Jewish Life in Palestine During the Time of Jesus

Religious Situation in Palestine During the Time of Jesus

Faith:

• Yavhé-faith: Belief in one true God (Creator of Heaven and Earth).
• Messianic hope: Expectation of a liberator to free the Jews.
• Fidelity to the law: Faithfulness to the commandments given to Moses.

Practices

The most important obligations of the Jews were:

• Complying with the Law of Moses.
• Praying morning, noon, and night.
• Giving alms to the needy and to the Temple.

Events

• Sabbath (Saturday): The holy day of rest. No work was permitted. People went to the synagogue to pray. It began at the first star on Friday and ended at sunset on Saturday.
• Passover (Easter): Commemorated the deliverance from Egypt.
• Pentecost: Celebrated 50 days after Passover, remembering the covenant at Mount Sinai when God gave the commandments to Moses.
• Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot): Held at the end of the harvest, recalling the Jewish people's journey through the desert.

Institutions

• The Temple of Jerusalem: Considered the presence of God. It housed the tablets with the commandments God gave to Moses. Priests performed sacrifices there.
  • Economic center: Stored public treasures and contributions to support the village and the Temple.
  • Political center: The ultimate Jewish authority (Sanhedrin), chaired by a high priest and a group of Jewish notables, was responsible for enforcing the laws.
  • Religious center: All Jews were expected to visit once a year.
• The Synagogue: Where Jews gathered on the Sabbath to pray. On other days, rabbis taught the scriptures to the young.

Religious Groups

Religion was central to Jewish life and identity. Different interpretations and ways of living the faith led to the emergence of various religious groups:

• The Sadducees: Conservative and aristocratic, closely associated with power and the Temple. They only accepted the first five books of Scripture as law and did not believe in the writings of the prophets or other interpretations of the law.
• The Pharisees: Their name meant "separated." They took pride in being distinct. Comprised mainly of the middle class, engaged in trade or craft, and many also worked as scribes (copying the writings of the Law). They emphasized living by the law and expected a Messiah to liberate them.
• The Zealots: A group composed of members from the middle and lower classes, advocating armed revolution to defend the Jewish people from Roman rule. They believed the Messiah would be a great military leader who would violently overthrow the oppressors.
• The Excluded: People without the means to read the law (the majority of people were illiterate).

Other Groups

• Samaritans (a mixture of races, considered to have lost the purity of Jewish lineage).
• Publicans (tax collectors for the Romans).
• The sick, beggars, prostitutes, public sinners, and Gentiles (all foreigners).

Social Classes

• The Powerful: The rich social class, who ran the Temple (heads of religious positions, traders, and key officials associated with Roman power, large landowners).
• Middle Class: Formed by teachers or rabbis, small traders, artisans, workers, and workers of the Temple.
• The Poor: The largest group. They lived in small villages or towns (they had no education, money, and were not considered important). They carried out their work in small workshops.
• The Excluded: A diverse group of people who had something in common (set aside by society, unwanted, living in total poverty and loneliness). They included slaves, the sick (lepers, blind, disabled), pastoralists, women, prostitutes, beggars, and fishermen.