Close Encounters of the Fish Kind: What Ate Jonah?

For the next few posts, BibleDig's getting fishy.


For a lot of people, the story about Jonah is hard to swallow. Hopping on a boat, being tossed overboard, and downed by  a man-eating creature? C'mon.


So, I decided to do a little sleuthing and get to the bottom of this deep sea mystery and see what kind of evidence I could find about what scarfed the wayward prophet and whether it's feasible that a something like that could happen in real life.


To determine if a human being could be swallowed alive by a large sea creature, we have to ask what kind of creature did the swallowing in the first place. Details about the mysterious creature that ingested Jonah as he sank beneath the waters of the Mediterranean are tantalizingly scarce.


Start off by reading Jonah. It's short, and it's really funny. If you'd like to see a visual summary of the story, check out the BibleDig chart.

The Whale in the Bible
Only four short references to the reluctant prophet’s unlikely rescuer appear in the book of Jonah. All we are told is that God, “appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah” (1:17), that “Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights” (1:17), that “Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish” (2:1), and that after those three days and nights God, “commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land” (2:10). 

Jesus makes an additional reference to this creature as he draws of an analogy between Jonah’s experience and his own impending death. Matthew records Christ saying that, “just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40).

Is the Whale the Tale?
When you think about Jonah, you think about the whale. But, making that automatic connection my distract us from the point of the story. Judging from these few mentions, Jonah has been clearly upstaged by the attention paid to this aquatic member of his supporting cast. 


The scant references to this creature in the Jonah narrative and in Scripture as a whole indicate the relative insignificance of this creature to both the plot and the point of this story. In the story, the creature is merely one among many tools at God’s disposal for accomplishing his will. It is little more than a gigantic sea-born dog that the Lord dispatches to fetch his wayward prophet like a far-flung stick from a corner of his backyard. 

The Lord appoints this underwater beast to swallow Jonah, then later orders it spit Jonah out on dry land. While the nations surrounding God’s people feared the sea and in some cases revered its inhabitants as gods, the God of Jonah commands both with unquestioned authority. The part of this man-eating creature is to underscore the power of “the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land” (1:9).

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Next time... clues from the Bible about what Jonah's underwater taxi might have been...

What's up with the guy that went down in the whale? A handy chart.

A stubborn prophet, a big storm, and a 3-day/2-night stay in an underwater hotel that smells like sushi. No, you're not tripping out. And you're not in one of those meetings where they try to sell you a timeshare. Nope. You're reading the Old Testament book of Jonah.

There's a reason this biblical story is a Sunday School favorite. It's got all the elements of a good story: Memorable characters, fantastic events, danger and humor. Jonah is a fishy yarn that's meant to make you smile -- and make you think.

If you're like most, it's easy for the lessons of the story to get lost in the weeds...the seaweeds. What looks like a simple fish tale about a guy who learns his lesson when he tries to outrun God, packs a punch when you look under the surface. (Hint: It's not all about the whale.)

One great way to get at what the story is all about, is to look at how the story is put together. Structure can tip us off to some key ideas and themes of this little book with the big fish. Here's a chart that uses come color and lines to help you map out Jonah as you read. It takes a little extra effort to put on your thinking cap when you read this story...but be patient, and you can reel in some big time truth...

Click here to download the Jonah chart as a printable pdf...

Coming up next time...Is Jonah's whale for real? We'll dig into a close encounter of the fish kind...

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BibleDig 360: Pharisees & Essenes

This BibleDig 360 shows you the panorama of resources available on BibleDig to help you explore two important Jewish sects that were active during the time of Christ -- the Pharisees and the Essenes.

Who are these groups? What did they believe? How did they impact the content of Jesus' teaching on taxes -- and the content of the New Testament? Does how Christians respond to culture today reflect Jesus' view or the view of one of these sects?

The bottom line in this study, or any other study for that matter, is application. In the final post, we look at how He responds to the question of paying taxes to Caesar in Matthew 22:15-22. What can we learn from the worldviews of these two Jewish religious groups and Jesus' response to them?

