Perhaps the 400 years of silence should be interpreted as prophetic silence because this was not a quiet time. There was a plan being executed that was preparing us all for the arrival of the Messiah during this time.
A Brief Summary
In the beginning of this journey on the road through the New
Testament, it is important to recognize several things. First, the writers of
the New Testament did not live in a vacuum. There was a cultural, political,
and religious milieu surrounding those who wrote the New Testament. Second,
what is important to remember is the history of the Jewish people. Jesus was
born into a Jewish family; He was raised in a Jewish culture and society. It is
not necessary (for this course) to know the entire history of the Jewish
people; it is only necessary to explore the centuries immediately preceding the
first century AD, the Intertestamental Period. Religious history (e.g., the
Jewish religion itself) is one of the most important areas to consider when
studying the New Testament; students will also explore the historical and
political background when studying the book of Acts.
Religious Background
The last of the Old Testament prophets lived 400 years or
more before John the Baptist appeared. Since that time, the Jewish religion has
not stood still. The classical religion of the Old Testament became Judaism.
The Temple
The simple temple built by the Jews who returned to
Jerusalem after the exile had been replaced by a magnificent structure
commissioned by Herod the Great (40-4 B.C.). It was begun in 19 B.C.; it was
still not complete in the time of Jesus (New International Version, John 2:20)
and was not finished until 64 A.D., six years before it was destroyed by the
Romans. It was this imposing complex of buildings in huge cream-colored stones,
marble, and gold that evoked the admiration of Jesus' disciples (Mark 13:1).
Here the age-old ritual of sacrifice and worship continued with its elaborate
establishment of priests and temple servants, though all under the watchful eye
of the Roman garrison in the fortress of Antonia, which overlooked its courts
(Acts 21:31). Here too, in the Court of the Gentiles (beyond which no Gentile
dared to go [Acts 21:28-29; Eph. 2:14]) was the thriving sale of sacrificial
animals and sacred money for the temple offerings−this market was the object of
Jesus' anger in Matt. 21:12-13.
The Synagogue
There was only one temple, but each community had a
synagogue. There was no sacrificial ritual here; rather, it was the local
center for worship and study of the law. On the Sabbath day, the community
would meet (men and women seated apart) to listen to the reading and exposition
of the set passages from the Law and the Prophets (Luke 4:16) and to join in
the set liturgical prayers. But the synagogue was more than a place of worship.
It was the local school, the community center, and the center of local
government. Its elders were the civil authorities of the community−the
magistrates and guardians of public morals.
The Law and the
Traditions
Israel had the Law since the days of Moses, but from the
time of Ezra (5th century B.C. following the exile in Babylon, which the
prophets saw as a direct result of the nation's disobedience to the law)
greater emphasis was placed on the study of the law until the Jews had become
"the people of the book." This intensive study resulted in an
increasing body of traditions that came to be regarded as no less binding than
the law itself. Scribes, professional students, and exponents of the law and
traditions were needed to prescribe exact regulations for every occasion. For
example, there were 39 types of action prohibited on the Sabbath (Shabbat),
including reaping and threshing (plucking ears of corn and rubbing the grain
out in the hands [Luke 6:1-2]) and traveling more than a "Sabbath day's
journey" (Acts 1:12), or approximately two thirds of a mile. In their
meticulous care over details of tradition, the scribes sometimes forgot the
more fundamental concerns of the law itself (Mark 7:1-13, 3:4-5; Matt. 23:23).
Parties, Sects, and
Movements in Judaism
The Pharisees
Pharisees were the religious purists. They were members of
the party that grew from the 2nd-century Hasidim ("God's
Loyal Ones") and concentrated on control of religious rather than
political affairs. Their supreme concern was to keep the law (including the
traditions) in every exact detail; most scribes belonged to the Pharisaic
party. Judged by this standard, they were model Jews (Phil. 3:5-6); to this
end, they kept themselves as far as possible apart from non-Pharisees. They
would not eat with a non-Pharisee in case the food had not been tithed (i.e.,
one tenth given to God). Inevitably, this policy of separation led to disdain
for all lesser mortals, a holier-than-thou attitude that has made the term
"Pharisee" one of reproach even today.
