THE PRIESTS

"6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

The Pharisee

The name "Pharisee" means "God’s loyal ones" They developed during the times of Ezra who wanted to train people who had mastered the text and teaching of the Law in every detail. The New Testament "Scribes" were basically similar to these.
The Pharisee being a special "separated group" emphasizing certain parts of the law.
They tended to control the religion of the state of Israel and also had some degree of the political control via religion. However, by 200 AD Judaism and Pharisaic teaching had become the same.

The priests who followed the Pharisee teaching and behaviour were always in a minority group because their interpretation of the Law of God had no popular appeal to the general Jewish population.

The basic Pharisaic teaching and understanding of religion was that the Jewish nation had failed to keep the ‘Torah’ (the Mosaic Laws) and so had suffered punishment by God, for example they had been sent into the Babylonian exile.

The Torah was not just basic ‘Law of God’ but also contained instruction on their daily living. The interpretation of these instructions on daily living had become the tasks of the Scribes. The result of this was that many situations not directly covered by the Torah had now been give instructions by these religious leaders.
Jesus condemned them because their religion was ethical (moral, how to live laws) and not theological (Based upon God and man’s duty to God).

A Pharisee was very strict on the religious instruction for tithing, giving one tenth of income to God. One example of their strictness was that they refused to buy or eat food from a non-Pharisee incase the food had not been tithed according to the rules. For the Pharisee tithing was a sign of loyalty to God.

The Sadducees

The Sadducees were associated with the ruling class of the wealthy, they were often more interested in politics than religion. As a result they were often friendly with the local Roman controlling leadership. The Sadducees would often prefer to remove any actions by the people which could be considered a political threat to the Roman occupiers and so could have cause problems with the Roman authority.

There were many more Pharisees than Sadducees but they considered that the law as given in the first five books of Moses were the only acceptable laws, the traditional understanding or interpretation of the these laws would not be accepted by the Sadducees.

They also had a different religious belief to the Pharisee, they believed that there was no resurrection of the dead. This belief would create an immediate problem with the apostles and the announcement that "Jesus is alive." To the Sadducees, the disciples were both against Rome and their own position in power and now totally against their own belief, so they must be enemies of the truth, they must be heretics.

Finally they did not believe in a life after death, a spiritual world or angelic beings, which would cause great arguments with the other religious groups. Acts 23:6-8.

"6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.
8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. "

The Priests and Levites

These are two groups of religious people which are associated with the Law’s of God as given to Moses.
The "Priests" are the descendants of Aaron. Exodus 6:16-20.
Aaron was a descendant of Levi, being the older brother of Moses (Ex 6:20) The Levites are the members of the Levi’s Tribe. This relationship has been a problem down the ages.

The Levites came into prominence in the Bible when Aaron led the people away from God with the golden calf Exodus 32:25ff. It was the sons of Levi who carried out God’s punishment on the Nation of Israel.

The tribe of Levite were given the task of constructing the Tabernacle for God and then became the religious ministers for the Tabernacle under the supervision of Aaron’s son Ithamar.
During the time that the Jewish nation were wandering in the wilderness the tribe of Levi were separated from the other tribes and placed in charge of the dismantling, carrying and re-erection of the Tabernacle. They were also protected if they accidentally came in contact with the holy tent or its furnishings and fittings, Numbers 1:51-53;

"51 And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
52 And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.
53 But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony."

Numbers 2:17

" 17 Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. "

The tribe of Levites were forbidden to become priests, on pain of death, this was because the position of priest was reserved by God for the sons of Aaron only, Numbers 3:10.

"10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest’s office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. "

Their main job of the Levites was to act as helpers of the priests, especially the physical and manual caring of the Tabernacle.

There were three specific families of Levi who each were given specific duties associated with the temple during the wilderness wandering:-
The family of Kohath were in charge of carrying the furniture after the priests had carefully covered them, they were the only ones allowed to touch the furniture, Numbers 3 29-32;

"29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. "

"1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,
3 From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
4 This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things: "

The sons of Gershon cared for the coverings, screen and hangings, Numbers 3 21-36;, Numbers 4:21ff

Finally the sons of Merari were responsible for the erecting and dismantling the frames of the tabernacle and the surrounding court.

The Tribe of Levi were never given a part of the original Promised land of Israel, Numbers 18:23,24

"23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. "

The Levites were supported by part of the tithe offered to the Lord by the other tribes. The priests were allowed some parts of the animals used in the sacrifices.

During the New Testament times the traditional difference was still being maintained.

The Scribes

The scribes were the Lawyers and teachers of the Law. Scribes had become experts in the law of Moses over the years. During the early times of the Jewish nation this task of interpretation was often done by the priests so the scribe and priest post could be interchangeable and often the same person.

The chief responsibility of a scribe was study and understand the Law in all respects, this responsibility and position appears mainly after the Babylonian Exile.

A Scribe could be a member of the Sanhedrin,, the highest tribunal in the Jewish nation ,Matthew 16:21;

"21 From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. "

Matthew 26:3,4.

"3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him."

The Scribes had three main functions:-

1) The protection and preservation of the Law, as they were professional students of the law. During the Hellenistic period, when the priesthood became corrupt, they became defenders, a task very important at that time.
They tried very hard to make the Mosaic Law part of the Jewish daily life, unfortunately they often claimed that the oral interpretations were more important than the written law. Mark 7:5ff.

"1 Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. "

The effect of their added interpretation of the Laws of God was to make daily life very difficult for the Jew.

2) They taught the law. As a student they were expected to be experts in all the knowledge of the Law and be able to transmit the contents without any personal variation. Their teaching was supposed to be free of cost but there is suggestion that payment was involved sometimes. Paul claimed his right to be paid but chose not to be paid as a Christian law teacher. 1 Cor 9:3-18;

Mark 12:38-40;

"38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
40 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation."

Luke 20:45-47.

"45 Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,
46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;
47 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation."

"33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

"5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? "

The scribes belonged mainly to the Pharisees group but were separate, Acts 23:6-10

These were not normally priests but a group of Jewish leaders, often rich families who supported the family of king Herod, They may have also been of assistance to the Roman authority given for the use of king Herod.
It is believed that the Herodians were also trying to return the rule of the Jewish nation back to the Herodian family, which they had lost about A.D. 6, when the power had been transferred to a Roman procurator.

The Pharisees considered that the Herod family could not possibly be the true kings of the Jewish nation as they were descendants of Edom and therefore not Jews.