Mysteries 1AX

MYSTERIES
OF THE MESSIAH
Bringing Understanding to the Life of Jesus
With
This Easy-to-use Comprehensive Resource
On the Historical, Cultural, and Jewish
Issues that Shaped His Ministry
Environment

For Students in the Advanced Studies on the Life of Christ

William H. Heinrich

Last update was on May 2, 2014

Please Notice:

This e-book is still a work in process and is considered to be about 98% finished. An updated
edition will be uploaded in the winter of 2014-15 that will feature about 30 educational video
links by various scholars and specialists. If, in the meantime, you encounter any errors or
technical difficulties, kindly send a description to the author at drbillheinrich@gmail.com.
Thank you.

JESUS TEACHING IN THE TEMPLE by Lillie A. Faris.

It is good to be highly educated; it is better to be educated from on high; but it is best to be
both.
- Author Unknown

Heinrich, William H., 1947-
Mysteries of the Messiah / by William H. Heinrich
Includes biographical references and index.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data:
1. First Century Judaism 2. Biblical History
3. Roman History 4. Theology
5. Hermeneutics and Apologetics 6. Ancient Middle East Cultural Studies
7. Biographical references

1997 2014 by William H. Heinrich. All Rights Reserved

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced for commercial purposes
without the prior permission of the publisher, except as follows: Individuals may download the
entire e-book for the purpose of private study, research, or for classroom use. Teachers may
make multiple copies of a section or sections of this website/e-book for classroom use only, not
to exceed one copy per student in the class. These copies should provide the appropriate credit
(title of this website/e-book and authors name). Any fees charged to students must be limited to
paper and ink.

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Published by
Evidence of Truth Ministries, Inc.
P O Box 1 Witmer, PA 17585-0001 United States

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HCSB
, Copyright 1999,
2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB
is a federally
registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers.

Welcome to Mysteries of the Messiah website/e-book where you will gain a deeper
understanding of the Jewish, cultural, and political issues that shaped the ministry environment
of Jesus. This document is the culmination of thousands of hours of research and writing, to help
you attain a deeper understanding of the words and work of Jesus our Messiah. This is an
editors edition, meaning that corrections and additions will be forthcoming. This website/e-book
contains

1. More than 30 video mini-lectures by leading scholars be end of 2014
2. More than 900 words and phrases explained
3. Hebraic style of poetry restored in appropriate passages
4. An internal search engine makes study quick and easy
5. More than 100 biblical difficulties and hard sayings carefully explained
6. More than 150 questions are answered concerning issues of the culture, Judaism,
and the political environment, including some that students may have overlooked.
7. ALL Biblical passages appear in bold red font
8. More than 500 ancient extra-biblical quotations appear in bold blue font that provide
insight to the religious, cultural and political environment of Jesus.
9. More than 250 photographs, many of which were taken by the author
10. Nearly 100 maps and illustrations
11. More than 2,200 single-spaced pages.
12. More than 30 appendices.
13. More than 3,900 footnotes, many with multiple references
14. Nearly 700,000 words in the entire manuscript
15. More than 500 listings in Works Cited
16. More than 1,000 listings in 6 Tables of Content
17. More than 12 A Lesson in First Century Hermeneutics explanations.

This e-book was written for a broad audience, especially non-English speaking pastors and
students who might have limited English skills, to receive an excellent Western seminary-level
education on the life and times of Jesus. Furthermore, this site will be continually updated as
additional information is obtained. It is my hope that as you study, your knowledge and faith will
grow in the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Rev. Dr. William H. Bill Heinrich

Unit 01
Introduction to this Website

Chapter 01
First Things First

01.01.00.A STILL LIFE WITH BIBLE by Vincent Van Gogh. (c. 1883-86).
The sole purpose of this ebook is to help the reader better understand Jesus and
His message, that it may transform the reader to the desires of his Creator.

01.01.01 Welcome
Welcome to one of the most comprehensive sites on the life and times of Jesus. Discover the
fascinating historical, cultural, and religious background that shaped His ministry environment.
This e-book was written in laymans language. It goes deep into an overwhelming supply of
ancient literary and archaeological evidence that not only sheds light on the subject, but also
supports the historical accuracy of the biblical accounts. For believers, a deeper understanding of
their own faith will be enriched and mysterious riddles will be explained. For those who have
disagreed with the substance of this work, a far more enlightened understanding of Jesus and
Christianity will be revealed. Therefore, both committed believers and committed skeptics will
be in for a real treat.
Video Insert >
01.01.01.V1 An exciting video preview (2:33) a MUST SEE! Click here.

Video Insert >
01.01.01.V2 Welcome and introduction comments by the author, Dr. William H. Bill
Heinrich (4:39). Click here.

01.01.02 Why the name Mysteries of the Messiah?
King Solomon once said that there is nothing new under the sun, so why the mysterious name of
this website? That is a great question and I am so glad you asked. In addition, there is an old
adage that says,
If new, it is untrue;
If true, it is not new.

The term Mystery or Mysteries herein does not denote an unknowable thing, but what has been
withheld or withdrawn from common knowledge and cannot be known without special
manifestation of it.
1
There is nothing mystical about Jesus. The name was selected because as
one studies Jesus in His historical and cultural context, sudden clarity comes to passages that
once were cloudy. A fresh revelation of life comes to His words and work. What may be
mysterious to some has been known to a few throughout history. The author, and those who
worked on this project, passionately advocate that the Bible is to be believed and trusted because

1. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament. 1:78.

it is the written Word of the living God. This e-book/website is intended to bring greater
understanding of the gospels by illuminating the cultural context in which Jesus lived and
ministered.

01.01.03 How to Use this site
Please see the link titled How to Use this Site on the Home page, upper right corner. It
presents the following ways you will be able to find what you are looking for:

1. Look for the topic or biblical passage in the Table of Contents and type it in the search
engine.

2. How to find the search engine:

a. In the website preview or e-book, click on the Search Engine, tab in the
upper left corner of the screen.

b. Go to the right side and scroll down to Search this Document. Type the
biblical reference you are looking for. Be sure to use only these abbreviations
two letters and a period for the gospel books:

Mt. = Matthew Lk. = Luke
Mk. = Mark Jn. = John

c. Using the abbreviated style, type the name of the gospel book and chapter
number followed by a colon. In this manner, for example, Mt. 1: will be
distinguished from Mt. 1 which will also give you Mt. 1:18.

Avoid using verse numbers as your number may be within a range of numbers
and, therefore, will not be found. For example, Mt. 5:5 is within Mt. 5:4-10 and
consequently will not be found. Instead, look for Mt. 5: and scan through the
document until you come to Mt. 5:4-10.

Please note:

Key words and phrases in the biblical text that are underlined have explanations in the
paragraphs that follow. Below is an example taken from Luke 12:13-21, although only
verse 13 is used for this illustration. Notice that the phrase, divide the inheritance is
underlined. The underline means that this phrase is explained further down. Therefore,
scroll down in the text until you find Divide the inheritance with commentary. In
some cases, that explanation is down a page or two, in other cases it might be fifteen
pages or so.

09.03.02 Lk. 12:13

FAITH OF THE FOOLISH RICH MAN

13
Someone from the crowd said to Him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the
inheritance with me.

Here is the commentary of the underlined biblical phrase:

Divide the inheritance. It was not uncommon for people to take their problems and
conflicts to a respected rabbi. On the other hand, it was a common practice for itinerant
rabbis to travel from village to village where they would serve in a judicial capacity and
render decisions on civil and religious matters.

The Romans had given the Jews sufficient autonomy concerning judicial matters with the
authority to enforce compliance to a decision if necessary. In this case, a man requested
Jesus to act as judge in a family matter of inheritance. Jesus refused to render a decision,
not because He was unqualified or unconcerned, but because He focused on those who
have no right to judge.

01.01.04 Develop the Skill
To develop your skill on finding information quickly, go to the How to Use this Site link and
scroll down a couple of pages. There you will find several search problems for which the
answers are in this Preview. Follow the directives and see if you can find your passages or
answers to your questions.

01.01.05 Citation
It is recommended that you use the following citation method for your work: Website address,
Unit number, chapter number, Section number, followed by the biblical reference at that
location. Note that each category is separated by a period.

For example:

Heinrich, William H. Mysteries of the Messiah. www.mysteriesofthemessiah.com
04.01.03. Lk. 1:1-4 Date Retrieved.

NOTE: Some style manuals do not suggest unit or chapter numbers. However, due to the
size of this e-book, it is suggested that writers who cite this work add unit number,
chapter number, and section number immediately after the website name (for example:
01.01.06).

01.01.06 Statement of Purpose
It is the purpose of this study to investigate the historical and cultural context of the life and
times of Jesus. For those who may not be familiar with these areas of study, some revelations
may be challenging. Therefore, lets follow the words of the prophet Isaiah (1:18) Come now,
let us reason together. Allow the Spirit of God to move in your heart as you study with an open
mind. You will attain a greater understanding of the gospels and the life of our Savior. The goal
is to have you, the reader, gain knowledge and understanding of the desires of Jesus.

01.01.07 Endorsements
The endorsements are listed under the ENDORSEMENTS tab of this website. Drs. Peterson and
Wood have observed the progress of this project for more than a decade. Dr. Kabakjian not only
edited this work, but once he traveled with the author to Israel so he could better critique it. Dr.
Shaheen was among the first to have access to this material for his students who have limited
English skills. Their insights and suggestions contributed to this work.

01.01.08 Preface
Christians today have little understanding of what daily life was like for Jesus and other Jewish
peasants. People were held in economic slavery with limited religious freedom. Jesus was born at
a time when rabbis and teachers throughout the ancient Middle East
2
believed that a Messiah
would come and deliver them from foreign oppressors. The subject was actively debated among
the rabbis, who held a wide variety of philosophies and theologies. In addition, Jewish scholar
Philo was writing his Neo-Platonist philosophies while the Essenes wrote of an end-of-the-earth
apocalypse in their Dead Sea Scrolls. It is not surprising then, that many false messiahs appeared
at this time which gave the people reason to question Jesus. Add to the religious mix, the two
most significant rabbis of the Second Temple Period, Rabbis Hillel and Shammai and their
students were having constant theological debates and arguments concerning petty issues of life.

At this same time there were also numerous riots initiated by nationalistic Jewish Zealots and the
threat of full scale wars and famine. In the midst of this pain and suffering, Roman taxation
reduced the Jewish peasants to economic slaves. This was the perfect theological quagmire that
created the chaotic environment for Jesus to give His message of hope, salvation and eternal life.
Flavius Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, confirmed in his writings that it was a

2. In this e-book, the term ancient Middle East is used for what is commonly referred to in other books as ancient
Near East. The reason is that some students may not be acquainted with the term Near East as it appears to be out
of date and can no long be found on any modern maps.
culture near the edge of chaos and which contributed to the social political tension of that time.

Understanding Jesus in His context gives depth and understanding to His words and work. Those
who claim the Bible is not relevant for today, in essence, acknowledge their lack of
understanding of life in first century Israel (then called Judaea). Few realize that todays Middle
East tensions and conflicts are pale in comparison to the days of Jesus. Yet this e-book, with its
various explanations, illustrations, and photographs, will only touch the tip of the proverbial
iceberg in describing the challenging life and times of Jesus.

01.01.09 Acknowledgments
I wish to say that it is impossible for anyone to complete a work of this magnitude without the
assistance of friends, historians, archaeologists, and peers, who are scholars in their own
academic disciplines. This work would not be what it is today, if it was confined to my limited
talents. Therefore, I express joyful gratitude to the many fine associates and scholars who have
provided significant input and support.

Once upon a time, shortly after God created dirt, I was a student at Valley Forge Christian
College. One day I happened to hear Dr. Daniel McNaughton tell another student that he doubted
that any more than two or three percent of biblical writers take time to research original sources.
Rather, most will quote the opinion of another author. That ten-second sound bite changed my
methodology of research. I was determined not to write an opinion of someone elses opinion,
but cite original quotations wherever possible. Therefore, when researching the events that
surrounded the life of Jesus, I reviewed the writings of authors who lived and wrote close to the
time and location of Jesus. I also examined their philosophies and biases. Because of the passing
comment by Dr. McNaughton, this work contains hundreds of ancient extra-biblical quotations.

Later, while in graduate school, I wrote a term paper that went bad. It was on the historical
and cultural background of the infancy narratives of Jesus. I was absolutely captivated by it. The
paper grew and grew and eventually became a masters thesis. Learning the first century
historical and cultural environment became my passion. In the process I was privileged to obtain
the teaching notes, books, audio tapes, and/or videos from several prominent scholars. In
addition, I was privileged to sit under the instruction of Drs. Bryant Wood and James McGahey
of Lancaster Bible College. Dr. Wood was also the advisor for my masters thesis, which is now
rather pale compared to this work.

I would be remiss if I did not say that Dr. Wood has decades of archaeological field experience
in the Middle East. He authored many articles in academic journals such as Bible and Spade and
Biblical Archaeological Review. Among his many credits are ninety articles in the prestigious
Zondervan Archaeological Bible. Another archaeologist and scholar is my friend Professor
Gordon Franz. Like Dr. Wood, he has authored dozens of academic journals and has years of
field experience. Both scholars are affiliated with Associates for Biblical Research. For more
information, please visit www.BibleArchaeology.org.

I traveled many times to Israel where a number of excellent scholars, like Drs. Steve Notley and
SeJin Kohl of Jerusalem University College, taught the land of the Bible as if it were the fifth
gospel. While there, Israeli native and tour guide Arie bar David became my friend and personal
tutor as we traveled together throughout the country. We visited the significant and interesting
biblical sites, including some that are off the beaten path.

Credit must be given to the scholarship of Dr. Dwight Pentecost of Dallas Theological Seminary,
which was especially helpful in this research, as well as a set of audio tapes by Dr. Arnold
Fruchtenbaum and a CD by Dr. Doug Bookman.

However, this e-book is available only because a dedicated team of editors who have spent
hundreds of hours enriching the work. It did not take them very long to realize that English is
this writers second language. My appreciation goes to Elana Beckett, Shirley Shenberger, and
Bonnie Krepp for their editorial comments, as well as to my dear cousin, Anita Hermann, who is
a retired education professor from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Two scholars reviewed this manuscript from outside the box. They presented questions and
insights I had not considered. My friend Dr. Ed Kabakjian, who is a retired professor of
education, shared his thoughts from an educators perspective and offered pragmatic suggestions
and insights. He became so involved that once he traveled with my wife Paivi and me to Israel,
just so he could better critique my work. His critical thinking and analysis is always insightful. I
also appreciate the comments posed by Dr. Gil Peterson, retired professor, president, and
chancellor of Lancaster Bible College. During his career he traveled to Israel some thirty-three
times. He is not only a great scholar and teacher, but also a wonderful friend who spent many
hours reviewing this beast of a manuscript.

Today so much of the academic world is known for its skepticism and humanism. These fine
scholars, however, stand on Scripture as the inspired, infallible, inerrant, Word of God.
3
No
teacher is ever successful unless they have had some fine tutors, and I have been blessed with the
best of the best.

In the course of time, Mysteries of the Messiah, has grown to have a life of its own. As it
progressed, an increasing number of scholars became available to share their insight and
knowledge on video. Their mini-lectures add a whole new perspective to academic study,

3. The three terms are defined as follows: 1) Inspired means that all books of the Bible are the ideas of God expressed
in the terms and words of the individual authors. 2) Inerrant means that the Bible contains no errors, it is entirely true
in all it affirms, and 3) Infallibility means that the Bible is unfailing in its purpose. These attri butes are extended to the
original writings, also known as autographs.
whether you are new to biblical studies or on the doctoral level. Only with the advent of the
Internet has this become possible. Among them are Dr. Heldt from Hebrew University, Dr. Lowe
from the University of the Holy Land, Dr. Paul Wright from Jerusalem University College and
many more. I am grateful to everyone one of them. Each has their credits mentioned at the end
of their video presentation.

One reason I had so many editors is that every time one finished editing, I made the corrections
and added another hundred and fifty pages. So finally, going down the home stretch to a finished
term paper, I am grateful for Bonnie Krepp for her proofreading. This e-book has truly become
a team project.

When this project began as a term paper, the Internet was in its infancy. I had no idea that within
a few years it would project this manuscript around the world. This new form of communication
opened a new world of transmitting information and ideas. I am thankful for the following
scholars and specialists who have shared their knowledge and expertise on videos that are linked
to the world wide web.

Avinoam Boyer Gordon Franz Petra Heldt
Michael Keating Malcolm Lowe John Metzger
Allen Philipps Majd Shufani Jakob Steinberg
Joe Wehrer Bryant Wood Paul Wright
Joel ben Yosef
All the contributions of so many who came by my side is now available for you because of a
talented computer and Internet technician, Austin Ginder. He too caught the vision of this project
and have made it available on the world-wide-web.

Whatever merits and deficiencies are found in this project, the former is greater and the latter are
fewer because of the generous help and constructive suggestions of so many. My opinions are
not necessarily those of the contributors. As was previously stated, few historians and writers
have been privileged to receive the level of scholarship and expertise that has been afforded to
me.

Finally, I am grateful to my loving wife, Paivi. We met in Jerusalem while I was working on this
and another research project. She was nearing the end of ten years of ministry to the poor and
Holocaust victims. She has a heart of gold and is an encourager who gave up many hours while I
was absorbed in books and glued to the computer. Yes, biblical research can have its unexpected
blessings, such as a beautiful sunset wedding along the Sea of Galilee and a life-long partner in
ministry.

Unit 01

Chapter 02
For Inquiring Minds

01.02.00.A PRAYING HANDS by Albrecht Durer. For those who have
naturally inquiring minds, there may not be a better image than this one of
praying hands.

01.02.01 Why is this Study Important?
A child was once asked to describe Jesus. He answered by saying that Jesus was the first
Christian who went to Sunday school every Sunday. Unfortunately, there are many who have
that same opinion today. This text will present the historical Jesus as He truly lived.

Jesus was an orthodox Jew who also intermingled with the Gentile Greeks and Romans who
lived in the Jewish land. Some of His actions had profound implications to them, which are not
readily identifiable by word studies. A change of perception and understanding is required by the
modern reader because we tend to interpret the words and miracles of Jesus from a Western-
Christian point of view, but seldom think of them from a first century Jewish, Greek or Roman
point of view.

This e-book was written for the student who has basic knowledge of the Bible, and the gospels in
particular. Without that foundational knowledge, this e-book might be a bit overwhelming. For
the student who has the basics, this will be an exciting resource. The established Bible teacher
will find this e-book provides historical and cultural insights that are often missed in other texts.
One might ask, Why should one study the historical and cultural environment in which Jesus
ministered? There are several reasons outlined below. The reader will,

1. Learn the context of His words and actions. Understanding the context gives clarity
and meaning of His instructions and their application for your life.

2. Get to know who Jesus was as a human and learn to know Him better on a personal
basis.

3. Find their faith become stronger through knowing that all the activities surrounding
Jesus life including the things He did had been predicted centuries earlier.

4. Learn to understand many of the allegories, parables,
4
figures of speech, and other
literary devices used by the gospel writers.
5

4. See Appendix 10, The Parables of Jesus.

5. An excellent resource for a comprehensive biblical study is Ethelbert W. Bullingers book, Figures of Speech Used in the
Bible. (Grand Rapids: Baker. 1898, 1995).

5. Understand solutions to many problematic verses that have been labeled as biblical
difficulties. The gospels were not written with difficulties. These arose in the course of
time as man became more distant from the first century historical and cultural setting.

Most commentaries are a blend of hermeneutical
6
and exegetical
7
explanations with the focus on
word studies and figures of speech. The historical and cultural aspects all too often are not given
sufficient attention. This study will clarify these points, resulting in a new and deeper
understanding of the gospel narratives. This manuscript has lessons in hermeneutics identified as
follows: A Lesson in First Century Hermeneutics. More than a dozen mini-lessons aid the
reader in understanding how the gospel writers interpreted their own Hebrew Bible. The term
hermeneutics, for the purpose of this manuscript, is the study of how a passage was understood
by those with whom Jesus conversed and taught.
8

It is good to know what the gospels have to say, but it is even better to understand what they
mean. Words have histories. Only on rare occasions can a word be tied down to an
unchangeable meaning when considering all of the changes of culture and language. For
example, consider the simple word table. In Greek this noun has a secondary sense a
bankers table, as in Matthew 25:27, where the money exchangers are literally, the men who
sit at tables.
9
One would have to know the cultural context to understand the meaning of the
word. Could there be any possibility this is where the word banker originated? Could the
temple aristocrats have been private bankers? Knowledge of the cultural practices will enhance
the understanding of the words and actions of Jesus.

01.02.02 The Researchers Challenge
Concerning the author: Writers, scholars, and researchers, try as they might, are seldom as
objective as think they are. This seems to be especially true in politics and religion. In this case,
the author asked several individuals to help him be objective. Furthermore, just as the author
analyzed ancient writers for their philosophies and biases, he has his own. Therefore, it is
important to state that he is a Christian. But it is even worse than that he is an evangelical
Christian.

6. The art and science of interpreting any text; It is from the Greek word hermeneuo, and is further defined as the study
and statement of the principles on which a text is to be understood. Bruce. Hermeneutics. 1:640; Zuck, Basic Bible
Interpretation. 19.

7. Exegesis is the critical and analytical explanation of any text.

8. Bruce, Hermeneutics. 1:640.

9. Neill, Interpretation. 81.

At this point, a brief spiritual resume is in order. In 1973 he was healed instantly of an
occasional but painful back problem. Twenty-one years later he was diagnosed with a huge 16
cm. (6+ inches) late stage 4 chondrosarcoma tumor in his left hip a cancer with almost zero
percent survival rate. The result of five surgeries, he lost his left hip, left leg, the upper lobe of
one lung and several chunks of the other, but was given a second chance of life.

After all that, in the summer of 2001 he returned to Israel for additional research. When he came
home, nodules were discovered again throughout both lungs and this time doctors said it was
hopeless. After all, there is a limited amount of lung tissue that can be removed after which life is
no longer viable. Friends at church prayed for him as they had done so many times before.
When he returned to the medical center three months later, all the nodules were gone and there
have been no additional signs of chondrosarcoma. Hopefully you can understand that he may
need a little help keeping bias out of his writing.

Concerning this study: Cultural customs varied among the Jewish people from area to area and
even within ancient Israel (Judaea). This study became more difficult when considering that
customs change, even if ever so slowly, from one century to another. For example, at the time of
Jesus, boys were educated in Jerusalem, but in Galilee both boys and girls were educated. To add
confusion to the cultural mix, not all Jewish sects agreed on this and, therefore, not all parents
educated both boys and girls in Galilee. Consequently, if an ancient document would be found
that states a certain position on educating children in Galilee, the researcher cannot assume that it
represents the opinion of all the people.

On another issue, in the process of reviewing hundreds of ancient extra-biblical (non-biblical)
writings, the challenge was to avoid attributing a custom or belief to the time of Jesus when it did
not belong to that time period. As Darrel Bock and Gregory Herrick said, Because we cannot be
sure that ideas from a later period were also present in an earlier period, information coming
from these sources needs to be used with caution to avoid the danger of projecting concepts back
into an earlier period.
10
Learning the multifaceted environment of culture, politics, and religion
has become as much of an art as a science adds understanding to the definition of
hermeneutics.

For the purpose of this study, the ideal writer of yesteryear quoted herein was one who lived in
the land of Jesus and at the time of Jesus. The further in time and geographical distance an
ancient writer was from the life of Christ, the more suspect that writers manuscript becomes.
That does not negate it but it does raise the bar for discerning critique. Nearly all scholars
discount writings after the sixth or seventh centuries because they are little more than fanciful
legends. There are hundreds of ancient manuscripts in the possession of universities and

10. Bock and Herrick, Jesus in Context. 20.
museums pretending to provide additional detail to the life and ministry of Jesus. Remember,
Jesus said say there would be false teachers.

There are essentially three methods of approach to biblical studies. The options and methods
used here are as follows:
1. The chronological approach is one whereby the time line is the focus. This approach of
when did it happen helps the student organize the sequence in the ministry and life of
Jesus. For example, Matthew 4:11, Mark 1:13, and Luke 4:13 are each a concluding
statement about the wilderness temptation. The next verse in each of these three synoptic
gospels states that Jesus then went to Galilee. However, there was an eight to twelve
month time period between the desert and Galilee narratives which are filled in by John
1-4.
11

2. The thematic or topical approach in one whereby the why? is the focus. In this form
of study, all similar subjects are grouped together so the reader acquires a better
understanding of issues important to Jesus.
3. The geographical approach one whereby the where did it happen? is the focus. The
synoptic gospels focus mainly on the Galilee area and the book of John is focused mainly
on events in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the why? question becomes a secondary matter.
Mysteries of the Messiah is a blend of topical and chronological approaches. In the early days of
this study, the chronological approach was used throughout the entire manuscript. However it
soon became evident that it would be cumbersome for readers to use because the subjects were
disconnected. So this study was changed to a topical approach with the exceptions of the early
years and Passion Week.

01.02.03 The Analysis of Ancient Writings
In this research, great care was taken to authenticate the reliability of sources. With both
mythical and legendary information appearing real in various sources, especially on the Internet,
it is quite easy to arrive at conclusions that differ from historical truth. For example, while
researching Joseph of Arimathea, it was obvious that he was a member of the Sanhedrin and did
not agree with the high court on the fate of Jesus. Information beyond what is presented in the
Bible has been found to be highly speculative. One source says that he was the younger brother
of the Virgin Mary. Another indicates that he had attained wealth by shipping tin from Great

11. If we had only the synoptic gospels, we could conclude that the time period of Jesus ministry was about 18 to 20 or
22 months. With the gospel of John, we know Jesus ministered for a minimum of three and a half years. Bookman,
When God Wore Sandals. CD Trac 4 and 5.

Britain to various Roman cities. Furthermore, he is said to have been instrumental in getting a
church started in the British Isles somewhere between the years 37 and 62 or 63.
In this research, many legends were uncovered that are an attractive and tantalizing mixture of
minimal truth and maximum fiction. Joseph of Arimatheas relationship with the Sanhedrin is
true, but everything else is creative fiction. There are no early and reliable records that confirm
his relationship to Mary and neither is there a reliable source for him having been a shipping
tycoon. Furthermore, standard history has repeatedly demonstrated that Christianity did not
come to Britain until centuries later. If this account were true, it would mean that the founding
of the church in Britain predated the founding of the church in Rome.

So where did this fanciful story originate? Historians believe the connection between Joseph and
Britain originated in the writings of the early church father Tertullian. More importantly, those
same scholars strongly believe this legend was not made by Tertullian personally, but was
inserted by a copyist or editor centuries later.

Another challenge of this research has been the phenomenal amount of information that was
processed. This data represents a wide variety of viewpoints and great care was taken to
determine what information was truthful, reliable and acceptable, and what needed to be
discarded. Several important factors need to be considered.

1. It was assumed that the gospel narratives were written with integrity and accuracy, as
the authors were motivated to communicate the events of Jesus with both historical and
theological accuracy. Amazingly, critical scholars believe biblical history was falsely
created to present theological truths. Yet, archaeological and literary evidence confirms
the historical accuracy and truth of the entire Bible both Testaments.