Combined with a dry legalism, which put exact ritual
observance before love and mercy, this arrogance led them into conflict with
Jesus. He did not dispute their orthodoxy, but the proud and unloving way in
which they upheld it. The influence of the Pharisees was out of proportion to
their numbers, which were not very large. The Pharisees laid down the lines
along which Judaism developed after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
They ensured a continued emphasis on individual piety and strict ethical
standards, as well as their better-known rigid legalism. They were respected,
if not loved, by other Jews.
The Sadducees
The Sadducees were members of the other main sect of Judaism
at the time of Jesus, though they were already declining in influence. The sect
consisted largely of the rich land-owning class who in earlier days, by shrewd
manipulation of political advantage, had secured a dominant position. They
still controlled a roughly equal proportion of the seats in the Sanhedrin (the
Jewish supreme council) with the Pharisees (Acts 23:6-10). Many of the chief
priests either were Sadducees or worked closely with them. Their religious
position was conservative, to the extent of refusing to accept any revelation
beyond the Five Books of Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy). They thus rejected
more recent religious ideas, such as the belief in immortality, resurrection,
angels, and demons, which were fostered by the Pharisees (Mark 12:18; Acts
23:8). As an aristocratic minority, they enjoyed little popular support.
The Essenes
This group has come dramatically to light with the discovery
of the Dead Sea Scrolls since 1947. These scrolls are from the library of the
Qumran Community, a monastic sect living in isolation in the barren desert near
the shores of the Dead Sea. The sect was founded by the otherwise unknown
"Teacher of Righteousness," probably around 165 B.C., and survived
until 68 A.D., when it was destroyed by the Romans during the Jewish revolt.
The Essenes regarded themselves as the true people of God, and all
others−including the Jewish leaders at Jerusalem−as His enemies. They were the
"Sons of Light" and they lived for the day when in the final battle
against the "Sons of Darkness" they would be given the victory and
dominion. Meanwhile they kept to themselves, occupied in the diligent study of
Scripture, bound by a strict monastic discipline, loving one another. They
produced biblical commentaries, applying every phrase of the Old Testament
passages to their own situation and expectations. They looked forward to the
coming of two Messiahs, of Aaron (priestly), and of Israel (royal)−or possibly
one Messiah combining both roles. The Qumran documents are important not so
much for producing details surrounding the sect itself, but for giving evidence
of the existence of an ascetic, apocalyptic strain in Judaism far removed from
the Jerusalem establishment that might have been more widespread than this
single isolated group. Scholars who before 1947 were tempted to think of
Pharisees and Sadducees as fully constituting "the Jews," must now
recognize that the situation was not so simple.
The Zealots
While Pharisees and Sadducees tried to make the best of
Roman rule and the men of Qumran dreamed of the mighty intervention of God to
deliver them, many Jews sought salvation more actively. The Zealots, as they
later came to be called, were the freedom fighters, the revolutionaries of the
Jewish people. They eventually sparked off the great rebellion that led to the
Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. By the time of Jesus, various revolts
had already occurred (Acts 5:36-37) and the people were ripe for revolution.
Intensely patriotic, the Zealots founded their appeal on the belief that
subjection to Rome was treason to God, the true King of Israel. At least one of
the apostles was a former Zealot.
