1.) Their _names_ express their traits. _Pharisee_ means "separatist," "one who is apart." _Sadducee_ means "just," or "righteous," but rather with our idea of the world "moralist."
2.) Their _aims_. The Pharisee aimed to keep the Mosaic law absolutely, particularly with regard to ceremonial requirements; to do more than obey it, by setting around it a hedge of traditional interpretations going beyond its letter in strictness.
The Sadducee professed to keep the law, ignoring tradition, but gave it a lax and easy interpretation which often ignored its requirements.
3.) Their _spirit_. The Pharisee was the radical and zealot, showing an intense, intolerant Judaism. The Sadducee was the liberal easy-going man of the world, taking the world as he found it.
4.) Their _beliefs_. The Pharisee believed in a spiritual world, heaven, h.e.l.l, angels, the hereafter, the judgment. The Sadducee could not find clear statements of these doctrines in the Old Testament, and denied them. See Matt. 22. 23; Acts 23. 8.
5.) Their _influence_. The Pharisees were strong in the synagogues, where the scribes gave their interpretations, and hence were powerful among the people as leaders in religion. The Sadducees were the smaller body, but influential from their wealth and their social position, for the high priests and all the priestly order belonged to them, and they were the office-holding cla.s.s, the court party. (Acts 4. 1, 2; 5. 17.)
6.) Their _evils_. The evil of the Pharisees was their tendency to make religion mere hypocritical formality, so often rebuked by Christ. See Matt. 23. 2-7. The evil of the Sadducees was their utter lack of moral conviction, from worldliness and self-interest. See their motive for putting Christ to death (John 11.
47-50).
3. Thus far we have noticed only Jews, but there were also in Palestine many =Gentiles=, which was the name the Jews gave to all foreigners or people of race other than themselves. These were of three cla.s.ses, called respectively: 1.) =Sinners=--That is, those who made no attempt to observe Jewish usages. See Gal. 2. 15. The same name was given to the Jews who did not undertake to keep the ceremonial law, without reference to their moral character (Matt. 9. 10, 11). 2.) =The Devout.= Those who believed in the Scriptures and worshiped G.o.d, but who had not been received into the Jewish Church by circ.u.mcision. Such was Cornelius (Acts 10. 1, 2). 3.) =Proselytes=--Such as renounced Gentilism, received circ.u.mcision, and obeyed the Jewish law (Acts 6. 5; Matt. 23. 15).
V. =The Language of Palestine.=
1. Originally =Hebrew=; still read, in Christ"s time, in the synagogue but not well understood and requiring an interpreter.
2. Mostly =Aramaic=, or =Syro-Chaldaic=--that is, Chaldaic with Syrian admixture; the common dialect of the people, and undoubtedly spoken by Christ. See instances in Mark 7. 34; 15. 34. This is the language referred to in John 19. 20, 21, and Acts 22. 2, as "Hebrew."
3. The language of polite literature in all countries was =Greek=; strongly opposed by the Pharisees, but employed by the Jews of the Dispersion, and used in the courts of Herod and Pilate (Acts 21. 37).
4. The official language was =Latin=, that of the Roman Government, but not used by the Jews, and not generally understood by them.
Blackboard Outline
I. =Origin.=--1. Sem. 2. Abr. 3. Isa. 4. Isr. (12 t.) 5. Jud (Jews). 6. "Remn."
II. =Traits.=--1. Rel. 2. Exc. 3. Cons. 4. Asp. "Mess." 5. Mor.
III. =Mission.=--1. Per. kno. G. 2. Rec. tra. hi. rev. 3. Pro.
Gos. wo.
IV. =Jews Ti. Chr.=--1. Bran. Pal. Dis. 2. Sec. Phar. Sadd.
1.) Nam. 2.) Aim. 3.) Spir. 4.) Bel. 5.) Inf. 6.) Evils.
3. Gen. 1.) Sin. 2.) "Dev." 3.) Pro.
V. =Lang.=--1. Heb. 2. Ara. (Syr.-Chal.). 3. Gre. 4. Lat.
Questions for Review
To what people did Jesus Christ belong? From what great family of races did that people spring? What were the traits of this race? Who was the ancestor of the Jews, and what were his traits of character? How were the Jews gradually selected from among the descendants of Abraham? To which of the twelve tribes did most of the Jews belong? What was "the remnant" in Old Testament history? Name five traits of the Jews as a people. What was the mission of the Jewish people?