2. Ancient writings, such as the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Josephus, Dead Sea Scrolls,
other works and authors are considered as primary historical and cultural sources
recognizing, however, their theological and/or political value could be tainted to reflect
the authors personal doctrine and purpose. These extra-biblical sources are for literary,
historical and cultural understanding, and even the historical accuracy is sometimes
questioned.

3. Since the ancients obviously did not write for the modern inquiring and analytical
mind, frequently there are gaps in history where no information is available. Therefore,
when one gospel left a historical gap, we are dependent upon another gospel to provide
the necessary information.

4. Finally, some scholars have been concerned with the gospels as primary sources,
because, after two thousand years, the original manuscripts are lost. The same was said of
many Old Testament books. However, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (discussed
later) demonstrated that the Old Testament Scriptures were faithfully transmitted without
errors, other than an ink stroke here or there. Therefore, it can be assumed that the New
Testament books were also faithfully transmitted without errors.

One of the major resources is the writing of the first century historian, Josephus. His work time
and time again reflects accurate information, yet on occasion his bias appears, such as with
exaggerated population estimates. However, if it were not for his writings, our knowledge of
Jewish history - especially in the Greek and Roman Periods - would be drastically reduced.
Much of what we know today of certain events and persons important to Jewish history was
detailed for us by him and are not mentioned by any other source. Whatever his biases and
exaggerations might be, these are minimal in the overall body of knowledge he recorded.

Concerning rules of interpreting (known as hermeneutics) ancient works, both biblical and
extra-biblical, it should be noted that the rules in the biblical period sometimes differ in some
cases from what scholars use today. Examples of hermeneutics of the biblical era are illustrated
throughout this e-book where explanations of related Scriptures are needed.

A Lesson in First Century Hermeneutics:
12

Here is an important note for todays readers: While college text books have been written on the
science and art of hermeneutics, three rules (one of which is negative) are listed below.

1. The first is related to a question often posed by Sunday school teachers, What does
the text say to me? This question, as insightful as it may be, is hardly appropriate.
While the intent is to gain spiritual meaning, it assumes the imposition of our
understanding upon the text. The significant question to ask is What did the text mean
to the author? In order to determine the biblical authors meaning one must determine
who is speaking (the subject); to whom (indirect object); and then answer the questions of
when, how, and why; which will enhance meaning as it will include history and culture.

2. A rule of interpretation not to be used is known as the Rule of First Use. It assumes
that the use of a word in the first place in the Bible applies to all subsequent applications.
The fallacy is that this negates the context of the word every time thereafter - a horrific
violation of hermeneutics. Each application must stand on its own merit. Therefore,
Come now, and let us reason together (Isa.1:18).

12. See 01.03.04 Table of Hermeneutical Principals Used by First Century Jewish Writers.

3. Finally, another rule is to remember that words have meaning in context with other
words. It has often been said that a verse taken out of context is a pretext and, therefore,
can lead to errors in understanding. Note the following example:

Major Premise: All Americans are fat
Minor Premise: John is fat
Conclusion: John is an American

Obviously John could be from any country in the world. Improper mixing of verses out of
context will always lead to erroneous conclusions.

Many believe the entire Bible literally, when in fact, they accept its teachings literally. Some
passages are figurative, others are intended to be factual and literal, but all are colored by the
context, history, and culture, both pagan and Jewish. No word-for-word translation can be
successful in presenting a literal translation because many nuances of the original language do
not have corresponding words in other languages. Scholars often go to great lengths to
determine the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words in the context but may understate the
historical and cultural influences. New Testament studies cannot be fully understood without a
foundational knowledge of the Old Testament and the first century Jewish culture. This work is
an attempt to bring forth the full dynamics of the words and works of Jesus by placing them in
the historical and religious context of His day. The lesson in hermeneutics ends with the
following sign.
< -------------------------------------------- >
(Note: This symbol represents the end of the hermeneutics lesson)

01.02.04 Priority of Writings
Various sources were acquired for this research. Generally writings closest to the life of Christ in
time and distance were considered the most reliable. Conversely, so-called insights written
during the Middle Ages cannot be considered even if in agreement with Scripture. This is
standard in all academic disciplines of biblical study. The sources used are listed below from the
most reliable to the least.

1. Bible
2. The Mishnah and related Jewish writings
3. Dead Sea Scrolls (Extra-Biblical Writings; 200 BC AD70)
4. Flavius Josephus (AD 47-100)
5. Philo of Alexandria (20 BC AD 50)
6. Various Church Fathers
7. Old Testament Apocrypha (also known as Deuterocanonical Books)

There is, however, an important point to consider in the prioritizing of resources. It is unfortunate
that many Christian scholars believe that the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud do
not reflect Jewish life at the time of Jesus. Amazingly, some Jewish scholars disagree. Note the
following comments found on a Jewish website:

1. The Talmud is, then, the written form of that which in the time of Jesus, was called
the Traditions of the Elders, by Rabbi Michael L. Rodkinson

2. The Jewish religion as it is today traces its descent, without a break, through all the
centuries, from the Pharisees, as reported by the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia.
13

More information is presented on this subject 02.02 Biblical And Extra-Biblical Writings.

A Final Comment on Writings
This manuscript has survived computer crashes, freeze-ups and a host of other challenges. Truly
this work is a work of love and a calling, not for personal gain. The value of the extra-biblical
books, dozens of photographs and seemingly endless explanations will provide you, the reader,
with insights into the Jewish, Cultural, and Political World that shaped the Ministry Environment
of Jesus. Hopefully, this in turn will enable you to think, pray and minister to others with a
greater level of knowledge, insight and spiritual awareness.

01.02.05 Abbreviations
For the benefit of those readers who are not fully acquainted with various sources, abbreviations
in this book have been limited and the full names of various resources are frequently posted.

Biblical Abbreviations
Old Testament
Gen. Genesis
Ec. Ecclesiastes
Ex. Exodus
SS.
Song of
Solomon
Lev. Leviticus

Isa.
Isaiah

13. http://www.come-and-hear.com/navigate.html. April 11, 2012.
Num. Numbers

Jer.
Jeremiah
Deut. Deuteronomy

Lam.
Lamentations
Jos.

Joshua

Ezek.

Ezekiel
Jg. Judges

Dan.
Daniel
Ruth Ruth

Hos.
Hosea
1 Sam. 1 Samuel

Joel
Joel
2 Sam. 2
Samuel

Amos.
Amos
1 Kg. 1 Kings

Ob.
Obadiah
2 Kg. 2 Kings

Jon.
Jonah
1 Ch. 1 Chronicles

Mic.
Micah
2 Ch. 2 Chronicles

Nah.
Nahum
Ezra Ezra

Hab.
Habakkuk
Neh. Nehemiah

Zph.
Zephaniah
Est. Esther

Hag.
Haggai
Job. Job

Zech.
Zechariah
Ps. Psalms

Mal.
Malachi
Prov. Proverbs

New Testament

Mt. Matthew

1 Tim.
1 Timothy
Mk. Mark

2 Tim.
2 Timothy
Lk. Luke

Tit.
Titus
Jn. John

Phm.
Philemon
Acts Acts

Heb.
Hebrews
Rom. Romans

Jas.
James
1 Cor. 1 Corinthians

1 Pet.
1 Peter
2 Cor. 2 Corinthians

2 Pet.
2 Peter
Gal. Galatians

1 Jn.
1 John
Eph. Ephesians

2 Jn.
2 John
Phl. Philippians

3 Jn.
3 John
Col. Colossians

Jude
Jude
1 Thess. 1 Thessalonians
Rev.
Revelation
2 Thess. 2 Thessalonians

Explanation of the Identification of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)
The DSS and related fragments are identified with the following methodology:

1. The cave number.

2. The letter Q following the cave number separates the artifact from all other ancient
writings found elsewhere in Israel.

3. Artifact number

For example, the identification of 1QJub refers to the fragment found in Cave 1, at Qumran
(where the Scrolls were discovered), book of Jubilee. At times a particular set of letters or name
will be attached as well, such as CD for Zadokite Document, also known as the Cairo
Document of the Damascus Covenanters

Multifarious Abbreviations

A.D. Anno Domini In the year of our
Lord
14

a/k/a Also known as
a.m. Ante Meridiem Before noon
b. Born
B.C. Before Christ
c. Circa About, around, approximate
cf. Compare to or see
Ch. Chapter
d. Died

14. 03.06.02.
e.g. For example
ff. Following
MS(S) Manuscript(s)
p.m. Post Meridiem Afternoon

Other Abbreviations
Wherever quotations appear the names extra-biblical books quoted may be shortened, but are not
abbreviated. Footnotes contain both full and shortened titles.

Unit 01

Chapter 03
Tables of Content

01.03.00.A MOSES WITH THE TEN COMMANDMENTS by Philippe de
Champaigne, 1648. Just as there is more to life than the Ten Commandments, so
likewise there is more to the study of the gospels than these Tables of Content.

Please note ---
If this is your first time at this website, it is suggested that you first read the following three
sections, which are located above.

01.01.03 How to Use this Site
01.01.04 Develop Your Skill
01.01.05 Citation

Chapters 01 and 02 of Unit 01 are not posted in the General Table of Contents with the exception
of Sections 03, 04, and 05 above.

The Tables of Content are as follows:
01.03.01 Table 1 of Biblical Passages and Commentary
01.03.02 Table 2 of Photographs and Illustrations
01.03.03 Table 3 of Maps
01.03.04 Table 4 of Hermeneutical Principals Used by First Century Jewish Writers
01.03.05 Table 5 of Answers to Questions posed by Critics and Analytical Thinkers
01.03.06 Table 6 of Video Mini-lectures by Archaeologists, Historians, Scholars, and
Other Contributors.

01.03.01 Table 1 of Biblical Passages and Commentary
Unit 01 Introduction to this Website and E-book
(See Preview)

Unit 02 Cultural Background Studies
02.01 People Groups
02.01.01 Introduction
02.01.02 Arabs (See Idumeans)
02.01.03 Diaspora
02.01.04 Elders
02.01.05 Epicureans

02.01.06 Essenes
02.01.07 Gentiles
02.01.08 Greeks
02.01.09 Hassidim
02.01.10 Hellenists

02.01.11 Herodians
02.01.12 Idumeans
02.01.13 Jews
02.01.14 Pharisees
02.01.15 Romans

02.01.16 Sadducees
02.01.17 Samaritans
02.01.18 School Of Hillel
02.01.19 School Of Shammai
02.01.20 Scribes

02.01.21 Sicarii
02.01.22 Zealots

02.02 Biblical And Extra-Biblical Writings
02.02.02 Ante-Nicene Fathers
02.02.03 Apocrypha
02.02.04 Bible
02.02.05 Codex

02.02.06 Dead Sea Scrolls
02.02.07 Deuterocanonical Books
02.02.08 Didache
02.02.09 Gemarah
02.02.10 Gnosticism

02.02.11 Gospels
02.02.12 Hebrew Bible
02.02.13 Jewish Writings
02.02.14 Josephus
02.02.15 Midrash

02.02.16 Mishnah
02.02.17 New Testament (NT)
02.02.18 Oral Law
02.02.19 Old Testament (OT)
02.02.20 Oral Tradition

02.02.21 Pentateuch
02.02.22 Philo
02.02.23 Pliny The Younger
02.02.24 Pseudepigrapha
02.02.25 Septuagint

02.02.26 Talmud
02.02.27 Tanakh (See Hebrew Bible)
02.02.28 Targum
02.02.29 Torah
02.02.30 Tosefta

02.03 Significant Cultural Elements
02.03.02 Agriculture
02.03.03 Economy
02.03.04 Education
02.03.05 Ethnic Diversity

02.03.06 Family
02.03.07 Government
02.03.08 Language
02.03.09 Messianic Expectations
02.03.10 Occupations And Trades
02.03.11 Religious Institutions

02.04 Differences Between First Century Roman-Greek And Jewish
Worldviews
02.04.02 View Of God
02.04.03 Significant Writings & Truth
02.04.04 Position Of Man, View Of Life
02.04.05 Individualism vs. Community

02.04.06 Sabbath Day Observances
02.04.07 Work And The Purpose Of Education
02.04.08 Views Of Body, Soul, And Spirit
02.04.09 Understanding History And The Future
02.04.10 Divine Healing
02.04.11 Human And Divine Relationships

Unit 03 Historical Background
03.01 Ancient Judaea (4000 B.C. 1040 B.C.)
03.01.02 c. 4000 B.C. +/- Adam And Eve
03.01.03 2100 1850 B.C. Abraham
03.01.04 1876 1446 B.C. Sojourn In Egypt
03.01.05 1446 B.C. The Exodus; The Torah; Moses And A Pagan Seer
Predict The Redeemer
03.01.06 1446 - 1050 B.C. Judges Rule Gods People

03.02 First Temple Period And Exile (1040 B.C. 515 B.C.)
03.02.01 The United Monarchy
03.02.02 931-586 B.C. The Divided Monarchy
03.02.03 8th Century B.C. Isaiah
03.02.04 733 B.C. Israel Falls To The Assyrians; Israelites Deported To
The East; 723 B.C. Israel Ends
03.02.05 701 B.C. Assyrian Attack

03.02.06 626 B.C. Jeremiah Begins His Ministry
03.02.07 612 B.C. Assyrian Nineveh Falls To Babylon And Media
03.02.08 605 B.C. Judea Falls To The Babylonians; First Deportation Of
Jews To Babylon
03.02.09 597 B.C. Second Deportation Of Jews To Babylon With Daniel
And Ezekiel
03.02.10 587 516 B.C. Exilic Period

03.02.11 587 B.C. Third Deportation; Jerusalem And The Temple
Destroyed
03.02.12 6th Century B.C. Religion Of The Zoroaster
03.02.13 580s And 570s B.C. Edomite Invasions Into Jerusalem
03.02.14 539/538 B.C. Babylon Falls To The Persians (Persian Empire
539-331 B.C.)
03.02.15 723 - 539 B.C. Summary Of Significant Developments Of
Assyrian And Babylonian Captivities

03.03 Second Temple Period (515 B.C. A.D. 70)
03.03.01 538 444 B.C. Exiles Return To Judea; Temple Reconstruction
Begins
03.03.02 515 B.C. Second Temple Completed
03.03.03 459 445 B.C. Ezra And Nehemiah
03.03.04 444 B.C. Prophecy Concerning Jesus And His Ministry
03.03.05 443 B.C. +/- Malachi
03.03.06 400 B.C. +/- Hebrew Bible Is Canonized.

03.04 Inter-Testament Background (C. 400 B.C. A.D. 30)

03.04.02 350 B.C. Persians Capture Jerusalem
03.04.03 341 270 B.C. Epicurus
03.04.04 334 B.C. Summary Of Developments Of Persian Domination
That Shaped Jewish Life In The First Century.
03.04.05 334 63 B.C. Alexander The Great And The Hellenistic Period

03.04.06 334 B.C. Persia Falls To Alexander The Great
03.04.07 332 B.C. First Samaritan Temple Built
03.04.08 331 B.C. Alexander The Great Conquers Tyre And Judaea
03.04.09 323 B.C. Death Of Alexander The Great
03.04.10 319 B.C. Jewish Families Taken To Egypt; Ptolemy Dynasty Of
Egypt Rules Judaea; The Parthian And Roman Empires Begin To
Rise

03.04.11 311 B.C. Greek Seleucid Era Begins
03.04.12 301 B.C. Greek Seleucid Control Of The Holy Land Is Secured
03.04.13 283 B.C. Ptolemy Philadelphus, King Of Egypt; Septuagint
Translation Of Scripture
03.04.14 Third Century B.C. Greek Influences Challenge Jewish Values
And Traditions
03.04.15 200 B.C. Non-Rabbinic Writings Begin: Dead Sea Scrolls,
Apocrypha, And Pseudepigrapha

03.04.16 198 B.C. Syria And Jerusalem Come Firmly Under The Control
Of The Greek Seleucids
03.04.17 176 164 B.C. Antiochus IV Epiphanies, King Of Syria
Controls Jerusalem
03.04.18 171 B.C. Zadokite Priesthood Ends; Temple Priesthood Sold;
The Essenes
03.04.19 170 B.C. Messiah Predicted By Roman Poet Virgil
03.04.20 167 B.C., December, Antiochus IV Desecrates Temple

03.04.21 167 B.C. The Maccabean Revolt 25 Years Of Military Battles
And Guerrilla War Begin
03.04.22 164 B.C. Greek Persecution Ends; Limited Jewish Independence
Begins

03.05 Jewish Sovereignty And Roman Conquest (c. 164 B.C. A.D.70)

03.05.02 164 B.C. December; Temple Consecrated; Sanhedrin Resumes
03.05.03 162 B.C. Hellenized Jews Crucify 60 Hasidim Jews
03.05.04 153 B.C. Jonathan the High Priest and Governor, Jewish Anti-
Semitism Grows
03.05.05 143-135 B.C. Maccabean Revolt Ended, Simon Reigned

03.05.06 135-63 B.C. True Independence; Rule of the Hasmoneans
03.05.07 135-104 B.C. Rule of John Hyrcanus; Samaritan Temple
Destroyed
03.05.08 104 102 B.C. Rule of Aristobulus I
03.05.09 102 76 B.C. Rule of Alexander Jannaeus
03.05.10 90 88 B.C. Jewish Civil War; 80 Women And 800 Pharisees
Crucified

03.05.11 76 67 B.C. Queen Alexandra Salome Reigns; Pharisees Control
the Temple
03.05.12 Summary Influence of Hellenistic Reform (331 63 B.C.) that
shaped Jewish life in the First Century
03.05.13 67 63 B.C. Civil War Between Aristobulus II and John
Hyrcanus II; Roman Invasion
03.05.14 63 B.C. Honi, the Jewish Miracle Worker killed
03.05.15 63 B.C. Romans Order Attempts To Kill Infant Boys Because Of
Prophecy Of A New-Born King

03.05.16 63 B.C. Rome Conquers Judah; Hyrcanus II Installed as Ruler of
Israel
03.05.17 63 B.C. A.D. 312 Roman Period
03.05.18 53 B.C. Parthians Attack and Kill the Roman General Crassus
03.05.19 50 B.C. Rabbi Nehumias Accurately Predicted the Messiahs
Coming
03.05.20 47 B.C. Antipater Procurator of Judaea

03.05.21 47 B.C. Herod Becomes Military Commander; Executes
Hezekias, Massacres The Sanhedrin
03.05.22 44 B.C. Julius Caesar Assassinated; Augustus Reigns
03.05.23 43 B.C. Antipater Murdered; Another Parthian Threat
03.05.24 40 - 39 B.C. Brief Parthian Invasion of Jerusalem; Herod (the
Great) given Roman Military to Fight Parthians and Jewish
Freedom Fighters
03.05.25 37 4 B.C. Conquest and Rule by Herod the Great

03.05.26 30 20 B.C. School of Hillel; School of Shammai
03.05.27 24 21 B.C. Famine in Judaea
03.05.28 20 B.C. Treaty Established between Rome and Parthia
03.05.29 20 B.C. Leadership Change in Sanhedrin
03.05.30 20-19 B.C. Herod the Great Begins Temple Remodeling and
Expansion
03.05.31 22-10 B.C. Construction of the Artificial Seaport Harbor at
Caesarea

03.06 The Advent Of John The Baptist And Jesus (8-4 B.C.)
03.06.01 7 6 B.C. John The Baptist Is Born; Roman Peace
03.06.02 6 5 B.C. The Birth Of Jesus
03.06.03 5 4 B.C. Mary, Joseph, And Jesus Flee To Egypt
03.06.04 4 B.C. The Death Of Herod The Great
03.06.05 4 B.C. Jews Revolt At Passover; 3,000 Killed

03.06.06 4 B.C. A.D. 41 The Divided Monarchy
03.06.07 4 B.C. A.D. 6 Herod Archelaus Ethnarch Rules Over Judea,
Samaria, And Idumea
03.06.08 4 B.C. A.D. 34 Herod Philip Tetrarch Rules Over Northern
Districts
03.06.09 4 B.C. A.D. 39 Herod Antipas Tetrarch Ruled Over Galilee
And Perea
03.06.10 2 B.C. Sepphoris Becomes The Seat Of Government

03.06.11 4 (End) 3 B.C. Mary, Joseph, And Jesus Return From Egypt
03.06.12 0 There Is No Year Zero
03.06.13 A.D. 1 Greeks Form A Trade Embargo Against Jews
03.06.14 A.D. 6 Jewish Revolt Against Archelaus; Zealot Movement
Solidified
03.06.15 A.D. 6 8 Jesus Goes To The Temple

03.06.16 A.D. 6 10 Coponius Replaces Herod Archelaus As Procurator
Of Judea
03.06.17 A.D. 6 15 Annas Appointed High Priest
03.06.18 A.D. 7 Samaritans Defile The Temple
03.06.19 A.D. 12 Artabanus III Becomes The King Of The Parthian
Empire
03.06.20 A.D. 14 37 Tiberius Caesar Of The Roman Empire

03.06.21 A.D. 16 17 Eleazar Ben Ananus Appointed High Priest
03.06.22 A.D. 18 36/37 Josephus Bar Caiaphas Appointed High Priest
03.06.23 A.D. 18 Herod Antipas Builds Tiberias
03.06.24 A.D. 19 Jews Rioted In Rome
03.06.25 A.D. 22 31 Sejanus, The Arch Enemy Of Tiberius Caesar
03.06.26 A.D. 26 36 Pontius Pilate Procurator Of Judaea
03.06.27 A.D. 27 The Ministry Of Jesus, The Christ Begins

Unit 04 The Early Years Of Jesus
04.01 Introduction
04.01.01 Introduction; The World Stage is Set; Johns Prologue
04.01.02 Jn.1:1-2 The Eternality Of God.
04.01.03 Jn.1:3-18 The Word Of God Became The Person Jesus.
04.01.04 Lk. 1:1-4 Introduction By Luke

04.02 The Genealogies Of Jesus
04.02.02 Mt. 1:1-17 The Genealogy Of Jesus As Recorded By Matthew
04.02.03 Lk. 3:23b-38 The Genealogy Of Jesus As Recorded By Luke

04.03 The Births Of John The Baptist And Jesus
04.03.01 Lk. 1:5-17 (C. 6 4 B.C.) The Birth Of John Foretold
04.03.02 Lk. 1:18-25 Zechariah Made Speechless
04.03.03 Lk. 1:26-38 Nazareth; Mary Told Of Conception
04.03.04 Lk. 1:39-45 Village In Judea; Mary Visits Elizabeth
04.03.05 Lk. 1:46-56 Mary Gives Praise To God

04.03.06 Lk. 1:57-66 John The Baptist Is Born And Named
04.03.07 Lk. 1:67-80 Zechariah Prophesies Of Johns Ministry
04.03.08 Mt. 1:18-25a Joseph Is Told Of Marys Conception
04.03.09 Lk 2:1 Bethlehem (C. 6 5 B.C.); The Registration (Or Census)

04.03.10 Lk. 2:4-7 Bethlehem: The Birth Of Jesus
04.03.11 Lk. 2:8-14 Bethlehem: Angels Proclaim The Birth

04.04 The Christ Child Is Honored And Consecrated
04.04.01 Lk. 2:15-20 Bethlehem; Shepherds Honor The Infant Jesus
04.04.02 Lk. 2:21 Jesus Circumcised And Named
04.04.03 Lk. 2:22-24 Jerusalem; Jesus Is Presented In The Temple
04.04.04 Lk. 2:25-35 Jerusalem: Simeon Expresses Joy Of The Birth
04.04.05 Lk. 2:36-38 The Temple: Anna, The Prophetess Of Asher

04.04.06 Mt. 2:1-8 Jerusalem (c. 4 2 B.C.): The Magi Seek Jesus
04.04.07 Mt 2:9-12 The Star Of Bethlehem: The Magi Honor Jesus

04.05 The Great Escape And Return
04.05.01 Mt. 2:13-15 Escape To Egypt
04.05.02 Mt. 2:16-18 Bethlehem: Herod Orders The Slaughter Of Young
Boys
04.05.03 Mt. 2:19-23; Lk. 2:39-40 Nazareth: Return To Nazareth
04.05.04 Mt. 2:19-23; Lk. 2:39-40 From Egypt To Nazareth

04.06 The Boyhood Years Of Jesus
04.06.02 Lk 2:41-50 Jerusalem: Jesus Visits Temple
04.06.03 Lk. 2:51-52 Nazareth: Growing Up In Nazareth

04.07 Village Life In Nazareth
04.07.01 Daily Life In Nazareth

Unit 05 The Early Ministry Of Jesus
05.01 The Ministry Of John The Baptist
05.01.02 Lk. 3:1-6 (Mt. 3:1-3; Mk. 1:2-4) John Declares His Ministry
05.01.03 Mt. 3:4-6 (Mk. 1:5-6) Along The Jordan River: John Baptizes
Believers
05.01.04 Lk. 3:7-14 (Mt. 3:7-10) John Continues To Preach Repentance
05.02 The Introduction And Temptations Of Jesus
05.02.02 Lk. 3:15-18 (Mt. 3:11-12; Mk. 1:7-8) John Announces The
Christ
05.02.03 Mt. 3:13-17; Lk. 3:23a (Mk. 1:9-11) From Galilee To
Jordan: Jesus Is Baptized
05.02.04 Mt. 4:1-11; Mk. 1:13b (Lk. 4:1-13) Wilderness Mountain: The
Devil Tempts Jesus

05.03 The Witness Of John The Baptist
05.03.01 Jn. 1:19-28 Bethany: John Explains His Ministry
05.03.02 Jn. 1:29-34 John Introduces Jesus

05.04 The Ministry of Jesus Begins
05.04.02 Jn. 1:35-51 The First Disciples

05.05 Jesus Reveals Himself
05.05.02 Jn. 2:1-11 The First Miracle In Cana
05.05.03 Jn. 2:12 Interlude At Capernaum
05.05.04 Jn. 2:13-25 First Temple Cleansing, Merchants Driven Out
05.05.05 Jn. 3:1-21 Nicodemus And His New Birth

05.05.06 Jn. 3:22-36 Jesus And John In Judea
05.05.07 Lk 3:19-20 John The Baptist Imprisoned

Unit 06 - The Ministry Of Jesus Accelerates
06.01 The Ministry Of Jesus Begins In Galilee
06.01.02 Jn. 4:1-3 Judea: Jesus Leaves For Galilee By Way Of Samaria
06.01.03 Jn. 4:4-26 The Village Of Sychar; The Samaritan
Woman
06.01.04 Jn. 4:27-38 Spiritual Food
06.01.05 Jn. 4:39-42 Samaria: The First Woman Evangelist

06.01.06 Jn. 4:43-45 Galilee: Jesus Returns To The Provincial District Of
Galilee
06.01.07 Jn. 4:46-54 Cana: Boy Healed In Capernaum
06.01.08 Mt. 4:12-17; Lk. 4:14-15 (Mk. 1:14-15) Capernaum

06.02 Rejection In Nazareth
06.02.02 Lk. 4:16-30 Nazareth: Jesus Rejected In His Home

06.03 The Ministry Of Jesus Accelerates In Galilee
06.03.01 Lk. 5:1-11; Mt. 4:18-22 (Mk. 1:16-20) Sea Of Galilee: Peter
And The Catch Of Fish
06.03.02 Mk. 1:21-22 (Lk. 4:31-32) Jesus Teaches At Capernaum
06.03.03 Mk. 1:23-28; Lk. 4:33-37 Man Delivered From A Demon
06.03.04 Mk. 1:29-31; Lk. 4:39 (Mt. 8:14-15) Peters Mother-In-Law
Healed
06.03.05 Mk. 1:32-34 (Mt. 8:16-17; Lk. 4:40-41) Many Are Healed

