Israel in the time of Jesus

 

 

Table of Contents

Introduction: 2

Chapter 1: The Holy Land. 3

Israel the (Holy) Land. 5

Chapter 2: The Political Situation. 6

The King Herod the Great and the Temple. 7

The Pharisees. 8

Sadducees. 9

Essenes. 10

Chapter 3: Description of Judea, Jerusalem; Samaria, Galilee. 11

Judea. 11

Jerusalem.. 11

Samaria. 12

Galilee. 12

Chapter 4: Social life in Israel in the time of Jesus. 14

The Synagogue. 15

The Temple. 15

The Celebrations. 16

Sanhedrin. 17

Scribes. 17

Conclusion. 19

Bibliografia. 20

 

 

 

 

A review of the culture, social life, politics and religion in the time Jesus was on earth.

 

Introduction:

The most important reason for a study of the culture, social life, politics and religion in the time Jesus lived could be the fact that He walked this earth in this time. Just because Jesus walked here makes it important for us to study this time. Where did Jesus walk on this earth? Where did he go? Who were his contemporaneous? Was he indeed born into the Jews religion? What makes a person a Jew? How does a Jew serve God?  How does a Jew maintain his position while being surrounded by people that are not Jew or worse yet, serve multiple gods?

The New Testament was written by Jews. (Only Luke who wrote book of Luke and Acts was an exception by being a Gentile.) It is important to understand the culture of the New Testament writers.

To do so, we will take a look at the country Israel where Jesus was born and lived. Where is this country? What was special about this country that made God choose this? Where in this country was Jesus born and why? Who where the fellow country man in Jesus time? How was the political situation?

To be able to get a picture of the historical, cultural environment of Jesus time I will present you with this thesis: A review of the culture, social life, politics and religion in the time Jesus was on earth.

In chapter 1 you will read all that concern the Holy Land. In chapter 2 a presentation will be made of the Political Situation, the Temple, Law, Language, and some of the sect as Pharisee and Sadducees. In chapter 3 the culture of the country Israel or better yet Palestine shall be explained while chapter 4 will focus on the relationship between cultures, sexes and the suppressors.

 

Chapter 1: The Holy Land

Some people may think that Israel is a land that has appeared some 50 years ago after the holocaust caused by the Second World War. However Israel as a nation exists thousands of years. Israel became a nation in 1312 B.C. Seven hundred and twenty-six years later in 586 b.c these first ancient Jews in the Land of Israel [Judea] were overrun and Israel's First Jewish Temple (on Jerusalem's Old City Temple Mount) was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of ancient Babylon. Many of the Jews were killed or expelled; however many were allowed to remain.  These Jews along with their progeny and other Jews, who would resettle over the next 500 years, rebuilt the Nation of Israel and also a Second Temple in Jerusalem upon the Temple Mount. (Alfred, 1979, p. 12)

Never as yet had the country from the children of Israel reached the extent indicated in the original promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:18) and afterward confirmed to the children of Israel. The nearest approach to it was during the reign of King David, when the power of Judah extended as far as the river Euphrates. At present the country to which the name Palestine attaches is smaller than at any previous period. As of old, it still stretches north and south “from Dan to Beersheba” (Alfred, 1979, p. 8)

To put it more pictorially, the modern Palestine is about twice as large as Wales; it is smaller than Holland and about equal size to Belgium. (Alfred, 1979, p. 8)

At the time of Jesus Palestine was governed by King Herod the Great. Of course under the Emporium of Rome.

Political divided Palestine

Politically speaking Palestine was divided in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. The differences between this e parts were very important and will be spoken about later in this theses.

 

Israel the (Holy) Land

Palestine was to the Rabbis simply “the Land”. All other countries being summed up under the designation of “outside of The Land”. In the Talmud, even the expression “Holy Land”, so common for later Jews and Christians does not occur. It needed not that addition, which might have suggested a comparison with other countries; for to the Rabbinist Palestine was not only holy, but the only holy ground to the utter exclusion of all other countries although they marked within its boundaries an ascending scale of ten degrees of sanctity, rising from the bare soil of Palestine to the most holy of places in the Temple. (Alfred, 1979, p. 15)

Map of Israel (Benware, 1993, p. 50)

 

Chapter 2: The Political Situation

The Babylonian Empire was not the only political power in the country of the Israelites. They were followed up by the Persian Empire. This ended in 330 before Christ and was followed by the Greek domination. Not too long before the birth of Jesus (143 years) the Romans Empire took over. Because of this is the whole New Testament written in the context of the Roman Empire.