Each post is a stand alone strand of information on the topic. But, each post also integrates with the others and are designed to be read from first to last. Have fun...and happy digging!

Intro

Making Cents of Jesus: The tax question and two groups you need to meet

The Rise of the Pharisees and Essenes

Two H's You Need to Know

How to Handle a Hostile Culture

In or out? The question that splits the Hasidaeans

The Essenes' Answer: Isolation

The Essenes & the Teacher of Righteousness

The Pharisees' Answer: Separation

Application

Making Cents of Jesus: The Things That Are God's

Resources for Digging Deeper

These are the resources referenced in the posts:

Barnett, P., Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times. 1999, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity. (This one is an especially good introduction to NT history that is very readable)

Conzelmann, H. and A. Lindemann, Interpreting the New Testament : An Introduction to the Principles and Methods of N.T. Exegesis. 1988, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers.

Coogan, M.D., The New Oxford annotated apocrypha. Augmented 3rd ed. 2007, Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.

Guthrie, D., New Testament Introduction. 3rd ed. 1970, Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter-Varsity Press.

Schäfer, P., The History of the Jews in the Greco-Roman world. Rev. ed with corr. ed. 2003, London ; New York: Routledge.

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Making Cents of Jesus: The Things That Are God's

Bible Dig continues an ongoing, in depth series on the Pharisees & Essenes - two influential Jewish sects at the time of Christ. After spending several installments on the background and beliefs of these two groups, we wrap up our study and come full circle to apply what we've learned from the background of the text to the question about paying taxes. To see the panorama of BibleDig info on this topic, check out the BibleDig 360: Pharisees & Essenes.

A Taxing Problem

With a deeper understanding of the nature of these Jewish parties, their resistance to Hellinization, and their conflicts with the rich ruling class, we can now approach the passage where Jesus is confronted with two puzzling riddles regarding the paying of taxes and hope to gain further insight. Let us first examine the question on taxes.

Then the Pharisees went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? (Matthew 22:15-17 NET)

The first thing to note what two parties are working together to entrap Jesus. The Pharisees along with the Herodians (members of the rich class that supported Roman rule). The fact that these two parties, who in all other cases would be in complete opposition to each other, are now working cooperative to catch Jesus in own words reveals a couple of things.

First, it shows us just how disruptive and disturbing Jesus’ message was perceived to be by both sides. Jesus was neither a Pharisee nor a member of the social, Hellenized elite. His teaching may have had common points with both groups, but both groups perceived him to be so dangerous to their respective causes that they were willing to cooperate against this common ideological foe.

Second, it reveals that they anticipated Jesus being unable to respond to their querry without offending either one of the other of these groups so they ensured representatives of both parties were present so the one offended by Jesus’ answer could duly report Jesus’ remark to their collogues. An understanding of the Jewish cultural background at work in the subtext of this confrontation helps us appreciate Jesus' tricky position.

Another thing to consider is the underling subtext of this conversation in light of the tension surrounding the matter of Roman rule. In our time, many at first glance consider this to be a question strictly about the legality of paying taxes to the government. To the first century mind, taxes were a form of tribute. The question posed to Jesus is a loaded one. If Jesus says yes to the notion of paying taxes, then he alienates the masses – who were largely followers of the Pharisic tradition – and he is no longer a popular hero. If Jesus says no to the notion of paying taxes to Caesar, then the Herodians can report him to the civil authorities for inciting the masses to revolt against the government. This is a taxing delma, indeed!

The Things That Are Gods

Jesus’ answer is brilliant. With it he manages to expose this yes or no question as a false dichotomy. He also reveals to all those present a significant way his message differs from that of both the Pharisees and Herodians.

But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? Show me the coin used for the tax.” So they brought him a denarius. Jesus said to them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?” They replied, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Now when they heard this they were stunned, and they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:18-22 NET)

Rather than having a public relations field day with a blundering answer from Jesus, both parties are “stunned.” Jesus sees the trap. In the minds of the Jew, the question of obedience to civil government and obedience to God was an either or question. That is the false dichotomy Jesus exposes.

