Divided Judaism Rodney Nulph Division in the realm of religion is nothing new. There will be divisions as long as men exist. Religion seems to be a “breeding ground” for sects and divisions. When the Law of Moses was given at Mt. Sinai, God was clear in what He demanded (cf. Exodus 20). There was no room for personal opinion or preference. However, as time passed, mankind began to “slice” away and “add” to the Law. As these additions and subtractions became more widespread, people began to divide into groups or sects of Judaism. These divisions were political and theological in nature. Apart from the Bible, we have little information historically regarding these divisions. There were four major sects of Judaism in the First Century: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots. The Bible mentions only three (Pharisees, Sadducees and Zealots), but Josephus, a Jewish historian, gave some insight from an historical perspective, which divulges more about these groups. The Pharisees prided themselves on being “people of the Book.” They attempted to ensure that every “jot and tittle” were meticulously obeyed. This mission was a noble one indeed. People of the Book and meticulously obeying all of God’s commands does not make one a Pharisee! The Pharisees were not content just keeping the Law, but they made a “hedge” (traditions) around the Law of God and made these traditions as authoritative (often more authoritative) than the Law itself (cf. Mark 7:2ff). They also had a major hypocrisy problem, “…they say, and do not…” (Matthew 23:3b). The Sadducees were most likely made up of wealthy aristocrats. Josephus penned that “they were able to persuade none but the rich” (Josephus, Flavus. Antiquities, 13.10.6.), meaning among other things, they had a small following of their peers, whereas the Pharisees were backed by the masses. The Sadducees believed the Pentateuch and vehemently opposed the oral traditions of the Pharisees. The Sadducees debated the Pharisees on many points such as angels, spirits, eternity and the resurrection. The Zealots were compelled to change the world by force. They were the “guerrilla force” of their day, forcing people to obey. Unlike the Pharisees, the Zealots offered no new conception of the Law; they were not out to interpret it, just to fight for it and to assert all that it demanded. Due to their forceful nature, they were feared by Rome. This group obviously hated Rome and desired to overthrow its power. A particular “bone of contention” was taxation; in fact, to the Zealots, taxation was equal to slavery. The Essenes were an isolationist group that resembled the monks of the middle ages. Their life was one of self-denial for the performance of virtuous acts. They had no money, no luxuries and no pleasures of love with women; they sought contentment away from the world. They resided in communal groups and stressed holy living away from the influence of sinful society. Sadly, division in religion has always been a problem. However, we must remember that God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33); therefore, when man is divided and confused religiously, the sole blame lies at the feet of him – not God! God gave clear instructions as to what He demands of humanity. Will we be divided as the Jews were, or will we seek the unity that pleases our King (John 17:20-21)?
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 08:19:14 +0000
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