Four Jewish sects and messianic expectations in first-century Palestine

¶ … Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots:

What was the problem(s) in first-century Palestine?

What or who was the cause of the problem?

What was the potential solution(s) to the problem?

How were they/did they participate in the solution?

If a Messiah was anticipated, what would/should be His priority?

In 1st Century Palestine, the people were divided; in fact the entire country was divided with no core of union. There was mongering and corruption. The people were divided internally, the Jews splintered into various sects of differing beliefs, and they were also divided externally with rebellion against insecure and corrupt rule. On an external level, the Jews too were occupied by the Romans and their various proctors and, therefore, reduced to foreign and interfering rule.

Three prominent groups represented the Homeland at this time: the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots.

The Pharisees

The Pharisees, strict in their observance of law (Luke 18:10-12) as well as "traditions of the elders" (Mark 7:1-13; Matt 15:1-20) were mostly comprised of laymen although also members of the Sanhedrin. Their leaders were called the rabbis and they practiced adherence to both an Oral as well as a written tradition (which included adherence to detailed laws of Sabbath rest, purity rituals, tithing, and food restrictions amongst others). They had trained "scribes" (Mark 2:16; Acts 23:9) and "disciples" (Mark 2:18; Matt 22:16; Luke 5:33) and their problem was disrespect to their authority. Mark (7:9) refers to them admonishing the populace, "of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions."

To them, problems in the country were caused by the Jews not being sufficiently circumspect to the latter of the law. Adherence to the latter of the law would have -- they thought - better protected them. There had been a slew of false messiahs. They considered Jesus to be one of them. A Messiah -- they thought -- would ensure that the rules of the Jewish Homeland be in lieu with the rules of the Torah as they taught it which consisted of both Oral and Written. A messiah too would have redeemed them form their occupiers making their country solely under their jurisdiction. Paul was a Pharisee (Phil 3:5; Acts 23:6; 26:5), as were most of the other early Christians (Acts 15:5).

Essenes

The Essenes were one of the many smaller groups -- they were comparatively insignificant -- who lived a communal "monastic" lifestyle at Qumran (near the Dead Sea). We know about them through discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Believing in a dichotomy of Good and Evil and practicing strict religious rules, they would have expected two messiahs to come, one kingly and one priestly.

To them, the problems were that the people had become too materialistic and had veered away from Godly living. The people had also become disharmonious and quarrelsome. A more ascetic life was in order. They therefore secluded themselves and created strict community rules with strict membership requirements, rules, and rituals which probably also included celibacy.

Only descendants of the High Priest Zadok were -- to them -- worthy of serving in the Temple, therefore they considered the current priest who were not of this family illegitimate. A worthy messiah may likely have come from this family but would have certainly restored the Priesthood to its rightful source. The Temple worship and rituals too were invalid; a worthy Messiah would have righted all of these. More so, a worthy Messiah to them would have battled the final battle between the forces of good (the true Israelites) and evil (the Romans and their collaborators).

The Essenes are not mentioned in the NT.

The Zealots

They were one of the prime revolutionary groups in Israel who opposed the occupation of the Romans over Israel.

To them a Messiah would certainly have meant someone like the Hasmoneans or like Moses who would have 'redeemed' the Jews form the Romans and reinserted them under independent rule. Religion was secondary to them.

The problems of the country were due to the fact that the people were under foreign rule and were inadequately protesting against their foreign rule. The people, too, were too splintered and disharmonious.

The term 'Zealots' came about because they felt they were the ones who were most authentically "zealous" for God's law (Acts 22:3; Gal 1:14). One of Jesus' apostles (not the same as Simon Peter) is called "Simon the Zealot" in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13.

They fought their way to the solution by waging guerilla warfare against the Romans and banding into small militant groups.