Daily Life in Canaan in New Testament Times

Slide #1
Note that I do not refer to the region as Palestine – this has political implications today, due to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that are not applicable to the area in consideration. (Slide #2) I
prefer to use the Biblical descriptive of Canaan because this implies a link to the promise God
made to Abraham. I have no problem with referring to the region as the “Holy Land”; that
designation carries with it the same connotation as Canaan. I use Canaan because it was the
description that would have been operative in Christ’s own time.

The political aspect of the area cannot be avoided; and as our reading shows, it is nothing new.
By 200 BC what had once been a Roman “backwater” province had become an area of political
intrigue and infighting – and such it remains today.

Slide #3
The Old Testament books of Wisdom (of Solomon), Sirach and 1&2 Maccabees provide the
Scriptural data for the beginning to understand the nature of life on the ground in Christ’s time.
Non-Scriptural resources are primarily the writings of Flavius Josephus and Pliny the Younger
(and Elder).

As the area comes under Greek, then Roman, rule; the once neglected region enters an era of
turmoil. To be sure, there was turmoil aplenty in Old Testament time: David’s ascendancy over
Saul, the division of the Kingdom, the succession of (mostly) failed Kings after Solomon …
political intrigue was not lacking in Old Testament times. But the “Hellenization” of the region
sets the stage for New Testament times.

Both Sirach and Wisdom are written in response to the new form of Greco-Roman wisdom we
call philosophy. For the first time the Hebrew people were immersed in a culture which offered
an alternative worldview that challenged the one they had known since the days of Moses. They
were confronted, and many were seduced, by a system of thought radically different from their
own. Why did so many begin to admire this new way of thinking? The precedent can be seen in
the writings of the Prophets who continually lament the many ways in which the Chosen People
had abandoned Yahweh to follow the practices of their Canaanite neighbors.

But the influence of Hellenistic thought was entirely different. It offered a world-view based on
“wisdom” and “truth”. It offered a comprehensive and powerful challenge to the reigning
(though wounded) Mosaic traditions. It also offered entry into the cosmopolitan world. Herod
Antipas was educated in Rome at the court of Caesar. This new system of thought was too
attractive to be ignored. The writers of Sirach and Wisdom sought to tell their fellow Israelites
that wisdom – philosophical knowledge – could be found in Judaism as well and one need not
abandon Yahweh in the search for refined knowledge.

That they were only partially successful can be seen in Maccabees and Josephus. The two books
of the Maccabees tell the story of a revolt that was initiated by the attempt to place a statue of the
Roman emperor in the Jewish Temple. A small band of people rose up to challenge this final
and ultimate offense against al that was holy to the Jews. The fact that the Jewish historian who
relates the story outside of Scripture is named Falvius Josephus shows that the educated class
had become captivated by Roman ways.

Slide #4
As one turns to the New Testament – and we must leave much unsaid in our cursory overview of
the situation – we see that politics and the influence of Rome are always close at hand.

Warned in a dream that Herod the Great seeks to kill the Christ child, Joseph takes Mary and the
babe and flees to Egypt. The massacre of the Holy Innocents follows. Every male child under 3
years of age in the region is slaughtered. St. Joseph (with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin) return,
again after receiving instruction in a dream, only after Herod’s death. Upon his return, he settles
in Galilee rather than in his previous home. Once again, the choice is driven by politics. The
textbook does a good job of sorting through the rapid changes in authority in the region from the
death of Herod the Great, the failure of his sons and rise of his grandson. Note that the Roman
governor of the region once said “It is safer to be Herod’s pig than to be his son.” Herod was
certainly not “nice” and may have been (slightly) insane.

Slide #5
Our author also notes that Jerusalem has become a pilgrimage city. Many Jews traveled there
annually, some more often (it took $$) for major religious festivals. But most Jews went at least
a few times during their lifetimes.
By the beginning of the New Testament era, 80% of the Jews live outside of Canaan. Large
Jewish populations are present in Syria and Egypt; a sizeable community is already at Rome.
Though spread throughout the ancient Near East, Jews were “required” to make the pilgrimage
to Jerusalem for three of the major feasts of the Jewish calendar. It is likely that for most of
them, this “requirement” was officially relaxed to once per year. Unofficially it become more
akin to the modern day Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca – once in a lifetime. It is hard to imagine
that many people could afford to make a yearly trek to Jerusalem for both cost and safety
reasons. Three trips per year was only for the wealthy or geographically close. Many of those
who could afford to travel were likely already too enamored with their new cosmopolitan status
to bother. These observations aside, we know from Scripture that Mary and Joseph made the
annual pilgrimage (once when Jesus was “lost” for three days and found in the Temple) and we
know from the story of Pentecost, that the city was full of pilgrims from all over the region.

During New Testament times the only people who spoke Hebrew were the Pharisees and the
priests. The “local” language was Aramaic and the language of learning and commerce was
Greek.