The Pharisees taught that the only way to remain righteous and obedient to God and his law was to separate themselves from the world. Jesus tells them that we can in fact live within a culture that opposes our beliefs and still fulfill God’s requirements of us because what God requires is not an outward show of piety but an inward attitude of the heart that offers itself in worship him. Likewise to the aristocrats who placed all their value on maintaining the status quo with the Romans Jesus remarks that wealth is not all there is. The money in your pocket really belongs to Ceasar and he can recall it to himself at will. Likewise, God is the giver of life, and as people who bear his image must return our lives to him.

This incident is not recorded in Scripture merely to satisfy our curiosity. It addresses a larger issue. Like the Jews, we in our time face the question of how to interact with our society. The question of the tax - and Jesus' handling of it - challenges us not resort the the abuse of power and materialism of the Herodians. It also warns us to avoid the temptation to segregate ourselves from our world like the Pharisees.

We can live and work among our world (give to Ceasar) and we can fulfill the obligations of our faith (give to God) at the same time. Earthly governments relate to earthly things and want our earthly resources. In contrast, "the things that are God's" are the parts of us that belong to him - our hearts, souls, minds and strength. God doesn't want your money. He requires something much deeper and more valuable. He wants every part of who you are.

How to Handle a Hostile Culture 2

Bible Dig continues an ongoing, in depth series on the Pharisees & Essenes - two influential Jewish sects at the time of Christ. Earlier, we explored the Essenes' reaction to adverse culture pressures. Here, we'll dig into the Pharisees' very different ideas about dealing with a hostile cultural environment.

The Pharisees' Answer: Separation

In contrast to the Essenes, who responded to the increasing pressures of Hellinization and the corruption of society by seeking to completely remove themselves from it, the Pharisees sought to influence their fellow Jews to follow the path of righteousness from within society. “The Pharisees were the theological and moral watchdogs of the covenant people. They exercised their influence through the synagogues, working against the corrupting Hellenizing leaven of the Herods and their circle of wealthy supporters.”[1]

The estimated 6,000 Pharisees in Judea at the time of Christ saw themselves as the direct theological descendants of Moses. It was Moses who received God’s law and communicated it to the chosen people, and the Pharisees traced themselves back to that originating point of the Torah as being the keepers and communicators of the law in a similar way that the Catholic tradition views the office of the Pope as proceeding in a direct line from Peter.

The Pharisees where not homogenous. There were variations in their interpretations of the Torah, with disciples of leading rabbis disagreeing significantly with each other. Despite these differences, together the Pharisaic tradition represented the beliefs of the common Jew. Among other things, they believed in a literal creation by Yahweh, in a coming messiah, in the coming Day of the Lord where sinners would be judged and justice would be restored, and held a literal view of the afterlife where obedience to the Torah would be rewarded.

In fact, their value of obedience to the Law was so high that, according to the Mishnah, they were to construct a “fence around the Law” to protect the people from violating the slightest point. This “fence” consisted of hundreds of additional rules appended to the original commandments. These supplementary regulations expounded on the Torah and intensified its restrictions.

For example, to the command to observe the Sabbath the Pharisees added 37 types of work forbidden on the sixth day including such labors as separating two threads.[2] While Jesus and the Pharisees shared some common ground, it was this excessive overburdening of the people with additional requirements of obedience that often sparked confrontations between them.

Historically, we are not exactly certain when the Pharisees emerge as a unified party from their shared roots with the Essenes in the Hasidaean tradition. We do know that by the time of Hyrcanus in the late Maccabean dynasty, the Pharisees are a social and political force that is opposed to the abuses of Hasmonaean power. Josephus relates a tense episode between the Pharisees Hyrcanus at a banquet held to honor the Pharisees in which one of them essentially calls the ruler an illegitimate child of Greek descent who was unfit to rule.[3] Whether this account is historically accurate or merely anecdotal, it is clear that the Pharisees were strongly opposed to the Hasmonaeans and their allies, the Sadducees.

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[1] Barnett 137

[2] Barnett 139

[3] Ant. 13.10.5

This is part 7 in a series looking at the origins and nature of two important Jewish political parties active during Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and the Essenes. To see the panorama of BibleDig info on this topic, check out the BibleDig 360: Pharisees & Essenes.

