Crisis in Jewish faith during the time of Jesus

Crisis in Jewish Faith

The emergence of great religious figures cannot be considered accidental; they are the people who mark the major cultural shifts in the history of mankind. Yet, they can't be thought of as products of the shifts either. What makes them great is the way in which they put their own mark on the shift. Jesus emerged at a very critical point in the history of the Jewish faith and its people. Just within 40 years of Jesus' death, the Temple was destroyed. What came out of that disaster were two distinct religions: rabbinic Judaism and Christianity.

During the first century AD, the Jewish faith experienced a crisis of cultural erosion caused by foreign influences. For thousands of years, the Jewish people were subject to foreign rule (Egyptian, Syrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman), with only very short periods of independence. The foreign domination threatened the entire Jewish community and there were groups of Jews that tried to preserve it and uphold their norms and values. Foreign domination and the influences of foreigners took its toll on the Jews and the Jewish faith suffered from a major crisis. Many groups believed that because of the domination and influence, a redefinition was needed, at least partly, of traditional Jewish norms, or the emphasizing of parts of the tradition at the expense of others. Many of the groups had differing views, however, which caused some definite challenges. Some of the differing views had to do with ritual and purity laws, how to live under foreign domination, and the expectations of the Messiah.

There was social upheaval that came from the Jews trying to protect who they were in the midst of a very hostile environment. There was much political turbulence and the Jews hoped for national liberation. The Maccabaean revolt set the stage for all future hope of the restoration of God's people from exile. One thing the different groups of Jews generally agreed upon was that as long as there was Roman occupation, everyone would remain in exile. Most all of them agreed that it was Israel's sin that had led them to this exile. One group of Jews, the Pharisees, committed themselves to strict purity with hope for a reconstituted and restored Israel.

The Jewish people were monotheistic -- that is, they believed in one God, and they believed in one God at a time in history when surrounding cultures -- including the ones dominating them (specifically the Romans during Jesus' time) -- were polytheistic (they believed in many gods) and they used idols to represent their gods. The Jews never used idols to represent their God.