Life in the Time of Jesus

Culture & History of 1st Century Israel

• A brief overview of the Second Temple Era• In 333 BCE Alexander the Great conquered the

Jews.• Israel was under Greek rule for about 170

years.• The Hellenistic Culture made a lasting impressi

on on the Jewish Society.– In First Century Israel, under Roman rule, the

language used for trade was common Greek!

So Jesus Spoke Greek??

Politics & Government of 1st Century Israel

• In 63 BCE, General Pompey conquered Jerusalem, making Israel a client state of Rome.-Name some other civilizations that conquered Israel.

During the time of Jesus, Jerusalem was still under Roman Occupation….

Politics & Government During Jesus’ Life

Roman EmperorAugustus Caesar & Tiberius Caesar

Roman Perfect (Governor)Pontius Pilot

Jewish “Client King”Herod the Great & Herod Antipas

Sanhedrin High Priest Caiaphas

A Brief Background on Jesus• Jesus lived in Galilee from about 4 BCE to 30/33 CE.

-Born in Bethlem-grew up in Nazareth-died in Jerusalem

• What was Jesus house like?

• Joseph (Jesus’ “step” father) was a Jewish carpenter, making their family a part of the middle class.– Jesus would have trained to follow his father’s trade.

Jesus & Mary in Jesus’ workshop

Judaism in Jesus’ Day…

• Jewish law was not only Religious Law, it was civil law.– Their laws formed them culturally as well as

religiously.• Jesus would have studied and been well

versed in Jewish law & scripture (the Torah).– For the purpose of studied the Torah, and for

religious ritual Jesus would have used Hebrew.

Jewish Groups in Jesus’ Day

• There were a variety of Jewish sects in the time of Jesus.

• In the Bible you will hear mention of the Samaritans and Zealots. -Samaritans were descendants of the Northern Tribes of Israel in 722 BCE.-Samaritans had different practices regarding worship of the Law- and for this reason did not get along with the Jews. -The Zealots were an aggressive political party with concern for the national and religious life of the Jewish.-Zealots despised Gentiles and even Jews who sought to appease the Roman authorities.

• In the Gospels, Jesus encounters the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

• The Sadducees was the elite, upper-class Priestly class of the Jews who..– performed all the Temple rituals and Sacrifices– only accepted the written Torah (law)– did not believe in/accept the idea of an after-life

For more info on the Sadducees…..

Jewish Groups in Jesus’ Day

Jewish Groups in Jesus’ Day

The Pharisees….• Are considered the spiritual fathers of modern Judaism.• Were Middle class Jews who followed the tenets of Judaism

that developed after the destruction of the Solomon’s Temple in 587 BCE.

• They believed….– In the written AND oral law- both Moses received at Sinai– Like Jesus’ disciples, they believed in after-life and that a messiah

would come to usher in an era of peace

For more about the Pharisees….

Additional Videos…

A Snapshot of Jesus’ Jerusalem

A Snapshot of First Century Nazareth