The Essenes & the Teacher of Righteousness

Bible Dig continues to look at the Essenes - an influential Jewish sect at the time of Christ. In this post we look into the Essenes' background to explore a couple of questions: How did their beliefs impact the content of Jesus' teaching and the New Testament? Did Jesus borrow some of His theology from this small but vocal group of religious purists?

The Essenes’ theology was the motivation for their quest for extreme perfection in their observance of the law. Central to their theology was their view that they were living in the final days of human history. To them, “light and darkness are in conflict with one another…the children of light are being separated from the children of darkness, and every individual ultimately must decide his allegiance to either of the two groups.”[1] They, who had removed themselves from the evil influences of a corrupt society, would soon be rewarded for remaining a faithful remnant. Like the prophet Jonah, they had found a place to watch the unfaithful masses bear the force of God’s righteous wrath.

Key to the Essenes’ beliefs was a messianic hope. The Essenes anticipated the advent of two messiahs – one priestly and one political – as well as a “Teacher of Righteousness.” These eschatological concepts bear a striking similarity to Jesus’ teachings. The notion of an impending separation of the righteous and unrighteous bears a striking similarity to Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats. And the emphasis on an individual’s responsibility to determine their own eternal fate seems to parallel the Christian idea of a personal salvation. This emphasis on the individual by the Essenes and Christians, it must be noted, is in contrast to the Pharisaic view that an increase of the total righteousness of the Jewish nation would result in the renewal of God’s favor upon his people.

The similarities between the Essenes and Jesus have caused some to posit a link between the two, or that Jesus was somehow informed by the eschatology of the Essenes. While no doubt Jesus was aware of their ideas, it may be more reasonable to observe that both Jesus and the Essenes were working from the same Torah. Since both were working from the same source material, it is possible that they were merely picking up on major themes in the Torah. Jesus’ insistence on interacting with sinners demonstrates that while he may have agreed with some of their theological conclusions, he soundly rejected their notion of segregation from any and all unrighteousness.

Qumran documents reveal that strong disagreements developed between the Essenes of that community and with the Pharisees on matters regarding the practice of the Jewish religion and portray a gravely pious, closely-knit sect who believed that God’s eminent judgment about to fall upon the sinful Gentiles and the apostate Jewish nation.

The Qumran scrolls show that conflict over the proper calendar (i.e., a solar or lunar calendar) for the conduct of Temple sacrifices was a major issue dividing the Qumran Essenes from their rivals, the Pharisees…They were strongly influenced by apocalyptic ideas and considered themselves to be living in the last times, just before God would intervene to restore proper order to the world. They supported their ideas in part by writing commentaries on biblical texts, which they read as referring to themselves and their opponents.[2]

They believed very strongly that by individual purity and righteousness, they would be numbered among the faithful when the messiahs came to exercise judgment on the earth against Israel’s enemies.

The language contained in some Essene literature has been used to support an earlier (more conservative) date for the authorship of John. More liberal scholars have suggested that John’s writings must have been penned sometime after the first century because of John’s use of language that seems to come from the later teachings of the Gnostics. However, examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal that some of these themes such as light versus darkness and truth versus error were concepts familiar to the Essene tradition at the time of Christ.[3]

In his discussion of the background of John’s gospel, Guthrie later says that, “Some of the features of the Qumran literature find echoes in John and, although some scholars have made exaggerated claims…there can be no doubt that these recently discovered MSS have influenced the general approach to John’s gospel. It is no longer convincing to maintain that the gospel is wholly Hellenistic in view of the fact that many of the abstract concepts which were characteristic of Greek thought are also found in the Qumran literature.”[4] Though the Essenes are absent by name from the pages of the New Testament, their contribution to biblical study through the manuscripts they have left behind is vastly helpful to our understanding of the life and times of Christ.

This is part 6 in a series looking at the origins and nature of two important Jewish political parties active during Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and the Essenes. To see the panorama of BibleDig info on this topic, check out the BibleDig 360: Pharisees & Essenes.

