Gentiles In The Middle East Essay

Following the Exile after the conquest of Judah by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.E., the Jewish community found itself in a world surrounded by Gentiles. Dispersed and alone, the Jews had to learn how to live in a world where their beliefs and ideals were not standard practice. With success, the Jews managed to keep their identities through upholding specific traditions. After occupation by the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Syrians, and Romans, the Jews’ ideologies evolved resulting in the development of four unique parties: the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots in the New Testament period which had differing views on how to live in a world ruled by Gentiles. In Jerusalem, the Sadducees were the priests of the Second Jewish Temple and had wealth and power because of their status and affiliation with the Roman Empire during the first century. They believed in the importance of cultic practices while upholding a conservative view of religion where the Torah is the only true scriptural text. The conservative belief system, however, did not influence the Sadducees’ lifestyles. The members lived liberal lives worldly in nature. The Sadducees believed in upholding the status quo and …show more content…
Living in a community called Qumran, the Essenes were a small group with specific rituals and a two year initiation. The Essenes believed Yahweh would one day intervene in the world to purity the priesthood. By secluding themselves and remaining pure, the Essenes believed they could be the ones to replace the priesthood. Essenes had no power in Jerusalem as they remained secluded from the world, yet they did join in the First Jewish War believing it to possibly be the apocalypse. The Essenes believed living in a world ruled by Gentiles was accomplished by separating themselves from the world