06.03.06 Mk.1:35-38 (Lk. 4:42-43) Jesus Goes Out To Pray
06.03.07 Mt. 4:23-25 (Mk. 1:39; Lk. 4:44) Jesus Travels Throughout
Galilee
06.03.08 Mk. 1:40-45 (Mt. 8:1-4; Lk. 5:12-16) The Leper Is Healed, A
Messianic Miracle
06.03.09 Lk. 5:17; Mk. 2:2-4a; Lk. 5:17-19 (Mt. 9:1-2) Capernaum: The
Paralytic Is Healed Problem ??
06.03.10 Mk. 2:6-12 (Mt. 9:3-8; Lk. 5:21-26) Scribes Question Authority
Of Jesus
06.03.11 Mk. 2:13-14 (Mt. 9:9; Lk. 5:27-28) Region Of Galilee: Matthew
Is Called

Unit 07 Opposition Against Jesus Grows
07.01 Jesus Stuns The Jewish Leadership
07.01.02 Lk. 5:29-30; Mt. 9:12-13 (Mk. 2:15-17) Eating With Sinners
07.01.03 Lk. 5:33-39 (Mt. 9:14-17; Mk. 2:18-22) Disciples Not Fasting
07.01.04 Jn. 5:1-15 Jerusalem: April A.D. 28, The Second Passover
07.01.05 Jn. 5:16-29 Resurrection And Life
07.01.06 Jn. 5:30-47 Discussion Of Authority

07.02 The Sabbath Challenge
07.02.02 Mt. 12:1-8; Mk. 2:23-28 (Lk. 6:1-5) Galilee: Plucking Grain
On Sabbath
07.02.03 Mt. 12:9-14; Mk. 3:1-6; Lk. 6:6-11 Healing On The Sabbath

07.03 Jesus The Master Teacher
07.03.02 Mk. 3:7-12; (Mt. 12:15-21) Bay Of The Parables
07.03.03 Lk. 6:12-16 (Mk. 3:13-19) Hills Near The Sea: Jesus Appoints
12 Disciples
07.03.04 Lk. 6:17-19 Great Crowds Gather
07.03.05 Mt. 5:1-12 (Lk. 6:20-23) Capernaum: Sermon On The Mount

Unit 08 Topical Issues
08.01 Warning The Religious Leaders
08.01.02 Lk. 6:24-26 Woes Pronounced
08.01.03 Mt. 5:13-16 Salt And Light Of Believers
08.01.04 Mt. 5:17-20 The Law And Gospel
08.01.05 Mt. 5:21-26 The Sixth Commandment
08.01.06 Mt. 5:27-30 The Seventh Commandment

08.02 Marriage, Divorce, Oaths And Forgiveness
08.02.02 Lk. 16:14-18 Pharisees Scoff At Parable: Divorce Issues
08.02.03 Mt. 5:31-32 (Mt. 19:9; Mk. 10:12) Divorce Issues
08.02.04 Mt. 19:1b-10 (Mk. 10:2-9) Pharisees Question Divorce
08.02.05 Mt. 19:10-12; Mk. 10:10-12

08.02.06 Mt. 5:33-37 Honesty Without Swearing Or Oaths
08.02.07 Mt. 5:38-42; Lk. 6:31 Retaliation Forbidden
08.02.08 Mt. 5:43-47; Lk. 6:32-36; Mt. 5:48 Love For Enemies

08.03 Righteousness, Prayer, And Fasting
08.03.02 Mt. 6:1 The Principles Of Righteousness
08.03.03 Mt. 6:2-4 The Principle Of Giving Alms
08.03.04 Mt. 6:5-15 The Principle Of A Model Prayer (The Lords
Prayer)
08.03.05 Mt. 6:16-18 The Principle Of Fasting

08.04 Concerns Of Life
08.04.01 Mt. 6:19-23 Spiritual Treasures
08.04.02 Mt. 6:25-34 Avoiding Anxiety
08.04.03 Lk. 6:37-42 (Mt. 7:1-5) Hypocritical Judging
08.04.04 Mt. 7:6 Inappropriate Concerns
08.04.05 Mt. 7:7-12 Persistence Of Prayer

08.04.06 Mt. 7:13-14 The Narrow And Wide Gates Of Life
08.04.07 Mt. 7:15-20; Lk. 6:45; Mt. 7:21-23 Testing Religious Leaders
Cf. Mt. 18:11 Problem ??
08.04.08 Lk. 6:46; Mt. 7:24-27; Wise And Foolish Builders

08.05 Astonishing Power And Authority
08.05.01 Mt. 7:28-29 Crowd Is Astonished
08.05.02 Lk. 7:1-9; Mt. 8:11-13; Lk. 7:10 Centurions Healed
08.05.03 Lk. 7:11-17 Nain: Widows Only Son Raised From Death
08.05.04 Lk. 7:18-23 (Mt. 11:2-6) John The Baptist Questions
08.05.05 Lk. 7:24-28; Mt. 11:12-15; Lk. 7:29-30 Jesus Praises John

08.05.06 Lk. 7:31-35 (Mt. 11:16-19) Jesus Reproves Rejection
08.05.07 Lk. 7:36-50 Anointing By Sinful Woman
08.05.08 Lk. 8:1-3 Galilee: Women Provide Support

08.06 Of Nature, Demons, And Healings
08.06.02 Mk. 4:35-41 (Mt. 8:23-27; Lk. 8:22-25) Sea Of Galilee: Jesus
Calms The Sea
08.06.03 Mk. 5:1-20 (Mt. 8:28-34; Lk. 8:26-39) Gerasa: Demon-
Possessed Gerasene
08.06.04 Mk. 5:21-24a (Mt. 9:18-19; Lk. 8:40-42) Jairus Begs Jesus To
Heal
08.06.05 Mk. 5:24b-34 (Mt. 9:20-22; Lk. 8:43-48) Women Touches
Garment

08.06.06 Mk. 5:35-43 (Mt. 9:23-26; Lk. 8:49-56) Capernaum: Jairus
Daughter Raised
08.06.07 Mt. 9:27-31 Two Blind Men Healed
08.06.08 Mt. 9:32-34 Mute Man Healed The Second Messianic Miracle

Unit 09 Turning Point In The Ministry Of Jesus
09.01 Rejection Of Jesus And His Message
09.01.02 Mk. 3:20; Mt. 12:22-24 (Lk. 11:14-23) Capernaum: Is Jesus A
Demon Or Son Of David?
09.01.03 Mt. 12:25-28; Lk. 11:20; Mt. 12:29-32 The Unpardonable Sin
09.01.04 Mt. 12:33-37; Mk. 3:20-21 Words Reflect The Heart
09.01.05 Mt. 12:38-42 (Lk. 11:29-32) The Sign Of Jonah

09.01.06 Mt. 12:43-45; Lk. 11:27-28 Need For Moral Reform
09.01.07 Mt. 12:46-50(Mk. 3:31-35; Lk. 8:19-21) Jesus Tells True
Kinship

09.02 Jesus Announces Woes; Leaders Attempt Entrapment
09.02.01 Lk. 11:33-36 Inner Righteousness
09.02.02 Lk. 11:37-52 Six Woes: Hypocrisy Condemned
09.02.03 Lk. 11:53-54 Leaders Try To Trap Jesus
09.02.04 Lk. 12:1-12 Warning Against Hypocrisy

09.03 Prophetic Parables And Actions
09.03.02 Lk. 12:13-21 Faith Of The Foolish Rich Man
09.03.03 Lk. 12:22-34 Trusting Gods Providence
09.03.04 Lk. 12:35-40 Parable Of Watchful Servants For Wedding
Banquet
09.03.05 Lk. 12:41-48 Exhortation To Watchfulness

09.03.06 Lk. 12:49-53 Division Predicted
09.03.07 Lk. 12:54-59 Discern The Times Correctly
09.03.08 Lk. 13:1-5 Urgency Of Repentance
09.03.09 Lk. 13:6-9 Unfruitful Fig Tree
09.03.10 Lk.13:10-17 Stooped Woman Healed

09.03.11 Mt. 13:10-17 (Mk. 4:10-12; Lk. 8:9-10) Purpose Of Parables
09.03.12 Mk. 4:33-34; Mt. 13:34-35 Parables Fulfill Prophecy
09.03.13 Mt. 13:1-9 (Mk. 4:1-9; Lk. 8:4-8) Sea Of Galilee: Parable Of The
Sower
09.03.14 Mt. 13:18-23 (Mk. 4:13-20; Lk. 8:11-15) Parable Of Sower
Explained
09.03.15 Mt. 13:24-30 (Mk. 4:26-29) Parable Of The Wheat And Tares

09.03.16 Mt. 13:36-43 Parable Of The Wheat And Tares Explained
09.03.17 Mt. 13:31-32 (Mk. 4:30-32; Lk. 13:18-19) Parable Of The
Mustard Seed
09.03.18 Mt. 13:33 (Lk. 13:20-21) Parable Of The Yeast
09.03.19 Mk. 4:21-25 (Lk. 8:16-18) Parable Of The Lighted Lamp
09.03.20 Mk. 4:26-29 Parable Of The Seed Growing

09.03.21 Mt. 13:44 Parable Of The Hidden Treasure
09.03.22 Mt. 13:45-46 Parable Of Valuable Pearl
09.03.23 Mt. 13:47-50 Parable Of The Dragnet
09.03.24 Mt. 13:51-53 Parable Of Treasures

09.04 The Cost Of Following Jesus
09.04.01 Mt. 8:18-22 (Lk. 9:57-62) Cost Of Following Jesus (Foxes
Have Holes.)
09.04.02 Lk. 9:59-62 (Mt. 8:21-22) (Let The Dead Bury The Dead.)

Unit 10 Conflicts Increase; Ministries Of The Disciples Begin
10.01 The Disciples Begin To Function As Apostles
10.01.02 Mk. 6:1-6a (Mt. 13:53-58) Nazareth: Jesus Rejected Again
10.01.03 Mt. 9:35-38 (Mk. 6:6b) Need For Workers
10.01.04 Mt. 10:1-4; Mk. 6:7 (Lk. 9:1-2) Disciples Given Power To Heal
10.01.05 Mt. 10:5-15 (Mk. 6:8-11; Lk. 9:3-5) Disciples Instructed

10.01.06 Mt. 10:16-33 Disciples Warned
10.01.07 Mt. 10:34-39 Conflict And Sacrifice
10.01.08 Mt. 10:40-42 (Mk. 9:41) Receiving Disciples
10.01.09 Mt. 11:1; Lk. 9:6; Mk. 6:12-13 Disciples In Action
10.01.10 Mk 6:14-16; Lk 9:9b (Mt. 14:1-2) Perea: Herod Curious About
Jesus
10.01.11 Mk. 6:17-29 (Mt. 14:3-12a) Death Of John The Baptist
10.01.12 Lk. 9:10a; Mk. 6:30-34; Lk. 9:11 (Mt. 14:12-14; Jn. 6:1-4)
Bethsaida: The Disciples Return
10.01.13 Mk. 6:35-36; Jn. 6:5-7; Lk. 6:13; Jn. 6:8-9; Mk. 6:39-43; Jn.
6:14; Mk. 6:45; Jn. 6:15 (Lk. 9:12-17) The Sea Of Galilee Near
Bethsaida. 5,000 Fed
10.01.14 Jn. 6:16-18; Mk. 6:48a; Jn. 6:19a; Mk. 6:48b-52; Jn. 6:21b (Mt.
14:23b-27) Sea Of Galilee: Jesus Walks On Water
10.01.15 Mt. 14:28-33: Sea Of Galilee; Peter Walks On Water

10.01.16 Mt. 14:34-36; Mk. 6:53-56: Plain Of Gennesaret Or Galilee,
Miracles
10.01.17 Jn. 6:22-59 The Mystery Of Jesus Crossing
10.01.18 Jn. 6:60-66 Offended Disciples Turn Away
10.01.19 Jn. 6:67-71 Peter Affirms His Faith
10.01.20 Mk. 7:1-13 (See Also Mt. 15:1-9) Spring, A.D. 29

10.01.21 Mk. 7:14-16; Mt. 15:12-16; Mk. 7:18b-23
10.01.22 Jn. 7:1 Ministry In Galilee
10.01.23 Mk. 7:24-26a; Mt. 15:22b-28: Tyre And Sidon: Canaanite
Woman
10.01.24 Mk. 7:31-37; Mt. 15:31 Galilee And The Decapolis Deaf Man
Healed
10.01.25 Mk. 8:1-10 (See Also Mt. 15:29-39) Northeast Hills By The Sea;
Feeding Of 4,000

10.01.26 Mt. 16:1-4; Mk. 8:13; Magada: Pharisees and Sadducees Ask For
A Sign
10.01.27 Mk. 8:14-15; Mt. 16:7; Mk. 17-21a; Mt 16:11-12 Pharisees And
Yeast In Bread
10.01.28 Mk. 8:22-26 Bethsaida Blind Man Healed With Spit And The
Laying On Of Hands
10.01.29 Mt. 16:13-20 (Mk. 8:27-30; Lk. 9:18-20) Caesarea Philippi
10.01.30 Mt. 16:21-23 (Mk. 8:31-33; Lk. 9:21-22) Caesarea Philippi:
Suffering Foretold
10.01.31 Mk. 8:34-9:1; (See Also Mt. 16:24-28; Lk. 9:23-27) Caesarea
Philippi Burdens Of Discipleship

Unit 11 The Transfiguration, Miracles, And Disciple Training
11.01 The Transfiguration
11.01.02 Mt. 17:1-8; Lk. 9:28-36a (Mk. 9:2-8) Mount Hermon: Jesus Is
Transfigured
11.01.03 Mt. 17:9-13; Lk. 9:36b (9:9-13) Mount Hermon: Apostles Ask
About Elijah

11.02 More Miracles And Discipleship Training
11.02.01 Mk. 9:14-28; Mt. 17:20-21 (Lk. 9:37-43a; 17:5-6) Near Mount
Hermon: The Epileptic Boy Healed
11.02.02 Mk. 9:30-32 (Mt. 17:22-23; Lk. 9:43b-45) Galilee: Death
Predicted Again
11.02.03 Mt. 17:24-27 Capernaum: Coin From A Fish
11.02.04 Mk. 9:33-35; Lk. 47-48; Mt. 18:5 Capernaum: Apostles Dispute
Rank
11.02.05 Mt. 18:7-9; Mk. 9:43-50 (Lk. 17:1-3a) Stern Warning About
Causing Others To Sin

Hyperlinks to bookmarks goes back by one step begins at 11.02.06

11.02.06 Mk. 9:38-41 (Lk. 9:49-50) Works Done In The Name Of Jesus
11.02.07 Mt. 18:15-17 Discipline Of A Brother
11.02.08 Mt. 18:18-20 Apostles Given Authority (Binding And
Loosening).
11.02.09 Mt. 18:21-22; Lk. 17:3-4 Peter Asks About Forgiveness
11.02.10 Mt. 18:23-25 Parable Of Servants In Debt

11.02.11 Jn. 7:2-9 Capernaum September 10-17, A.D. 29: Feast Of
Tabernacles, About Five Months Before His Crucifixion.
11.02.12 Jn. 7:10-24 Jesus Teaches In The Temple
11.02.13 Jn. 7:25-36 The Jews Discuss Arresting Jesus
11.02.14 Jn. 7:37-39 Spiritual Drink
11.02.15 Jn. 7:40-53; 8:1 In The Temple: Nicodemus Counsels Caution

11.02.16 Jn. 8:2-11 At The Temple; Woman Caught In Adultery
11.02.17 Jn. 8:12-20 Light Of The World
11.02.18 Jn. 8:21-30 Warning Against Unbelief
11.02.19 Jn. 8:31-47 Jesus Confronts The Religious Leaders With Severe
Sarcasm
11.02.20 Jn. 8:48-59 Jesus Declares His Eternal Existence

11.02.21 Jn. 9:1-12 Pool of Siloam. Third Messianic Miracle Healing
The Man Born Blind
11.02.22 Jn. 9:13-17 Pool Of Siloam: Pharisees Question Man
11.02.23 Jn. 9:18-23 Pharisees Question The Healed Mans Parents
11.02.24 Jn. 9:24-34 Pharisees Question Man Again
11.02.25 Jn. 9:35-41 Jesus Confronts The Healed Man

11.02.26 Jn. 10:1-6 The Sheep And Their Shepherd
11.02.27 Jn. 10:7-10 The Gate For The Sheep
11.02.28 Jn. 10:11-18 The Good Shepherd
11.02.29 Jn. 10:19-21 Jews Still Divided About Jesus

Unit 12 The Galilean Ministry Ends
12.01 The Disciples Function As Apostles
12.01.01 Mt. 19:1-2; Lk. 9:51-56 (Mk. 10:1) Galilee To Samaria To Judea
12.01.02 Lk. 10:1-16 (Mt. 11:20-24) Seventy Disciples Sent Out
12.01.03 Lk. 10:17-24 Seventy Disciples Return.
12.01.04 Mt. 11:28-30 Rest For The Weary
12.01.05 Lk. 10:25-37 Parable Of The Good Samaritan

12.01.06 Lk. 10:38-42 Jesus With Martha And Mary
12.01.07 Lk. 11:1-4 Teaching How To Pray
12.01.08 Lk. 11:5-13 Parable Of A Midnight Friend
12.01.09 Jn. 10:22-30 Jesus Affirms His Own Deity
12.01.10 Jn. 10:31-39 Jews Attempt To Stone Jesus

12.02 The Perean Ministry
12.02.02 Jn. 10:40-42 To Perea (December 29-April 30)
12.02.03 Lk. 13:22-35 Perea; How Many Will Be Saved?
12.02.04 Lk. 14:1-6 Man Healed On The Sabbath.
12.02.05 Lk. 14:7-14 Banquet Place Of Honor.
12.02.06 Lk. 14:15-24; Mt. 22:14 Parable Of The Great Messianic
Banquet.

12.03 Jesus Goes Towards Jerusalem
12.03.02 Lk. 14:25-33 The Cost Of Discipleship
12.03.03 Lk. 14:34-35 Parable Of The Salt
12.03.04 Lk. 15:1-7 Parable Of The Lost Sheep
12.03.05 Lk. 15:8-10 Parable Of The Lost Coin

12.03.06 Lk. 15:11-32 Parable Of The Two Sons (Or The Parable Of The
Loving Father)
12.03.07 Lk. 16:1-13 Parable Of The Dishonest Manager
12.03.08 Lk. 16:19-31 Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
12.03.09 Mt. 20:1-16 Vineyard Workers
12.03.10 Jn. 11:1-37 Bethany: The Miracle Of Lazarus.

12.03.11 Jn. 11:38-44 Bethany: Lazarus Raised To Life
12.03.12 Jn. 11:45-53 Jerusalem: Sanhedrin Plots To Kill Jesus
12.03.13 Jn. 11:54 Ephraim Jesus Goes To Ephraim
12.03.14 Lk. 17:11-19 Ten Lepers Healed
12.03.15 Lk. 17:20-35, 37 Coming Of Kingdom

12.03.16 Lk. 18:1-8 The Persistent Widow And Unrighteous Judge
12.03.17 Lk. 18:9-14 The Prayers Of The Self-Righteous Pharisee And Tax
Collector.

12.04 Miracles And Teachings Intensify
12.04.01 Mk. 10:13-16 (Mt. 19:13-15; Lk. 18:15-17) Jesus Blesses The
Children
12.04.02 Lk. 18:18-27; Mk. 10:18c (Mt. 19:16-26; Mk. 10:17-18b, 19-27)
The Rich Ruler; The Camel And The Eye Of A Needle
12.04.03 Mk. 10:32-34; Lk. 18:34 (Mt. 10:17-19) Road To Jerusalem:
Death Foretold Third Time
12.04.04 Mt. 20:20-21; Mk. 10:35-45 Men Of Selfish Honor - James And
John
12.04.05 Mk. 10:46-51; Lk. 18:42-43 (Mt. 20:29-34) Jericho: Blind
Bartimaeus Healed

12.04.06 Lk. 19:1-10 The [New Testament Era] Jericho: Zacchaeus
Receives Jesus
12.04.07 Lk. 19:11-28 Parable Of Gods Accountability
12.04.08 Jn. 11:55-57 Nissan 8; March 31, A.D. 30. Arrest Planned For
Passover.
12.04.09 Jn. 12:1-2; Mt. 26:7b-13; Mk. 14:9 Bethany: Mary Anoints Jesus
12.04.10 Jn. 12:9-11 Plot To Kill Lazarus

Unit 13 The Passion Week Begins
13.01 Preview Of Events And The Triumphal Entry
13.01.01 Introduction And Summary Of The Passion Week Events
13.01.02 Jn. 12:12-13a; Mk. 11:9-10; Jn. 12:13b Jerusalem: The
Triumphal Entry
13.01.03 Lk. 19:29-31; Mt. 21:4-7; Mk. 11:4-7 (Jn. 12:14-16) Bethpage
And Bethany: Jesus Sends For Colt.
13.01.04 Lk. 19:36-40; Mk. 11:8 (Mt. 21:8-9) Jerusalem, Sunday
13.01.05 Lk. 19:41-44 Jesus Sees The Coming Destruction.

13.01.06 Mt. 21:10-11; Jn. 12:17-19 The Pharisees Recognize The
Popularity Of Jesus.
13.01.07 Mk. 11:11 (Mt. 21:17) Jesus Returned To Bethany.

13.02 Prediction Of Judaea And Plots Of Jesus Death
13.02.01 Mk. 11:12-14 (Mt. 21:18-19) April 3, A.D. 30 Unfruitful Fig
Tree Cursed.
13.02.02 Mk. 11:15-17 (Mt. 21:12-13; Lk. 19:45-46) Second Temple
Cleansing, Merchants Driven Out
13.02.03 Mk. 11:18 (Lk. 19:47-48) The Temple Courts In Jerusalem: Plot
To Kill Jesus Delayed.
13.02.04 Mt. 21:14-16 In The Temple Courts: The Children Praise Jesus.
13.02.05 Mk. 11:20-21; Mt. 21:20-22; Mk. 11:25-26 From Bethany To
Jerusalem: Tuesday Nissan 12: Lesson From The Fig Tree

13.02.06 Jn. 12:20-26 Jesus Explains The Purpose Of His Death.
13.02.07 Jn. 12:27-33 Foretelling His Crucifixion.
13.02.08 Jn. 12:34-36; Mk. 11:19 Bethany: Call For Walking In Light.

13.03 The First Examination Of Jesus
13.03.02 Mk. 11:27-33 (Mt. 21:23-27; Lk. 20:1-8) In The Temple: The
Authority Of Jesus Questioned
13.03.03 Mt. 21:28-32 Parable Of The Two Sons.
13.03.04 Mk. 12:1-9; Lk. 20:9-16 (Mt. 21:33-41) Parable Of The
Householder And The Only Son.
13.03.05 Mt. 21:42-44 (Mk. 12:10-11; Lk. 20:17-18) In The Temple: The
Stone The Builders Rejected.

13.03.06 Mt. 21:45-46; Lk. 20:19 (Mk. 12:12) Religious Leaders
Angered.
13.03.07 Mt. 22:1-14 Parable Of The Wedding Banquet.

13.04 The Second Examination Of Jesus
13.04.02 Mt. 22:15a; Lk. 20:20-26 (Mk. 12:13-17) Herodians And
Pharisees Ask Jesus About Taxes.
13.04.03 Mt. 22:23-33 (Mk. 12:18-27; Lk. 20:27-38) The Theological
Issue Of The Resurrection Questioned
13.04.04 Mk. 12:28-34 (Mt. 22:34-40; Lk. 20:39-40) The Greatest
Commandment: The Shema.
13.04.05 Mt. 22:41-45; Mk. 12:37b; Mt. 22:46 (Lk. 20:41-44) Jesus Asks
The Pharisees About His Own Ancestry.
13.04.06 Mt. 23:1-12 (Mk. 12:38-40; Lk. 20:45-47) Self-Righteousness
Of The Religious Leaders Condemned.

13.05 The Fourth Level Of Pharisees Condemned
13.05.02 Mt. 23:13-15 False Religious Piety Condemned
13.05.03 Mt. 23:16-24 Legalistic Religious Attitude Condemned.
13.05.04 Mt. 23:25-28 Hypocrisy Condemned.
13.05.05 Mt. 23:29-36 Jesus Condemned Persecution Of Gods Prophets.

Unit 14 The Passion Mid-Week
14.01 Prophecies Of His Crucifixion And Return
14.01.01 Mt. 23:37-39 Jesus Laments Over Jerusalem.
14.01.02 Mk. 12:41-44 (Lk. 21:1-4) The Righteous Widow
14.01.03 Mk. 13:1-2 (Mt. 24:1-2; Lk. 21:5-6) Leaving The Temple,
Tuesday; Jesus Predicts That The Temple Will Be Destroyed
14.01.04 Mk. 13:3-7a; Lk. 21:11b; Mk. 13:7b-12; Mt. 24:12; Mk. 13:13;
Mt. 24:14-15; Lk. 21:20-24; Mt. 24:20-31; Lk. 21:25-28; Mt.
24:32-35 The Olivet Discourse; Disciples Ask About His Return
14.01.05 Mt. 24:36-44; Lk. 21:36 (Mk. 13:32-33); Exact Times Of His
Return Unknown

14.01.06 Lk. 21:34-36; Mk. 13:34; Mt. 24:45-51; Mk. 13:35-37 Jesus
Urges Watchfulness.
14.01.07 Mt. 25:1-13 The Wise And Foolish Virgins.
14.01.08 Mt. 25:14-30 Parable Of The Talents (Emphasizing Laboring).
14.01.09 Mt. 25:31-46 Application Of Parables: The Coming Judgment Of
The Gentile Nations.
14.01.10 Lk. 21:37-38 At The Temple (After The Olivet Discourse)

14.01.11 Mt. 26:1-5 (Mk. 14:1-2; Lk. 22:1-2) Tuesday; Jesus Foresees His
Crucifixion.
14.01.12 Lk. 22:3-4; Mt. 26:15; Lk. 22:6 (Mk. 14:10-11); Judas Plans The
Betrayal Of Jesus.

14.02 Encouragement And Final Passover
14.02.01 Jn. 12:37-43 Non-Believers Fulfill Prophecy.
14.02.02 Jn. 12:44-50 Final Appeal To His Beloved People.
14.02.03 Lk. 22:7-13 (Mt. 26:17-19; Mk. 14:12-16) Upper Room:
Disciples Make Preparations For Passover
14.02.04 Lk. 22:14-16 Upper Room (The Last Supper) Importance Of
Occasion.
14.02.05 Lk. 22:17-20 (Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25) The Upper Room: A
Memorial To Jesus.