Bruce (Bruce, 1972, p. 1) gives an introduction of this time as followed “Jesus grew to manhood in a land where the propriety of paying to Rome the tribute which it imposed was a live political and theological issue; it was a Roman magistrate who sentenced him to death and was by a Roman magistrate who sentenced him to death and it was by a Roman form of execution that the sentence him to death and it was by a Roman form of execution that the sentence was carried it out.

The most prominent character in New Testament history after Jesus himself is Paul, a Roman citizen by birth, who carried the Christian message from its Palestine’s homeland through the eastern province of the Roman Empire until he reached Rome itself…”  In this Roman Empire King Herod Great was proclaimed as King.

 

Wall of Jerusalem (Alfred, 1979)

The King Herod the Great and the Temple

After being made king by Julius Caesar in 37b.c. Herod ruled for thirty-four years, dying in 4b.c.Among the many important things he did the most significant was to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem; some of the remains (the western wall)  exist until this day. The temple was magnificent beyond words and the center of Jewish life. Here Jesus taught, Paul preached, and peter healed. Jesus foretold the coming destruction of the temple in Mat 24:1-3. In God’s plan worship would be of the hearth and not tied to locality. In a.d. 70 Titus’s Roman army demolished Jerusalem and the temple that Herod had built. (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998, p. 30)The study of Herald the Great is extensive and interesting. Although there is so much to tell about him it would go too far for this theses to do so. We will take however a few words to explain the temple that Herod took upon himself to build for God.

In the historic writings of the church fathers Josephus relates this time:

“An now Herod, in the eighteenth year of his reign,…undertook a very great work, that is, to build of himself a temple of God… So he got ready a thousand wagons, that were to bring stones for the building, and chose out ten thousand of the most skillful workmen, and bought a thousand sacerdotal garments for the priests and had some of them taught the arts of stonecutters and others of carpenters, and the began to build but this not till everything was well prepared for the work. So Herod took away the old foundations and laid others, and erected the temple upon them, being in length a hundred cubits (150ft) and in height twenty additional cubits (30ft) Now the temple was made of stones that were white and strong, and each of their length was twenty five cubits…….The temple had doors also at the entrance and lintels over them of the same height with the temple itself. They were adorned with embroidered veils, with flowers of purple and pillars interwoven. (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998, p. 33) The outward face of the temple was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight. At the first rising of the sun reflected back a very fiery splendor and made those who forced their eyes to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun’s own rays. But this temple appeared to strangers, when they were at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white. (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998, p. 82)

Around this beautiful temple the Jewish people lived their life. For a Jew to be a Jew they were expected to keep the Law and to worship in the Temple. There was only ONE temple in the whole world and temple was in Jerusalem. (Even thought the Samaritans build themselves their own temple this was never accepted as a temple since there could only been one temple in the Jewish Law. So the building in Samaria was considered an abomination.) (Tenny, 1996, p. 60)

 In the New Testament various groups of people are mentioned that live during this time. We would not have enough room here to explain all but infancies shall be made on some of this groups and their part. As a fact the Jerusalem Talmud (Sanhedrin 10.629c) (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998) says that there were 24 sects at the time of Jesus. But most of them are not known by name. However there is some information that can help us understand these groups of people better. The first mention of these groups is in a description by Josephus of the three sects or schools into which the Jews were divided (145 B.C.). These were the Pharisees, the Essenes and the Sadducees. (Easton MG, 1897)

The Pharisees

The Pharisees were a relatively small but highly significant group of strict, religious Jews. Their name probably was derived from an Aramaic word meaning “separated” and they regarded themselves as separated from the common people and non-Pharisaic Jews. (Easton MG, 1897)

The Pharisees lived simple and despise delicacies in diet, and they followed the conduct of reason. Next to their lifestyle they also believed that souls have an immortal vigor in them and that under earth there would be rewards or punishments, according as they have lived virtuously or viciously in this life. (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998)

The Pharisees are those that are esteemed most skillful in the exact explication of their laws.

 In the time of our Lord they were the popular party (Joh_7:48). They were extremely accurate and minute in all matters appertaining to the law of Moses (Mat_9:14; Mat_23:15; Luk_11:39; Luk_18:12). Paul, when brought before the council of Jerusalem, professed himself a Pharisee (Act_23:6-8; Act_26:4, Act_26:5).

