{"id":52144,"date":"2019-09-02T12:53:46","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T09:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=52144"},"modified":"2025-07-06T15:05:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T12:05:17","slug":"between-the-greeks-pharisees-and-sadducees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2019\/09\/02\/between-the-greeks-pharisees-and-sadducees\/","title":{"rendered":"Between the Greeks, Pharisees, and Sadducees?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1>\u00a0<\/h1>\n<h2><strong>1. Pharisees vs. Sadducees\u00a0 A Theological Overview<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Pharisees<\/strong> and <strong>Sadducees<\/strong> were two prominent Jewish sects during the Second Temple period (516 BC \u2013 70 AD). Though both adhered to the <strong>Torah (the first five books of Moses)<\/strong>, they held <strong>divergent theological beliefs<\/strong>, especially regarding the resurrection, the afterlife, and spiritual beings.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Pharisees<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Beliefs:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Affirmed the <strong>resurrection of the dead<\/strong>, judgment, and life after death (Daniel 12:2).<\/p>\n<p>Believed in <strong>angels<\/strong>, <strong>spirits<\/strong>, and the existence of a spiritual realm.<\/p>\n<p>Accepted not only the Torah but also the <strong>Oral Law<\/strong> (later codified in the Talmud) as authoritative.<\/p>\n<p>Anticipated the coming of a <strong>Messiah<\/strong> who would establish God&#8217;s kingdom.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Scripture Support:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cAnd many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.\u201d<\/em><br \/><strong>Daniel 12:2, ESV<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201c&#8230;the Pharisees acknowledge them all.\u201d<\/em><br \/><strong>Acts 23:8, ESV<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Sadducees<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Beliefs:<\/strong>Denied the <strong>resurrection<\/strong>, <strong>angels<\/strong>, and <strong>spirits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Rejected the Oral Law and only adhered strictly to the <strong>written Torah<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Did not believe in an afterlife or divine judgment beyond this life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jesus&#8217; Rebuke (Matthew 22:23\u201333):<\/strong><br \/>Jesus directly addressed the Sadducees&#8217; denial of resurrection. He reminded them that God is &#8220;the God of the living,&#8221; referring to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob indicating they are still alive in God&#8217;s presence.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cI am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob\u2019? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.\u201d<\/em><br \/><strong>Matthew 22:32, ESV<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Paul\u2019s Use of Their Division (Acts 23:6\u201310):<\/strong><br \/>The Apostle Paul, a former Pharisee, used the doctrinal divide between the two groups to protect himself from unjust trial:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201c&#8230;\u2018Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.\u2019\u201d<\/em><br \/><strong>Acts 23:6, ESV<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This statement caused conflict between the Pharisees and Sadducees, essentially diverting attention away from Paul.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>2. Who Were the Greeks in the New Testament?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The term <strong>\u201cGreek\u201d<\/strong> in the New Testament refers to different groups depending on context. It&#8217;s crucial to understand these distinctions to interpret Scripture accurately.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A. Greek-speaking Jews (Hellenistic Jews)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>These were <strong>ethnically Jewish<\/strong> people who lived in <strong>Greek-speaking regions<\/strong> of the Roman Empire. They often adopted Greek customs and language while still practicing Judaism.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Example: John 12:20\u201321<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cNow among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip&#8230; and asked him, \u2018Sir, we wish to see Jesus.\u2019\u201d<\/em><br \/><strong>John 12:20\u201321, ESV<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>These &#8220;Greeks&#8221; were likely Hellenistic Jews or proselytes (Gentile converts to Judaism) who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example: Pentecost (Acts 2:5\u201311)<\/strong><br \/>On Pentecost, Jews from all over the Roman world, including Greek-speaking areas, were present:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cNow there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.\u201d<\/em><br \/><strong>Acts 2:5, ESV<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>B. Ethnic Greeks (Gentiles)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>These were <strong>non-Jewish<\/strong> people from Greek or Hellenistic backgrounds. In the New Testament, many of them were considered <strong>&#8220;God-fearers&#8221; <\/strong>Gentiles who were attracted to Jewish monotheism but not fully converted.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Example: The Syrophoenician Woman (Mark 7:26)<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cNow the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.\u201d<\/em><br \/><strong>Mark 7:26, ESV<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Though she was a Gentile, Jesus honored her faith, showing that salvation would also be extended to the nations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Titus and Timothy<\/strong><\/p>\n<strong>Titus<\/strong> was a Greek (Galatians 2:3) and a trusted companion of Paul.<strong>Timothy<\/strong> had a Jewish mother and a Greek father (Acts 16:1), reflecting the diverse makeup of early Christian communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Pharisees<\/strong> were strict interpreters of the Law who also believed in resurrection, angels, and the spiritual world.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Sadducees<\/strong> were more aristocratic and skeptical, denying the resurrection and spiritual beings, accepting only the Torah.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Greeks<\/strong> in the New Testament may refer to either Hellenistic Jews or Gentiles from the Greek world.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Be blessed!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class='share-to-whatsapp-wrapper'><div class='share-on-whsp'>Share on: <\/div><a data-text='Between the Greeks, Pharisees, and Sadducees?' data-link='https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2019\/09\/02\/between-the-greeks-pharisees-and-sadducees\/' class='whatsapp-button whatsapp-share'>WhatsApp<\/a><div class='clear '><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 1. Pharisees vs. Sadducees\u00a0 A Theological Overview The Pharisees and Sadducees were two prominent Jewish sects during the Second Temple period (516 BC <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1227,"featured_media":39274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16929],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-52144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-en"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/images-1.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/images-1.jpg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/feed\/podcast\/wingu-la-mashahidi","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"gfrqtTOZ2i\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2019\/09\/02\/between-the-greeks-pharisees-and-sadducees\/\">Between the Greeks, Pharisees, and Sadducees?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2019\/09\/02\/between-the-greeks-pharisees-and-sadducees\/embed\/#?secret=gfrqtTOZ2i\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Between the Greeks, Pharisees, and Sadducees?&#8221; &#8212; Wingu la Mashahidi\" data-secret=\"gfrqtTOZ2i\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! 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