The most well-known are: Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, and Essenes. Numerous parties, denominations, or sects arose from these groups.
The religious groups were concerned about losing their TRADITION AND TEMPLE.
They would compete for:
*religious prestige and authority
*political power
*recognition as being wise, wealthy
*the satisfaction they were really "right"
Most differences between Jewish groups resulted from their distinctive traditions.
The Main Groups of People in New Testament:
- Pharisees: most influential group
- Sadducees: came from aristocratic families-rich, most people didn't like them
- Essenes: group of close-knit communities, involuntarily shared all things in common
- Ordinary Jews: devoted to their nation and religion
- Those Devoted to God: most of Jesus' followers arose from this group (the Jewish leaders, with contempt, regarded them as "this crowd that does not know the law" (John 7:49) people in this group included: Zechariah + Elizabeth, Joseph + Mary, Simeon, Anna
The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes were also laying claim to Israel's heritage.
The Essenes eventually dropped out of public life and became a network of close-knit communities.
Pharisees and Sadducees competed for control of Sandhedrin (governing body). The Sadducees were dominant (Acts 5:17) by the 1st century.
DETAILS ON THE GROUPS:
Sadducees:
- included high priest, Caiaphas) (AD 18-36)
- primarily wealthy, priestly families in Jerusalem
- unfriendly, unpopular, even unfriendly to one another
- could be cruel judges
- James killed by them
- probably only accepted Pentateuch (1st 5 books of the bible)
Essenes:
- shared all things in common including food and clothing
- Jerusalem church adopted a similar way of life except giving was voluntary
- strict, dressed in white linen, strictly observed the Sabbath
Pharisees:
- 3 schools: Shammai, Hillel, Gamaliel (Paul studied under Gamaliel)
- concerned about proper administration of temple
- the 3 schools tried to shape religious life of the ordinary Jew through the dissemination of their TRADITIONS
- see parable of Pharisee and Tax Collector-reference: Luke 18:9-14 and Matt. 23:23-seek justice, mercy, and faithfulness and Phil 3:9-don't seek a righteousness of my own-Jesus said unless your righteousness EXCEEDS that of the Pharisees and Scribes
- scribes: a separate group from Pharisees, interpreters of Torah
experts in theological matters that the Torah raised, interpreters as well
note: Jesus prohibits his disciples from using "titles" that in a spirit that wrongly exalted leaders and reinforced human pride (as the Pharisees did)