Slide #6
Although the region was under the sway of Rome, the Jewish people enjoyed a certain degree of
autonomy. The revolt of the Maccabees showed Rome that the way to peace was to rule lightly.
The Jewish people in Judea are effectively ruled by the High Priest. He is chosen by the
religious leaders and confirmed by Rome. King Herod and the Roman governor are both in
place and exercise degrees of power. The Roman Governor (Pilate) has supreme authority, but
as long as things are calm, he cedes much of his authority for day-to—day internal affairs to the
High Priest. The Tetrarch Herod Agrippa (grandson of Herod the Great) has regained much of
the former kingdom through political patronage, but is more of a ceremonial ruler than an
effective one – as much by his own choice as by Rome’s suspicions against his house.

One of the geniuses of Rome at this time was to administer conquered areas through client kings
and to allow people to live as they chose – as long as proper taxes and tribute were paid. In the
case of the Jews, they were singled out for some special protections. When Rome encountered a
unique and functional society, they sought to allow that society the freedom to govern itself and
even provided imperial protection to aspects of that society. The Jewish people were certainly
unique from a religious perspective. Unlike almost all other peoples they had only one God, a
male only priesthood and a society shaped around their strange religion. All other peoples had a
pantheon of Gods and both priests and priestesses. Rome understood that the key to peace
among the Jews was to give them limited autonomy and protection in religious matters. As we
will see later in the semester, the Roman persecution of the Christian religion begins only after
there is a definitive break from Judaism after 70AD – but that is getting ahead of the story.

Slide #7
The issue of sects within Judaism is important and we will close on that note. The major groups
within Judaism – many of whom will play a large part in the New Testament are: Pharisees,
Sadducees, Essenes and Zealots.

The Pharisees are essentially Jewish lawyers. They study the law of Moses and appear to be the
leaders of most of the Judean Jews.

 "Pharisees" probably means "separated ones" in Hebrew, referring to their strict

observance of laws and traditions (Luke 18:10-12).
 Long-time political and religious rivals of the Sadducees, vying for influence among the
rulers and the people.
 Mostly laymen, but possibly also some priests (from the tribe of Levi) or even members
of the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:34).
 Followed not only the laws of the Hebrew Bible, but also the "traditions of the elders"
(Mark 7:1-13; Matt 15:1-20).
 Leaders were called "rabbis" or "teachers", such as Nicodemus (John 3:1-10; 7:50; 19:39)
and Gamaliel (Acts 5:34; 22:3).
 Also had trained "scribes" (Mark 2:16; Acts 23:9) and "disciples" (Mark 2:18; Matt
22:16; Luke 5:33).
 NT Gospels portray them mainly as opponents of Jesus (Mark 8:11; 10:2), who conspire
with the Herodians to kill Jesus (Mark 3:6).
 Some of Jesus' harshest polemics are directed against the "hypocrisy" and "blindness" of
the Pharisees (Matt 23; John 9).
 In contrast to Sadducees (Mark 12:18-27), Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the
dead (Acts 23:1-8).
 Paul himself was a Pharisee (Phil 3:5; Acts 23:6; 26:5), as were some other early
Christians (Acts 15:5).
 Sadducees - another prominent group of Jews in Palestine from 2nd century BC through 1st
century AD; they were probably smaller "elite" group, but even more influential than the
Pharisees; they followed the laws of the Hebrew Bible (the Torah), but rejected newer traditions.

 "Sadducees" comes from the Hebrew tsaddiqim ("righteous ones"), which may refer to
the way they wished to live their lives.
 The name may also derive from Zadok, the high priest under King David (1 Kings 1:26),
since many Sadducees were priests.
 Long-time political and religious rivals of the Pharisees, although their influence was
more with the wealthy ruling elites.
 Probably also rivals of the Herodians, since they had supported the Hasmonean Jewish
rulers against King Herod.
 Closely associated with the Jerusalem Temple and with the ruling council ("Sanhedrin")
of the Jews (Acts 4:1; 5:17; 23:6).
 Did not believe in life after death (Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27) or in angels or spirits
(Acts 23:8).
 NT Gospels portray them (often together with the Pharisees) mainly as opponents of
Jesus (Matt 16:1-12; Mark 18:12-27).
 But they also rejected the teachings of the Pharisees, esp. their oral traditions and newer
innovations.

Essenes - a smaller group or "sect" that lived a communal "monastic" lifestyle at Qumran (near
the Dead Sea) from 2nd century BC through 1st century AD; the "Dead Sea Scrolls" found in
this location in 1947 are usually associated with them.