14.02.06 Lk. 22:21-32 Jesus Hints Of His Betrayer Causing Disciples To
Argue
14.02.07 Jn. 13:1-10 The Upper Room: Jesus Humbly Washes The
Apostles Feet
14.02.08 Jn. 13:12-17 Jesus Explains Washing.
14.02.09 Jn. 13:18-21 (Mt. 26:20-21; Mk. 14:17-18) Jesus Predicts His
Betrayal
14.02.10 Mt. 26:22-24; Jn. 13:22-27a; Mt. 26:25 (Mk. 14:19-21; Lk.
22:22) The Upper Room; The Betrayer Is Identified

14.02.11 Jn. 13:27b-30 Jesus Sends Judas Out.
14.02.12 Jn. 13:31-35 Jesus Commands Love For The Brotherhood
14.02.13 Jn. 13:36-38; Lk. 22:31-34 Peter Makes A Request
14.02.14 Jn. 14:1-4 Jesus To Prepare A Heavenly Place
14.02.15 Jn. 14:5-7 Thomas Wants To Know The Way

14.02.16 Jn. 14:8-14 Philip Wants To See The Father
14.02.17 Jn. 14:16-21 Jesus Promises The Holy Spirit
14.02.18 Jn. 14:22-24 Apostle Judas Questions Jesus
14.02.19 Jn. 14:25-31 Jesus Predicts His Return
14.02.20 Lk. 22:35-38 Fulfillment Of Isaiahs Prophecy.

14.02.21 Mt. 26:30-32 (Mk. 14:26-28; Lk. 22:39) The Upper Room:
Singing The Hallel
14.02.22 Mt 26:33-35 (Mk 14:29-31) Peter Announces His Loyalty

Unit 15 The Passion Escalates
15.01 The Final Discourse
15.01.01 Jn. 15:1-8 Imagery Of Vine And Branches
15.01.02 Jn. 15:9-17 Command To Love One Another
15.01.03 Jn. 15:18-16:4 Jesus Warns Of Their Persecution
15.01.04 Jn. 16:5-15 The Necessity Of Jesus Leaving
15.01.05 Jn. 16:16-24 Promise Of Joy Out Of Sorrow

15.01.06 Jn. 16:25-33 Explanations Will Bring Understanding
15.01.07 Jn. 17:1-5 Jesus Prays For Himself
15.01.08 Jn. 17:6-19 Jesus Prays For Disciples
15.01.09 Jn. 17:20-26 Jesus Prays For Believers

15.02 The Betrayal And Arrest
15.02.02 Jn. 18:1; Mk. 14:32-34 (Lk. 22:40; Mt. 26:36-38) The Agony Of
Gethsemane
15.02.03 Mk. 14:35-36; Lk. 22:43-45; Mt. 26:40-41 Mount Of Olives;
Jesus Prays In Agony As The Disciples Sleep
15.02.04 Mt. 26:42 Jesus Prays A Second Time
15.02.05 Mt. 26:43-46 (Mk. 14:40-42) Jesus Prays A Third Time

15.02.06 Jn. 18:2-3; Mk. 14:43-44; Lk. 22:47-48; Mk. 14:45 (Mt. 26:47-
50a) Judas Betrays Jesus
15.02.07 Jn. 18:4-9 Disciples Safety Insured
15.02.08 Mk. 14:46; Lk. 22:49; Jn. 18:10-11; Mt. 26:52-54; Lk. 22:51
Peter Cuts Off The Servants Ear
15.02.09 Lk. 22:52-53; Jn. 18:12; Mt. 26:56b; Mk. 14:51-52 Jesus Chides
Arrest

15.03 The Three Jewish Trials
15.03.02 Jn. 18:13-14 Jerusalem: First Trial: Jesus Led To Annas
15.03.03 Jn. 18:15-17 Peters First Denial
15.03.04 Jn. 18:19-23 Jesus Before Annas
15.03.05 Lk. 22:54 (Mt. 26:57-58; Mk. 14:53-54 Jn. 18:18-24) Second
Trial; To Caiaphas The High Priest

15.03.06 Lk. 22:55-57; Mt. 26:69-72 (See Also Mk. 14:66-70a; Jn. 18:25)
Peter Again Denies Jesus
15.03.07 Mk. 14:55-60; Mt. 26:63; Mk. 62b-66; Second Jewish Trial:
Before Caiaphas
15.03.08 Lk. 22:63-65 (Mt. 26:67-68; Mk. 14:65) Jesus Is Abused
15.03.09 Mt. 26:73-74a; Jn. 18:26-27a Peter Denies Jesus Again
15.03.10 Jn. 18:27b; Lk. 22:61-62 The Rooster Crows And Peter Weeps

15.03.11 Lk. 22:66-71; Mt. 27:1 Daybreak, The Third Trial, Final Jewish
Ratification. Third Trial: Sanhedrin Condemns Jesus.
15.03.12 Mt. 27:3-5; Acts 1:18b-19; Mt. 27:6-10 Judas Commits Suicide.

15.04 The Three Roman Trials
15.04.02 Mt. 27:2; Jn. 18:28-30; Lk. 23:1-2; Jn. 18:28-32; Fourth Ministry
Passover, April 30. In The Praetorium: First Roman Trial: Jesus
Taken Before Pilate.
15.04.03 Jn. 18:33-38; Mt. 27:11-14 (Mk. 15:2-5; Lk. 23:3-4) First Roman
Trial; Pilate Questions Jesus
15.04.04 Lk. 23:5-7 Pilate Sends Jesus To Herod
15.04.05 Lk. 23:8-12, The Palace Of Herod: Second Roman Trial Jesus
Before Herod Antipas

15.04.06 Mt. 27:19; Lk. 23:13-16 Praetorium, Thursday Morning; Third
Roman Trial: Pilates Warning And Questions Release
15.04.07 Mk. 15:6-10; (Mt. 27:15-18; Jn. 18:39) Jesus Or Barabbas
15.04.08 Mk. 15:11; Jn. 18:40; Lk. 23:18-19; Mt. 27:20-21 Crowd
Demands Barabbas.
15.04.09 Mt. 27:22-23; Lk. 23:20-23 (Mk. 15:12-14) Jesus Crucifixion
Demanded.
15.04.10 Lk. 23:24-25 (Mt. 27:26; Mk. 15:15; Jn. 19:16) Barabbas Is
Released.

Unit 16 The Crucifixion And Burial Of Jesus
16.01 The Crucifixion
16.01.02 Jn. 19:1; Mt. 27:27-30 (Mk. 15:16-19) Jesus Humiliated With
Sarcastic Kingship
16.01.03 Jn. 19:4-6 Pilate Presents Jesus
16.01.04 Jn. 19:7-11 Jesus Questioned Again
16.01.05 Jn. 19:12-15 Before Pilate in the Antonia Fortress, adjacent to
the Temple

16.01.06 Mt. 27:24-25 Pilate Washes His Hands
16.01.07 Mk. 15:20; Jn. 19:17 (Mt. 27:31) Jesus Is Led Out
16.01.08 Mk. 15:21-22 (Lk. 23:26; Mt. 27:32) Simon Of Cyrene
16.01.09 Lk 23:27-31 Women Weep For Jesus
16.01.10 Lk. 23:32-34a; Mk. 15:23, 25, 27-28 (Mt. 27:33-34, 38; Jn.
19:18) 9:00 A.M. Noon; First Day Of Passover. Jesus Is
Crucified

16.01.11 Jn. 19:19-22 (Mt. 27:37; Mk. 15:26; Lk. 23:38) Inscription On
Cross
16.01.12 Jn. 19:23-24 (Mt. 27:35-36; Mk. 15:24; Lk. 23:34b) Soldiers
Cast Lots
16.01.13 Mt. 27:39-44; Lk. 23:35-37 (Mk. 15:29-32) Crowd Mocks Jesus
16.01.14 Lk. 23:39-43 Thief Asks Remembrance
16.01.15 Jn. 19:25-27 Jesus Provides For Mary, His Mother

16.01.16 Mt. 27:45-47 (Mk. 15:33-35; Lk. 23:44-45a) The Wrath Of
God: 12:00 Noon To 3:00 P.M.; Jesus Cries Out
16.01.17 Jn. 19:28; Mt. 27:48a; Jn. 19:29b; Mt. 27:49 (Mk. 15:36) On The
Cross; Jesus Is Given Drink
16.01.18 Jn. 19:30a; Lk. 23:46a; Jn. 19:30b (Mt. 27:50; Mk. 15:37) On
The Cross; Jesus Dies.

17.01 Miraculous Events That Occurred At His Death
17.01.02 Mt. 27:51 (Mk. 15:38; Lk. 23:45b) Miraculous Events
17.01.03 Mt. 27:52-54; Mk. 15:40-41; Lk. 23:48-49 People Struck With Awe
17.01.04 Jn. 19:31-37 Jesus Is Pierced

17.02 Jesus Is Laid To Rest
17.02.01 Mk. 15:42-43a Lk. 23:51a; Mk. 15:43b-45 (Mt. 27:57-58; Jn.
19:38a) Garden Near Golgotha; Joseph Asks For Body
17.02.02 Jn. 19:38b-40; Mt. 27:59-60a; Jn. 19:42; Mt. 27:60b Lk. 23:55-
56 Calvary; Jesus Is Buried.
17.02.03 Mt. 27:62-66 Thursday Night Or Early Friday Morning; Soldiers
Guard Tomb.

Unit 18 Resurrection And Appearances
18.01 Risen From The Grave
18.01.02 Mt. 28:2-4 Sunday Morning Stone Was Rolled Away
18.01.03 Mk. 16:1-4 (Mt. 28:1; Lk. 24:1-3; Jn. 20:1) At The Tomb;
Women Came To The Tomb
18.01.04 Mk. 16:5-7 (Mt. 28:5-7) Resurrection Announced
18.01.05 Lk. 24:4-8 Women Reminded Of Prophecy

18.01.06 Mk. 16:8; Jn. 20:2-10 Women Leave In Fear While Peter And
John Visit The Tomb
18.01.07 Mk. 16:9; Jn. 20:11-17 Jesus With Mary Magdalene
18.01.08 Mt. 28:8-10 Jesus Appears To The Women
18.01.09 Mt. 28:11-15 Chief Priests Try To Explain The Missing Body
18.01.10 Lk. 24:9-11 (Mk. 16:10-11; Jn. 20:18) Women Tell Of Seeing
Jesus

18.01.11 Lk. 24:13-27 (Mk. 16:12) The Road To Emmaus; Jesus
Appeared To Cleopas
18.01.12 Lk. 24:28-32 Emmaus, Sunday Morning; Jesus Is Revealed
18.01.13 Lk. 24:22a; Jn. 20:19a; Lk. 24:33b-35 Cleopas Tells Of
Appearance Of Jesus
18.01.14 Mk. 16:14; Lk. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:20; Lk. 24:44 (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:7)
Sunday Night; Jesus Appears To Disciples
18.01.15 Jn. 20:21-23 Apostles Receive Authority

18.01.16 Jn. 20:24-29 The Doubting Thomas
18.01.17 Jn. 21:1-14 Later At The Sea Of Galilee; Jesus Appears To
Disciples.
18.01.18 Jn. 21:15-19 Peter Reinstated And His Death Foretold
18.01.19 Jn. 21:20-24 Johns Death Questioned

18.02 Final Instructions And
Ascension
18.02.01 Mt. 28:16-20; Mk. 16:16-18 Jesus Commissions Apostles
18.02.02 Lk. 24:45-49; Acts 1:3-4a Parting Instructions
18.02.03 Lk. 24:50; Acts 1:6-11 Jesus Ascends
18.02.04 Acts 1:12-14 Jerusalem; Jerusalem Disciples Return Joyfully
18.02.05 Acts 1:15-26 Matthias Chosen As Judas Replacement
18.02.06 Mk. 16:20; Jn. 20:30-31; 21:25 The Disciples Preached And
Performed Miracles

Unit 19 Appendices
Appendix 1: Terms Of Service Of The Annas Family Temple Priests And Roman
Rulers
Appendix 2: The Life Of Joseph As A Prophetic Picture Of Jesus
Appendix 3: The Life Of Moses As A Prophetic Picture Of Jesus
Appendix 4: The Ten Commandments Confirmed by Jesus.
Appendix 5: The Levitical Feasts As Prophetic Reflections Of Jesus

Appendix 6: Old Testament Sacrifices and Jesus
Appendix 7: Major Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled By Jesus
Appendix 8: The Two Natures of Jesus
Appendix 9: The Hebraic Roots Of Salvation Through Jesus
Appendix 10: The Parables Of Jesus

Appendix 11: The Mysteries Of Hebrew Poetry In The Gospels
Appendix 12: Natural Expressions By Jesus Without Quotations
Appendix 13: Examples To Non-Existent Verses By Jesus And Their
Explanations
Appendix 14: Numerical Values Of Hebrew Letters
Appendix 15: Daniels Prophecy Of Seventy Sevens

Appendix 16: Divisions of the Day
Appendix 17: The Noahide Commandments
Appendix 18: The Eighteen Benedictions
Appendix 19: The Chronological Life Of Jesus
Appendix 20: Table of Currency / Coinage

Appendix 21: Seven Proclamations of the Innocents of Jesus
Appendix 22: Major Prophecies Of The Last Days And The Second Coming Of
Jesus
Appendix 23: Positive And Negative Receptions Of Jesus And Early Christians
Appendix 24: Premillennialism In The Early Church
Appendix 25: False Prophets, Rebels, Significant Events, And Rebellions That
Impacted The First Century Jewish World.

Appendix 26: Glossary Of Technical Terms
: The Faith of the Disciples and Gospel Writers
Appendix 28: Bibliographic Sketches Of Quoted Early Church Fathers
Appendix 29: Heresies In The Church (And Their Reemergence Today)
Appendix 30: Hermeneutics 101: Basic Rules of Interpretation
Appendix 31: Recommendations For Further Study

01.03.02 Table 2 of Photographs and Illustrations
02.01 People Groups
02.01.00.A. Christ And The Young Child
02.01.05.A. Fragment Of Philodemus Epicurean Writing.
02.01.16.A. Evidence Of Sadducean Extravagance.
02.01.16.B. Sadducean Tomb Inscription.
02.01.17.A. Ruins Of The Samaritan Temple.

02.02 Biblical And Extra-Biblical Writings
02.02.00.A. Baruch Writing Jeremiahs Prophecies.
02.02.03.A. The Heliodorus Stele.
02.02.05.A. The Codex Sinaiticus.
02.02.06.A. Young Scholars Examine An Ancient Jar.

02.03 Significant Cultural Elements
02.03.00.A. Children In A Synagogue School.
02.03.11.A. Illustration Of Various Religious Groups And Their
Relationship To The Sadducees.

02.04 Differences Between First Century Roman-Greek And Jewish
Worldviews
02.04.00.A. Salomes Exotic Dance.

03.01 Ancient Judaea (4000 B.C. 1040 B.C.)
03.01.00.A. The Sacrifice Of Isaac
03.01.04.A. Illustration From An Egyptian Tomb.
03.01.05.A. Plaster Fragments Of The Balaam Tel Deir Alla Inscription.

03.02 First Temple Period And Exile (1040 B.C. 515 B.C.)
03.02.00.A. Samuel Anoints David.
03.02.01.A. The King David Fragment.
03.02.05.A. Captured Israelites Honor King Sennacherib.
03.02.05.B. Sennacheribs Record Of His Siege Against Jerusalem.
03.02.08.A. Israelites March Into Babylon.

03.02.09.A. The Babylonian Chronicle For The Years 605-595 B.C.
03.02.14.A. The Cyrus Cylinder (538 B.C.).
03.02.14.B. The Tomb Of Cyrus The Great.
03.02.15.A. A Tablet From Babylon Reads If I Forget Thee, O
Jerusalem.

03.03 Second Temple Period (515 B.C. A.D. 70)
03.03.00.A. The Rebuilding Of The Temple.
03.03.03.A. An Excavated Section Of Nehemiahs Wall.

03.04 Inter-Testament Background (c. 400 B.C. A.D. 30)
03.04.00.A. A Greek-Seleucid War Elephant In Battle.
03.04.05.A. A Mosaic Of vs. The Invincible King
Darius III.
03.04.17.A. Coins Of Antiochus IV Epiphanies.
03.04.21.A. A Bowl With A Painted Greek War Elephant.

03.05 Jewish Sovereignty And Roman Conquest (C. 164 B.C. A.D.70)
03.05.00.A. Sea-Going Ships Of Hasmonean Days
03.05.02.A. The House Of The Maccabees Family Tree.
03.05.09.A. A Model Of A Hasmonean Merchant Ship.
03.05.12.A. Hellenistic Art-Fresco In A Jewish Tomb.
03.05.12.B. An Illustration Of The Home Of A Sadducee.

03.05.13.A. Coin Of John Hycranus II.
03.05.25.A. The Generational Tree Of The Maccabees.
03.05.25.B. The Caves Of Mount Arbel
03.05.25.C. Ruins Of The Herodian Palace-Fortress.
03.05.25.D. An Illustration Of The Herodian Palace-Fortress.
03.05.25.E. An Illustration Of Caesarea Maritima.

03.05.25.F. A Model Of Herods Hippodrome
03.05.25.G. Ruins Of The Hippodrome In Jerash.
03.05.25.H. A Model Of Herods Theater.
03.05.25.I. The Temple Ruins Of Emperor Augustus.
03.05.25.J. Statuettes Of Healing Gods.

03.05.30.A. The Machpelah.
03.05.30.B. A Model Of Herods Temple.

03.06 The Advent Of John The Baptist And Jesus (8-4 B.C.)
03.06.00.A. John The Baptist Preaching In The Wilderness.
03.06.04.A. Family Tree Of Herod The Great
03.06.04.B. NASA Graphic Of The Lunar Eclipse On March 12, 4 B.C.
03.06.14.A. Coin Of Tiberius Caesar.
03.06.26.A. Coins Of Pontius Pilate.

04.01 Introduction
04.01.00.A. Summary Of The Bible

04.02 The Genealogies Of Jesus
04.02.00.A. An Angel Visits The Virgin Mary.

04.03 The Births Of John The Baptist And Jesus
04.03.00.A. Mary Visits Elizabeth.
04.03.01.A. The Burial Ossuary Of Miriam.
04.03.01.B. A Temple Incense Vessel.
04.03.03.A. A Second Century Katuvah.
04.03.06.A. A Common Writing Tablet.

04.03.09.A. A Relief Stone Carving A Roman Census.
04.03.09.B. Roman Census Edict In Egypt (Papyrus 904).
04.03.10.A. The Church Of The Nativity.
04.03.10.B. A Modern Cave Stable.
04.03.10.C. Clay Model Of Mother In Childbirth.
04.03.10.D. A Typical Stone Manger.

04.04 The Christ Child Is Honored And Consecrated
04.04.00.A. The Birth Of Jesus Is Announced By An Angel.
04.04.01.A. Field Of The Shepherds, Early Spring.
04.04.01.B. Field Of The Shepherds, Early Summer.
04.04.03.A. Bowl Fragment With Inscribed Korban And Two Birds.
04.04.03.B. A Mikvah.

04.04.03.C. Model Of Temple Southern Steps.
04.04.03.D. The Southern Steps As Seen Today.

04.05 The Great Escape And Return
04.05.00.A. Joseph, Mary, And Jesus Return From Egypt.

04.06 The Boyhood Years Of Jesus
04.06.00.A. Jesus And Temple Leaders.
04.06.02.A. Modern Bar Mitzvah Celebration In Jerusalem.
04.06.03.A. Shepherd Boys In Authentic First Century Costume.

04.07 Village Life In Nazareth
04.07.00.A. Jesus Growing up in Nazareth.
04.07.01.A. A Natural Forest Typical Of First Century Woodlands.
04.07.01.B. A First Century Carpenter At Work
04.07.01.C. Tools For Wood And Stone Work Of A Carpenter.
04.07.01.D. A Plow And Yoke For Two Donkeys.

04.07.01.E. Two Arabs Plowing In The 1920s As In Biblical Times.
04.07.01.F. Typical Woodworking Tools.
04.07.01.G. First Century Stone Masons (Carpenters).
04.07.01.H. The Cardo Maximus In Sepphoris.
04.07.01.I. The Kitchen Of A Rabbis House.

04.07.01.J. The Interior Of A Typical Jewish Home.
04.07.01.K. The Ancient Nazareth To Capernaum Road.

01 The Ministry Of John The Baptist
05.01.00.A. John The Baptist Preaches In The Desert.
05.01.03.A. The Locust Or Fruit Of The Carob Tree.

05.02 The Introduction And Temptations Of Jesus
05.02.00.A. The Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.
05.02.02.A. A Reconstructed Threshing Floor.
05.02.02.B. Two Boys Winnowing Wheat.
05.02.03.A. The Baptismal Site Of Jesus.
05.02.04.A. The Inscribed Pinnacle Stone Of The Temple.

05.02.04.B. An Illustration Of A Priest With A Trumpet Upon The
Pinnacle.
05.02.04.C. The Traditional Temptation Site Of Mount Quarantania.
05.02.04.D. The Syrian Brown Bear.
05.02.04.E. The Caracal Lynx.

05.03 The Witness Of John The Baptist
05.03.00.A. John The Baptist Preaching In The Wilderness.

05.04 The First Disciples
05.04.00.A. Jesus and His First Disciples.
05.04.02.A. Dead Sea Scroll Son Of God Fragment 4Q246.

05.05 Jesus Reveals Himself
05.05.00.A. Jesus Drives Out The Temple Merchants.
05.05.02.A. Two Ritual Stone Water Vessels.
05.05.02.B. Floor Mosaic Of The God Dionysos (Left) Presenting Grapes
And Wine.
05.05.04.A. Floor Plan Of Herods Temple.
05.05.04.B. A Model Of The Temple And Court Of The Women.
Not Bookmarked the Theodotus Inscription.

05.05.04.C. A Roman Relief Of A Banker At Work.
05.05.05.A. Dead Sea Scroll 4Q414 With Baptismal Liturgy.
05.05.05.B. Early Israelite Incense Burner Adorned With Snakes.
05.05.05.C. First Century Mikvah.
05.05.05.D. Fifth Century Cross-Shaped Baptistery.
05.05.07.A. Ruins of The Machaerus Palace-Fortress.

Unit 06 The Ministry Of Jesus Accelerates
06.01 The Ministry Of Jesus Begins In Galilee
06.01.00.A. Jesus Teaches His Disciples.
06.01.02.A. The Road Into Sabaste, Samaria.
06.01.03.A. Samaritan Mannequins In White Costumes.
06.01.07.A. A Mosaic Of A First Century Fishing Boat.
06.01.07.B. The So-Called Jesus Boat.

06.01.07.C. A Roman Milestone at Capernaum
06.01.07.D. Inscription Of The Roman Milestone.

06.02 Rejection In Nazareth
06.02.00.A. The Road from Nazareth to Jerusalem
06.02.02.A. The Seat Of Moses And The Berma Stone.
06.02.02.B. The Seat Of Moses.
06.02.02.C. The Reconstructed Nazareth Synagogue.
06.02.02.D. The Traditional Cliff Of Nazareth.

06.03 The Ministry Of Jesus Accelerates In Galilee
06.03.00.A. Jesus And His Disciples In A Fishing Boat.
06.03.01.A. An Illustration Of Night Fishing With A Trammel Net.
06.03.01.B. An Illustration Of How Fish Are Caught In A Trammel Net.
06.03.01.C. Casting A Standard Net.
06.03.01.D. Cleaning Fishing Nets.
06.03.01.E. An Old Illustration Of Fishermen Fishing.

06.03.02.A. Synagogue At Capernaum.
06.03.02.B. Ruins Of The Roman Bathhouse At Capernaum.
06.03.02.C. Basalt Grinding Stones.
06.03.02.D. Cashe Of Glass Vessels.
06.03.02.E. Decorated Plaster Pieces From Peters Home.

06.03.04.A. Octagonal Byzantine Foundations Over Peters Home.
06.03.08.A. Egerton Papyrus 2 Fragments.
06.03.09.A. Typical Outside Steps To The Roof.
06.03.09.B. Roman Roof Tile.
06.03.09.C. Fragment Roof Tile With 10
th
Legion Inscription.

07.01 Jesus Stuns The Jewish Leadership
07.01.00.A. Jesus Teaching In The Temple.
07.01.03.A. An Old Wineskin.
07.01.04.A. Ruins Of The Pool Of Bethesda.
07.01.04.B. The Interior Of The Ruins Of The Pool Of Bethesda.
07.01.04.C. Asclepius Artifacts From The Pool of Bethesda.

07.01.04.D. Coins Of John Hyrcanus II.
07.01.04.E. Statuettes Of Healing Gods.

07.02 The Sabbath Challenge
07.02.00.A. Jesus And His Disciples Plucking Grain.

07.03 Jesus The Master Teacher
07.03.00.A. Cornerstone
07.03.01.A. A Sign Of Modern Observance Of Ancient Purity.
07.03.02.A. The Bay Of The Parables.
07.03.03.A. Chart Of The Disciples According To The Gospel Books
07.03.05.B. The Popular Site Of The Sermon On The Mount.
07.03.05.C. The Actual Site Of The Sermon On The Mount.

01 Warning The Religious Leaders
08.01.00.A. Jesus Warns The Jewish Leaders.
08.01.03.A. The Dead Sea Salt Mountain.
08.01.03.B. A City Upon A Hill.
08.01.05.A. Photo of the Hinnom Valley

02 Marriage, Divorce, Oaths And Forgiveness
08.02.00.A. Jesus Teaches The Crowds.
08.02.03.A. A First Century Bill Of Divorce.

03 Righteousness, Prayer, And Fasting
08.03.00.A. Jesus Teaches Principles Of Life

04 Concerns Of Life
08.04.00.A. Jesus Challenges A Religious Leader.
08.04.02.A. Wild Flowers Of Israel.
08.04.02.B. A Typical Clay Oven.
08.04.05.A. Traditional Bread.
08.04.08.A. Black Basalt Sand Of The Sea Of Galilee.

05 Astonishing Power And Authority
08.05.00.A. Jesus With Friends In The House Of Simon.
08.05.02.A. Ruins Of The Roman Bath House In Capernaum.
08.05.04.A. Dead Sea Scroll Fragment No. 4Q521.
08.05.07.A. The Ruins Of Magdala.
08.05.07.B. The Ruins Of The Magdala Fish Market.

08.05.07.C. A First Century Alabaster Bottle.
08.05.07.D. First Century Magdala Synagogue Stone

06 Of Nature, Demons, And Healings
08.06.00.A. Jesus Commands The Winds And The Waves.
08.06.02.A. A Model Of A Herodian Grain Ship.
08.06.02.B. Crosswind Warning Sign.
08.06.03.A. Hill Of The Swine.
08.06.03.B. Gadara Coin With Word Naumachia.

08.06.03.C. Village Ruins Of Gadara.
08.06.03.D. A Mosaic Floor In The Ruins Of A Decapolis Church.
08.06.03.E. A Relief Of Sacrificial Animals, Including A Pig.
08.06.03.F. Ruins Of The Original Kursi Memorial.
08.06.03.G. The Ruins Of The 6
th
Century Kursi Memorial.

08.06.05.A. Jewish Garment With Tassels.
08.06.05.B. Jewish Man With Prayer Shawl.

09.01 Rejection Of Jesus And His Message
09.01.00.A. Jesus Foretells The Destruction Of Jerusalem.
09.01.03.A. The Peaceful Sea Of Galilee At Sunset.
09.01.03.B. Chart Of Comparative Acceptance Rejection Attitudes Of
Jewish Leadership Toward Jesus

09.01.05.A. The Ancient Seal Of Solomon Carved In Stone.

09.02 Jesus Announces Woes; Leaders Attempt Entrapment
09.02.00.A. Jesus Discusses The Law With The Pharisees.
09.02.02.A. The Tomb Of Zechariah.