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[1] Conzelmann & Lindermann 139

[2] Coogan xxviii

[3] Guthrie 293

[4] Guthrie 339-40

How to Handle a Hostile Culture

The Essenes' Answer: Isolation

In the years following the Jewish war for independence, often called the Maccabaean Revolt, devout Jews faced increasing pressure on their particular way of life. First the Greeks, then later the Romans introduced Western culture through law, art, language, and architecture into Palestine as a tool for binding these outlying areas into the empire.

From a traditional Jewish perspective the tendency of the chosen people to adopt the abominable practices of their pagan neighbors had been the overarching cause of the Jew's long history of suffering. From the desert wanderings under Moses, to the pattern of conquest, repentance, and re-conquest under the Judges, to the ultimate destruction of the Temple of Solomon and the exile in Babylon, the influence of gentile impurities had been their downfall.

To the pious Jew, particularly to those who called themselves Essenes, obedience to the law of God was not only a religious duty -- it was a matter of national security. If God were displeased with them, they would not prosper. Therefore, it was critical for them to remain unspotted by pagan influences to retain the blessing of God.

The Essenes responded to the increasing Hellinization and corruption of the priesthood and society in the years following the war for Jewish independence by seeking to completely remove themselves from the corrupting influence of their society and obey the Law with a militaristic strictness. The Essenes were “convinced that they represented the true Israel; therefore, their adherents were striving to adhere meticulously to the entire purity code mandated by the law.”[1] To them, the separation of the Pharisees – to live among the people and teach them to be righteous – was not enough. They considered the land to be so polluted by compromise and sin that the temple itself in Jerusalem was desecrated and they refused to worship there.[2] Their religious practices “while fundamentally Jewish nevertheless contained many extraneous features…[They] advocated a rigid observance of the Jewish law together with severe asceticism.”[3]

In his Wars of the Jews, Josephus names the Essenes as one of the three leading Jewish sects during the first century AD. He describes them as those who, “reject pleasures as evil but esteem continence…They neglect wedlock, but chose out other persons’ children, while they are pliable and fit for learning…and form them according to their manners.”[4] He goes on to describe their piety as “extraordinary” as they carry out a monastic-like existence of prayers before dawn, days filled with labor, and meals and worship shared simply and communally.[5] The Essenes lived in community, sharing everything they had in common with each other.

Some of the Essenes’ choice of living arrangements reflected their desire to be far removed from anything unrighteous. A number of them formed the Qumran community and lived a monastic existence in the desert along the banks of the Dead Sea. Membership into this Essene sect required giving up all one’s possessions, and a commitment to fully keep a complex array of ritual purification rites along with the requirements of the law.[6] Members of this community spent considerable time copying sacred texts which were later discovered and have come to be known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Not all Essenes were wilderness dwellers, however. Many chose to live in cities and villages. It does seem clear that wherever they lived they shared a communal existence.

Those are the historical facts of the matter regarding the Essenes. Now allow me to pause for some application. There are a number of striking parallels in the challenges the Jews in the time before Christ faced as they grappled with how to live inside a culture generally opposed to their beliefs and our own challenges as Christians living inside an unfriendly culture. Like these Jews, remaining distinctive inside a go-with-the-flow society is critical to our identity and our mission as God's chosen people. Like these Jews, we must respond to the pressures of our culture in a way that is informed by our faith and our understanding of the Scripture. And, like these Jews, we are presented with the option of withdrawing from the mix of ideas and beliefs and building our own sub-culture as a coping mechanism.

While our places of worship may stand in close proximity to the culture at-large, in practice we create communities of our own far from the evil influences of pagan life where we can read, interact, speak, dine, watch, listen, and attend events - yes, even wear clothing - that indicate our disinterest in mingling with the world. Like the prophet Jonah, we seek a high and mighty vantage point from which we wait for the fire of God to fall.

It's true that we are not to be "of the world." However, we are expected to be "in the world." Jesus' prayers for his disciples and for those who would follow after them (Jesus prayed for you!) specifically requested that we not resort to isolation as a method of responding to the challenges of our times. His prayer takes on even greater impact considering the Essenes' method of dealing with their times - a method well known to his disciples:

I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world. Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world (John 17).