 Originally a group of priests, founded and/or led by a "Teacher of Righteousness" during

the early Maccabean/Hasmonean era.
 They regarded the Jerusalem priests as illegitimate, since those were not Zadokites (from
the family of the high priest Zadok).
 They rejected the validity of the Temple worship, and thus refused to attend the festivals
or support the Jerusalem Temple.
 They expected God to send a great prophet and two different "Messiahs" (anointed
leaders), one kingly and one priestly.
 They live a communitarian life with strict membership requirements, rules, and rituals;
they probably also practiced celibacy.
 Mentioned by Josephus, but not in the NT (although some scholars think the "Herodians"
in the NT refer to Essenes).
 Some scholars think John the Baptist (also Jesus?) was closely associated with the
Essenes, but a direct connection is unlikely.
 Monastery destroyed by the Roman Army ca. 68 AD, during the Jewish War against
Rome, which Essenes probably considered the final battle between the forces of good
(the true Israelites) and evil (the Romans and their collaborators).
 Dozens of complete scrolls and thousands of written fragments were discovered from
1947 to mid-1950's in caves near Qumran.
 The Scrolls contain copies of almost the entire Hebrew Bible, some older non-canonical
texts, and dozens of the Essenes own writings.
Herodians - probably a faction that supported the policies and government of the Herodian
family, especially during the time of Herod Antipas, ruler over Galilee and Perea during the
lifetimes of John the Baptist and of Jesus.

 Mentioned only twice in Mark and once in Matthew, but never in Luke, John, or the rest
of the NT.
 In Mark 3:6 they conspire with the Pharisees to kill Jesus, still fairly early during Jesus'
ministry in Galilee.
 In Mark 12:13-17 and Matt 22:16 they join some Pharisees in trying to trap Jesus with a
question about paying taxes to Caesar.
 See also the possibly related references to the friends and court officials of Herod (Mark
6:21, 26; Matt 14:1-12; Luke 23:7-12).

Zealots - one of several different "revolutionary" groups in the 1st century AD who opposed the
Roman occupation of Israel.

 "Zealots" were probably not an organized group at first, but any Jews "zealous" for God's
law (Num 25:13; 1 Kings 19:10; Acts 22:3; Gal 1:14).
 Just before and during the First Jewish War against Rome, "Zealots" were a nationalistic
revolutionary party opposed to the Romans.
 One of Jesus' apostles (not the same as Simon Peter) is called "Simon the Zealot" in Luke
6:15 and Acts 1:13 (but "Simon the Cananaean" in Mark 3:18 & Matt 10:4).
 He may have belonged to a revolutionary group before joining Jesus, but more likely was
"zealous" in the older sense.

High Priest, Chief Priests, Priests, and Levites - members of the tribe of Levi who were
responsible for the temple and its sacrifices, and thus were the religious and social leaders of the
Jewish people.

 Priests and Levites in ancient Israel had to be men from the tribe of Levi; any Jews from
the eleven other tribes could not be priests.
 Levites (members of the tribe of Levi who were not priests) assisted in the practical
operation of the temple as guards, musicians, etc. (Luke 10:32; John 1:19; Acts 4:36; cf.
Num 3, 8; etc.).
 Priests offered the sacrifices and took care of other cultic/ritual concerns in the temple
(Mark 1:44; Matt 12:4-5; Luke 1:5-23; etc.).
 The same Greek word is translated "High Priest" (sg.) and "Chief Priests" (pl.) in most
English Bibles; they were in charge of the Temple in Jerusalem and thus were the most
important religious leaders in ancient Israel, at least prior to the destruction of the Temple
in 70 CE.
 The High Priest was appointed annually, but members of the family of Annas and
Caiaphas were often reappointed in the first century (Matt 26:3, 57; Luke 3:2; John
11:49; 18:12-28; Acts 4:6).
 The Gospels portray the chief priests (often with the scribes and elders) as members of
the ruling authorities who opposed Jesus, long sought to arrest and kill him, and
eventually condemned him to death (in cooperation with the Roman governor).
Scribes - men specially trained in writing, and thus influential as interpreters and teachers of the
Law, and agents of the rulers.

Slide #8
It is easy to think of 1st century AD Judaism as a monolith (unified religious thought) but this is
not so. Rabbis argued among themselves as much as American argue over politics or sports. I
once had a truly learned professor who said, “If you asked 5 Rabbis a question you would get 7
answers – because two of them would be of two minds about it.” He was joking, but behind that
joke was a reality of hotly disputed questions in Judaism. We see an example of this when the
Jewish authorities question Jesus about how often and for what reasons a man can divorce his
wife – they wanted to see whose “side” He was on. Of course, Jesus is on God’s side, so He
tells them that divorce is not allowed at all – a valid marriage is made by God and man cannot
break it.

There were also disputes among Jews about the afterlife. Some (the majority?) thought that one
simply goes down into Sheol and “sleeps with the fathers”. Others thought that Sheol was
divided: a resting place for the righteous was separate from where the place of the unrighteous –
but there was neither reward nor punishment in either; just segregation. Finally, a minority
thought there was a life after death that was renewed and free from suffering.