There was much that was sound in their creed, yet their system of religion was a form and nothing more. Theirs was a very lax morality (Mat_5:20; Mat_15:4, Mat_15:8; Mat_23:3, Mat_23:14, Mat_23:23, Mat_23:25; Joh_8:7). On the first notice of them in the New Testament (Mat_3:7), they are ranked by our Lord with the Sadducees as a “generation of vipers.” They were noted for their self-righteousness and their pride (Mat_9:11; Luk_7:39; Luk_18:11, Luk_18:12). They were frequently rebuked by our Lord (Mat_12:39; Mat_16:1-4).

From the very beginning of his ministry the Pharisees showed themselves bitter and persistent enemies of our Lord. They could not bear his doctrines, and they sought by every means to destroy his influence among the people. (Easton MG, 1897)

Sadducees

The origin of this Jewish sect cannot definitely be traced. It was probably the outcome of the influence of Grecian customs and philosophy during the period of Greek domination. The first time they are met with is in connection with John the Baptist's ministry. They came out to him when on the banks of the Jordan, and he said to them, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Mat_3:7.) The next time they are spoken of they are represented as coming to our Lord tempting him. He calls them “hypocrites” and “a wicked and adulterous generation” (Mat_16:1-4; Mat_22:23). The only reference to them in the Gospels of Mark and Luke is their attempting to ridicule the doctrine of the resurrection, which they denied, as they also denied the existence of angels. They are never mentioned in John's Gospel.

There were many Sadducees among the “elders” of the Sanhedrin. They seem, indeed, to have been as numerous as the Pharisees. Benware (Benware, 1993, p. 33) mention them to be a rich group with a lot of political power. Because of their wealth, prestige and power the much more inclined to cooperate with the Romans. They showed their hatred of Jesus in taking part in his condemnation. They endeavored to prohibit the apostles from preaching the resurrection of Christ.

Essenes

The Essenes were a Jewish mystical sect somewhat resembling the Pharisees. They affected great purity. They originated about 100 B.C., and disappeared from history after the destruction of Jerusalem. They are not directly mentioned in Scripture, although they may be referred to in Matthew. (Easton MG, 1897)

According to the description of Josephus, they functioned as a sect. The Essenes were distinguished by an aspiration after ideal purity, rather than by any special code of doctrines. There were isolated communities of Essenes, which were regulated by strict rules, analogous to those of the monastic institutions of a later date. All things were held in common, without distinction of property; and special provision was made for the relief of the poor.

Self-denial, temperance and labor -- especially agriculture -- were the marks of the outward life of the Essenes; purity and divine communion, the objects of their aspiration. Slavery, war and commerce were alike forbidden. Their best-known settlements were on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. (Smith, 1984)

The church fathers have written on this group. Bruce (Bruce, 1972, p. 84)relates that Philo of Alexandria has left 2 accounts of the Essence. In his longer account Philo estimates the numbers of the Essenes at about four thousand and describes them as living in villages, working hard at agriculture and similar occupations, devoting much time to the communal study of moral and religious questions.

 

Chapter 3: Description of Judea, Jerusalem; Samaria, Galilee.

In the time of our Lord, all Palestine was divided into three provinces; Judea, Samaria and Galilee. (Joseph. B.J. Iii. 3) (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998)

Judea was, in strict language, the name of the third district, west of the Jordan and south of Samaria. It was made a portion of the Roman province of Syria upon the deposition of Archelaus, the ethnarch of Judea, in A.D. 6, and was governed by a procurator, who was subject to the governor of Syria.

Judea

In Judea there is 2 memorable cities. First we see Bethlehem where Jesus was born as was King David many years before him. Also we have the mayor city of cities Jerusalem. Here was the centre of the Jewish religion and the place to worship God in his Temple.

Jerusalem

The “city of God,” the “holy city;” is known by this name, and it means “possession of peace,” or “foundation of peace.” The dual form probably refers to the two mountains on which it was built, viz., Zion and Moriah; or, as some suppose, to the two parts of the city, the “upper” and the “lower city.” Jerusalem is a “mountain city enthroned on a mountain fastness” It stands on the edge of one of the highest table-lands in Palestine, and is surrounded on the south-eastern, the southern, and the western sides by deep and precipitous ravines. (Smith, 1984)  “Jerusalem is a city of contrasts, and differs widely from Damascus, not merely because it is a stone town in mountains, whilst the latter is a mud city in a plain, but because while in Damascus Moslem religion and Oriental custom are unmixed with any foreign element, in Jerusalem every form of religion, every nationality of East and West, is represented at one time.”