How did God send his son into the world? As a person. A real, live, flesh and blood person with emotions and with a body that was not immune to fatigue. Jesus "humbled himself" and "made himself low" without thought for himself. And he hung out with a rough crowd in a backwater, far-flung speck on the Roman map. And he stuck it out until the time came to lay his life down. And he laid it down. He "emptied himself." That is how God sent Jesus. That is how Jesus sends us.

Jesus does not pray that we will construct elaborate alternatives to the evils of culture so that we can prevent all contact with the unwashed masses. Jesus does not pray for us to be safe from the world, but that we'll be safe in it. Jesus does not pray that we will be isolated from the world, but that we will be insulated from the eroding influence of sin by the truth. The truth from God about our purpose for being alive and about the unhappy ruin caused by living our lives for the passing pleasures of sin with no thought of the eternity that awaits us just beyond our final breath.

That kind of living - living with something more than satisfying our own thirst for entertainment, ease, and recognition in view - will, as Jesus prayed, "set us apart." How many people do you know that really live that kind of life, yet still manage to be friendly, interesting, compassionate, and engaged in the real world around them? Now that's different! So different, dare I say, it might even be something like a city on a hill? That sounds a lot like Jesus.

Next time....We'll take a closer look at the Essenes' theology...and their lasting legacy on New Testament study...

This is part 5 in a series looking at the origins and nature of two important Jewish political parties active during Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and the Essenes. Both influenced Jesus' teaching because of their influence on the thinking of the average Jew at the time of Christ and because of their vocal opposition to Jesus in the gospels. Both are very relevant to those of us who are wondering how to respond to our world today. Check out the blog archive for previous installments. To dig deeper, join the BibleDig facebook group, or follow me on twitter.

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[1] Conzelmann & Lindermann 138

[2] Ibid. 138

[3] Guthrie 569

[4] Wars 2.8.2

[5] Ibid. 2.8.5

[6] Conzelmann & Lindermann 139

This is part of a series looking at the origins and nature of two important Jewish political parties active during Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and the Essenes. To see the panorama of BibleDig info on this topic, check out the BibleDig 360: Pharisees & Essenes.

Church Without Walls: A challenging read on evangelism and culture

“As we minister to both the believer and the unbeliever, we can summarize all of this in just one question: Who adjusts to whom? Do those who minister adjust to those to whom they minister, or is it the other way around?” asks Jim Petersen in his book, Church Without Walls, offered by NavPress (available at amazon). 

Gleaning from his decades of experience as a missionary in Brazil, Petersen urges us to reconsider our ideas about what makes church “church” in order to gain and retain relevance to a changing American culture. He sees the church losing ground in contemporary society as the influences of the Enlightenment and modern philosophy drive many people to embrace the values of a relativism that distrusts any institution that claims to have a corner on the truth.

To address the widening worldview gap between the churched and non-churched, Petersen argues for a return to the methods of the early church. The way we view church today, says Petersen, represents a departure from the model of the early church. Cultural pressures triggered the actions of early leaders who reacted to shield the fledgling church from heresy. In the pluralistic intellectual climate near the end of the first century, philosophical ideas such as Neo-Platonism, Manichaeanism, and Gnosticism began to encroach on a pure notion of the gospel. The Church Fathers responded to these and other heresies by adopting creeds that defined the boundaries of orthodoxy and by working “to strengthen the authority and organization of the church.”

Church Without Walls spends many of its pages on the early years of Church history, which, in Petersen’s telling, brought about a fundamental change in the way the body of Christ viewed itself. The writings of Church Fathers like Irenaeus, Cyrian, and Augustine, “shifted [the] paradigms, from church as community to church as institution.” The end result was that the church’s “white-hot convictions…cooled down and became crystallized codes…The horizon was no longer the world but the boundaries of the local parish.” In an effort to set barriers to keep heresy out and believers in, the dynamic network of the early believers calcified a Church with walls.

