

  • The poorest workers (apart from slaves) were day workers, who would be hired from the marketplace to work in the fields.

    • A common wage for a day worker was one denarius for eight to ten hours work (Matt. 20:2). Most peasants lived at a subsistence level, buying food each day.

TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION

  • Traveling by ship was often the quickest and most efficient means of trade and transport.

  • By land , The wealthy rode horses or in horse-drawn carriages and chariots. Merchants of moderate means would have donkeys, camels, or other beasts of burden. Most people walked.

• There was no public postal system, but government couriers carried important documents. It took imperial riders about forty- five days to travel from Rome to Caesarea. Common people got their news mostly through letters carried by friends and acquaintances. Notice boards in the marketplace or agora were used for public announcements.

ENTERTAINMENT AND LEISURE

• Greco-Roman entertainment included arena games, theater plays, athletic contests, and public baths and gymnasiums.

• Jewish life centered more on family and the annual pilgrimage festivals in Jerusalem.

SOCIAL VALUES

Group rather than individual mentality.

a. The well-being of the group — whether family, clan, or country — was more valued than the good of the individual.

Honor and shame.

–Honor in the community was most highly esteemed, and receiving shame was the greatest fear.

Social status and position in life.

–People were expected to accept their status in society and to respect society’s hierarchical structures.

Family and kinship.

–In a context in which membership in a group is more important than individual identity, family relationships are the most important of all relationships. The father was the supreme authority, and parents were to be honored inevery way. The greatest good is the family’s good.

Hospitality — meeting the needs of visitors and strangers — was highly valued, bringing honor to the community.

Patronage.

– Most relationships were based on patronage, whereby a wealthy or powerful patron or benefactor would provide for the needs of a client of lower status, and in return would receive honor and loyalty.