Jerusalem is first mentioned under that name in the Book of Joshua, and the Tell-el-Amarna collection of tablets includes six letters from its Amorite king to Egypt, recording the attack of the Abiri about 1480 B.C.. The name is there spelt Uru-Salim (“city of peace”). Another monumental record in which the Holy City is named is that of Sennacherib's attack in 702 B.C.. The “camp of the Assyrians” was still shown about A.D. 70, on the flat ground to the north-west, included in the new quarter of the city. (Easton MG, 1897)

It is here in Jerusalem that Jesus “cleaned out” the Temple. He did a series of wonders in Jerusalem. So much were his acts as to interest Nicodemo in seeking him out to speak with him. (Benware, 1993, p. 64)

Samaria

Sama'ria. (watch mountain). This city is situated 30 miles north of Jerusalem, in a wide basin-shaped valley, six miles in diameter, encircled with high hills, almost on the edge of the great plain which borders upon the Mediterranean.

Alexander the Great took the city, killed a large portion of the inhabitants, and suffered the remainder to set it at Shechem. He replaced them by a colony of Syro-Macedonians, who occupied the city. (Smith, 1984)

It is called in the Talmud the “land of the Cuthim,” and is not regarded as a part of the Holy Land at all. It may be noticed that the distance between Samaria and Jerusalem, the respective capitals of the two kingdoms, is only 35 miles in a direct line. (Easton MG, 1897)

Still Samarians were not regarded as Jews but treated as Gentiles. In the second book of Kings in the Old Testament we can read about their resettlement after deportation and about their false worship. There was a truly bad feeling between the Jews and the Samaritans. In the book of John (Jn4:9) we can read deeply those bad feelings ran.

In actual fact, the Samaritan believed much in common with the Jews. But the Samaritan rewrote the Ten Commandments in their version of the Pentateuch in order to add a new commandment that justified their existence. (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998, p. 66)

We see that Jesus during his walk on earth takes the time to walk to Samaria and to actually speak with a woman. By doing this he could point out that he is the Messiah that they were waiting for. (Benware, 1993, p. 64)

 

Galilee

Galilee included the whole northern section of the country, including the ancient territories of Issachar, Zebulun, Asher and Naphtali. (Smith, 1984)

Galilee was divided into two sections, "Lower" and "Upper." Lower Galilee included the great plain of Esdraelon with its offshoots, which ran down to the Jordan and the Lake of Tiberias, and the whole of the hill country adjoining it on the north to the foot of the mountain range. It was thus one of the richest and most beautiful sections of Pales-tine. Upper Galilee embraced the whole mountain range lying between the upper Jordan and Phoenicia. Galilee was the scene of the greater part of our Lord's private life and public acts. It is a remarkable fact that the first three Gospels are chiefly taken up with our Lord's ministrations in this province, while the Gospel of John dwells more upon those in Judea. (Easton MG, 1897)

The city of Nazareth where Jesus is originally from is in Galilee. Jesus first miracle was in Cana where he turned water in wine. (Benware, 1993, p. 64)See map op page 3.

 

 

Chapter 4: Social life in Israel in the time of Jesus.

To understand the history of the land in the time of the New Testament a correct view of the state of parties in this respect is necessary. If anyone had expected to find within the boundaries of: “the Land” itself one nationality, one language, the same interest or even one religion he would have been bitterly disappointed. For those who returned from Babylon were comparatively few in number. There was a constant influx by heathen. Hebrew has wholly given place to Aramaic except in public worship. (Alfred, 1979, pp. 20-21)

However when you put yourself in the middle of the time that Jesus lived you would quickly discovered that you would be surrounded by Jews. They flocked the streets, they were on the markets, they went to the temple, and they were buying and selling. It was their country! And Jesus was one of them.

That makes it for us and for this study very imperative to study the Jew. Who, what is a Jew. What does he have in common with us today? What is specifically Jew and impact our understanding of the bible.