Petersen says that, while the Reformation served us well by returning Scripture to its rightful place of authority for believers, the reforms did not go far enough. Church remains an institution rather than a community, the perceived split between professional church ministers and laity remains largely in tact, and the paradigm of the church as a place to go rather than a fellowship in which to participate remains the norm. He writes that, “the believer is strategically positioned inside the marketplace…The believer is the key to penetrating our society. The primary function of leadership should be to serve those believers by equipping them for ministry.” We have created enclaves of Christian culture inside the walls of our churches when we ought to, instead, be living up to our rolls as ambassadors to a society that may never set foot in a church building.

According to Petersen, the traffic flow at many local churches is running in the wrong direction. Rather than the goal being to get the unsaved to walk down the isle, Christian leaders and laypeople need to focus on preparing believers to walk up the isle, out the door, and into the circles of influence where their voice matters. Individual believers’ mission is to evangelize. The church's task is needs to equip and support. 

As someone training for ministry, that model requires a new way of thinking. It takes humility to not try to grow the biggest church you can so you can impress the masses with state-of-the-art facilities and publishing deals. It will take that kind of humility for the church to regain its place of esteem in our society again. Our culture is changing. Who needs to adjust? We do. The message is timeless, but the methods should fit the people we are trying to reach.

Students of church history may be surprised at Petersen’s less than favorable review of some of the early church fathers. Yet, his critiques are kind and well-documented and his approachable style makes Church Without Walls a readable primer on church history and evangelism. It is not an easy read, however. Challenging and direct, Church Without Walls lays a new, thought provoking course for the American church.

In or out? The question that splits the Hasidaeans.

The Revolt and the Aftermath

The Hasidaeans' general disinterest in taking up arms to fight on the Sabbath or to suspend complete obedience to the Torah so that they could fight Antiochus in the Maccibaean revolt sparks both pity and perhaps scorn on the part of the Hasmoneans who are determined to fight on the Sabbath rather than, “die as our kindred died in their hiding places.” [1] As the revolt succeeds the account in 1 Maccabees boasts that those who chose to fight, “rescued the law out of the hands of the Gentiles and kings, and they never let the sinner gain the upper hand.” [2] This celebratory language may be coming at the expense of their Hasidean kin in effect saying, “While your passive resistance was pious and showed respect for the law, it was our courageous action that cleansed the land from sin and upheld the law.”

The Hasmonaeans eventually ousted the armies of Antiochus from Palestine and the Jews began a period semi-autonomous self-rule under them. However, political instability and greed during this time of Jewish self-rule fostered an increasing amount of corruption during the Hasmonaen period. Eventually, a dynasty evolved with a level of corruption rivaling that of Antiochus. Beginning with John Hyrcanus, Hasmonaean rulers consolidated their power by combining the roles of priest and king. A climate of intrigue and bribery emerged that shocked and angered their Hasidaean constituents.

The angst felt by the pious Hasidaeas at these developments is expressed by the anonymous author of the apocalyptic Assumption of Moses, “Then there shall be raised up unto them kings bearing rule, and they shall call themselves priests of the Most High God: they shall assuredly work iniquity in the holy of holies.” (Assumption of Moses 6) While nearly all the Hasidaeans, it appears, were disturbed by the Hasmonaean corruption, there was significant disagreement among them about how to respond.

In time this disagreement would result in a splintering of the Hasidaean party into two distinct groups that each responded to the religious and political upheaval of their age very differently – the Pharisees and the Essenes. Both the Pharisees and the Essenes longed to see righteousness and justice return to their homeland. Both valued a separation from the sinful corruption of the society around them. Both followed different paths to express their disapproval of the increasing corruption of their society.

Next time...We'll talk in detail about the Essenes. Who were they, what did they believe, and how they forever changed they way we read the New Testament...

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[1] 1 Macc 2:41

[2] 1 Macc 2:48

This is part of a series looking at the origins and nature of two important Jewish political parties active during Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and the Essenes. To see the panorama of BibleDig info on this topic, check out the BibleDig 360: Pharisees & Essenes.

