First Century Pharisaic Judaism

What was the mind frame of a first century Jew? Did the masses of Jews speak Hebrew or were they similar to Catholics of the dark ages meaning they went to their congregations and listened to teachings in a language they did not understand?

 

The Old Testament ends with the nationally elected Jewish people freed from Babylon, Persia, Greece. Breaking the Mosaic Law Codes (613 not just 10) was what brought them into the current judgement of the Times of the Gentiles. What was originally a good idea became known as the “Traditions of the Elders” known to Jews as the Mishna.

Using a Jewish form of logic known as pillul, a fence was built around the 613 laws of Moses with the hope of the people breaking the Mishnaic laws before actually breaking the 613. Rabbis began placing laws upon laws. An example is the law of keeping kosher plates. By the time of the return from Babylon Jewish idolatry had ceased being a problem. But a law that was pertaining to boiling a kid in its mother’s milk turned into modern day absurdly. Because if you didn’t clean a plate that had cheese on it and you then used it with meat you might mix a particle of cheese with the meat which may have been the mother of the meat you’re eating etc.

 

What started with good intentions grew into a monstrosity. In Christ’s day there were over one thousand additions to the sabbath day law. Even worse was the transitions that took place when certain rabbis made Mishnaic Law equal to Scripture. Then later, future rabbis would claim that Mishnaic Law was above the Law of Moses.

 

In the gospels, Yeshua purposely breaks Mishnaic laws everywhere he goes with the intent to get a rise from the Pharisees.

 

I believe that the common Jew in Jerusalem spoke Greek and Aramaic but Hebrew was not known. This means explains the ignorance of the disciples and masses because if this is true, what we had were the Pharisaic leadership teaching sabbath school in a language not understood by the students. Yes, there were explanations given in the daily vernacular but no substantial evidence given from the original language to authenticate what they were teaching.

 

What is known is that in the first century an expected arrival of the Jewish messiah was prevalent among Jews and Samaritans. In fact, the Samaritan theological teaching was that the next prophet to arrive in Israel would be the Jewish Messiah.

 

Thank you for this as I hate to study error. I appreciate your confidence on this subject.

 

We know that what the Jewish leaders taught in the first century was not, the Bible. Just like today, sadly the additions made and added to the Old Testament are what is read, studied, and taught. The claim made on a Baptist only thread here, that the Pharisees taught the kingdom was spiritual and not literal is false, they did not. As a matter of fact they taught and believed in a literal earthly Kingdom of God in Israel that would replace the Gentile powers of their day explains their behavior.