What were the two great branches of the Jews in the time of Christ? What were their two sects? What were the differences between these sects? Who were the Gentiles? Into what three cla.s.ses were they divided?
What four languages were found among the Jews in the time of Christ?
THIRD STUDY
The Life of Christ
The central figure in all the Bible is Jesus Christ. Note his importance in the Old Testament (John 5. 39; Luke 24. 27; Acts 10. 43). Note his prominence in all true gospel teaching (1 Cor. 2. 2). Note his relation to every man (John 1. 9.) (Rev. Ver.) We have, then, an interest in Jesus Christ deeper than in any other man who ever lived.
I. Let us notice some =General Aspects of his Life=.
1. It was a =short= life. This man, who has influenced the world more than any other, lived less than thirty-five years. His age at the beginning of his ministry we learn from Luke 3. 23; and the duration of his ministry was not more than three years and a half at the longest.
2. It was a life =pa.s.sed wholly in Palestine=. Only once do we read of his journeying near any other country, and it is not probable that he went beyond its borders (Mark 7. 24). The only times of direct contact with Gentiles are mentioned (Mark 7. 25, 26; John 12. 20-22). He never enjoyed the benefits of foreign travel, of communion with learned men in the great cities, of studies at the universities of Athens or Alexandria. All his knowledge came from within.
3. It was a life =among the common people=. He lived in a despised province (John 7. 41, 52). He came from a despised town (John 1. 46). He was a working mechanic (Mark 6. 3). He received only a common education (John 7. 15). His manner of life during his ministry (Matt. 8. 20). Yet out of these lowly surroundings grew up the one exalted character, the one perfect life, in all human history.
4. It was an =active= life. The first thirty years may have been spent in quiet preparation, but the three years of his ministry were very busy. See pictures in Mark 1. 36-38; 2. 1-4; 6. 31-34. Notice the hyperbole in John 21. 25, which is not to be taken literally. But if the whole life of Jesus were related with the minuteness of the day between the sunset of the Last Supper and that of the burial the narration would require one hundred and eighty-five books as large as the Bible.
II. Let us arrange the events of Christ"s life in chronological order, grouping them into =Seven Periods=.
1. The first period is that of =The Thirty Years of Preparation=, of which we notice the following facts:
1.) It begins with his Birth (Luke 2. 7), and ends with his Temptation (Matt. 4. 1).
2.) It is related mainly by Luke (Luke 1-4) with some facts in Matthew (Matt. 1. 2; 4. 1-11), and a brief mention of its closing events in Mark (Mark 1. 9-13).
3.) It was pa.s.sed mainly in Galilee, though with isolated events in Judea, in Egypt (Matt. 2. 14, 15), and in Peraea. See John 1. 28.
4.) It was the longest of all the periods, embracing nine-tenths of his life; yet it is the one having the fewest incidents recorded; and of eighteen years in it absolutely no events are known.
2. Next is =The Year of Obscurity=. In this and the two succeeding periods the year is not a precise epoch, and may have been a little less or a little more.
1.) It begins with the first followers (John 1.
35-37), and ends with the return to Galilee (John 4.
43, 44).
2.) It is related only by John, who, of all the gospel writers, records the visit of Jesus to Judea and Jerusalem.
3.) It was pa.s.sed princ.i.p.ally in Judea, though with visits to Galilee, and on the way a visit to Samaria.
4.) It is justly called a "year of obscurity," for we know but little concerning either its aims, its events, or its results. It was accompanied with miracles (John 3. 2; 4. 45). It attracted attention (John 3. 26; 4. 1). Yet at its close we find that the followers of Jesus were few, and he went to Galilee to begin his ministry anew.
3. =The Year of Popularity=, in marked contrast with the preceding period.
1.) It begins with the Rejection at Nazareth (Luke 4.
14-30), and ends with the Discourse on the Bread of Life (John 6. 25-71), a day or two after the miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand.
2.) It is related by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with some additional incidents by John.