Messianic Hopes
The extravagant visions of the apocalypses were among the
many hopes being cherished by the Jews. Many messianic figures from the Old
Testament had taken firm root in popular expectation: the prophet-like Moses
(Deut. 18:15-19); the returning Elijah (Mal. 4:5-6); and, above all, the Son of
David, a great king and warrior, whose mission it would be to bring victory,
peace, and glory to Israel. Some saw a place for the Gentiles in this hope,
while others were exclusively nationalistic. Some thought of spiritual
restoration, most of victory over the Romans. To utter the word Messiah
(which means "Christ" in Greek) would inevitably stir up hopes of
political independence, so it is no wonder that Jesus was cautious in letting
others call him "Christ." He came to a people who, even if they were
not quite agreed regarding what they were hoping for, were united in eagerly
"looking for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25), but none
expected it to come by way of a cross.
The Diaspora
At least since the exile in the 6th century B.C., Jews began
to scatter around the world of the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean,
so that by the 1st century A.D. there were 1 million Jews in Egypt
alone. In Alexandria, Jews made up a considerable part of the population, and
in most of the main cities, a Jewish colony with its own synagogue (or at least
a place for prayer) might be found (Acts 16:13). These are the Jews of the
Dispersion (Greek, Diaspora), sometimes referred to inaccurately as the
Hellenistic Jews. Hellenism, the wave of Greek culture and ideas that had
rolled over the Mediterranean world and far beyond with the conquests of
Alexander the Great, was still the dominant strand in the culture of the Roman
Empire. These Jews, dispersed away from the more conservative atmosphere of
Palestine, adapted more readily to the Greek way of life. They did not
necessarily abandon their distinctive religion and culture, and cease to be
Jews, but they were more willing to learn from and enter into dialogue with
Greek ideas. Many of the later Jewish writings, particularly those from
Alexandria (e.g., the Wisdom of Solomon, or the writings of Philo) are deeply
influenced by Greek philosophy. Apollos, the learned Jew from Alexandria (Acts
18:24), no doubt belonged to this school before his gradual conversion to
Christ.
The Proselytes
The Jews are often unjustly charged with a rigid exclusivism.
In fact, particularly during the Dispersion, many Jews recognized their mission
to the Gentiles and there was a sincere attempt to win converts. To accept the
Jewish religion was no light matter for a Gentile. He must accept circumcision
and baptism, and agree to keep the whole Law of Moses, including such ritual
prescriptions as keeping the Sabbath and the laws about unclean food−he must in
fact renounce his own nationality. There were a considerable number who took
this drastic step, and it is to them that the term proselyte applies.
Many more were attracted by the monotheistic faith and the strict morality of
Judaism in contrast with the polytheism of Rome. They were prepared to identify
themselves with the faith and ideals of the Jews, but stopped short of the full
commitment of the proselyte. These fellow-travelers, many of them rich and
influential officials, are known in the New Testament as "those who fear
God" or "the devout" (Acts 13:26, 43, 50; 17:4).
The Samaritans
The Samaritans were descendants of the surviving Israelites
of the northern kingdom who intermarried with the newly imported alien
population after the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. They never effectively made
common cause with Judah, and in the time of Nehemiah the rift was apparently
irreparable. The building of the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim, overlooking
Shechem (John 4:20), set the seal on the Jewish rejection of this heretical
sect. It was the Jewish king Hyrcanus who destroyed the Samaritan temple in 128
B.C., Yet the Samaritans worshipped God as the Jews did−their authority was the
Five Books of Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy, but not the rest of the Old
Testament), hardly altered from the Jewish version. Like many of the Jews, they
awaited a Messiah.
Conclusion
The Judaism of the 1st and 2nd century B.C. was very diverse
and fragmented into a number of sects, which included, in a religious
sense, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes as well as a number of
groups who had broken away from the Jewish polity. Each found their own niche;
for example, the Sadducees were largely associated with the temple in
Jerusalem, whereas the Pharisees were associated with the countryside,
including Galilee. Also, substantial Greek influence had entered the Jewish
homeland after the conquest of Alexander. Much of the ministry of Jesus was
devoted to identifying and establishing the true Judaism and the true worship
of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in this spiritual and cultural milieu.
