Why did Jesus die? Dig for yourself with this free Hebrews e-guide

Easter is a fun and meaningful holiday. It's a time to enjoy the emergence of Spring and celebrate with family and friends. Easter also marks a day we set aside to reflect on Christ's death and rejoice at his resurrection.

But, have you ever wondered why Jesus really died? What is the point of his sacrifice? What does it mean for us today? Hebrews: A Companion Guide is a free download that can help you answer these questions for yourself.


The Bible book of Hebrews is all about Jesus -- who he is, how he fits in with the Old Testament, what his sacrifice accomplished, and how all that impacts contemporary believers. The problem is that most of us are afraid to tackle Hebrews because it seems difficult to understand. We love to pick out an occasional inspiring verse, but we have a hard time figuring out what the message of the book as a whole.

Maybe this Spring, it's time for you to dig in to Hebrews and find out what it says about Jesus for yourself. And the Hebrews companion e-guide is here to help. Packed with background information and tips on interpretation, Hebrews: A Companion Guide is set up to go with you chapter-by-chapter through the book to help your personal study get off on the right foot.

Click on the book widget above to read it online or download the pdf file and print it out to tuck inside your Bible. It's totally free to use and pass along to others.

Let me know what you think about it...Here's to digging deeper...


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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...

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

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.

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.

Making Cents of Jesus Part 2: The Rise of the Pharisees and Essenes

Dig in: Matthew 22:15-22

We've been looking at important Jewish political parties active during Jesus' ministry, the Pharisees and the Essenes. These two groups 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. Read more in part 1 - Making Cents of Jesus.

Two Groups, One Cause

What were to later become the separate parties known in Jesus’ day as the Pharisees and the Essenes began as factions within Jewish society that were reacting to increasing pressure on the chosen people to leave their traditional ways and adopt a Greek way of life. These pressures started with the exile of the Jews by the Babylonians, and continued to build throughout the time of the Old Testament and the years between the Old Testament and the New Testament. These conservative factions, which vigorously believed in maintaining obedience to the laws of God without compromise, were identified by the name Hasidaeans meaning “pious ones.”

The Hasidaeans emerged as a somewhat organized political entity as a response to this pressure to shed the traditions that made them uniquely Jewish in order to blend in with the nations that conquered them. The encroachment of Greek culture on the Jewish world was forcefully started by the conquests of Alexander the Great. His dream was to unite the peoples of east and west under one government and one culture. Greek language, religion, and ideals were introduced into the east for the first time.

Alexander’s untimely death led to centuries of social and political instability as Alexander’s four generals and their descendants jockeyed for control of the vast empire. Often the Jews were caught in the middle. Between 323 BC and 301 BC alone, Palestine changed hands six times. The opening verses of First Maccabees (which is a very useful historical document for understanding this period of Jewish history) describe these tumultuous years after Alexander:

And after Alexander had reigned twelve years, he died. Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place. They all put on crowns after his death, and so did their sons after them for many years; and they caused many evils on the earth. (1 Macc 1:7-9)

As troubling as this protracted era of war and unrest was to the Jews, especially to those who wished to maintain the practice of the laws and religion, their situation would grow much worse under the rule of an angry king who called himself Epiphanes meaning, “god manifest” – Antiochus IV.

Next time...What Antiochus did to spark a war for independence, and cause a split in the Hasidaeans that would result in the Pharisees and Essenes...

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: The tax question and two groups you need to meet.

Dig in: Matthew 22:15-22

There are some dates on the calendar that bring a feeling of anticipation. Christmas. A birthday. An anniversary. Tax Day is not one of them. This year, on April 15^th, a number of Americans voiced their displeasure in paying their taxes at a series of “Tea Parties” held across the country. Many lawmakers (especially Republican lawmakers) faced tense interviews on television and radio as reporters asked them if they believed in paying taxes or not. These lawmakers were not the first public figures to face such a deceptively simple question about the legality of taxation.

Jesus once faced a tricky riddle on the matter of whether it was lawful to pay taxes to the oppressive Roman government of his day. And like our day, various parties were looking closely to Jesus’ answer to the question. For us to understand the nature of Jesus’ reply - and to have a balanced perspective on Jesus' teaching in the gospels overall - we must understand the nature of the various political / religious parties who prompted so much of Jesus' teaching.

These first century parties can be roughly placed into two groups, those that sought to work toward the protection of Jewish interests in the midst of society by maintaining the status quo between the Jewish masses and the Roman government, such as the Sadducees and the Herodians, and those who sought ways to maintain Jewish identity by separating themselves to keep themselves pure from society, among them the Pharisees and Essenes. Though particular parties may have found commonality in their response to the culture of Palestine with others parties, they did not always work cooperatively. Those parties which differed in their level of willingness to engage or “taint” themselves with society fostered deep, long-lasting animosity toward one another.

In the next few posts, we'll be digging into some background information on two of these Jewish socio-religious parties, the Pharisees and the Essenes. While the precise origins of the Pharisees and Essenes are unclear, it appears that they share common roots that provide insight into their belief in the necessity of maintaining a pious distance from the evils of what they viewed as a corrupt world ripe for the judgment of God. In order to understand their reaction to the culture in Jesus’ time, we must examine their roots in the years of political and social upheaval leading up to the time of Christ.

Next time...we'll explore the rise of the Pharisees and Essenes during the time between the Old and New Testaments...

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.