8: Jesus, John, & Paul - Political Activists

Jesus

What most Christians don’t realize today when they read the gospels is that every time Jesus contended with the Sadducees or Pharisees about the “law” or the “religious law” or the “law of Moses” or “God’s Law,” it was at that time the civil law of Judea. Rome allowed Judea to be ruled by their own law (Mosaic Civil Law) and their own civil leaders (Sadducees and Pharisees), as long as they paid their taxes, did not riot, and got Pilate “rubber stamp” approval for any capital punishment.

To understand the context of the Gospels it’s necessary to understand the following Biblical Definitions:

* Mosaic Law: The constitution and civil law of Judea during the time of Jesus. Jesus was continually condemning the Pharisees for violating God’s civil law - by adding to it, taking away from it, twisting it, or ignoring it.

* Sanhedrin: This was made up of 70 of the two political parties, Pharisees and Sadducees, plus the High Priest. This was their civil government with their supreme religious, legal, and administrative council, acting as the highest Jewish court of justice. It combined its two-branch government - supreme court and executive branch. God’s Law eliminated the need for a legislature. The Sanhedrin was their national central government located in Jerusalem, and it was called the “Great Sanhedrin.” In all the other towns in Judea there were the “Lesser Sanhedrins.” Each town with its Lesser Sanhedrin had 23 Pharisee / Sadducee civil leaders for its judges.

* Scribes: They were the civil lawyers of the Mosaic Law, their Constitution. They examined the more difficult and subtle legal questions of the Law. They were enrolled in the Sanhedrin to provide constitutional critique for the Sadducees and Pharisees.

* Sadducees: The Sadducees political party held the controlling civil majority in the Sanhedrin. The High Priest, Caiaphas, was also a Sadducee. They were the more wealthy and aristocratic party and collaborated more with Roman authorities and the Hellenistic culture. Though they only accepted God’s written Law, the Torah. Nonetheless, they did not believe in any resurrection or any life after death, which Jesus corrected them on.

* Pharisees: They were the party of the more common people. They accepted God’s written Law but also believed in adhering to their own added oral traditions, their “Oral Torah.” Jesus was continually condemning them for this. Nonetheless, they continued to add more oral law which was later called the Talmud. However, the