BEMA Episode Link: 76: Silent Years — Sadducees
Episode Length: 32:24
Published Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2018 01:00:00 -0700
Session 3
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings begin an in-depth look at the five different responses to Hellenism in the first-century world of Judaism by examining the priestly group known as the Sadducees.

Silent Years — Sadducees Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 76

Transcript for BEMA 76

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

• The Sadducees responded to Hellenism in a specific way as did the other groups we will discuss.
• Where did the Sadducees come from?
  • ~They come all the way back from the time of Solomon.
  • When trying to establish who the first high priest to serve in the first temple should be, they were choosing between Abiathar and Zadok. After casting lots, Zadok wins and from then on the new high priest would come from the line of Zadok.
  • The descendants of Zadok are the Zadokim or Sadducees in English.
  • Leadership of the temple is handed over to the Sadducees because God wanted the priests to lead the Israelites. This period is known as the Hasmonean Dynasty.
  • Within 20 years they become completely Hellenistic and corrupt.
  • These seven families of the Zadokim became known as the Chief Priests. In a very real sense they have become a religious mafia.
  • “A religious priest” was a way of saying the priest was not a Sadducee.
  • See the model of the home of the chief priests.
  • As Rome began to rule, the chief priests went to Herod and said if you marry one of the daughters of the Hasmoneans, we will call you Jewish and you can be our king.
  • Herod goes to Caesar and says I don’t want your power but I’ll be your best friend if you let me be king.
  • Caesar loves the idea and makes the partnership.
  • Herod then puts the office off high priest up for auction to the highest bidder and Annus wins.
  • Until 70 AD the high priest never left this family.
  • This mob had a group of hit men and that group was the temple guard.
  • There were two Sanhedrins: formal and informal.
  • The informal Sanhedrin is the group that kills Jesus.
  • Jesus will spend more than three years with the Pharisees but after one week with the Sadducees, he gets himself killed.
• Discussion
  • Discussion
    • The chief priests were a completely corrupt group of families that had sold themselves to Herod and were entirely bought into Hellenism.
    • Josephus is the most dominant resource on the Sadducees and this time period.
  • Questions
    • Head
      • Discuss the sanhedrin, formal and informal.
      • How does the sanhedrin work?
    • Heart
      • Many may have experienced corrupt leadership in the past.
      • If people relate to spiritual leaders like the Sadducees, give them space to share without being a therapist or cosmic police.
    • Hands
      • What do you do in light of the fact that we’ve experienced so much scandal, spiritual abuse, etc.?
        • What’s the most appropriate application?
        • The ability to voice our truth; that boundaries be set?
        • That someone should be held accountable?
        • Where does forgiveness play a part?
      • Therapy? Can we set both internal and external boundaries?

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