Making Cents of Jesus Part 3: Two H's you need to know

We've been looking at important Jewish political parties active during Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and the Essenes. Both influenced Jesus' teaching because of their influence on the thinking of the average Jew at the time of Christ and because of their vocal opposition to Jesus in the gospels. In Part 1 and Part 2 we looked at some background info on the origins of these groups. Now, we're going to learn about the historical reasons for their interest in keeping themselves pure from the evils of society.

The Abomination of Desolation

By the time of Antiochus’ reign as Seleucid ruler, (175-164 BC) Palestine had become a buffer state between two hostile empires, the Ptolemaic empire of Egypt to the south and the Seleucid empire of Syria to the north. Due to massive debts incurred by his father by an ill-advised campaign against the Romans in Greece, Antiochus needed sources for quick money. The temple in Jerusalem and its treasures were too appealing to resist. He plundered the temple and installed a series of puppet High Priests, selling the office to the highest bidder.

After a series of humiliating military defeats, the raging king took out his frustration on the Jews in 168 BC. He decided to abolish the temple-state in Jerusalem, exterminate the Jewish religion, and rename Jerusalem as New Antioch. His methods for achieving this transformation where swift, shrewd, and brutal.

Antiochus moved to demolish the walls of the city. He established a Greek-style acropolis where the newly defined citizens met, the so-called Antiochenes of Jerusalem. Worse, Antiochus launched a concerted attach on the fundamentals of the covenant faith of Israel…destroyed copies of the Scriptures, forbade circumcision and abolished the covenantal food laws. In climax an altar dedicated to Zeus was erected upon the altar in the temple of Yahweh. Unclean animals (pigs) were sacrificed upon it.[1]

This act of desecrating the temple is known to history as the Abomination of Desolation. Such a devastating attack against their religion forces the Jews to take drastic action.

Against this pressure of persecution and suffering, a lingering fracture in the foundation of Jewish society became more apparent as the Jews search for a way to respond to the corruption and forced Hellenization both theologically and politically. Two parties emerged within Jewish society with different ideas on how to react to the evils of Antiochus - the Hasmonaeans and the Hasidaeans.

War

The Hasmonaeans responded with a call to arms that sparked the Maccabean revolt. They battled Antiochus IV in a series of guerrilla strikes that eventually resulted in a measure of religious freedom for the Jews. They rededicated the temple in 164 BC and defeated the Selucids for good in about 143 BC. In a sense, the Hasmonaeans chose to fight fire with fire and took a direct path of action which was not always in complete obedience with the Torah, but was effective in winning the conflict.

In contrast, their counterparts the Hasidaeans became increasingly and in varying degrees withdrawn from society. Many Hasidaeans go into the wilderness to remove themselves from the corruption of their times. First Maccabees describes a group of Hasidaeans “who were seeking righteousness and justice” living in the wilderness in community.[2] They responded to the aggression of Antiochus with an unswerving, dedication to the law:

And it was reported to the king’s officers…that men who had rejected the king’s [Antiochus’] command had gone down to the hiding places into the wilderness. Many pursued them, and overtook them; they encamped opposite them and prepared for battle against them on the Sabbath day. And they said to them, “Enough of this! Come out and do what the king commands, and you will live.” But they said, “We will not come out, nor will we do what the king commands and so profane the Sabbath day.” Then the enemy hastened to attack them. But they did not anser them or hurl a stone at them or block up their hiding places, for they said, “Let us all die in our innocence; heaven and earth testify for us that you are killing us unjustly.” So they attacked them on the Sabbath, and they died with their wives and children and cattle to the number of a thousand persons. (1 Macc 2:31-38)

The Hasidaean’s commitment to obedience to the Torah was so intense that they were willing to uphold the command of the Sabbath to the point of death. This fierce, sacrificial respect for the law was a defining trait of these pious ones who trusted their fate entirely to God.

Next time: The disagreement that would split the Hasidaean's into two factions that grew to become the Pharisees and Essenes...

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[1] Paul Barnett, Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity, 52. A fabulous resource on Jesus and his times which I would recommend.

[2] 1 Macc 2:29

This is part of a series looking at the origins and nature of two important Jewish political parties active during Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and the Essenes. To see the panorama of BibleDig info on this topic, check out the BibleDig 360: Pharisees & Essenes.