09.03 Prophetic Parables And Actions
09.03.00.A. Jesus Teaches As A Sower Sows.
09.03.08.A. Herods Aqueduct Pipe.
09.03.14.A. An Illustration Of Terraced Land.
09.03.14.B. Olive Trees On Terraced Hillside.
09.03.15.A. Wheat And Tares.

09.03.19.A. First Century Herodian Oil Lamp.
09.03.23.A. Dragnet

09.04 The Cost Of Following Jesus
09.04.00.A. Jesus Said, Come Unto Me.
09.04.01.A. A Relief Of A Roman Eagle.
09.04.02.A. A Wooden Ossuary.
09.04.02.B. Limestone Ossuaries In A Tomb.

10.01 The Disciples Begin To Function As Apostles
10.01.00.A. Jesus Walks On Water At Night.
10.01.02.A. A Typical Farm Plow.
10.01.11.A. Ruins Of The Machaerus Palace-Fortress.
10.01.11.B. The Burial Site Of John The Baptist In Samaria.
10.01.13.A. Mosaic Of The Miracle Of The Multiplication.

10.01.13.B. The Archaeological Site At Bethsaida.
10.01.14.A. The Dead Sea Scroll Fragment 7Q5, Known As The Jesus
Papyrus.
10.01.20.A. The Remains Of Pilates Aqueduct.
10.01.20.B. Inscription Of The Korban Solved.
10.01.26.A. A Memorial To The Feeding Of The 4,000.

10.01.29.A. The City Gates Of Megiddo.
10.01.29.B. Banias And The Cave Of Pan.
10.01.29.C. Niches For The Idols Of Pan And Other Greek Gods.
10.01.29.D. A Mosaic Of The God Pan Before The Tiger-Drawn Chariot
of Dionysius.

Unit 11 The Transfiguration, Miracles, And Disciple Training
01 The Transfiguration
11.01.00.A. The Transfiguration Of Jesus.
11.01.02.A. Ruins Of The Mount Tabor Fortification
11.01.02.B. Ruins Of The Village Of Atabyrion On Mount Tabor.
11.01.02.C. Snow-Capped Mount Hermon In Late Spring.

02 More Miracles And Discipleship Training
11.02.00.A. Jesus And The Adulteress Woman.
11.02.01.A. The Mountain Moved By Herod The Great.
11.02.03.A. The Tyrian Silver Shekel.
11.02.05.A. A Millstone.

11.02.11.A. The Traditional Site Of The Pool Of Siloam.
11.02.11.B. The Authentic Pool Of Siloam.
11.02.12.A. Model Of The Temple.
11.02.17.A. The Temple Menorah On The Arch Of Titus.
11.02.20.A. Coins Of Antiochus IV Epiphanies.
11.02.27.A. A Reconstructed Sheep Fold.

01 The Disciples Function As Apostles
12.01.00.A. Jesus Visits His Friends In Bethany
12.01.02.A. The Archaeological Site Of Bethsaida.
12.01.05.A. The Dangerous Cliffs Of The Wadi Kelt Along The Jericho-
Jerusalem Road.
12.01.05.B. The Upper Section Of The Jericho-Jerusalem Road (1920s).
12.01.05.C. The Ruins Of A Protective Turkish Military Outpost.
12.01.05.D. The Good Samaritan Inn.

02 The Perean Ministry
12.02.00.A. Jesus Teaches the Crowds

03 Jesus Goes Towards Jerusalem
12.03.00.A Jesus Summons Lazarus From The Tomb
12.03.05.A Woman With Coins Attached To Her Scarf
12.03.05.B Rough Stone Floor In A 4
th
Century (A.D.) Rabbis House In
Katzrim.
12.03.09.A. Modern Day Laborers In Jerusalem.
12.03.09.B. An Original Vineyard Watchtower.
12.03.11.A. Illustration Of A Body In Burial Garments.
12.03.11.B. The Tomb Of Lazarus.
12.03.14.A. The Ruins Of Beth Shean.
12.03.15.A. Roof Top Living As In Ancient Times.
12.03.15.B. A Pair Of Grinding Stones.

04 Miracles And Teachings Intensify
12.04.00.A. Jesus Tells Zacchaeus To Come Down From The Tree.
12.04.06.A. An Egyptian Fig, Or Sycamore Tree.
12.04.09.A. The Magdalene Papyrus Fragments.

01 Preview Of Events And The Triumphal Entry
13.01.00.A. The Triumphal Entry.
13.01.02.A. The Eastern (Golden) Gate Of Jerusalem.
13.01.04.A. Coin illustration
13.01.04.B. Coins with palm branches
13.01.04.C. Coins with palm branches

13.01.05.A Judaea Capta Coin
13.01.05.B Bar Kokhba Coin

13.02 Prediction Of Judaea And Plots Of Jesus Death
13.02.00.A. Merchants Chased From The Temple
13.02.01.A. The Early Fruit Of The Fig Tree.
13.02.02.A. Temple Warning Inscription.
13.02.05.A. The Creation Of The Herodian Palace-Fortress.

03 The First Examination Of Jesus
13.03.00.A. Jesus Addressed The Crowd

04 The Second Examination Of Jesus
13.04.00.A. The Healing Of The Lame Man
13.04.02.A. Roman Denarius.
13.04.03.A. Sadducean Tomb Inscription.
13.04.03.B. Graffiti Of Ascending Souls.
13.04.06.A. The Seat Of Moses.

13.04.06.B. A Phylactery Tefillin.
13.04.06.C. Translation Of The Phylactery Tefillin.
13.04.06.D. Man Wearing A Phylactery.

05 The Fourth Level Of Pharisees Condemned
13.05.00.A. Jesus Confronts The Leading Pharisees
13.05.02.A. A Roman Sword in the ruins of the House of Kathros.
13.05.04.A. Modern White-Washed Tomb.
13.05.05.A. The So-called Tomb Of Zechariah.

01 Prophecies Of His Crucifixion And Return
14.01.00.A. Judas Betrays Christ
14.01.03.A. Herodian Ashlars Of The Western Wall.
14.01.04.A. A Reconstructed Roman Catapult.
14.01.04.B. Church Ruins In Pella.
14.01.04.C. Stones Of The Ruined Temple.

14.01.04.D. A Modern Jewish False Messiah.
14.01.04.E. The Gentile Elijah.
14.01.10.A. The Temples Southern Steps.
14.01.11.A. The Temple And Antonia Fortress.
14.01.12.A. The Magdalen Papyrus.

02 Encouragement And Final Passover
14.02.00.A. The Last Supper
14.02.03.A. Mosaic Of A Male Water Carrier.
14.02.03.B. A Relief Of A Male Water Carrier.
14.02.03.C. The Traditional Upper Room.
14.02.03.D. Jerusalem as depicted on the A.D. 542 mosaic Madaba Map.

14.02.04.A. A Recreated Triclinium Table.
14.02.04.B. A Relief Of A Wealthy Roman On His Couch
14.02.05.A. Second Temple Period Seal Certified Temple Sacrifice.
14.02.07.A. Foot-Washing Basin.

Unit 15 The Passion Escalates
01 The Final Discourse
15.01.00.A. Jesus Looks Mournfully Over The City Of Jerusalem.
15.01.01.A. Relief Carving Of Vine And Branches.

02 The Betrayal and Arrest
15.02.00.A. The Betrayal Of Jesus.
15.02.01.A. The Cave Of Gethsemane. (cave of Christs teaching?? )
15.02.01.B. Illustration Of A Beam Olive Press.
15.02.02.A. The Garden Of Gethsemane.
15.02.09.A. An Old Illustration Of Two Men Fishing Naked.

03 The Three Jewish Trials
15.03.00.A. Jesus Is Examined By Caiaphas.
15.03.06.A. A Model Of The Palace Of Caiaphas The High Priest.
15.03.06.B. The Steps To The House Of Caiaphas.
15.03.06.C. A Wall Sculpture Depicting Jesus Arrested And Taken To
Caiaphas
15.03.06.D. The Prison Basement Of Caiaphas.

15.03.07.A. The Burial Ossuary Of Caiaphas.
15.03.12.A. Relief Carving Of Assyrians Impaling Israelites.
15.03.12.B. The Valley Of Hinnom.

04 The Three Roman Trials
15.04.00.A. Jesus Before Pilate.
15.04.02.A. The Praetorian Guard.
15.04.03.A. John Rylands Fragment.
15.04.04.A. A Model Of The Antonia Fortress.

01 The Crucifixion
16.01.00.A. The Crucifixion Of Jesus.
16.01.02.A. A Reconstructed Roman Flogging Whip With Iron Barbs.
16.01.02.B. Illustration Of A Criminal Being Flogged.
16.01.02.C. A Crown Of Thorns.
16.01.06.A. Inscription Of Pilate And Tiberius.

16.01.06.B. The Inscribed Latin Words That Honor Pilate And Tiberius.
(The Pilate Inscription?)
16.01.07.A. A Wall Mural Of A First Century Jerusalem Street.
16.01.07.B. A Sculpture Of Jesus Dragging His Cross

16.01.08.A. The Burial Ossuary Of Alexander, The Son Of Simon Of
Cyrene.
16.01.10.A. Bones Of A Hand

16.01.10.B. Crucified Ankle Bone Attached To Olive Wood.
16.01.10.C. Anti-Christian Graffatti.
16.01.10.D. Clarified Sketch Of Anti-Christian Graffatti
16.01.11.A. An Illustration Of A Roman Titulus.
16.01.11.B. Illustrations Of Four Methods Of Crucifixion.

16.01.12.A. Roman Dice.
16.01.12.B. A Game Of Dice Incised In Stone
16.01.12.C. The Ossuary of James, the Brother of Jesus

01 Miraculous Events That Occurred At His Death
17.01.00.A. The Dead Appear In The Temple
17.01.02.A. The Hill Of Evil Counsel.
17.02.00.A. Christ In The Sepulcher Guarded By Angels

02 Jesus Is Laid To Rest
17.02.00.A. Christ In The Sepulcher Guarded By Angels
17.02.02.A. The Tomb At Gordons Calvary.
17.02.02.B. An Illustration Of A Rich Familys Tomb.
17.02.02.C. Tomb Illustrations.
17.02.02.D. Hadrians Wall At The Holy Sepulcher.

17.02.02.E. The Shroud Of Turin With Its Image Of Jesus.
17.02.02.F. The Shroud Of Turin Illustrated.
17.02.02.G. Church Of The Holy Sepulcher.
17.02.03.A. The Nazareth Inscription, a/k/a The Ordinance Of Caesar.

01 Risen From The Grave
18.01.00.A. Jesus Reveals Himself To Mary Magdalene
18.01.11.A. Jewish Coin Of The First Revolt (A.D. 66-70).
18.01.11.B. Roman Bath House Ruins In Emmaus.

02 Final Instructions And
Ascension
18.02.00.A. The Resurrection Of Jesus.
18.02.02.A. Medallion Commemorates The Day Of Pentecost.
18.02.02.B. The Day Of Pentecost As Depicted In The Rabula Codex Of
586
18.02.03.A. The Mosque Of The Ascension.
18.02.06.A. A Third Century Mosaic Depicts Edessean King Abgar Upon
A Funerary Couch.

03 Closing Comments
18.03.00.A. Summary of the Bible
18.03.00.B. Coin With The Image Of Christos.

Unit 19 Appendices
19.00.00.A. The Triumph Of Christ
19.05.00.A. The Calendar Of Jewish Festivals.
19.16.00.A. Divisions Of The Day.

Unit 20 Works Cited
20.00.00.A. Saint Mark The Evangelist In His Study

01.03.03 Table 3 of Maps

02.01.03.Z Map Of The Two Jewish Diasporas.

03.04.17.Z Map of the Regions of the Decapolis Cities To be corrected
03.05.05.Z Map Of The Holy Land Under Hasmonean Domination
03.05.25.Z Map Of Fortresses By The Hasmoneans And Herod the Great
03.06.06.Z The Division Map Of Herods Kingdom.

04.04.06.Z Map Of The Popular Route From Ur And Babylon To Jerusalem.
04.05.02.Z A Map Of The Holy Familys Route To/From Egypt.

05.02.03.Z The Madaba Mosaic Map Depicting Bethany beyond the Jordan
05.03.01.Z Map Of The Travel Route Of John The Baptist

Unit 06 The Ministry Of Jesus Accelerates
06.01.02.Z Map Depicting The Ancient Tribal Areas Of Zebulun And Naphtali.
06.02.02.Z Map of the Evangelical Triangle

07.03.05.Z Map Of Major Roads In 1
st
Century Israel

10.01.24.Z. Map Of The Travel Route of Jesus through the Decapolis.

12.02.02.Z Map of Three Jewish Provinces of Judea, Galilee, and Perea.

14.02.03.Z. Map of the Essene Quarter of Jerusalem. To be acquired

17.02.02.Z. Map Of Jerusalem.

01.03.04 Table 4 of Hermeneutical Principals Used by First Century Jewish Writers
04.04.04.X A Word Play Known As A Mnemonic
04.05.02.X Use Of A Double Reference

05.01.02.X The Major Prophet Speaks

07.03.05.X Natural Expressions By Jesus Without Quotations

08.01.04.X The Significance Of Letter Serifs
08.03.04.X The Mystery Of Ipsissima Verba And Ipsissima Vox.
08.04.07.X Understanding parables

09.01.05.X1 Figures Of Speech
09.01.05.X2 Clarification Of Old Testament Passages
09.02.02.X Quoting The Overview Of Scripture
09.03.11.X The First Principle Of A Parable

12.01.05.X Use Of Known Stories And Events
12.03.08.X A Parable That Reflects History see 12.04.07

13.02.04.X Conveying A Verse Without Words
13.02.05.X Explaining The Unknown With Use of the Known

18.01.05.X An Idea Vs. A Quotation

01.03.05 Table 5 of Answers to Questions posed by Critics and Analytical Thinkers

If you are a skeptic and question who Jesus was, then hopefully this website will bring answers
to your life. You might be overwhelmed at the phenomenal amount of evidence there is about
Him. But this evidence is often hidden within the cultural context. For example, I have often
been told that Jesus never claimed to be God, meaning deity as being separate from messiah.
That is true in the sterile analytical vacuum of a literary microscope, but within the religious and
cultural environment, His words and actions frequently revealed His deity. This website explains
those hidden details.

Therefore, consider the seminary professor who once asked, Did Jesus know that He was God?
Had he understood first century Jewish culture and how Jesus communicated His deity, he would
have known the answer. Critics and inquiring minds have always been confronted with passages
they did not fully understand and, therefore, often made inaccurate interpretations.

Now for those who believe they have read just about everything there is on the most significant
person in history, hopefully this website will reinvigorate your quest to know Him more fully.
However, regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey and/or academic career, if my
work does not bring you into a closer relationship with our Lord, then I have failed miserably.
You may not agree with all my comments and interpretations, but you do have to agree that Jesus
is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and He desires to be the personal Savior of every person.

Keep in mind that we, in the Western tradition, study and examine the Scriptures with logic and
reasoning. However, while this is important, Jesus created meaning with the use of metaphor,
simile, dramatic stories, and parables to teach the theology of the Kingdom of God, more than
He did with logic and reasoning. But the Apostle Paul used logic, reasoning, ideas, and
metaphors. Clearly there is a bridge to be crossed for the reader to fully understand the words of
Scripture that can be incorporated with the Holy Spirit.

Theological Issues Related To The Gospel Narratives
04.01.03.Q1 Was/is Jesus God?
04.01.03.Q2 How can it be said that no one has ever seen God (Jn. 1:18) when
other passages (i.e., Ex. 33:11) clearly indicate otherwise?
04.03.08.Q5 What is the significance of the virgin birth?
04.03.10.Q1 Why was Jesus born?
04.04.07.Q1 Concerning Matthew 2:9-12, did God approve of the Magis use of
astrology?
04.05.04.Q1 How could Matthew say that a prophet (Isaiah) identified Jesus as a
Nazarene when there was no Nazareth when the prophet lived?

05.02.03.Q1 Why was Jesus baptized? Mt. 3:13-17; Mk. 1:9-11; Lk. 3:21-23a
05.02.04.Q1 In Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4: 10, did Satan speak the truth?
05.02.04.Q2 Was Jesus capable of committing a sin?
05.03.01.Q1 Why did John the Baptist say he was not Elijah (Jn. 1:21), but Jesus
said that he was (Mt. 11:13-14; Mk. 9:13)?
06.03.09.Q1 How did the mere phrase Your sins are forgiven, proclaim Jesus as
deity?

07.01.04.Q1 What is the significance of this invalid man having suffered for
thirty-eight years?
07.01.04.Q2 Why did the invalid man at the Pool of Bethesda not need faith to be
healed?
09.01.03.Q1 What was the significance of the Beelzebub discussion?
10.01.24.Q1 Why did Jesus spit?
14.02.19.Q1 Was Jesus equal or less than the Father in heaven?

16.01.14.Q1 Did Jesus take the repentant thief to heaven on the day they died?
18.01.03.Q1 Who was at the tomb on Sunday morning?
18.01.03.Q2 If the Sabbath was to be on the seventh day, how could Jews, who
honored God and the Law, move it to the first day?
08.03.04.Q3 How can the Kingdom of God be a future event if it has already
arrived?
08.03.04.Q2 Is the prayer of Matthew 6:9-13 the same as the prayer in Luke 11:2-
4?

Questions Concerning The Birth And Childhood Of Jesus
04.02.02.Q1 What is the purpose of a genealogical listing (Mt. 1:1-17)?
04.02.02.Q2 Is there a mistake in Matthew 1:11concerning the name of Jeconiah?
04.02.02.Q3 Concerning Matthew 1:9, was Uzziah really the father of Jothan?
04.02.02.Q4 Why did Matthew divide the list of names into three groups?
04.02.02.Q5 Do other biblical genealogies suggest unique messages (Mt. 1:1-17)?

04.02.02.Q6 Why did Matthew include four women of less than favorable
character?
04.02.03.Q1 What are the three interpretations of Luke 3:23b-38?
04.02.03.Q2 Why is Josephs father named Heli in Luke 3:23 but is named Jacob
in Matthew 1:16?
04.03.04.Q1 Why was it important for Mary to visit Elizabeth?
04.03.06.Q1 When was John the Baptist born and why is this date significant (Lk.
1:57-66)?

04.03.07.Q1 What was the possible connection between the family of John the
Baptist and the Essenes (Lk. 1:67-80)?
04.03.08.Q1 What wedding customs in Galilee shaped the betrothal of Mary and
Joseph (Mt. 1:18-25a)?
04.03.08.Q2 Why could Joseph not have stoned Mary to death (Mt. 1:18-25a)?
04.03.08.Q3 Why do the gospels fail to call Jesus the Prince of Peace as
predicted in Isaiah 9:6 (see Mt. 1:18-25a)?
04.03.08.Q4 Can the concept of the virgin birth be supported historically (Mt.
1:18-25a)?

04.03.08.Q5 What is the significance of the virgin birth (Mt. 1:18-25a)?
04.03.08.Q6 What is the Immaculate Conception and is there a biblical basis for it
(Mt. 1:18-25a)?
04.03.08.Q7 How does one explain so-called other virgin births in history (Mt.
1:18-25a)?
04.03.08.Q8 Could the idea of a virgin birth have been borrowed from pagan
sources as critics claim (Mt. 1:18-25a)?
04.03.08.Q9 If Jesus was born of a virgin, why did the Apostle Paul not refer to
it? (Mt. 1:18-25a)?

04.03.09.Q1 Did Luke make an error concerning Quirinius (Lk. 2:1-7)?
04.03.09.Q2 Why was Quirinius appointed to the rulership position of the Roman
district of Syria?
04.03.09.Q3 Why did Joseph have to return to Bethlehem for a Roman census?
04.03.10.Q2 When was Jesus born (Lk. 2:1-7)?
04.03.10.Q3 Where was Jesus born (Lk. 2:1-7)?

04.04.06.Q1 How does the prophecy in Matthew 2:6 agree with Micah 5:2? (2x)
04.04.06.Q2 Could the magi have come from Arabia, rather than from Parthia in
the east?
04.04.06.Q3 Who were the wise men/magi?
04.04.06.Q4 Why were the wise men/magi interested in a Jewish Messiah (Mt. 2:1-8)?
04.04.07.Q1 Concerning Matthew 2:9-12, did God approve of the Magis use of
astrology? 2x

04.04.07.Q2 Was Herod the Great guilty of treason?
04.05.02.Q1 Where in Egypt did Mary, Joseph, and Jesus go (Mt. 2:13-15)?
04.06.02.Q1 How did Jesus attain the incredible knowledge that He displayed at
the temple when He was merely twelve years old?

When Biblical Passages Seem Not To Agree -
04.02.02.Q3 Concerning Matthew 1:9, was Uzziah really the father of Jothan?
04.04.06.Q1 How does the prophecy in Matthew 2:6 agree with Micah 5:2? (2x)
05.02.04.Q3 Whose account of the temptations is accurate, Lukes or Matthews?
05.03.02.Q2 How does John 1:29 reconcile with Luke 7:19?
05.05.05.Q3 In light of Romans 10:9, was it possible for Nicodemus to become
born again?

05.05.05.Q4 Why does John 3:16 say that God loves the world and John 9:39 say
that Jesus came to this world to judge it?
07.02.02.Q2 Did Mark make a mistake in 2:26 when he made a historic reference
to the days of Abiathar the high priest?
07.03.03.Q1 Why do the gospels not agree on the names of the disciples?
07.03.05.Q2 How does one explain the apparent Sermon on the Mount
disagreement between Matthew 5:1 and Luke 6:20?
08.02.07.Q1 Did Moses quote Hammurabi, and if so, how does this affect the
words of Jesus in Matthew 5:18?

08.03.04.Q1 Why did Jesus pray, do not bring us into temptation, (Mt. 6:13)
when James said that God doesnt tempt us (James. 1:13-14)?
08.03.04.Q2 Is the prayer of Matthew 6:9-13 the same as the prayer in Luke 11:2-
4?
08.05.04.Q1 What is the miracle or mystery of Dead Sea Scroll 4Q521?
08.05.02.Q1 Who met Jesus, the centurion or his servant?
08.06.03.Q3 Why are there name variations for this region (Gadarenes)?
08.06.03.Q4 Were there one or two demoniacs?

08.06.06.Q1 Was the daughter of Jairus dead or asleep?
09.02.02.Q1 Why did Jesus refer to passages in the Bible that do not exist?
10.01.05.Q1 Which is correct: To take a staff, or nothing . . . except a staff?
10.01.26.Q1 Does Mark 8:12 conflict with Matthew 12:39 and 16:4?
11.01.02.Q3 Did the Transfiguration occur in six days or eight?

11.02.12.Q1 Concerning the wording of John 7:6, 8 and 10, did Jesus lie?
11.02.17.Q1 Why did Jesus present two witnesses?
11.02.25.Q1 Does John 9:39 conflict with 5:22 and 8:15?
12.01.02.Q1 Did Jesus send out seventy or seventy-two disciples (Lk. 1:1-16 vs.
Mt. 11:20-24)?
12.04.02.Q1 In Matthew 19:16-26 and parallels, could the gospel writers have
meant rope, instead of camel?

12.04.04.Q1 How can Matthew 20:20 be reconciled with Mark 10:35?
12.04.05.Q1 How many blind men were there, and was one of them blind or just a
beggar?
12.04.05.Q2 Was Jesus coming from or going to Jericho when the healing
occurred?
12.04.09.Q2 Is there a conflict between John 12:1-3 and Mark 14:1-3?
14.01.11.Q1 Is the account in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9 the same as in
Luke 7:37-38?

14.02.22.Q1 Concerning the number of rooster crows, how does Matthew 26:34
reconcile with Mark 14:30?
14.02.22.Q2 How do the Synoptic gospels reconcile with the gospel of John on
the Passover Narrative?
15.03.12.Q1 How does one explain the obvious disagreement concerning the
suicide of Judas as recorded in Matthew 27:5 and Acts 1:18?
15.03.12.Q4 How is the discrepancy between Matthew 27:6 and Acts 1:18
explained?
15.03.12.Q5 Did Matthew make a mistake when he attributed the words of
Zechariah to Jeremiah?

18.01.05.Q1 How many angels were at the tomb of Jesus?
18.01.09.Q1 What is an Admission of Interest?
18.01.10.Q1 If the body of Jesus was stolen, who would have taken it?
18.01.14.Q1 Does Luke 24:41 oppose John 20:19?

Questions Of History, Culture, And Religion
02.01.14.Q1 What were the four levels of Pharisees?
02.01.06.Q1 How did a one become a member of the Essene sect and how does
this relate to the Pharisees?
05.01.04.Q1 How did the religious leaders appraise someone they suspected to be
a new self-appointed rabbi or wanna-be messiah?
05.03.02.Q1 Was the baptism by John similar to the baptism ritual that the Jews
performed when a proselyte joined them?
05.04.02.Q1 What were the Jewish expectations of the Messiah? (see
12.01.24.Q1)

05.05.02.Q1 Why did Mary pose the question to Jesus?
05.05.02.Q2 Where was Joseph, the legal father of Jesus?
05.05.02.Q3 Did the wine that Jesus created, contain alcohol?
05.05.02.Q4 What is the difference between wine and strong drink?
05.05.04.Q1 What is the evidence against the existence of a temple banking
system?

05.05.05.Q1 How could an evil symbol of a snake of Numbers 21:4-9, be
associated with Jesus crucified upon a Cross?
05.05.05.Q2 Should Nicodemus have known or suspected anything about a new
birth?
05.05.06.Q1 What happened to the disciples of John the Baptist who did not
follow Jesus?
05.05.06.Q2 Did Jesus baptize anyone?
06.02.02.Q2 The Sabbath Days walk -- How far did they take Jesus?

07.02.02.Q1 Were there non-Sabbath Sabbath Days?
08.02.03.Q1 Did polygamy exist in the first century?
08.02.07.Q2 Who challenged Jesus in various public discussions?
09.01.03.Q1 What was the significance of the Beelzebub discussion?
10.01.19.Q1 Why did Jesus chose Judas Iscariot?

10.01.24.Q1 Why did Jesus spit?
10.01.24.Q2 What were the Jewish perceptions of the messiah?
10.01.28.Q1 What was the purpose of the two-step healing process in Mark 8:22-
26?
15.02.09.Q1 Concerning Mark 14:52, was a certain young man who ran away
really naked?
17.02.02.Q6 What were the typical first century tombs like?

17.02.03.Q1 What significant extra-biblical comments on the life and death of
Jesus survived the centuries?
18.01.06.Q1 Why did John hesitate when he came to the tomb?

Questions Concerning Difficult Ideas, Words, Phrases, And Actions
06.01.07.Q1 What was the purpose of the miracles performed by Jesus?
06.01.08.Q1 What is the Kingdom of Heaven?
06.01.08.Q2 Is there a difference within the phrases Kingdom of God/Heaven?
06.02.02.Q1 What was the unseen miracle in Nazareth?
06.03.04.Q1 Why is healing Peters mother-in-law to be considered more than a
healing miracle?

06.03.08.Q1 Why did Jesus heal the man, but not declare forgiveness of his sins?
06.03.08.Q2 What were the three messianic miracles that first century Jews
believed the Messiah would perform?
06.03.08.Q3 Who else, besides the Jewish people, anticipated the coming
Messiah?
08.02.06.Q1 What was a difference between the vow, the oath, and a ban?
08.03.04.Q3 How can the Kingdom of God be a future event if it has already
arrived?