The name Jew was not always the given name for the Israelites. It is a name that historically grew. Dana puts it this way for us to understand: (Dana, 1977, p. 61) “The Jew is a product of the exile. It was in the time of exile to Babylon that the Israelite realized that he had sinned against God and that God was punishing him by deportation. The name Jew is a modification of the name Jude that trough Greek became Jew.”

This name is given to those that came back from Babylon. They were mainly from the tribe of Jude. But being from this tribe was not the only reason to call them Jew. It was visible that this group of people was changed by their experience in the captive land of Babylonia. There was a true sense of change in their live. They wanted to serve the Lord. They were zealous to keep the Law and the traditions of their fathers. This new group of zealous people became known as “the Jew”. (Dana, 1977, p. 61)

For the Jews every detail of their daily life was embedded into their religion. Their history, their land, their culture were part of their religious. There were 4 factors in the life a true Jew: The synagogue, the Temple, the celebrations, and the Sanhedrin. (Dana, 1977, p. 106)

The Synagogue

The Synagogue played an important role in Judaism, particularly after the destruction of the temple in ad 70. But synagogues existed long before that, arising sometime after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c as places of prayer, worship and fellowship. One of the main functions of the synagogue was study of the Law and activity of highest importance in Judaism. (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998, p. 86)

The Temple

Replica of The Temple as it excited in Jesus time (Elwell & W.Yarbourgh, 1998, p. 31)

 

In chapter 2 a description of the building of the temple was given. Here we want to point some of the culture around the temple.

As Dana state (Dana, 1977, p. 111) the temple was to have rituals every day of the year. In the Old Testament we can read in the book of Ecclestiasticus some of the importance of the temple worship. There was a constant flurry of activity going on in the temple to maintain it as a place f ritual purity and contact with God. In the Temple sacrifices were made. There were 2 kinds of sacrifices. One was offered for private persons and the other for the people in general. An offering must be slaughtered while mindful of 6 things: The offering, the offerer, God, The altar fires, the odor, and the sweet savor. It was important if it was a Sin Offering or a Guild offering.

The Celebrations

Jesus as a good Jew of his time kept all the celebrations.

The religious times ordained in the law fall under three heads:  Those formally connected with the institution of the Sabbath; The historical or great festivals; The Day of Atonement.

Immediately connected with the institution of the Sabbath are --

a. The weekly Sabbath itself.

b. The seventh new moon, or Feast of Trumpets.

c. The Sabbatical Year .

d. The Year of Jubilee.

The great feasts are --

a. The Passover.

b. The Feast of Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Wheat-Harvest or the Feast of the First-Fruits.

c. The Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Ingathering.

On each of these occasions, every male Israelite was commanded to "appear before the Lord," that is, to attend in the court of the Tabernacle or the Temple, and to make his offering with a joyful heart. (Smith, 1984)

Sanhedrin

More correctly Sanhedrin (Gr. synedrion), meaning “a sitting together,” or a “council.” This word is frequently used in the New Testament  to denote the supreme judicial and administrative council of the Jews. This “council” is referred to simply as the “chief priests and elders of the people”, before whom Christ was tried on the charge of claiming to be the Messiah. Peter and John were also brought before it for promulgating heresy (Acts. 4:1-23; 5:17-41); as was also Stephen on a charge of blasphemy (Act_6:12-15), and Paul for violating a temple by-law (Act_22:30; Act_23:1-10).

The Sanhedrin is said to have consisted of seventy-one members, the high priest being president. They were of three classes

(1.) The chief priests, or heads of the twenty-four priestly courses (1 Chr. 24),

(2.) The scribes, and

(3.) The elders. As the highest court of judicature, “in all causes and over all persons, ecclesiastical and civil, supreme,” its decrees were binding, not only on the Jews in Palestine, but on all Jews wherever scattered abroad. Its jurisdiction was greatly curtailed by Herod, and afterwards by the Romans.

Its usual place of meeting was within the precincts of the temple, in the hall “Gazith,” but it sometimes met also in the house of the high priest (Mat_26:3), who was assisted by two vice-presidents. (Smith, 1984)

 

Esdras was the first zealous one that after the captive time installed the rituals and sacraments that the Jews should adhere to. It has been a long time since these rituals has been observed.  (Esdras 3:1-3) For Esdras it was difficult to promote those laws. The people needed to know them! That is how a new group known as SCRIBES.

