I The Septuagint LXX

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I The Septuagint (LXX)

• The name (seventy) Tradition says 72 men
  translated Pentateuch in 72 days
• Hebrew to Greek
• Alexandrian Jews wanted their Greek-speaking
  children to read Scripture
• Septuagint acquainted non-Jews with OT
• NT 300 quotations from LXX

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Lesson Though a translation

• 1. Accurate
• 2. Powerful
• The greatest problem the Bible faces is not the
  attack of enemies, but the neglect of friends
• 3. Effective
• God-fearers Ac.102, 35 1316, 26 174, 12
  187-8
• 4. Abiding
• 1 Pt.125. LORD

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II Sects Of Jews

• 1. Sadducees
• Party of the Jerusalem aristocracy and high
  priesthood
• They made peace with political rulers and
  attained positions of wealth and influence
• They held themselves aloof from the masses and
  were unpopular (Josephus)
• Only about a dozen NT references (not counting
  references to chief priests)

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Sadducees Denied

• Authority of oral law (tradition) inter-preted
  Mosaic law more literally than Pharisees!
• Future resurrection (Mt.22)
• Life after death (Mt.22)
• Angels (Ac.238)
• Demons, etc.

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Lesson Danger of secularism (Mt.166, 11)

• Mt.22
• John Shelby Spong denies bodily resur-rection of
  Christ Is not the primary message of the
  Easter narratives that even the barrier or death
  must not deter us in our quest for life and love
  (Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalists, 146).
  
• Closer to home If we are under the law to
  Christ So far, in my under-standing, it is to
  love one another
• If??

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2. Pharisees

• Separated ones, probably because of their zeal
  for the law and separation from influences of
  Hellenism (heirs of the Hasidim). Ac.265
• John Hyrcanus
• Hyrcanus felt that the Pharisees were opposed to
  him he became a Sadducee, influencing future
  High Priests
• Sadducees controlled the temple Pharisees
  maintained synagogues

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Not all Pharisees were bad

• Nicodemus (Jn.31)
• Gamaliel (Ac.534)
• Saul (Ph.35)

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Lesson Danger of smug self-righteousness

• 1. Lk.1614, Pharisees respected the Word, but
  valued human traditions more
• Attitude of change agents in church
• Their pride led to covetousness (balance scale
  religion)
• 2. Lk.189-14, if satan cant win one way, he
  will in another
• Encourages accuracy in doctrine and
  arrogance toward others (Jn.745-48)

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3. Essenes

• Essenes (and Pharisees) continued the philosophy
  of the Hasidim
• Usually lived in monastic communities (e.g.
  Qumran)
• Adopted young boys to perpetuate their ideals
• Josephus mentions an order of marrying Essenes

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Lessons

• 1. We cannot obey the Lord by isolating ourselves
  from the world
• Jn.1714-16
• Mt.1230
• How can we be w. Jesus if we dont do what He
  says?
• 2. Train children when they are young

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4. Herodians

• Jews who believed that the best interests of
  Judaism lay in cooperation with the Romans
• Their name was taken from Herod the Great they
  supported his dynasty, therefore the rule of Rome
  
• Herod sought to Romanize Palestine
• Mk.1213

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Lesson Dont put your faithin the wrong place

• 1. Politics
• Where are they now? (Isa.14)
• 2. Power
• Vanished into thin air! (Mt.2)
• 3. Promises
• Dont hold your breath! (Ac.2426-27)

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5. Zealots

• Most Jews hated Roman rule
• Pharisees viewed Roman rule as punishment visited
  upon Israel because of its sins. It was to be
  accepted with humility, in prayerful anticipation
  of the day when God would remove the horrible
  Roman yoke
• Zealots refused to pay taxes, and considered
  loyalty to Caesar a sin
• Acts 535-39

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Success of Zealots

• Ultimately the Zealots won the bulk of the people
  to their side
• Their defiance of Rome brought on the destruction
  of Jerusalem (A.D. 70)
• They ceased to exist at Masada (AD 73)

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Lesson Beware zeal without knowledge

• Je.297
• Ro.101-3
• Mt.104, Simon the Cananean (not Canaanean), an
  Aramaic surname
• Zealot (Luke interprets it, 615)
• Jesus deliberately chose a zealot and a tax
  collector to join forces to spread His peace!

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2000 years ago

• No denominations existed there were different
  groups not all could be right
• Divisions happen when people stop taking Gods
  word seriously
• People then had to choose just as we do today.
  How?
• The Lords church was right the others were wrong