09.01.05.Q1 What was the sign of Jonah?
09.01.05.Q2 Is the phrase three days and three nights to be interpreted literally
or is it a figure of speech?
12.01.02.Q2 What are the differences among the terms Hell, Hades, and
Gehenna?
14.02.12.Q1 Was the new commandment of John 13:34 really new if it was
written in Leviticus 19:18?

Questions You May Not Have Considered
07.01.04.Q3 Did Jesus demonstrate His power over the Greek god Asclepius?
07.03.01.Q1 Did Jesus teaching method, the dialectic argument, originate with
Socrates?
07.03.03.Q2 Was Judas Iscariot a Jew or an Idumean?
07.03.05.Q1 What are the differences between Old and New Testament
blessings?
08.06.03.Q1 Was Gerasa really the home of the pig farmers?

08.06.03.Q2 What is significant about the demons entering the pigs?
08.06.03.Q5 If Jesus cursed Capernaum, Chorizim, and Bethsaida, why didnt He
curse Gadara?
08.03.01.Q1 Are all rabbinic writings reflective of the time of Jesus?
08.03.03.Q1 Why isnt there a strong teaching on tithing in the New Testament?
08.04.07.Q1 What was the verbal formula exorcists used in casting out demons?

08.04.07.Q2 Why did Jesus teach with parables?
08.05.02.Q1 Who met Jesus, the centurion or his servant?
08.05.04.Q1 What is the miracle or mystery of Dead Sea Scroll 4Q521?
08.05.05.Q1 In Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28, what is meant by the question,
There is none greater than John?
08.06.02.Q1 Did Jesus experience an earthquake?
11.01.02.Q1 Did the Transfiguration occur on Mount Tabor or Mount Hermon?
11.01.02.Q2 What is the significance of Moses and Elijah coming to the mountain
with Jesus?
11.02.16.Q1 Did Jesus forgive the woman caught in adultery?
11.02.16.Q2 Why isnt John 8:2-11 in some ancient manuscripts?
11.02.17.Q1 Why did Jesus present two witnesses?

12.03.06.Q1 How could an inheritance be given prior to a death?
12.03.07.Q1 In Luke 16:1-13, what is the point Jesus made concerning the
dishonest manager?
12.03.08.Q1 How could pagan cultural stories become part of the inspired text?
12.03.10.Q1 Why did Jesus wait for four days to raise Lazarus up from the dead?
12.03.12.Q1 Did the high priest have a rope tied around his ankle when he
entered the Holy of Holies?

12.03.15.Q1 Why did Jesus tell His followers to remember Lots wife (Lk.
17:32)?
12.04.06.Q1 On what biblical principle did Zacchaeus offer to pay back four
times anything he may have taken unjustly?
12.04.09.Q1 How could Mary have afforded expensive perfume such as Indian
Spike?

Questions And Explanations Related To Hermeneutics The Art And Science Of
Interpretation.
02.02.06.Q1 Why is the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls so significant?
02.02.16.Q1 Why are some Jewish writings similar to New Testament
teachings?
08.03.04.Q4 What is the significance of verbal statements, ipsissima verba and
ipsissima vox?
09.02.02.Q1 Why did Jesus refer to passages in the Bible that do not exist?

The Teaching And Ministry Of Jesus
02.02.03.Q1 Did Jesus quote from the Apocrypha?
02.03.04.Q1 How did one become a rabbi or a disciple of a rabbi?
09.01.05.Q1 What was the sign of Jonah?
09.01.05.Q2 Is the phrase three days and three nights to be interpreted literally
or is it a figure of speech?
11.02.21.Q1 Why did Jesus use spit and mud to heal the blind man in John 9:1-
12?

10.01.03.Q1 Concerning Matthew 9:38 and Luke 10:2, who is the Lord of the
harvest?
10.01.11.Q1 What is the mystery of John the Baptist?
10.01.12.Q1 Is there a wilderness near Bethsaida?
10.01.23.Q1 Why did Jesus go to the regions of Tyre and Sidon and later to the
Decapolis cities?
12.03.01.Q1 What Messianic problems did the Jewish leaders have with Jesus?

13.03.07.Q1 Was Jesus familiar with non-biblical literary sources?
13.04.06.Q1 In Matthew 23:9-10, why did Jesus say, Do not call anyone on earth
father, or be called teacher?

Questions On The Passion Week And Resurrection
12.04.08.Q1 What were the reasons the Jewish leadership planned the death of
Jesus?
13.01.02.Q1 Why did Jesus need to ride a donkey that was untrained?
13.01.02.Q2 How is the apparent conflict of the number of donkeys explained?
13.02.03.Q1 If the Pharisees planned His death, why did they not pursue their plan?
13.05.02.Q1 Was Jesus a Pharisee?

13.05.02.Q2 Did the Jews believe in winning the Gentiles to God?
14.01.04.Q1 What is the Jerusalem Syndrome?
14.01.04.Q2 What was the difference between Jewish and Roman scourges?
14.01.07.Q1 Who or what do the five foolish virgins represent?
14.01.12.Q1 Why did Judas need to betray Jesus when everyone easily
recognized Him?

14.01.12.Q2 Why was a conspiracy needed to kill Jesus?
14.02.03.Q1 On what day did Jesus celebrate the Passover?
14.02.03.Q2 How authentic is the site of the Upper Room?
14.02.05.Q1 How was the Passover Seder observed?
14.02.06.Q1 Why did Jesus wash the disciples feet?

14.02.20.Q1 Did Jesus approve of His disciples carrying weapons?
15.02.08.Q1 Was it Peters intention to cut off the servants head?
15.03.01.Q1 What rules of justice were broken by the Sanhedrin when they
condemned Jesus to death?
15.03.05.Q1 What is the significance of the Jewish leadership crucifying Jesus?
15.03.08.Q1 What were the reasons the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of
blasphemy?

15.03.08.Q2 Where was Annas during the trial?
15.03.11.Q1 What did Jesus say that caused the Sanhedrin to condemn Him?
15.03.11.Q2 Were all members of the Sanhedrin in favor of Jesus death?
15.03.12.Q1 How does one explain the obvious disagreement concerning the
suicide of Judas as recorded in Matthew 27:5 and Acts 1:18?
15.03.12.Q2 Could Judas have asked for forgiveness?

15.03.12.Q3 Why did Jesus choose Judas for a disciple?
15.04.01.Q1 What were the Roman charges against Jesus?
15.04.01.Q2 Why might Pilate have been concerned about the remote
possibilities of Jesus being a revolutionary?
15.04.02.Q1 If capital punishment was illegal, how could the Jews kill Stephan
and James?
15.04.09.Q1 Does the word all mean the entire Jewish community; every Jew
in the land?

15.04.09.Q2 Would God punish all people because of the decision of their
leaders?
16.01.02.Q1 Should the false witnesses have been scourged?
16.01.02.Q2 What was the game King of a Day?
16.01.05.Q1 What other issues of state may have been challenging to Pilate?
16.01.06.Q1 What happened to those who opposed Jesus?

16.01.10.Q1 Where were the nails placed in the body of Jesus?
16.01.11.Q1 What were the actual words on the sign?

16.01.15.Q1 Why did Jesus break from the cultural norm?
16.01.18.Q1 Why did Jesus die?
16.01.18.Q2 What is the significance of Shed Blood?
16.01.18.Q3 What is mans real problem and the imago dei?
16.01.18.Q4 How old was Jesus when He died?

16.01.18.Q5 What was the year of His death?
16.01.18.Q6 Who killed Jesus?
16.01.18.Q7 Are there other ancient writings of tortures and crucifixions?
17.01.02.Q1 What became of the Sanhedrin?
17.01.02.Q2 Are there other examples of merciless actions by this Court?

17.02.01.Q1 Does Luke 23:1 conflict with 23:51?
17.02.02.Q1 How was the burial of Jesus similar to the Exodus?
17.02.02.Q2 Why was Jesus buried in a new tomb?
17.02.02.Q3 Where was Jesus buried?
17.02.02.Q4 What is the argument for Gordons Garden Tomb?

17.02.02.Q5 What is the argument against Gordons Garden Tomb?
17.02.02.Q6 What were the typical first century tomb like?
17.02.02.Q7 Is the burial cloth of Jesus known as the Shroud of Turin, authentic?
17.02.02.Q8 Was Jesus buried for three days and nights?
18.01.04.Q1 How does the name Easter relate to the resurrection of Jesus?

18.01.04.Q2 When did the Church Age begin?
18.01.05.Q1 What really happened at the tomb?
18.01.10.Q1 If the body of Jesus was stolen, who would have taken it?
18.01.11.Q1 Where is the biblical Emmaus?
18.02.06.Q1 What is the enigma of King Abgarus?

01.03.06 Table 6 of Video Mini-lectures by Archaeologists, Historians, Scholars, and Other
Contributors.

Please note: Not all videos are completed at this point. Expect about 30
educational videos to be posted by the end of winter, 2014-15. Thank you.

01.01.01.V1 Short promotional (2:33) video a MUST SEE!
(Also in Preview)

01.01.01.V2 Welcome and introduction comments by the author, Dr.
William H. Bill Heinrich (4:39).
(Also in Preview)

02.02.06.V Dr. Bryant Wood, Director of Research for Associates of Biblical
Research, discusses the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls in terms of
understanding the life, AND that these are evidence that the
Scriptures have been faithfully translated and transmitted for the past
2,000 years (10:45).
(Also in Preview)

02.03.08.V Dr. Joe Wehrer, adjunct professor at the Mount Zion School of
Ministry, discusses the basic differences between the ancient Greek
and Hebrew languages (15:55).

02.04.01.V Dr. Petra Heldt, professor at Hebrew University, discusses the
ethnic diversities of Jerusalem a melting pot city of many cultures
(8:53).

03.02.01.V Dr. Darrell Boch, professor of New Testament Research at Dallas
Theological Seminary, discusses how the first century Jewish people
viewed the importance of the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants.

04.01.03.V Rev. John Metzger, adjunct professor at the Cornerstone Bible
College discusses the Deity of Jesus in the Old Testament and eternity
past (27:39).
Ministry, discusses Jewish hermeneutics to clarify so-called biblical
conflicts in the gospels (10:37).
04.07.01.V1 Majd Shufani explains the work of reconstructing the
historically accurate first century Nazareth Village (3:04).

04.07.01.V2 Majd Shufani, a guide at the reconstructed first century
Nazareth Village, explains the Greek term tekton, (carpenter) and
type of activities the carpenter performed (5:11).

05.05.04.V Dr. Paul Wright of Jerusalem University College discusses the
temple and the general economy of Jerusalem (12:43).

06.01.03.V Gordon Franz of Associates for Biblical Research discusses the
Samaritan Passover known as the Festival of Zimmuth Pesah (2:57).

06.03.01.V Joel ben Yosef demonstrates fishing techniques with the use of
nets on the Sea of Galilee.

06.03.08.V Rev. John Metzger, adjunct professor at the Cornerstone Bible
College discusses the three Messianic miracles that the Jews of the
Inter-Testamental Period believed the Messiah would be able to
perform (27:37).
(Modified edition is in the Preview)

07.01.04.V1 Dr. Paul Wright, president of Jerusalem University College,
discusses the deity of the man who was an invalid for 38 years at the
Pool of Bethesda (3:58).
(In Preview)

07.01.04.V2 Gordon Franz, visiting professor of archaeology and author,
discusses the man who was an invalid for 38 years as a reflection of
the nation of Israel (11:49).
(In Preview)

07.03.05.V1 An unassigned theologian discusses the differences between
Old and New Testament blessings.

07.03.05.V2 An unassigned historian discusses the significance of the Via
Maris in terms of international trade as well as those who came to
see and hear Jesus.

Ministry, discusses the significance of Ipsissima Verba and
Ipsissima Vox (11:37).

08.05.05.V An unassigned theologian explains Matthew 11:12, The kingdom
of heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent have been
seizing it by force.

08.05.06.V An unassigned theologian explains Luke 7:32 and the funeral and
marketplace processions, including the phrase, You played the
flute

08.06.03.V1 Gordon Franz of Associates for Biblical Research discusses the
interesting issues of Gadara, including the clarification of names, the
first evangelist to the Gentiles of this region, and the Sea of Galilees
largest harbor (6:52).
08.06.03.V2 Joel ben Yosef of Kibbutz Ein Gev discusses the unique mystery
of the harbor of Gadara. Introduction by Dr. Bill Heinrich (4:02+).
09.01.03.V Majd Shufani, a tour guide at the recreated first century
Nazareth Village, explains the first century home in light of the terms
strong man (12:29) and upper room (Lk. 22:12) (3:09).
14.02.03.V (& 04.03.10.V) Dr. Petra Heldt of Hebrew University discusses the
location of the upper room and its possible use as a house of worship
(4:58).
14.02.04.V Gordon Franz of Associates for Biblical Research discusses the
Triclinium table and the seating arrangement of Jesus and the
disciples at the Last Passover, also known as the Last Supper (6:39).
14.02.05.V1 Dr. Paul Wright, president of Jerusalem University College
discusses the biblical difficulty of Jesus celebrating the Passover the
day before most other Jews celebrated it. Did Jesus observe Passover
on the Essene Calendar? (6:44).
14.02.05.V2 Rev. John Metzger of Cornerstone Bible College discusses the
theological aspects of the Three Passovers.
16.01.18.V An unassigned theologian discusses mankinds sin problem and
the Imago Dei.
17.01.02.V Avinoam Boyercurator of the Katzrim Archaeological Park
Village discusses the Legend of Rabbi Eliezer and his encounter with
the Sanhedrin. Introduction by Dr. Bill Heinrich (2:45+).
17.02.02.V1 Dr. Bryant Wood of Associates for Biblical Research discusses
the date of the Garden Tomb as an Iron Age II tomb, meaning it was
used in the 8
th
to 7
th
century B.C. (6:06).
(In Preview)
17.02.02.V2 Gordon Franz of Associates for Biblical Research discusses the
differences between the two types of tombs commonly used in first
century Judaea, the distinctive features of the tomb of Joseph of
Arimathea, and why this is important (7:43).
17.02.02.V3 Dr. Petra Heldt of Hebrew University discusses Hadrians shrine
of the Roman goddess Venus that is believed to be an identifiable
marker of the place where Jesus was crucified (8:43).
17.02.02.V4 Dr. Paul Wright, president of Jerusalem University College
discusses the stones in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher that may
have been used previously in Hadrians shrine to Venus (2:36).
17.02.02.V5 Michael Keating, an electronics research and development
engineer, discusses the amazing discoveries concerning the Shroud of
Turin that some say was the burial cloth of Jesus. Introduction by Dr.
Bill Heinrich.
18.02.06.V Dr. Petra Heldt of Hebrew University discusses the mysterious
Legend of King Abgarus (King Abgar V) of Edessa and his
significance to some early churches. Introduction by Dr. Bill Heinrich
(15:51).
18.03.01.V Closing comments by Dr. Bill Heinrich ( ).

(Blank Space)

Unit 02
Cultural Background Studies

Chapter 01
People Groups

02.01.00.A. CHRIST AND THE YOUNG CHILD by Carl Bloch. Saint
Augustine once said that Jesus died for everyone of us, as if there was only one of
us. His life, message, and sacrifice was for everyone regardless of age,
occupation, or ethnicity.
02.01.01 Introduction - The Holy Land in the first century consisted of several Jewish
subgroups, along with a variety of Gentile ethnic groups. Tensions existed not only between
Jewish factions, but also between them and their Greek and Roman neighbors, as well as with the
Samaritans. Added to this mix were the tensions caused by Roman occupation and high
taxation. Consequently, this land was a cauldron of hatred and social unrest.

The following definitions clarify people groups discussed in this e-book. They represent
religious, cultural, and political bodies that influenced the first century Jewish culture and shaped
the ministry environment of Jesus. Not all are mentioned in the gospels, but their influence was
nonetheless, present, and sometimes quite powerful.

02.01.02 Arabs (see Idumeans)

2.01.03 Diaspora The biblical and secular term refers to Jews who were dispersed from their
Holy Land.
15
By the time of Jesus, there were two Jewish Diasporas. The western Diaspora,
located in the area between Tarsus and Ephesus in modern Turkey to modern France, was
dominated by Hellenistic Culture. The Jewish Eastern Diaspora, located in a region
encompassed by eastern Turkey, Egypt, and Babylon, was dominated by rabbinic law and lore.
Both cultural groups had a tendency to clash in various areas, but especially in Jerusalem.

02.01.03.Z MAP OF THE TWO JEWISH DIASPORAS. By the end of the
Inter-Testamental Period the Jewish people had spread over a large region from
the Persian Gulf to Western Europe. The eastern rabbinic Jewish Diaspora tended
to clash with their western Hellenistic counterpart. Courtesy of International
Mapping and Dan Przywara.

02.01.04 Elders - In the first century, every village had a group of Elders who functioned like a
judicial body, had general administrative duties, and represented the village to their Roman
overlords. It was also their responsibility to insure that all villagers remained faithful to the

15. Mills and Michael. Messiah and His Hebrew Alphabet. 104.

teachings of Moses. They appear to have agreed more with the doctrines of the Pharisees and the
Oral Law than with the Sadducees.
16

02.01.05 Epicureans - The Epicureans were a Greek people who followed the philosophy of life
developed and taught by the Athenian teacher Epicurus (341-270 B.C.). The purpose of his
philosophy was to bring stability to an unstable social environment caused by the death of and
the empire division that followed. The religions of the Greeks and Romans had lost their vitality
and never succeeded in changing the heart. Philosophy, a subject loved by the Greeks, comforted
a few but seldom changed the heart, if at all. Those who pursued it supposedly reached spiritual
fulfillment when they resigned to fate.

In response, the philosophy of Epicureanism,
17
Greek apicuros,
18
exalted self-indulgences as the
ultimate goal in life. Some six decades before the birth of Jesus, Julius Caesar told the Roman
senate that there was no future life after death; no immorality of the soul.
19
One needs to live for
the present, but life was hard, even for the vast majority of Greeks and Romans. Therefore, by
the time Jesus came on the scene, there was a discouraged Gentile audience waiting to listen.
They accepted Him and within a century the Gentile church exploded in numbers, far outpacing
the number of Jewish believers.

Into the volatile Middle East came Philodemus, a major Epicurean philosopher to the Roman
world shortly before the time of Jesus. He was born in Gadara, the Greek cit y where Jesus healed
the demoniac and 2,000 swine committed suicide in the Sea of Galilee. He, as other Epicurean
philosophers, promoted the common saying that pleasure is the beginning and end of living
happily. Epicureanism is essentially a feelings-based philosophy of life. It states that all
experiences related to pain are directly associated with evil while pleasure is associated with the
highest good. The function of wisdom is to measure the cost of pain and to attain the full
pleasure of life. Happiness was totally a human responsibility and achievement because the gods
were not interested in what people did.
20

16. Shepherd, Elder in the New Testament. 2:73-75.

17. De Lacy, Epicureanism and the Epicurean School. 3:2-3; Bruce, New Testament History. 39-41.

18. Lang, Know the Words of Jesus. 196.

19. Geikie, The Life and Words. 1:28.

20. http://www.bibleistrue.com/qna/pqna63.htm Retrieved March 13, 2012.

02.01.05.A. FRAGMENT OF PHILODEMUS EPICUREAN WRITING.
The Epicureans believed that the sole purpose of life was the pursuit and
achievement of pleasure. Internet Photo: www.bibleistrue.com

Historians have said that by the first century (B.C.), Gadara was equal to Athens in philosophy,
art, and other aspects of Greek culture. Certainly this underscores the significant influence
Hellenism (the Greek word hellen means Greek)
21
had upon the Jewish people. This school of
philosophy has rivaled Judeo-Christian ethics throughout history and, today, it is part of the
popular humanistic philosophies. The Syrian King Antiochus IV Epiphanes (reigned 175-164
B.C.) attempted to replace Judaism with Hellenistic Epicureanism.
22
There is no record that
Jesus ever encountered promoters of this philosophy, although He probably did while traveling
through the Greek cities of the Decapolis. The Bible does indicate, however, that the Apostle
Paul had dialogues with such philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:18). Among the Jewish people, the
elite of the Sadducees lived their lives like the Epicureans.

21. Bietenhard, Greek. 2:124.

22. DeLaney, Dictionary. 2-3; Cressey, Epicureans. 1:465.

02.01.06 Essenes The Essenes were a group of Jews who separated from mainline Judaism in
the second century B.C. some scholars believe that they are the descendants of a group known as
the hasidim (see 02.01.14 Pharisees).
23
Like the Pharisees, their primary concern was purity
and strict observance of the Mosaic Law, although they differed on some doctrines and practice.
The name Essene, is thought to have originated from the breastplate that was worn by the high
priest.
24
They were descendants of the Zadokite Dynasty. Some of them moved to the desert
regions of Damascus after Antiochus IV Epiphanes killed the High Priest Onias III around 171
B.C.
25
Others relocated to the wilderness near the Dead Sea to escape persecution by the
Hasmoneans (ruled 163-63 B.C. in Jerusalem).
26
According to Philo and Josephus,
approximately four thousand Essenes lived in Israel,
27
but archaeological studies reveal that only
about three hundred lived in Qumran. That leaves a majority of them to have lived in other areas
such as western Jerusalem and Damascus.

They established their own orthodox theology, which was considerably more restrictive than the
Oral Law, and was held as superior to the Mosaic Law. Furthermore, they held Moses almost
equal to God.
28
The Essenes were highly disappointed by the spiritual corruption of both the
Pharisees and Sadducees in Jerusalem as well as the leaders of government. They had such a
great disdain for the religious establishment that they chose not to be involved in any sacrifices
or religious observances in the temple. In response, the ruling Sadducees excluded them from
worship at the temple which intensified the hatred between them.
29

Since the temple was the only place where sacrifices could be made for the atonement of sins,
the Essenes taught that any Jew could abolish his or her sins by repentance and strict observance
of the laws of Moses. However, this abolishment of sin would occur only if the repentant Jew
observed the Essene interpretation of Scripture and practiced the Essene laws. They coined
phrases in observance of these laws, such as, sons of light, sons of darkness, and Belial,
30
a

23. Bruce, New Testament History. 65-66, 96.

24. Schmaltz and Fischer, Messianic Seal. 12.
25. Schmaltz and Fischer, Messianic Seal. 10-13; Bruce, New Testament History. 55.
26. Schmaltz and Fischer, Messianic Seal. 10-14.
27. Cited by Charlesworth, Jesus within Judaism. 60.

28. Ironically, Moses is a prophetic picture or type and shadow of Jesus. See comparisons in Appendix 2.

29. Crutchfield, The Essenes. 104-07; Bruce, Essenes. 1:478.
30. Schmaltz and Fischer, Messianic Seal 10-14; The name Belial in Hebrew is Bee-Yaal, and means utterly worthless.
name given to Satan (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14-15). In addition, they called themselves The Way, The
Elect, The New Coventers, and the Yahad (Heb. meaning those who have become one).
31

They considered themselves to be the voice in the wilderness, calling upon people to repent
from sin and return to the one true God.

Theologically, they were a splinter group of the Pharisees. While some scholars believe they
numbered only about four thousand throughout Judaea, Josephus says they were settled in large
numbers in every town.
32
They are best remembered for writing the Dead Sea Scrolls.

As to their daily activities at Qumran, they arose at sunrise in the nearby caves, where they slept
every evening, and then came to the community center. They spoke no words, prayed certain
prayers, and performed their assigned tasks until about 11:00 a.m. In this communal village,
they held all property in common, shunned trade, wore white uniforms, and maintained a strict
lifestyle of work, study, and worship.
33
Then they had a ritual bath and a communal meal in strict
order. The evening meal was the same as the previous one. Strict discipline was their way to
earn salvation and encourage the coming of the messiah, which was the major emphasis of their
theology.

They adopted the 365-day calendar, as opposed to the traditional 360-day Jewish calendar. This
caused a major schism between them and the rest of the Jewish world. The primary purpose of
the calendar was the appropriate observance of holy days. Just as modern calendars have a
February 29 on leap year, the 360-day calendar had an extra month every six years. The Essenes
tried to resolve this problem.

The Essenes believed that God demanded purity and holiness, but such virtues needed to be
developed by their own efforts and not by the grace of God. Their view of the world was rather
Calvinistic in that they believed they were predestined to be the holy sons of light, being the
exclusive ones to enjoy the blessings and approval of God, while those outside their group were
damned unto death.
As to the messiah, they had difficulty separating the Old Testament prophecies that referred to
Him as a suffering servant from those that referred to Him as a king. They concluded that there

31. Schmaltz and Fischer, Messianic Seal 18.
32. Josephus, Wars. 2.8.4.

33. Buchanan, Essenes. 2:152-55; Connick, The Message and Meaning of the Bible. 116; Bruce, Essenes 1:478.
would be two messiahs: one who was a descendant of David who would be the messianic king
and the other a descendant of Aaron who would be a priest and suffering messiah.
34

The Essenes, as well as so many other Jewish people, had four faulty concepts of their messiah.

1. They were interested in a messiah who was only for the Jews.

2. They were interested in a messiah who would accept every Jew.

3. They were interested in a political messiah who would overthrow the Romans

4. They were interested in an economic messiah who would restore the prosperity their
forefathers enjoyed during the days of the Davidic Empire.

They wanted a messiah who would pander Israel, but instead, they were confronted by a Messiah
who confronted Israel and they rejected Him. The Essenes were also observers of the end-
times, as they believed the messiah would come and destroy the Romans. Therefore, the Romans
considered these non-violent Jews potentially dangerous and killed thousands of them after the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The Essenes would have faded into history and been long
forgotten were it not for their writing of the Dead Sea Scrolls (See Dead Sea Scrolls). Note that
messiah is with a lower case m because they did not associate deity with him.

Critics have long asserted that phrases such as sons of light did not exist in the first century
Jewish world, and were inserted into the gospels by later editors. But when the Dead Sea Scrolls
were discovered the truth was revealed.

02.01.06.Q1 How did a one become a member of the Essene sect and how does this relate to
the Pharisees?

The Essenes, like the Pharisees, were very legalistic. How a young man became a full pledged
member of the Essene community would generally not have any interest to the study of the life
of Jesus, until one scholar
35
indicated that the Pharisees may have had similar requirements of

34. Buchanan, Essenes. 2:152-55; Harrison, Essenes. 2:370-74; A few scholars do not agree with the two messiah
concept, including L. D. Hurst of the University of California, Davis, believes that the Qumran texts do not necessarily
support the two messiah viewpoint. See http://www.ibr-bbr.org/files/bbr/BBR_1999_09_Hurst_QumranMessiah.pdf.
Retrieved October 10, 2013.

35. Moseley, Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church. 86-88.
membership. If so, that presents insights of their legalistic attitudes as revealed in the gospels.
Therefore, if it is possible to review the Essene requirements, we can look backwards and
obtain a better understand of the Pharisees.

There are some interesting common factors between the Essenes and the Pharisees. It is common
knowledge that both the Pharisees and Essenes originated in the early second century (B.C.) in
response to the advances of the Hellenistic culture. Both groups were separatists and, in fact, the
name Pharisee originated from the Hebrew phrase meaning the Separated ones. Both groups
were also highly legalistic in their doctrines and lifestyle.

