The New Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Student Workbook, SW13

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T H E N E W T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

The Messiah Opposed

Segment 1: Opposition by His Contemporaries

Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

By analyzing the historical context of the Roman world at the time of Jesus’ public ministry, we can better comprehend the reaction of the groups that made up his contemporaries. In looking at the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots, and Herodians, we can see Jewish groups who each responded differently to the Roman occupation, and through their position, determined to relate uniquely to the Messianic ministry of Jesus. Our objective for this segment, Opposition by His Contemporaries , is to enable you to see that: • The historical context of the Roman empire was the main environment affecting the various Jewish groups which surrounded Jesus at the time of his appearing in his public ministry. • Groups responded to Jesus based upon the position they took juxtaposed to their understanding of Rome’s domination of the world. • The contemporaries of Jesus all reacted differently to the Roman occupation, and these reactions of the different Jewish sects and parties largely determined how these groups responded to Jesus. • The most significant groups which reacted to Jesus during his public ministry are the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots, and Herodians. Because each of these groups responded differently to the Roman occupation, they therefore reacted differently to the Messianic ministry of Jesus.

Summary of Segment 1

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I. The Historical Context (milieu) of Jesus’ Life: the Context of the Roman World

Video Segment 1 Outline

(Erich Sauer. The Dawn of World Redemption . Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing, 1951. p. 176.)