Scribes

In New Testament times the scribes belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, who supplemented the ancient written law by their traditions (Matt. 23), thereby obscuring it and rendering it of none effect. The titles “scribes” and “lawyers” (q.v.) are in the Gospels interchangeable (Mat_22:35; Mar_12:28; Luk_20:39, etc.). They were in the time of our Lord the public teachers of the people, and frequently came into collision with him. They afterwards showed themselves greatly hostile to the apostles (Act_4:5; Act_6:12). Some of the scribes, however, were men of a different spirit, and showed themselves friendly to the gospel and its preachers. Thus Gamaliel advised the Sanhedrin, when the apostles were before them charged with “teaching in this name,” to “refrain from these men and let them alone” (Act_5:34-39; compare Act_23:9). (Easton MG, 1897)

Jews make (under the teaching of the Pharisees) a strict division between them and the heathens. “It will be readily understood that every contact with heathens and all aid to its rites should have been forbidden and that in social intercourse any levitical defilement, arising from the use of what was “common or unclean” was avoided. But Pharisaic went a great deal further than this. Three days before a heathen festival all transactions with Gentiles were forbidden so as to afford them neither direct nor indirect help toward their rites; and this prohibition extended even to private festivities, such as birthday, the day of return from a journey etc.” (Alfred, 1979) p28

Some strict rules:

·         If a Jew enter a house of a heathen he is defiled till the evening ( John 18)

·         All familiar intercourse with a gentile was forbidden

·         A Jewess was forbidden to give help to her heathen neighbor when about to become a mother.

·         Milk draw from a cow by heathen hands was forbidden

·         Bread and oil prepared by Gentile might be sold to strangers but not used by Israelites.

·         No sitting down on the table of a Gentile

·         If an heathen was invite to a Jewish home he might not be left alone in the room, else every article of food or drink on the table was to be regarded as unclean.

·         If cooking utensils were bought of them, they had to be purified by fire of by water.

·         It was not lawful to let house or field to a heathen. (Alfred, 1979)p.26-28

Those are just some of the general statements to show the prevalent feeling.

In view of all this how are we to understand that Jesus went through all of Palestine preaching the Gospel to Jew and to Gentiles. In doing this he was showing that God redeemed both Jews as Heathens. Very known is the passage where Jesus went to Samaria (of all places) and speaks to a woman (of all people) and in doing such broke through all the barriers of his time. No wonder that the Pharisees could drink his blood.

Conclusion  

This thesis was written in the hope to give a review of the political and culture of the time Jesus lived.  The work thesis was formulated as a review of the culture, social life, politics and religion in the time Jesus was on earth.

Israel was politically divided in 3 groups, Judea, Samaria and Galilee. Judea was supposed to be the most important part of the land because in Jerusalem the Holy Temple was build. Around this temple the live of the Jews played himself out. From daily worship to repentance of sin, the temple was needed.

Important people in Jesus time were Pharisees, priest that made it their issue to keep the Law. With their strict rules and teaching they tried to keep the Jew serving God. Next to the Pharisee we see groups as Sadducce that used their political power to generate money and prestige. The Essence was a third group of sect that operated in an mystical way. Those groups don’t see eye to eye with each other on daily basis. However all of them could forget their differences when it came to opposing Jesus and his ministry.  Groups of people that were considered inferior to the Jew have been ministered too by Jesus. In this way he broke the whole system of the Law and pointed out that His Salvation was for everyone.

 

Bibliografia

1.       Alfred, E. (1979). Skeches of Jewisch Social life in the days of Christ. Michigan: Eermans Printing Company Grand Rapids.

2.       Benware, P. (1993). Panorama del Nuevo Testamento. Michigan: Grand Rapids.

3.       Bruce, F. (1972). New Testament History. Anchor Books: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc.

4.       Dana, H. (1977). El mundo del nuevo testamento. Casa Bautista de publicaciones.

5.       Douglas, F. (1975). El mundo en que vivio Jesus. Spain: Editorial Caribe.

6.       Easton MG, M. (1897). Illustrated Bible Diccionary.

7.       Elwell, W., & W.Yarbourgh, R. (1998). Readings from the first century. Grand Rapids MI: Baker Books.

8.       Smith, D. W. (1984). Smith's bible diccionary. E-sword.

9.       Tenny, M. C. (1996). Nuestro Nuevo Testamento. Michigan: Kregel Pubilcations.