Fortunately, the Dead Sea Scrolls, written by those Essenes living in the Qumran community
near the Dead Sea, contained two important documents that tell us much about their lifestyle and
the requirements fr entrance into their community of believers. According to the Damascus
Document and the Manual of Discipline, the Essenes had the following beliefs and practices:

1. They categorized members as priests, Levites, Israelites, or Proselytes.
36

2. The minimum age of admission was twenty.
37

3. New members had to learn and observe all admission requirements.
38

4. Once a candidate felt he was ready for membership, he had to pass a preliminary
examination. Evidently notes were carefully taken as the exam was administered by a
scribe.
39

5. The candidate was required to give an oath of loyalty, after which he was informed of
the secrets of the community.
40

6. Upon the completion of the ceremonial oath, the candidate was on a two-year
probationary status.
41

36. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document 13:12; 14:3.

37. Dead Sea Scrolls, 1 Qsa. 1, 8; This age limit may have been derived from Numbers 1:3.

38. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document 13:1, 2; 15:5, 6.

39. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document 13:11, 12; 15:11.

40. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document 15:6.

41. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document 20:1-13; MD 1QS 4:24 7:25.

7. Any transgressions during this time could result in either temporary or permanent
expulsion from the community.
42

8. All supervisory scribes had to be between the ages of thirty and fifty.
43

9. Since supervisory scribes were experts of the Hebrew Laws, as well as the community
rules, they could either bind or loose the judgment of a transgressor
44

10. Supervisory scribes as well as judges collected charitable gifts from the community
and distributed them to the needy.
45
They also functioned as shepherds of the flock, and
in that sense, they were like a pastor or rabbi.
46

While these legalistic requirements cannot be imposed upon the Pharisees per se, these do give
some insight as to what legalistic group might require of a new candidate. Scholars are
examining these requirements with the possibility that very similar procedures existed for new
Pharisee candidates.

02.01.07 Gentiles - This term referred to any person who was not a Jew or a Samaritan.
47
It is
from the Latin word genus meaning of the same birth or race, as well as from the Greek word
ethnos, meaning heathen. Ethnos is also translated to the English word ethnic.
48
Jewish views of
the Gentiles differed between two Jewish schools of biblical interpretation. The School of
Shammai taught that there was no possible salvation for the Gentiles, which was in total
agreement with the Essenes. The School of Hillel, however, taught that the mercy of God was
extended to the Gentiles if they obeyed the Noahide Commandments; and if so, they could
worship God in the Court of the Gentiles.
49

42. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document 20:1-13; MD 1QS 4:24 7:25.


44. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document 13:10; 9:18, 22; 12:12.



47. See 02.01.17.

48. Miethe, The Compact Dictionary of Doctrinal Words. 98.

49. The Noahide Commandments were and continue to be, in the opinion of orthodox Jews, divine laws that Gentiles
need to obey to obtain favor with God if they did not want to convert to Judaism. See Appendix 17 for more
information.

02.01.08 Greeks - The Greek culture was spread throughout the Mediterranean world three
centuries before Christ, primarily because of the military victories of . The Greeks believed in a
variety of gods who were quickly accepted by all conquered peoples with the exception of the
Jews. The Greek cities along the Jordan River were originally Canaanite cities but had accepted
the Greek culture and religions. By the time Jesus was in His ministry, pagan thought and reason
had made major inroads into Jewish theology.
50

The province of Galilee is an area from the Sea of Galilee to the east that extends to Mount
Carmel in the west. After the Assyrian deportation of Jews from Samaria and Galilee (721
B.C.), the land was filled with neighboring Phoenicians (modern Lebanon) and Aramaeans
(modern Syria). The Jews did not reclaim Galilee until the end of the Maccabean Revolt, at
which time many had relocated there from Babylon. They called the territory Galil-ha-Goyim,
meaning the Circle of the Gentiles, or simply abbreviated to Galilee. As more and more Jews
moved into the region, the resident Gentiles remained and, therefore, it was truly cosmopolitan
community at the time of Jesus. For this reason, the snobbish Jerusalemite Jews looked down
upon their Galilean brothers with great disdain and considered them almost as low as the
Samaritans.
51

02.01.09 Hassidim - Also known as Hassideans, was a conservative Jewish group that became
popular in the third and fourth centuries B.C. They were a reaction to the growing influential
Greek culture (Hellenism) and their primary focus was to bring a revival to the Jewish people so
that they would return to their orthodox faith. The name means pious ones and it is believed to
have formed the religious nucleus of the Maccabean Revolt, the Essene movement, and the
Hassideans. The latter were probably also foundational to the establishment of the first century
Pharisees. By the first century A.D., the Hassideans had become nearly extinct.
52

02.01.10 Hellenists The Hellenists were Jewish people who abandoned the laws of Judaism
and accepted the Greek culture (Hellenism comes from the Greek word hellen meaning Greek).
53

They believed the laws of Moses prevented them from enjoying the full pleasures of life
promoted by the Greeks and, later by the Romans. For example, young men at times desired to

50. Pasachoff & Littman, Jewish History in 100 Nutshells. 49-51; Blaiklock, Greece 2:824-25; Strange, Greece. 2:566-
67.

51. Guignebert, The Jewish World in the Time of Jesus. 8.
52. House, Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament. 73.
53. Bietenhard, Greek. 2:124. See also Acts 6:1.

participate in the public baths or play in the Greek games to obtain the perfect body. But since
the athletic games were played in the nude, they were embarrassed and could not assimilate into
the Greek-Roman community. Furthermore, the Gentiles believed circumcision was disgusting.
Therefore those Jewish men who rejected their orthodox faith and embraced Hellenism endured
a surgical procedure known as epispasm, in which the marks of circumcision were removed.
54

They could then participate in the Greek games and not be identified as being Jewish. For that
reason orthodox Jews accused them of abandoning the holy covenant.

Hellenists were almost indistinguishable from their Greek neighbors. During the Maccabean
Revolt they fought with them and the Greeks of Syria against the Hassidim and Hasmonean
family. By the time of Jesus, their religious allegiance was with the Sadducees and, in fact, many
Sadducees were Hellenistic.

02.01.11 Herodians - This was a small political non-religious group, sometimes known as the
Boethusians, after Boethus, whose daughter Mariamne was one of the ten wives of Herod the
Great. The Herodians were Roman sympathizers and individuals of prestigious status in the royal
court, who always promoted their so-called rightful claims to the Jewish throne. They were
neither Roman agents nor servants.
55
They are mentioned three times in the gospels as
opponents to Jesus (Mt. 22:16; Mk. 3:6, 12:13) and Josephus mentioned them as those of
Herods party.
56
The entire group was wiped out during the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D.
70.

02.01.12 Idumeans The Idumeans, also known as the Edomites, were descendants of Esau.
57

Eventually they moved into the Negev Desert and were absorbed into the larger Arab people
group. For that reason, some scholars have traditionally said that the Arab people per se did not
exist in the biblical land of todays Israel/Palestine during the first century. However, Edomites,
who eventually became part of the Arabs, occupied southern Israel and were at times in conflict
with the Jews. The larger group known as Arabs was a nomadic people who lived in the area that
is modern day Saudi Arabia. Undoubtedly, the best known Idumean in Jewish history was Herod
the Great.

02.01.13 Jews - In the Old Testament Period, particularly in the book of Esther, the name was
associated with all Israelites, but it originally was applied to only those who came from Judea. A

54. http://www.bibarch.com/glossary/MI/epispasm.htm; July 20, 2012.

55. Farrar, Life of Christ. 346-47; Blizzard, Judaism - Part 1 Yavo Digest. 1:5, 7.
56. Josephus, Antiquities. 14.15.6; Hiebert, Herodians. 3:145.
57. Thompson, Idumea. 2:682.

similar association is found in the older book of Daniel (3:8, 12). In the New Testament era, the
name is one of cultural and religious identity. A Jew was one who was not a Samaritan (Jn. 4:9),
nor a Gentile (Gal. 2:14; 3:28; Acts 14:1, 5), nor a proselyte (Acts 2:10). He had to be of the
lineage of Abraham and, hence, his race, nationality, and religion were all equal components of
his identity.
58
Jews considered themselves to be the chosen people and, therefore, by the time
of Christ they thought of themselves as a privileged people.

It is important to note variations of thought among the Jewish people. Those living in Jerusalem
were more legalistic and conservative, than their Galilean counterpart, but were also more
appeasing to the Roman establishment. Those living in Galilee and Perea, on the other hand,
were more lax in their theological viewpoints, but considerably more nationalistic, especially
those in northern Galilee. The cradle of Roman anti-sentiment was in the mountainous areas of
Galilee.

Outside the country of Judaea, Jewish people in the Diaspora held a wide range of viewpoints.
In Babylon they were conservative as they were in Jerusalem, whereas elsewhere theological
viewpoints ranged from liberal to orthodox.

Finally, at times it can be somewhat challenging to understand precisely who the gospel writers
are referring to when they speak of the Jews. John, for example, uses the term for the
following people groups:

1. In reference to all of those who are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

2. In reference to those Jews living in Judea, as opposed to those living in Galilee, Perea,
or elsewhere.

3. In reference to Jewish leaders, namely the Pharisees.

Therefore, the context of the term the Jews is very important. An unfortunately example in
church history is that all the Jewish people have been blamed for the decisions made by their
leaders.

02.01.14 Pharisees - The Pharisees were the predominant Jewish party that consisted of a
number of religious sects, from the early second century B.C. until A.D. 70. They developed as
a result of opposition and persecution by the Greek dictator Antiochus IV Epiphanes who was

58. Gasque, Jew. 2:1056.

overthrown in the Maccabean Revolt in 165 B.C. (see 03.04.17).
59
Understandably, the name
Pharisee comes from the Hebrew perushim, perusin or perusim meaning separated or
detached.
60
The first century religious group evolved from the previous Hassidean movement
61

and was known for seven major characteristics:

1. Separation. They considered themselves the separated ones, who emphasized strict
adherence to the Mosaic laws pertaining to purity, Sabbath observance, prayer, tithing,
and separation from anyone who was Hellenistic. There were four levels of Pharisees,
62

and the upper echelon is referred to in this ebook as the leading Pharisees. They were
so legalistic, pious, and self-righteous that they avoided the Am Ha-Aretz, meaning the
common people.
63

2. Legalism. Due to the encroachment of Hellenistic (Greek) cultural values into Jewish
life, the Pharisees promoted strict observance of Jewish laws on both the national and
personal level.
64
An example of their legalism was recorded by the first century historian,
Josephus. He noted that once more than six thousand of them refused to take the oath of
allegiance to Caesar or Herod.
65
They were willing to lay down their lives for the
religious laws. It is uncertain how many other Pharisees, if any, did take the oath of
loyalty. They considered themselves to be the honored ones who were called to practice
and honor the Priestly Code of Ezra, with an emphasis on the Oral laws.

3. They were social and cultural liberals.

59. Josephus, Antiquities. 11.4.8; 13.10.5-6; Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 66a.

60. Moseley, Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church. 86.

61. House, Chronological and Background. 73.

62. See 02.01.14.Q1 below.


64. Finkelstein, The Pharisees. 145.
65. Josephus, Antiquities. 17.2.4.

4. They were religious conservatives.

5. They hated Rome. They believed that if they could not fortify their cities against the
Roman occupiers, they they would fortify their laws to keep the Greco-Roman culture
out.

6. They tried to be spiritual while the Sadducees tried to maintain their religious
bureaucracy.

7. Most Phraisees were sincere, honest synagogue leaders who cared for their people,
while the leading eschalon of the Phraisees were the ones with whom Jesus had multiple
conflicts.

The Pharisees were usually synonymous with the teachers of the Law.
66
While most leading
Pharisees considered themselves scribes, not all scribes considered themselves Pharisees.
67
They
were scholars of the biblical text.
68
While they were quite influential, Josephus recorded that
more than six thousand of them refused to take the oath of allegiance to Caesar or Herod.
69
They
were willing to lay down their lives for the religious laws. It is uncertain how many other
Pharisees, if any, did take the oath of loyalty. While some aristocratic Pharisees, such as the
Herodians, were comfortable with the Romans, a majority was fiercely patriotic and hated the
foreign yoke with an impassioned bitterness.

Unfortunately, some Pharisee leaders had a degraded view of the common peasants because they
frequently did not obey the entire Oral Law. Therefore, they avoided contact with the common
Jewish peasants. This may be why Jesus referred to the common people as sheep without a
shepherd (Mt. 9:36). Yet, in spite of this, many Pharisees sided with the masses.
70

66. Mt. 3:7; 15:1; Mk. 2: 16, 24; Lk. 11:38.


68. Bruce, Josephus, Flavius. 69-71; Major, Manson, and Wright, The Mission and Message of Jesus. 601-02; Josephus,
Wars. 1.5.2; Mishnah, Aboth. 2:5.

The upper echelon of the Pharisees consisted of men who had become religiously and politically
corrupt and were under constant rebuke by Christ. They held the Oral Law in higher esteem than
the written Mosaic Law. It was to this latter group that Jesus most frequently applied the word
hypocrite meaning actor or pretender.
71
All confrontations Jesus had with the Pharisees were
related to the Halakhah, the regulations that pertained to the daily life activities.
72
It should be
noted that among these religious leaders were Simon, who made a banquet for Jesus (Lk. 7:37),
and others who warned Jesus of Herods attempt to kill Him (Lk. 13:31). They are often referred
to in this manuscript as the leading Pharisees, the Pharisee elitists, or the aristocrats of the
Pharisees, as opposed to the common Pharisees, many of whom became followers of Jesus. The
Pharisees were by no means a homogeneous group.

They believed in the supernatural, eternity, a resurrection of all souls, and that man has control of
his decisions and actions, but that God ultimately controls all things. One rabbinic Pharisee went
so far as to say that he believed a body would arise with the same clothing in which it was
buried, but others argued against this point.
73
They accepted all the books of the Old Testament,
which are commonly known as the Law, Prophets, and Writings and were the teachers in the
synagogues throughout the country. By the time Jesus was in His ministry, the Sadducees
controlled the temple, but the Pharisees, led by Rabbi Hillel, won the hearts of most of the
people. Hence, most were aligned theologically with the disciples of Hillel, whose grandson
Gamaliel was the tutor of the Apostle Paul.
74

The Pharisees were divided into two major theological schools of thought.

71. Herbert, Hypocrite. 109-10; Lang, Know the Words of Jesus. 172-73.

72. Bruce, Jesus Past. 69-71; Lee, The Galilean Jewishness of Jesus. 106-07.

73. Jerusalem Talmud, Kethuboth 35a; Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 749.
74. Wyatt, Pharisee. 3:822-29.

1. Bet Hillel (School of Hillel)

2. Bet Shammai (School of Shammai)

Named after their founding rabbis, these schools of theology held opposing opinions on how
certain written and oral commandments were to be practiced. Their varied opinions are
preserved in the Mishnah. The Pharisees, whom Jesus addressed, were the Oral Law
traditionalists who had become aristocratic and powerfully similar to the Sadducees, whom they
greatly disliked. The religious ideology of the Pharisees ranged widely as some were
condemned by both Jesus and by some of their own leaders in the third century (A.D.).
75
The
Apostle Paul proudly maintained his status as a righteous Pharisee (Phil. 3:5; Acts 22) and, as a
Pharisee, he was a messenger of God to the Gentiles (Gal. 1:16). It should be noted that among
the Pharisees were those who were devoted to Jesus
76
and those who planned evil against Him.
Both groups survived the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, while the Sadducees and Essenes
were annihilated. Consequently, all forms of Judaism today have their roots in the first century
Pharisees.
77

Essentially, the Pharisees believed they had three obligations, which the leading Pharisees
observed legalistically. These were,

1. Tithing, known as Neeman.

2. Observance of all Levitical laws, known as Chabber.

3. The practice of purity, which included separation from people considered to be
impure.

75. Mishnah, Sotah. 3:4; Babylonian Talmud, Sotah. 22b.

76. Jn. 3:1, 19:38-39, Acts 5:34, 23:6-8.

77. Finkelstein, The Pharisees. 142-45.

The confrontation the leading Pharisees had with Jesus pertained more to the fact that they had
hearts of stone and cared little for the common people. Note that most Pharisees were kind to the
people of the synagogues over which they presided.

In summary, the Pharisees (compare to 02.01.16 Sadducees) were,
1. In strong opposition to Hellenism
2. Had great disdain for the Romans
3. Generally middle class although the leadership was aristocratic
4. Theologically progressive but within the Pharisee sect there was a diversity of opinions
5. Believed in the entire Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)
6. Affirmed the resurrection of the soul and heaven
7. Held a mythlogical belief that Abraham was seated at the gates of hell waiting to make
sure no Jew would enter. To have been born a Jew meant automatic rights to the eternal
Messanic Kingdom.
78

8. Believed in a final judgment for non-Jews, angels, etc.

9. Some Pharisees affiliated with the common people (Am-ha-arets)
79
and sought
converts (except for the leadership). However, the leading Pharisees had great disdain for
them and separated themselves from them.
10. Estimated to be over 6,000 in number who belonged to a chebher, which was their
association or fraternity.
80

11. Many Pharisees were self-educated laymen.
12. They believed that their Oral Law (a/k/a Mishnah) superceded the authority of the
Old Testament. Jesus referred to them as hipocrits because, while they made the laws a
heavy burden or the common people, they created loopholes for themselves.
81

78. Fruchtenbaum, The Jewish Foundation of the Life of Messiah: Instructors Manual. Class 6, page 6.


80. Josephus, Antiquities. 17.2.4; Lang, Know the Words of Jesus. 172-73.


Theologically speaking, the leading Pharisees canonized their own interpretation of the
Law.
82

02.01.14.Q1 What were the four levels of Pharisees?
Like most people, this writer had once believed that all Pharisees were the same, but this was
hardly the case.
83
In addition to those who constantly confronted Jesus, others gave aide to Him.
But many Pharisees were the scribes who often read the Torah and other Scriptures in the
synagogue. According to the third century (AD) highly respected Rabbi Pin Hasben Jair, the four
levels of Pharisees were described in terms of separation (a core doctrine of the sect).
84
One
could enter at the first level and stay there, or in due time ascend to a higher level. These four
levels are described as

1. Heedfulness leading to diligence,

2. Diligence to cleanliness,

3. Cleanliness to separation, and

4. Separation to holiness.

It is not until one gets deeper into the study of first century Judaism, that he learns of the Schools
of Hillel and Shammai, and how these theologians interacted with Jewish society and Jesus. By
knowing the basic beliefs of these two theological schools, one can often determine which
question or statement presented to Jesus came from which school.

Most people today associate the word hypocrisy with them. Unfortunately, throughout most of
church history this condemning word by Jesus against the Pharisees has been used to condemn
all the Pharisees, and at times, all the Jewish people. But in fact, most Pharisees like Nicodemus
and Joseph of Arimathea, were godly people who simply wanted to live right before God and
man.
85
Most of the issues Jesus had with the Pharisees originated with the upper echelon, that is,

82. Lee, The Galilean Jewishness of Jesus, 13.

83. There are two reasons why many have equated the Pharisees with a group of Jewish leaders who were filled with
hypocrisy and hatred: 1) The gospels clearly indicate this group often confronted Jesus and planned to kill Him, and 2)
the doctrine of replacement theology and anti-Semitic attitudes promoted by the church. These two biased conditions
led to a horrible conclusion the inability to recognize the variations of other Pharisaic individuals, such as Joseph of
Aramathea and Nicodemus, and give them appropriate credit for their righteous attitudes and acts.

84. Cited from Moseley, Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church. 88.

85. See Lk. 13:31; 7:36; 11:37; 14:1; Jn. 3:1; 19:38-39; Acts 5:34; 23:6-8. See also Gamaliel in Acts 5, the teacher of the
apostle Paul.
the policy-makers and leaders of the Pharisees. Therefore, the four levels of Pharisees are
explained as follows:
86

1. The neeman, meaning trustworthy, was the entry level and required the endorsement
of all membership obligations before three members in good standing.
87
During this time,
the candidate was not permitted to be the guest of a common Jew, known as an Am Ha-
Aretz, and would certainly not be found in the home of a Gentile, tax collector, or sinner.
He had to tithe faithfully on everything he earned and ate.
88
This stage was also known as
heedfulness leading to diligence. Slaves and women were permitted to join this
association, but only at this level.

2. The second level of entry was called for wings and at this stage the candidate had to
diligently practice the ritual of washing his hands before eating and before touching
ritually clean food.
89
This stage was also known as diligence leading to cleanliness.
Incidently, the Law of Moses did not require such extremism.

3. In the third level, a candidate was a probationary member either thirty days or one
year. This stage was also known as cleanliness leading to separation.

4. If a person wanted to reach the pinnacle of the hierarchy, he had to take two vows:

a. To tithe faithfully

b. Maintain and promote ritual purification.

This fourth level was the upper echelon of Pharisees, who firmly believed they had
arrived at perfected holiness. They had moved from separation leading to holiness.
These individuals generally had sufficient wealth that they could live a separated life that
would not get polluted by associating with common Jewish people who did not always
observe ritual cleansing laws.

While the membership of the Pharisees was merely 6,000, there were literally thousands more

86. Moseley, Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church. 88, 112-13.

87. Babylonain Talmud Bekakoth, 30b (Soncino ed.).

88. See additional rules on tithing in the Mishnah, Maaserot 1.1.

89. Tosefta, Demai. 2:11; Encyclopedia Judaica Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House 7:1489-90.

who faithfully observed Pharisee doctrines. Josephus noted that,

On account of which (the Pharisee) doctrines, they are able greatly to persuade the
body of the people; and whatsoever they do about divine worship, prayers, and
sacrifices, they perform according to their direction; insomuch that the cities gave
great attestations to them on account of their entire virtuous conduct, both in the
actions of their lives and their discourses also.

Josephus, Antiquities 18.1.3

Other groups who followed basic Pharisee doctrines included the Essenes who lived in a number
of communities including west Jerusalem, Damascus, Qumran, and elsewhere.
90
Another group
was the Therapeutae, a Jewish sect who lived throughout the Diaspora, including a large
community in Alexandria. The final group that observed Pharisaic doctrines was the early
Christians of both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. One Jew, who identified himself with the
Pharisees although he was never a member, was Josephus. He observed the basic doctrines of the
sect.
91
Non-members were not always as strict and legalistic as were the members.

As previously stated, the influx of Hellenism had disastrous consequences upon the Jewish
people. While the Sadducees endorsed many Hellenistic elements, the Pharisees saw themselves
as the restorers of the Law. Yet within the Pharisaic world there were many divisions and
theological opinions. Amazingly, while they are justly criticized for their legalistic harshness,
they should be noted for their kind and responsible landmark decisions. These include:
92

1. The removed the severe interpretation of an eye for and eye punishment advocated
by the Sadducees.

2. The order for husbands to pay support for their wives if there was a divorce. This
lowered the divorce rate. This also affects upon Joseph because if he would have
divorced Mary, it would have cost him dearly. But it would have cost him nothing and
he would have saved his familys honor if he had accused her of adultery.

90. See 02.01.06.Q1: How did a one become a member of the Essene sect and how does this relate to the Pharisees?

91. Josephus, Life 8.


3. The promotion of education for both boys and girls, especially in the Galilee area (see
Education 02.03.04).

4. Required education for boys to the age of sixteen.

After the Maccabean Revolt, corruption was extensive in Israel. So much so that when Queen
Salome Alexandra came to power (reigned 76-67 BC), her brother, Simon ben Shetah, went into
hiding to study the Torah. He eventually returned to the public arena to restore the study of
Torah.
93

The Pharisees have been criticized and condemned for their actions against Jesus. However, it
was the leading Pharisees who were against Jesus, because as other Pharisees came to faith in
Him, they warned Him of impending danger. The Pharisees, like the Essenes, were a very
legalistic religious sect. An example of legalism is found in 02.01.06.Q1 that describes the
entrance procedure for new Essene members. Scholars are examining these requirements for the
probability that very similar procedures existed for new Pharisee candidates.

When the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, only the Pharisees survived the slaughter. The
Messianic believers had escaped to Pella and avoided the conflict, but the Sadducees, Herodians,
and Essenes were wiped out by the Romans. All Jewish sects today are descendants of the
Pharisees, but the Ultra-Orthodox are truly theological descendants of those first century
Pharisees.
94

02.01.15 Romans - In 63 B.C., the Roman General Pompey easily took control of Jerusalem on
the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in a battle that cost the lives of twelve thousand men,
women, and children. The Roman Empire belted the Mediterranean Sea and extended into
Europe. It eventually included twelve language groups and was of a size that Rome could hardly
administer. The military might of the Romans brought forth a fearful peace known as Pax
Romana.
95
Their continuous challenge, however, was to maintain peace over the three rebellious
Jewish provinces of Galilee, Perea, and Judea. Between the years 63 B.C. and the so-called
First Revolt in A.D. 66, there had been 13 revolts.
96

93. Babylonian Talmud. Shabbat 116b (Soncino ed.); Moseley, Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church. 135-
36.

94. Schneider, Who are the Ultra-Orthodox? 15.


96. See Appendix 25 for a listing of false prophets who had messianic expectations and for a partial listing of revolts
and social disturbances from 63 BC to AD 135.

As to philosophical and religious values, the Romans adopted beliefs from the Greeks and
Etruscans.
97
For the most part, they had accepted and spread the Greek culture with all its gods
and goddesses. While many still believed in these myths, agnosticism
98
became increasingly
commonplace. Emperors considered themselves to be gods and by the end of the first century
(A.D.), Emperor Domitian required his subjects to offer sacrifices to him and to call him Lord
and God.
99

The Roman world was one wherein a small aristocratic group controlled the wealth and power
while a massive peasantry produced a large agricultural surplus and, to a smaller extent, the other
necessary products. The common people in occupied lands, such as the Jews of Judaea, were
essentially economic slaves. They were taxed so heavily that they lived in constant poverty
without any hope of escape. Hence, they had a dire hope that a Messiah would come to deliver
them.
100
Any action or discussion that could have been interpreted as a revolt resulted in death.
The Romans were especially sensitive to a revolt, not only for national pride, but also because
the land was the frontier to the rising Parthian Empire to the east. And Israel was the most
problematic region they had to govern riots and rumors of riots and rebellions was constantly
in the air.
02.01.16 Sadducees The origin of the name Sadducee is somewhat mysterious. Many
scholars believe it is a corruption of the priestly name Zadok, who was commissioned to be a
high priest King Solomon. When Ezekiel saw the third temple, he saw a priest by the name of
Zadok, and it is believed that the Sadducees took their name from that prophet.

There are five major aspects to the pwerful Sadducees:
101

1. They were social conservatives

2. They were supporters of the Romans, and in fact, the chief priest Caiaphas was a
Roman appointment.

3. They were liberal in their theology. So liberal that some have said they gave only lip
service to the Torah.

97. The Etruscans lived centuries earlier northwest of Rome. Their influence continued but was minimal.

98. Agnosticism is the belief that the existence of God is unknown and probably unknowable.
99. Metzger, New Testament. 61.
100. Crossan, Who Killed Jesus. 39.
101. Bookman, When God Wore Sandals. CD Trac 6.

4. Possibly the greatest condemnation is that they were Hellenistic. They enjoyed the
Greek lifestyle

5. While the Pharisees controlled the local synagogues, the Sadducees controlled the
temple and all its wealth; the Pharisees tried to be spiritual while the Sadducees tried to
maintain their religious bureaucracy. On the other hand, many Levites, priests, and high
priests who functioned in the temple were not Sadducees and did not accept the
Sadducean theology or lifestyle.

