Secure Under Roman Rule, Sadducees were Influential in Judaism

The Sadducees were a very influential group in Judaism, many being priests (Wenham and Walton 40). There was no worry to the Sadducees of losing their position because it was “secure under Roman rule” (Wenham and Walton 41). Their beliefs were different from the Pharisees in that they did not practice oral traditions, that is verbally telling the stories of the Scriptures. Even though they accepted the Old Testament scriptures, they only practiced the beliefs that were in the Pentateuch, which is the first five books from the Old Testament (Murphy 239; Wenham and Walton 42). Another underlying belief the Sadducees had was their disbelief in resurrection as well as they did not believe in fate (Evans 100; Wenham and Walton 42). Furthermore, according to Josephus, the Sadducees “were far more open to the pleasures of life, were harsh in their judgments against those who broke the law…[and] did not believe in heaven or hell” (Evans 105). Thus, the Sadducees were seen as people who did not treat anyone fairly, nor treat each other justly.

The Essenes were another large group within Judaism. They did not agree with the authorities in Jerusalem regarding the priesthood and the temple (Wenham and Walton 42). They did not participate in Judaism the same way as the rest of the Jews in Jerusalem. They saw it as a corrupt system. The Judaic system the Essenes created focused on strict purity laws as well as studying the Scriptures. For example, an Essenes had to prepare themselves for two full years in order to become a member. An underlying belief of the Essenes was that God would bring a revolution through two messiahs. According to the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Essenes believed that the Messiah of Israel was going to “take the reigns of powe...

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...guing about proper observance of the Law. The Synoptic Gospels present Jesus as a powerful messiah who constantly shattered the worldview held by the Jews of his day. Jesus proved that the messiah was not simply human but also God. He showed that God desires purity of the heart, not ritualistic purity. Furthermore, he showed that God loves and welcomes all people to His kingdom. He also showed that the Law was a means to an end, that is to draw closer to God. Through understanding the Second Temple period worldview, the Jesus presented in the Synoptic Gospels becomes clearer. His actions and his teachings enter into their proper context. Jesus lived in a world filled with preconceived ideas about God and His kingdom. As a result, the Jews were missing what God had in store for them. Jesus called them back to order, seeking to bring God’s people back into His kingdom.