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History of the Sanhedrin,
Pharisees, and Scribes:
The Sanhedrin dates back to 200 B.C. when the “Seleucid kings” who
ruled Palestine decided to form a local government such as existing in
many “Hellenistic” cities already. They gave the council of the
“Ancients”, administering the city's affairs, the right to make civil
and religious laws, still they were subject to the supreme authority of
the king. Because Jerusalem was the capital of Judaism, the decisions of
this particular council had directive force for other Jewish centers in
the “Seleucid monarchy” as well. Yet, these still retained their own
local councils called "sanhedrins” also.
The “Great Sanhedrin” then came into being as a limited form of
autonomous government given to the Jews by foreign kings. However, if a
native monarchy or absolutism was established, the Sanhedrin lost power,
for instance, this happened under the totalitarian “Herod” left it with
simply a shadow of authority.
Rome was very tolerant of the religious beliefs and practices of their
subjected peoples, in addition to giving them some civil juridical
freedom. Therefore, the Sanhedrin was entrusted with the administration
in Jerusalem.
Composition of the Sanhedrin
The group was largely composed of the “aristocracy” and consisted of
seventy one members including the president, it’s High Priest. The
members were divided into three groups:
1) Chief Priests – “Mainly Sadducees, of the sacerdotal and
usually wealthy aristocracy”, who were very dictatorial at the time of
Jesus among the Jewish society.
2) Ancients - Represented the “lay aristocracy”, also “some of
the Sadducees”.
3. Scribes - Composed of more active “laymen and Pharisees”, but
also “some Priests and Sadducees.” Please note: This was the only group
which remained after 70 A.D.
There jurisdiction extended over “all” the Jewish world. However,
outside Palestine most Jewish communities had their own councils or
“sanhedrins” to oversee them, and only in rare cases was the Great
Sanhedrin called upon.
Sadducees
"Sadducee" comes from a word meaning: "Just, Righteous". The Sadducees
as a group were designated a liberal party, culturally more prone to
modernism than their oppressors, the Pharisees. Yet in their religion,
they attempted to “preserve the original and true moral heritage of
Judaism”, rejecting the changes and innovations of the Pharisees.
The Torah, meaning: "The Law", which had been given to the nation by
“Moses”, was the one and fundamental Law. The Sadducees declined to
accept any additional “oral regulations” of the Pharisees based on their
views of tradition. They said it was merely a distortion of the simple
faultless Hebrew Spirit.
What I am trying to illustrate here is the differences in beliefs
among the Jewish people. The problem was that each of the “groups of
Jews” divided, forming different sects, and holding to their own
understanding of tradition. Here are the diverse levels of faith held to
below:
1)Torah- Jewish law. Given to Moses by
God, this was the original written law.
2) Talmud- “oral law”, eventually written and
called the Talmud, (commentary on how to the keep the Torah)
3) Mishna- commentary on the Talmud.
4) Gemmorah- commentary on the Mishna.
The Pharisees greatly interpreted the Torah by
their ability of comprehension; working the “oral law” into the system
which gradually assumed a greater significance, in their sensible use,
than did the Torah by itself. (Thus came the “Talmud” first, and then
following was the “Mishna”, and last the “Gemmorah”.)
The Sadducees had been restricted to the Temple alone by 70 A.D. and to
the great “sacerdotal” or wealthy families centering about it. After the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Sadducees disappeared from
history and later the Judaism faith was subjugated exclusively by the
“Pharisaic tradition".
Pharisees
The word "Pharisee" is derived from the Hebrew "Perushim" or the Aramaic
"Perishayya" which means: "Separated and/or Divided”. These were a group
of Hebrew separatists, those who sought to keep everything strictly
Jewish in a land that was steadily succumbing under Greek influence, as
the more wealthy aristocrats, the Sadducees, began to absorb some alien
views.
The Pharisees were astringent toward the ruling classes. They found that
these rulers once installed turned toward the very culture and
philosophy they had been put in office to oppose. Even after they had
struggled to put them on the throne, believing they would oppose the
spreading Greek culture and traditions. The Pharisees rebelled, but went
backward in favor of increasing the complexity in the “old Jewish
traditions” in all things! They were striving to keep it unmixed from
foreign influence, but added to themselves.
Yet the Pharisees held detached from the “common people”, by thinking
themselves to be superior and practically untouchable. Since Judaism
held their religion and legal purity as inseparable concepts, they were
unapproachable from anyone and anything that was not Jewish, and
especially any and all that was irreligious and impure in their eyes.
The Pharisees claimed that the Torah, which is the "written law by
Moses” was just a part of the law. It was not even the “canon” part of
their “national religious constitution”. There existed in addition which
was the “more extensive oral law", composed of the innumerable precepts
of/by "tradition". Which was actually customs that had been multiplied
through time and use, passed along as “the law” by those men who thought
these should be followed.
This “oral Law” was self-possessed by personal narrative/understanding
along with other elements to bring out self-exaltation and
self-glorification. It was/is a system of “guidelines” covering almost
all of their activities in civil and religious life. Unfortunately most
of their traditional beliefs and customs seldom had little or any real
connection to/with the “written Torah”.
The Pharisees overcame this obstacle by subjecting the Torah to
arbitrary explanation. The written tradition contains 613 rules. The
“oral Law” was no less binding, but far more extensive, and very
incriminating to the common people who held no esteem position in the
high class world.
The oral Law was more binding. The Scribes wrote and I quote, "Greater
weight have the words of the Scribes than the words of the Torah." They
established a principle of authority “OVER the Torah”, any law could be
created with the backing of the great Sanhedrin. The Pharisees drew
their support from the people! These people were hostile to all that was
foreign, and deeply attached to those traditional customs from which the
Pharisees developed their “oral Law”. In his “Wars of the Jews”, the
historian Josephus gives a very detailed account of the Pharisees and
their rule in Jewish culture.
