The Political, Social and Religious Situation in Palestine, AD 33

An appreciation of the social, political and religious situation in 1st century Palestine is essential to the understanding of Jesus’ ministry and of the history of the early church. In what sort of culture did Jesus operate? What were the main political and religious issues? How was Jesus seen by the various factions? These questions are key to understanding the last few chapters of Luke and the book of Acts.

Palestine in New Testament times contained a diverse society, if predominantly Jewish, that had enjoyed independence prior to being conquered by Rome in 63 BCE. The Romans preferred to administer their conquered territories using local customs and puppet rulers that they could control behind the scenes. In Palestine this meant allowing the practice of traditional Jewish Law and backing a series of kings all (confusingly for us) named Herod.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, Herod the Great initiated a series of large public works projects – ports, aqueducts, roads, fortresses – that are the hallmark of Roman rule. Herod also began work on the refurbishment of the temple in the center of Jerusalem. This was a stroke of brilliance by the Romans: what better way to earn the gratitude of their devout – and restive - Jewish subjects than to build up a great temple, more impressive than anything seen before?

The memory of their independent past, the onerous Roman taxation and the undeniable benefits conferred by Herod’s projects all gave rise to a decidedly mixed opinion of the Roman occupation among the Jewish populace. The Essenes withdrew to the desert to form a monastic community dedicated to the study of Hebrew scripture. The Zealots, a small but fanatical group agitated for armed rebellion. The more conservative and aristocratic elements of society – the Sadducees – saw Roman occupation as an advantage and readily collaborated. Others such as the everyday laborers, merchants, and the Pharisees who administered local laws, were somewhere in between.

All this had a tremendous impact on the local religious scene. As the priestly class, the Sadducees were in control of the new temple. This great edifice was the natural focal point of Judaism and revived the sacrificial aspects of Mosaic Law in a new and grander way than in times past. A sacrifice could only be made at the temple altar by a priest, and the fees and revenues from this were a huge source of income for the Jewish elite. To many ordinary Jews it must have seemed that the requirements of their religion were being used to finance their subjugation.

The Sanhedrin – the high court of the Jewish law – was also composed of Sadducees but they ultimately reported to the Roman governor. This amplified the influence of the Sadducees but they were seen as collaborators and to some extent Herod’s temple came to symbolize the Roman domination of Palestine.


The Pharisees had jurisdiction in the many synagogues that served the majority of the Jewish populace. They acted as teachers and arbitrators of the law, settling routine conflicts and disagreements using both oral and written traditions. The Sadducees, by contrast, held that only written law had true authority and this difference in interpretation of the extent of the law was a source of tension between the two groups. Another difference was that the Sadducees found no scriptural basis for the resurrection of the dead whereas the Pharisees allowed for this. (This will be an important point in the later chapters of Acts).

At the time of Jesus’ ministry, everyday Jewish law was being worked out in this politically charged context. The Pharisees wanted, naturally, to enhance their authority and were busy codifying the laws of oral tradition that were tolerated so easily by the Roman doctrine of rule by local custom. The complexity of these laws and their variance with the true intent Hebrew scripture was the basis for Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees. This gave the ministry of Jesus a sort of anti-establishment spin that eventually attracted the attention of the authorities.

This is why the final entry of Jesus into Jerusalem had such dramatic overtones, and why the early church was periodically persecuted. How this played out will be a big part of our study.


Links of Interest

A good general introduction to life in Roman Palestine is here:
http://www.jesuscentral.com/ji/historical-jesus/jesus-firstcenturycontext.php

A useful description of the political and cultural state of 1st century Palestine is here: http://www.paulonpaul.org/booth/jewish_background.htm

Here is a chart of the various political leaders in Palestine during the first century:
http://www.crivoice.org/romanrul.html


Study/Discussion Questions

1. In the United States we have separation of church and state and we have freedom of religion. Contrast this with the situation in Roman Palestine of the 1st century.


2. Do you think there are people like the Pharisees and the Sadducees in our society today?


3. Read Matt 3:1 – 10, Matt 23:1 – 39, Luke 20:45 - 47
Characterize the opinion of John the Baptist and Jesus with respect to the Pharisees.


4. Read Acts15:5
Why do you think Pharisees are joining the Christian church?


5. Using the Bible Gateway link for the NIV Bible, enter the word “Pharisee” into the search box and count how many occurrences appear in the Gospel of Luke.


6. It is said that Jesus taught in the Pharisaic tradition. Do you agree or disagree?