The Sadducees appeared on the scene after the elimination of the Greek Antiochus IV Epiphanes
from power in Israel (ten northern tribes) and Judea (two southern tribes). They were the
descendants of the Hasmonean rulers who ruled Judea (163 63 B.C.) after the Maccabean
revolt. The members of this religious sect were in fact the ruling aristocratic political-religious
party in Jerusalem and close friends of the Herodian family and the Romans. They held
prominent positions in the city. More importantly, they controlled the Sanhedrin and the
temple.
102
It was through this political relationship that they were able to attain control of the
Sanhedrin and high priesthood in Jerusalem, and maintain both throughout the life of Christ until
the Romans destroyed them in A.D. 70.
103
They were scholars of Scripture, although their
interpretations were seriously clouded with their presuppositions. They were also greedy for
power and wealth. Control of the temple afforded them an incredibly lavish lifestyle,
unimaginable even for ancient times as shown by the glass artifact shown below.


103. Moulder, Sadducees. 4:278-81.

02.01.16.A. AN EXAMPLE OF SADDUCEAN EXTRAVAGANCE. LEFT:
A partially melted glass pitcher of exquisite design and craftsmanship was found
in the burned ruins of the home of a Sadducean priest. Molded glass jug signed by
Ennion, probably of Sidon. RIGHT: The recreated drawing of the pitcher as in
its original design: dark lines reflect actual remains and the light lines are of the
upper portion. This was obviously owned by one of Jerusalems wealthiest
families. Photograph and illustration courtesy of the Israel Museum.

The origin of the name Sadducee has been lost and, apparently, its meaning is equally
uncertain. The once-held belief that the name was derived from Zadok, a high priest in
Solomons court has some serious etymological difficulties.
104
Recent scholarship has concluded
that the name could refer to the righteous ones because they emphasized religious purity and
are direct descendants of the Hasmoneans. The Essenes referred to them as the wicked priests
in their Dead Sea Scrolls.
105
To complicate historical genealogy even further, the Sadducees

104. Guignebert, The Jewish World in the Time of Jesus. 162.

105. Schmaltz and Fischer, Messianic Seal. 22.

claimed to be of the clan of Zadok and the rightful heirs of the priesthood. Consequently, they
did whatever was necessary to protect their position and status.
106
There can be little doubt this
claim was made to legitimize their position in the priestly office.

Theologically, the Sadducees believed only in the Torah and gave no credibility to any other
books of the Hebrew Bible, nor did they give credibility to the Oral Law.
107
Their theology
reflected strong influences of Epicurean philosophy and other popular Greek ideas.
108
They
denied the resurrection of the body and life after a physical death. They believed that whatever
wealth, power, status, and influence they could acquire in life were blessings of God; however,
they would have to strive for them by whatever means possible. By the early first century A.D.,
the Sadducees had become an elite social-religious group who controlled the temple and were
interested only in their own welfare. They had no concern for the common peasants nor did they
feel obligated to intercede to God for them.
109
Josephus summarized the Pharisees and Sadducees
as follows:

Of the first named schools, the Pharisees, who are considered to be most accurate
interpreters of the laws, and hold the position of the leading sect, attribute
everything to fate and God; they hold that to act rightly or otherwise rest, indeed,
for the most part with men, but that in each action fate cooperates. Every soul, they
maintain, is perishable, but the soul of the good alone passes into another body,
while the soul of the wicked suffer eternal punishment.

The Sadducees, the second of the orders, do away with fate together, and remove
God beyond, not merely the commission, but the very sight of evil. They maintain
that man has the free choice of good and evil, and that it rests with each mans will
whether he follows the one or the other. As for the persistence of the soul after
death, penalties in the underworld, and rewards, they will have none of them.


107. Moulder, Sadducees. 4:278-81, Schmaltz and Fischer, Messianic Seal. 22.

108. Farrar, The Life of Christ. 41, 349.


The Pharisees are affectionate to each other and cultivate harmonious relations with
the community. The Sadducees, on the contrary, are, even among themselves,
rather boorish in their behavior, and in their intercourse with their peers are as
rude as to aliens. Such is what I have to say on the Jewish philosophical schools.

Josephus, Wars 2.8.14
110

Sadducees were the major oppressors of the early church and sought to destroy the work of Jesus
by whatever means possible.
111
They were arrogant and rude to Jews of other sects and, as
Josephus said, to foreigners who came to Jerusalem.
112
When Jesus was before Pilate they cried,
Let His blood be upon us and our children. Their wish came true because the Romans killed
every one of them with the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70.

02.01.16.B. SADDUCEAN TOMB INSCRIPTION. A tomb inscription of a
first century A.D. Sadducee that reads, Enjoy your life. Illustration courtesy of the
Israel Museum.

The family of Annas, including his son-in-law Caiaphas was extremely greedy and wealthy.
They were the envy of those who achieved the lifestyles of the rich and famous, as expressed
in modern terms. As priests of the temple, they had afforded themselves a lifestyle beyond the
imaginations of both the common people and modern scholarship. Annas, who was a Sadducee,
converted the Gentile Court of the temple into a commercial market of animal sales,
moneychangers, and pedestrian traffic. By cleansing the temple, Jesus demonstrated His
Messianic authority, to which neither the Romans nor the religious leaders offered a strong

110. Neusner, Josephus Pharisees. 279.

111. Mt. 22:23; Mk. 12:18; Acts 4:5; 23:8

112. Josephus, Wars. 2.8,14.

challenge. While He taught one should not use force, in the temple, He did. The reason was that
the cleansing was not an act of reformation or purification, but a symbolic gesture of pending
judgment. In doing this, He not only displayed His divine intention, but also confirmed the
words spoken by the Old Testament prophets.
113
The prophetic act that symbolized destruction
was also reflective in Jeremiah 4:5-5:31; 7:14; 25:1-38; 26:1-24; Ezekiel 4:1-7:27; and Micah
3:9-12. No doubt, the Jews who witnessed this event thought of their ancient prophets whose
words were now acted out by Jesus.

The attitude held by some Jews, including the Sadducees, was that they were Gods chosen elite
and all other people were as spittle. This is reflected in the Pseudepigrapha book of 4 Enoch. It
reads as follows:

All this I have spoken before you, O Lord, because you have said that it was for us
that you created this world. As for the other nations, which have descended from
Adam, you have said they are nothing, and that they are like spittle, and you have
compared their abundance to a drop from a bucket. And now, O Lord, behold,
these nations, which are reputed as nothing, domineer over us and devour us. But
we your people, whom you have called your firstborn, only begotten, zealous for
you, and most dear, have been given into their hands.

4 Ezra 6:55, 58

The next verse in this passage is most interesting. It asks the question Why? In light of a
messianic expectation at this time, was this ancient writer alluding to such a redeemer?

If the world has indeed been created for us, why do we not possess our world as an
inheritance? How long will this be so?

4 Ezra 6:59

113. See Jer. 8:10; 14:18; 23:11, 33-34; 32:31-32; 34:18-19; Lam. 4:13; Ezek. 22:26; Zeph. 3:4; Zech. 14:21; Testament of
Levi 14:1-8; Josephus, Antiquities. 20.8.8; Targum of Jeremiah 7:1-11.

Some scholars believe Johns account of the cleansing is the same event recorded by the other
gospel writers in the Passion Week. They have concluded that it is out of sequence for
theological reasons.
114
It is the literary style of John to tie various narratives to religious
feasts.
115
On the other hand, the texts are more naturally understood if interpreted as two distinct
cleansings. For example, according to Mark (11:17) Jesus was extremely condemning of the
corrupt temple authorities, which lends credence to the conspiracy by them to have Him arrested
and killed.
116

In summary, the theological and social positions of the Sadducees (compare to 02.01.14
Pharisees) were,
117

1. Accepting of Hellenism
2. Wealthy aristocrats
3. Theologically conservative
4. Believed only in the Torah (books of Moses). They said that books such as Daniel,
Ezra, and Esther were foreign, implying that they contained imported ideas from the
Persians.
5. Denied the resurrection of the soul
6. Denied belief in final judgment, angels, etc.
7. Were separated from the common people

114. Bloomberg, The Historical Reliability. 195; The interpretation commonly promoted is that the historicity of the
biblical record was modified to serve a theological purpose.
115. Passover in Jn. 2:13, 6:4, 11:55; Tabernacles in Jn. 7:2; Dedication in Jn. 10:22; Unidentified feast in Jn. 5:1. If the
feast in Jn. 5:1 is a Passover, then the ministry of Jesus would demand a minimum of three and a half years and possibly
as long as four and a half years. An excellent resource for understanding how the Jewish festivals reflect the life of Jesus
and His message, see Victor Buksbazen, The Gospel in the Feasts of Israel. Bellmawr, NJ: Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry,
2004. Another book is Bruce Scotts The Feasts of Israel also published by Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Finally,
another recommended source is Edward Chumneys fine book titled, The Seven Festivals of the Messiah. Shippensburg, PA:
Destiny Image, 1998.

116. Bloomberg, The Historical Reliability. 171-73; Sanders, Jesus and Judaism. 61-76.

8. Few in number
9. Were very friendly to, and in co-operation with, the Romans

02.01.17 Samaritans - The Samaritans claimed to be descendants of Jacob, his son Joseph, and
his two sons Ephraim and Manesseh. (cf. Jn. 4:12). However, they were the descendants of the
ten Israelite tribes which had settled in the northern sections of Judaea.
118
In 722/21 B.C. the
Assyrians conquered the ten northern Israelite tribes, known collectively as Israel.
119
The area
encompassed by all twelve tribes was known as Judaea. In an attempt to destroy the culture and
prevent possible future uprisings, the Assyrians deported a vast majority of them far to the east.
For similar reasons, they imported five foreign tribes from other conquered lands.
120
The
Israelites who were not deported intermarried with their new neighbors and their descendants
became known as the Samaritans, named after the land of Samaria in which they lived.
121

Concerning the Samaritan religion, they followed the Jewish Torah, but with several significant
changes.

1. The Samaritans removed all references pertaining to Jerusalem from their Torah.

2. The Samaritans believed that Mount Gerizim instead of Jerusalem was the divine
location to offer sacrifice and worship God.

3. They believed Mount Gerizim was where Adam and Eve were created

4. The Samaritans also believed Mount Gerizim was where Abraham offered Isaac.

118. As of this writing, the total population of the Samaritans is under one thousand. They still practice their religious
rituals such as Passover sacrificial offerings, as during the time of Christ. They claim to be descendants of the tribes of
Levi, Ephriam, and Manasseh. They further claim to have maintained a continuous priesthood from Aaron (brother of
Moses) through Eleazar and Phinehas until the 17
th
century AD.

119. New International Version Archaeological Study Bible. (notes) 1737.

120. Gaster, Samaritans. 4:190-93.

121. Cf. 2 Kg. 17; see also 03.02.04; Anderson, R. T. Samaritans. 303; La Sor, Samaria. 4:298-303.

5. While the Samaritan Torah was modified from the Jewish edition, there is agreement
between the two holy books on more than two thousand other passages.
122
Ironically, this
reflects accuracy of transmission and translation over many centuries to the modern Bible
versions.

6. When the Babylonians took the captured Jews to Babylon, the Jews changed their
Hebrew alphabet. Since the Scriptures were written in the older Hebrew script, the
Samaritans felt the Jews polluted the Scriptures by making this change. Hence, the
Samaritan form of writing is a much older version of Hebrew, but it too, has undergone
some changes throughout history.
123

7. The Samaritans, like so many others in the ancient Middle East, believed that God
would send someone soon to restore their land and people. That someone was called
the Taheb or Restorer a great prophet of the end-time whom Moses referred to in
Deuteronomy 18:15.
124

Therefore, the Samaritans, like the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Essenes of Qumran, and all the
smaller related religious groups considered themselves to be Israelites, bewtween the years
250 B.C. and A.D. 200.
125
However, the Samaritans did not take on the name Jew.

122. Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 19 n. 27.

123. Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 18-20.

124. Bruce, New Testament History. 34-35.

125. Charlesworth and Evans. The Pseudepigrapha and Early Biblical Interpretation. 22.

02.01.17.A. RUINS OF THE SAMARITAN TEMPLE. The ruins of the
Samaritan temple lay beneath the Byzantine ruins in the foreground. The
Byzantine church was built to honor the Samaritan temple. Photograph by the
author.

If the religious differences were not enough to cause social segregation between these two
groups, the political alignments certainly aggravated the situation. When the Jews returned from
Babylon to Israel to rebuild the temple, a Horonite (Samaritan) by the name of Sanballat
harassed them with the help of a garrison in Samaria (Neh. 4:2).
126
When the Greek General
conquered this part of the world, he destroyed the Samaritan cities but left Jerusalem
untouched.
127
But a little more than a century later during the Maccabean Revolt, when the Jews
had to fight against the Syrian Greeks they had to fight the Samaritans as well. Furthermore,
whenever the Samaritans had the opportunity at this time to capture Jews, they sold them into
slavery. This caused deep bitterness. So in 128 B.C. when John Hyrcanus became a Jewish

126. Sanballat is among fifty biblical names whose existence has been verified by archaeological studies in a published
article by Lawrence Mykytiuk titled, Archaeology Confirms 50 Real People in the Bible. Biblical Archaeology Review.
March/April, 2014 (40:2), pages 42-50, 68. This archaeological evidence confirms the historical accuracy of the biblical
timeline. For further study see the website for Associates for Biblical Research, as well as Grisanti, Recent
Archaeological Discoveries that Lend Credence to the Historicity of the Scriptures. 475-98.

127. Kelso, Samaria, City of. 5:238.

governor and high priest, he destroyed the Samaritan temple and in 107 B.C., he destroyed the
Samaritan city of Shechem.
128
This hatred surfaced again in 63 B.C. when the Romans
conquered the Jewish lands and the Samaritans again fought against the Jews.
129
Incredibly, they
did so again when Herod the Great was crowned king of the Jews. Josephus recorded a number
of accounts where the Samaritans attacked the Jews. In one such case, when the temple gates
were opened at midnight to accommodate the worshipers with their Passover lambs, a number of
Samaritans entered the temple and desecrated it by throwing human bones throughout the
temple.
130

The Samaritans frequently interrupted fire signals. For example, it was common practice that
priests would give trumpet and fire signals from the pinnacle of the temple to mark the beginning
of the Sabbath, the beginning of a month, and special festivals. The fire signals were repeated
from one hill-top community to another, and within minutes all Israel knew when that the
Sabbath had begun.
131
The Samaritans would at times set off a false signal, much to the anger of
the Jews who had been deceived.

Furthermore, at times Jews traveling through Samaria going to Jerusalem were beaten or even
killed, although leaving the Holy City was always seen as a good thing. Little wonder then, that
by the time Jesus came on the scene the social tension was extremely volatile. This is seen in
John 8:48, when the accusers referred to Jesus as a Samaritan. It was in the cultural context and
connection that, in rabbinic demonology, a leading demon was named Shomroni, which was also
used to refer to either a demon or Samaritan.
132
Obviously this reflects the tension between the
two groups. Yet according to John 4 and the book of Acts, missionary efforts in Samaria were
successful in the early years of the church.
133

128. Kelso, Samaria, Territory of. 5:242; Lang, Know the Words of Jesus. 283.

129. Gaster, Samaritans. 4:191-96.


131. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament. 2:113.


133. Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 19-21.

02.01.18 School of Hillel Hillel, also known as Hillel the Elder, was one of the most important
religious leaders in Israel during the time of Roman occupation. He was born in Babylon around
50 BC, but some sources date his birth as early as 110 BC., and he is believed to have died in AD
10. He is at times compared to Moses, as both supposedly lived to an age of 120 and Hillel
studied forty years and the last forty years he wa a leader to his people. As such, there is an
excellent possibility that he was in the temple when Jesus was there at the age of 12. He was also
from the line of David, of Shephatiah, the son of Abital a genealogical record that added to his
credentials.
134

Hillels school of biblical interpretation held to the orthodox form of Judaism. In fact, it has been
said that his way of teaching the core values of the Torah was nearly identical to the teachings of
Jesus.
135
About three decades before the birth of Jesus, Hillel rose from the lowest ranks among
the rabbis and became President of the Sanhedrin. He was known for his kindness, gentleness,
and influences during the reign of Herod the Great (37 B.C. 4 B.C.) and the childhood days of
Jesus. He established an academy, which was known for its compassion toward fellow Jews and
moral Gentiles. The grandson of Hillel, Gamaliel, trained the Apostle Paul, who was also a
Pharisee.
136
It appears that Jesus agreed much more with the teachings of the School of Hillel
than with the opposing School of Shammai.
137
Since Hillels teachings are often similar to those
of Jesus, some scholars have suggested that Jesus received His ideas of ethics and morality from
him. Others believe Hillel was a significant element of the fullness of time phrase of Galatians
4:4b in that he brought many people in line with what Jesus would be teaching. After the
destruction of the temple, his followers became the dominant influence in Jewish lives. Leaders
of both the Schools of Hillel and Shammai claimed to have had the voice from heaven, even
though on occasion they had strong contrasting interpretations of Scripture. It is difficult to
classify either one as liberal or conservative. However, Hillel had a reputation for being kind and
gentle while Shammai was impatient and abrasive.
138

134. Babylonian Talmud, Juchas. 19.2; Lightfoot, A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica. 3:35.


136. Falk, Jesus the Pharisee. 48.

137. Pixner, With Jesus Through Galilee. 32.

138. Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 91; Babylonian Talmud, Shabbath 31a.

02.01.19 School of Shammai Shammai (50 B.C. A.D. 30) was a leading Jewish scholar
during the time of Herod the Great and Jesus. His school of biblical interpretation became
popular about 30 B.C. and took control of the Sanhedrin ten years later. Shammai, an aggressive
man with a rough personality, established an academy to promote his theology. Essentially, the
school introduced some changes in the way the Mosaic Law was applied to the common people.
The Jerusalem Talmud reports that one member of this group practiced polygamy, a severe
change from the norm in first century Judaism.
139
The rabbis of this school placed restrictive
rules upon the people, which were released by the rabbis of Hillel. When Jesus made harsh
statements toward the Pharisees, it was generally to the Pharisees of this group. Hence, there was
not only conflict between the Pharisees and Sadducees, but also between these two theological
centers.
140
In A.D. 70 when the temple was destroyed, the School of Shammai was also
destroyed along with the Sadducees.
141

02.01.20 Scribes Scribes are generally considered to be scholars of the Mosaic Law (Ezra 7:6;
Neh. 8:1), who had excellent writing skills and by the first century they also functioned as
lawyers (Greek nomodidaskalos) and teachers of the Law.
142
The reading of the Law in local
synagogues was done by scribes who were Pharisees. In fact, the Hebrew word for synagogue is
beit-knesset or beyt-knesset, meaning house of gathering.
143
Most people were closely aligned to
the Pharisees because this religious group controlled the local synagogues, and the people felt
comfortable because they had studied the Written and oral laws more than any other religious
sect.
144

139. Falk, Jesus the Pharisee. 54. Harvey Falk reports that a Rabbi Eliezer was married, and in his later years he also married
his niece; but his first wife, whom he never divorced, outlived him. There is a well documented case of first century
polygamy in the religious establishment of the Pharisees, but it was not a common practice. See the Jerusalem Talmud,
Yevamot 13.2 and Sanhedrin 68a.

140. Farrar, Life of Christ. 307.

141. http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Tyndale/staff/Instone-Brewer/prepub/Sanhedrin%2043a%20censored.pdf.
Retrieved May 26, 2013.

142. Hillyer, Scribe, Writing. 3:477-78.

143. Mills and Michael. Messiah and His Hebrew Alphabet. 7.

144. Cited from Moseley, Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church. 92.

A scribe was called a Talmid, meaning a learned one, or the educated one. A scribe was also
known as a Chakham, meaning wise man because he studied all the laws and knew how to apply
them to daily life.
145
They were literary professionals who were available for the purpose of
writing legal contracts. There were various divisions of scribes. For example, some scribes
functioned as royal secretaries (2 Sam. 8:17) and others were military scribes (Jer. 37:15). It
appears that the art of writing was a craft controlled by selected families. The Kenites had
families of scribes living at Jabez (1 Chron. 2:55) who appear to have kept a monopoly on their
craft. However, in Jerusalem, scribal schools trained priests and Levites who in turned, trained
the people of the Law. Ezra could not have taught the people the Law of Moses if there were no
scribal schools in Babylon. Thankfulness should be granted to the Levitical scribes who copied
the books of the Old Testament (Deut. 17:18; Jer. 8:8). They wrote various documents that
pertained to the maintenance of the temple facility (2 Kg. 12:10; 2 Chron. 34:13).
146
Scribes also
functioned as accountants, secretaries, journalists, historians, librarians, and teachers. It is
believed that most were clerks in a small middle-class society, but some rose to wealthy and
powerful prominence.
147
The control of writing of the biblical period appears to have been the
custom until the end of the Middle Ages. This monopoly insured wealth for future
generations.
148

The famous leader, Ezra, for whom an Old Testament book is named, created this separate body
known as scribes or the sopherim. They copied Scriptures for all occasions, carefully counting
every letter to insure accurate transmission of the Sacred Word.
149
By the first century they
became known as lawyers
150
and doctors of the Law.
151
Since nearly every aspect of Jewish life
was controlled by religious law, scribes were theological lawyers who were trained in the
application of the Torah and the Oral Law. Hence, they were also the authoritative expositors.


146. See also Josephus, Antiquities 12.3.3; cf. 11.5.1.

147. Walton, Matthews, Chavalas. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. 417-18.

148. Hillyer, Scribe, Writing. 3:477-79.

149. Freeman, The New Manners and Customs of the Bible. 420.

150. Mt. 22:35; Lk. 7:30; 11:45; 14:3.

151. Lk. 2:46; 5:17; Acts 5:34; Freeman, The New Manners and Customs of the Bible. 420-21; Guignebert, The Jewish World in
the Time of Jesus. 71.

They were often given the honored position of reading the Scriptures in the synagogues and were
authoritative consultants who settled disputes.
152

Scribes existed in all major religious parties, but most belonged to the Pharisees.
153
Twice they
are referred to as the scribes of the Pharisees (Mk. 2:16; Acts 23:9), indicating that there were
also scribes of other religious groups. Although the New Testament seems to imply there were
many who were of the same Jewish party as the Pharisees, they were technically a trade guild
and not a separate religious party.
154
They are best remembered for being extremely detail-
oriented concerning religious law, masters of hair-splitting details and theological debates.
This explains why they were in constant discussions with Jesus, which ultimately led to their
humiliation before their favorite audiences.
155

02.01.21 Sicarii (See also Zealots 02.01.22). This group of freedom fighters was known as the
Sicarii to the Romans and as the Zealots to the Jewish people. Some scholars say that the
names are interchangeable, but are listed as two separate groups because other scholars say that
the Zealots were a subgroup within the Sicarii organization. Nonetheless, they were dedicated to
eliminating Hellenized Jews, overthrowing the Roman Empire to gain independence for Israel, as
well as reestablishing the Torah and the orthodox faith in Judaism.

Josephus identified them as a nationalistic group that was also known for various terroristic
murderous activities.
156
For example, they would walk in a crowded market, surround their
victim who was unaware of his situation and, on a given secret signal, pull out short thin daggers
and assassinate the victim. In fact, the name Sicarii is the Latin word meaning dagger or short
sword.
157
The group would then walk away as if nothing had happened leaving the victim dead
on the street. They utterly terrorized Jerusalem in the first century.
158
Luke mentioned a false

152. Freeman, The New Manners and Customs. 420.
153. Metzger, B. New Testament. 48-49.

154. Hagner, Scribes. 4:360-61; Guignebert, The Jewish World in the Time of Jesus. 71.

155. Wilson, False Trials of Jesus. 18.

156. Josephus, Wars. 4.9; Antiquities. 20.8.6.

157. Bruce, New Testament History. 93.

158. Josephus, Wars. 2.13.3.
messiah who led four thousand Sicarii terrorists in a revolt that failed (Acts 21:38). The last of
these hyper-Zealots was destroyed in A.D. 73 with the fall of Masada.
159

02.01.22 Zealots (See also 02.01.21 Sicarii.) The Zealots were not only freedom fighters, but
they were extremely hostile to both the Romans, Herodians, and the wealthy aristocratic Jews of
Jerusalem namely the Sadducees.
160
Their name was taken from 1 Kings 19:10, I have been
very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.
161
They called themselves by the Hebrew term
Gannaim or Aramaic Qan anayya, which in Greek is Zelotai.
162
Obviously the English word is
derived from the latter. Their rallying cry was No king for Israel but God. They believed it was
a sin to pay taxes to a pagan overlord and were determined to fight for their freedom. They
originated in the Galilee region while Herod the Great was governor there before he became
king of the entire Jewish region. The Zealots were the most active freedom-fighting party at the
time, convinced that God would help them only if they helped themselves.
163
Their concept of a
messiah was one who leads them to military victory over Roman oppression. The center of the
resistance movement was in Gamala, a city east of Galilee, where in A.D. 66 more than five
thousand Zealot Jews chose to commit suicide rather than die by the Roman sword.
164
From this
group came a disciple of Jesus by the name of Simon who was referred to later as Simon the
Zealot to differentiate him from Simon Peter.
165

While these first century terrorists first became organized and fought against Herod the Great in
the years 40-37 B.C., they did not become a political movement until Jesus was about eight or
ten years old. By then the Zealot name became identified with those who participated in the
uprising of A.D. 6 led by Judas of Galilee. This Judas of Gamala (also known as Judas the

159. House, Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament. 75.

160. Bruce, New Testament History. 94-95.

161. Pixner, With Jesus in Jerusalem. 126.

162. Bruce, New Testament History. 88.

163. Golub, In the Days. 274.



Galilean in Acts 5:37) said that Jews were a chosen people of God and, therefore, had no
obligation to pay taxes to the Roman government. This is the background of Matthew 22:17
when Jesus was asked, Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? While the revolt failed, a
Pharisee by the name of Zadok joined Judas and together they formed a loosely knit religious
political party which Josephus called the fourth philosophy.
166
They were trained to fight to
their death and to recognize no messiah except a messiah of the sword.
167
From the time the
Romans entered the land in 63 B.C. until the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, there were
thirteen revolts.
168
However, the greatest of these became known as the First Revolt (A.D. 66),
which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

The violent activities of the Sicarii / Zealots initiated the First Revolt.
169
The last of these
freedom fighters died at Masada in A.D. 73, but their ideals and dreams of a restoration of a
political dynasty equal to that of King David continued. Six decades later the Jews were at war
again, in what has become known as the Second Revolt (A.D. 132-135). This revolt is also
known as the Simon Bar Kokhba Revolt and resulted in the dispersion of all Jews and Christians
from Jerusalem by the command of the Roman General Hadrian.
170

166. Josephus, Antiquities. 18.1.6 and 20.8.10.
167. Farrar, The Life of Christ. 442.
168. See Appendix 25 for a listing of false prophets who had messianic expectations and for a partial listing of revolts
and social disturbances from 63 BC to AD 135.
169. For more information on the Zealot movement, see Josephus, Wars. 2.4.1 and 4.4.1.

170. Donaldson, 4:1175-79; Crossan and Reed, Excavating Jesus. 190-92.

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