This group studied the Law, based on man’s understanding by pivoting
their study on three main questions: 1) “Sabbath, 2) Tithe, and 3)
Ceremonial limpidness”. Their method was to first acquire knowledge of
the proverbs and opinions already presume from traditional life, and
study their extensive application and develop subsequent expansion. The
Pharisees and by doctors of Law handed down by the centuries an orally
presented along with a written collection of standards, creating their
“orthodox” called the Talmud.
Even before the invectives of Jesus, some truly devout Jews wrote
against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Jesus constantly spoke against
their actual behavior rather than their teachings. For instance we find
in Matthew 23, Jesus Christ says:
Matthew 23:1: Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his
disciples,
Matthew 23:2: Saying,
The scribes and the
Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
Matthew 23:3:
All therefore
whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye
after their works: for they say, and do not.
Matthew 23:4:
For they bind heavy
burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders;
but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
…and astonishment were they who heard because “Jesus taught as one
having authority, and not as the scribes”.
Although most of the Pharisees were self-righteous, there still were
some that were truly outstanding masters like for instance, “Gamaliel”
and Elder who taught the Apostle Paul, or “Hillel”, and yes, still
others. Some were blessed to be taught by the Master Jesus himself like
“Nicodemus”, “Simon”, and “Joseph of Arimathea”. Those whom valued their
Pharisaic positions resisted to come to Jesus openly.
Scribes
The priesthood became solely identified as the Sadducees (the
higher/wealthy class), and the Doctors of the Law along with the
Pharisees. Jesus spoke primarily against the Pharisees and Scribes and
it can easily be seen why! They were blind hypocrites in the eyes of
everyone that had some understanding of the truth. The blind leading the
blind!
This particular group of so called priesthood holders, being
restricted to Temple liturgy, used “political stratagem” manipulating
the laws and only a portion of the Scribes brought them before the
common people as “teachers of the Law”, representatives of Moses himself
in the synagogues and on the streets!
Not all Scribes were Pharisees, as also not all Pharisees were Scribes,
because some might not have had the education necessary to be an actual
“Scribe”. Scribes were the most educated in/of the Law -- he could be
any “Pharisee, Sadducee, priest, or even a layman”. During the time of
Christ, very few Scribes were priests and Sadducees. They were mostly
laymen of Pharisaic beliefs. This is why the Gospels appear to link the
two so often.
They had to be a descendant of Abraham to become a Scribe, but the
journey was very difficult. Studies often began at a young childhood (as
with the Apostle Paul) at the feet of a master Scribe. The voyage was
not completed until about forty years of age. Plus, since he was usually
poor to start with, he was forced to work at another trade to earn a
livable income. Thus Paul was a “tent maker”!
The time before splitting in the Jewish thought, Jews realized they
hadn’t any actual documentation of the” Laws or Words of God”. Some
decided to completely devote their lives and work exclusively to the
Law. This was as believed the only good they still possessed and in
order to preserve it with all care, they would dedicate themselves to
transmit it with absolute exactness, examining and applying it with an
intense study. These men were diligent commentators and teachers in the
clearest sense. They Held firm to the truths they had been blessed with
from generation to generation. As one became skilled in the Law, they
held the title of honor, a “Rabbi” ("my great one/ my Master").
The authority of the scribes was exceedingly great, even as early as 200
B.C. Still it became even greater as it became a rising position. It
became conflicting to the original priesthood morals. The priesthood had
kept its liturgical responsibilities and its rank in the Jewish
theocracy at the time of Jesus Christ, but had lost all influence, in
thought, of spiritual structure of the common people and multitude was
deeply concerned.
Their spiritual fathers/teachers, the moral guide and catechist, were
the Scribe! The people no longer looked toward the priest and the
priests took less interest in the Law. The laity added to the spiritual
direction of their Judaism faith and principles.
Scribes were the “professionals”, educated and well learned men. They
were the scholars and intellectuals of that day. The complicated systems
of writing made the “scribe” a professional, a specialist kings and
merchants sought to hire to communicate and interpret for them. Since
they were in control of “all the information”, they had an importance as
proprietor, controller and transmitter of any and all the education and
learning. They were responsible for the fabrication and replication of
all literature. They were in charge of keeping the records for
government systems, history, and in fact all business transactions for
trade. They began to assume the higher class mindset, with condescension
for the laboring lower social classes.
Their erudition consisted in knowledge of the Law, which was compared
to, and respected as true wisdom, and was the only correct view of
learning. They were mostly Pharisees but not members of any party or
sect. They were argumentative towards Jesus because He who posed a
threat to what they desired. They presumed the uprightness of the Law to
which their own lives were entirely loyal, and which they considered the
very core of the faith Judaism. They esteemed the Jewish customs and
refused to permit the authority of any changes.
There believed that the study of the Law was superior to royalty or even
the true Priesthood. Paul made a statement that goes hand and foot with
this mindset to the Romans;
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an
image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted
beasts, and creeping things.
Law Students became very conscious of their own great respect.
Justifying all with the commandments of Moses and the words of the
prophets, but the essential part of them began to be ignored. As
Jeremiah (8:8) had cried out,
Jeremiah 8:8: How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD
is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes
is in vain.
Mankind made the Laws of God into a Lie by changing the truths of God
into the views of man! More acceptable to those who made them. Think
about what Paul said in Romans;
Romans 1:25: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is
blessed for ever. Amen.
Here we see the truth of how all mankind perverts the
truth of God and turns to the simple creation as their Idols! They did
this then and we do it now. How can we or anyone do this? (By our own
Self-righteousness) God the creator is “Blessed forever, AMEN!”
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