BEMA Episode Link: 79: Silent Years — Zealots
Episode Length: 40:49
Published Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2018 01:00:00 -0700
Session 3
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings, joined by special guest Megan Gambino, continue the journey through the silent years and the context of Jesus’s ministry, examining the group known as the Zealots.

Silent Years — Zealots Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 79

Megan Gambino on Instagram

Megan’s Website [no longer available]

Transcript for BEMA 79

Notes

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

  • Review
    • Hellenism is when man made themselves the center of the universe
    • Empire is the narrative of self preservation and shalom is the narrative of self sacrifice.
    • Sadducees were a corrupt Jewish mafia that ran the temple system
    • Herodians were a brother group to the Sadducees that didn’t see Hellenism as a threat to the biblical narrative
    • Essenes were priests that didn’t want to be a part of the corrupt priestly systems. Some went out into the desert.
  • Zealots: A group that believes in the myth of redemptive violence but has the zeal needed to actually get the job done.
    • After the Selucids took over in the area, Antiocus would take over, sacrifice a pig on the alter and the Maccebeans would revolt to fight against and defeat the Selucids who were led by Antiochus.
    • The group that revolted would move north toward Galilee and they would be known as the Hassidim, the pious ones.
    • The Hassidim would split into two groups, the Pharisees and the Zealots. The Zealots were known as the Canaim (kah-nah-eem).
    • Phinehas, who killed an Israelite man and a Moabite woman while they were together in the man’s tent by driving a spear through both of their bellies ending a plague on the Israelites, was one of the poster children for the Zealots.
    • Elijah was the other poster child of the Zealots.
    • Zealots were very much the terrorists or insurgents of their day.
      • One would enter the temple courts to murder the sitting high priest.
      • The Secari Zealots were known for their dagger, the secar, and they took an oath to kill any Roman soldier who they found alone.
    • In 47 BC, the Hasmoneans approached Herod the Great to become their Jewish King.
    • In 45 BC, Julius Caesar backed the deal that was made.
    • In 43 BC, there is a Zealot named Hezekiah who is so appalled at the agreement because Herod is a pagan king who married a Jewish woman, that he leads an unsuccessful revolt and the Zealots are driven north to the Galilee where they settle.
  • The Caves of Arbel
    • The Zealots, men, women, and children, at one point lived in the caves or Arbel.
    • Rome erected scaffolding along the cliff faces.
    • One the other end of the caves, Rome lit fires and blew smoke into the caves forcing all of the Zealots to run out onto the scaffolding.
    • Rome then impaled those escaping the smoke with long pitchforks and threw them off the scaffolding to their deaths.
  • Zealots would find a new place to live after Arbel and settled at Gamla (meaning camel). Gamla would be one of their last stands.
    • Gamla would eventually be destroyed and never rebuilt.
    • Jesus would have spoken and taught at the very synagogue picture in the presentation. That is the original synagogue and not one that had been constructed on an over one.
  • There are Zealots in other places, including Egypt. Gamliel discussed the Zealots in Acts. Paul is asked in Acts if he was the Zealot of Egypt.
  • Josephus Flavius, the Zealot who led the revolt against Rome ends up becoming a partner of Rome. He was very much considered to be a traitor.
    • Most historians believe that Josephus tells Vespasian which home in the casemate housing when not filled with stones. Vespasian and the Romans would break through this house with perfect accuracy.
    • A Jew in the Gamla tower believed he saw a Roman soldier in the city. He announced to everyone that the Romans had invaded and the Zealots escaped out the back. 4000 Jews died in the fighting and 5000 Jews died falling to their death out the back of the compound.
  • Words of caution:
    • Be careful to judge the Zealot too quickly.
    • The zeal of the abused.
    • The zeal of the father protecting his family.
    • God has a place for the zealous.
    • We will need Zealots if we’re going to impact the world.

Discussion

  • Head
    • Has anyone read the complete works of Josephus?
    • Has anyone spent time mapping out the timeline of the Zealot movement?
  • Heart
    • Who relates to Megan?
    • For Zealots in the room, do you have any perspective for things that you’ve experienced or endured?
    • If you relate to the Zealots, do you ever struggle to feel like there is a place for you?
  • Hands
    • What do you do with zeal and passionate hutzpah?
    • What are you passionate about? Who are you passionate about?
    • What should the rest of us be more passionate about?

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