The CIA really needs to come up with better ways to infiltrate the pro-palestinian movement cause this ain't working

  • Mardoniush [she/her]
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    edit-2
    1 month ago

    So, firstly we are talking about first century Christians, pre 2nd/3rd Jewish revolt. The Jewish authorities still had wide religious and political power in this era.

    Jesus was the opposite of the generally conceived notion of the Messiah as a Maccebean style military leader. He died, there was a distinct lack of military conquest, and his (frankly quite limited) preaching to gentiles and Samaritans didn't help

    Petrene/Jamesite and the Jewish section of the Johannine community were banned from synagogue, and Paul notes that Jewish authorities openly hunted and prosecuted early Christian groups. And these were the Pharisees, a middle and lower class fundamentalist movement that became modern Judaism.

    The rich, the Saducees were even more hostile, viewing them as a threat to the fragile balance of power with Rome, and having major theological differences (priestly Judaism generally denied the existence of judgement and was ambivalent to hostile about the existence of the afterlife)

    The evangelical character of early Christians didn't help, it was the equivalent of a bunch of Mormons showing up at your high Anglican mass and claiming no really their were Jews in America and this is the true promised land. They were Annoying

    Compared to the mostly insular Essenes and the politically powerful Zealots, the Christians were easy targets to show the Romans that Jewish authorities had it all under control.

    That said, the idea all the apostles died as martyrs is laughable. Pre Nero persecutions were largely restrained and generally politically motivated.

    • GlueBear [they/them, comrade/them]
      ·
      1 month ago

      And these were the Pharisees, a middle and lower class fundamentalist movement that became modern Judaism.

      When you say moden Judaism, you mean non-reformist Judaism?

      Or do both contain aspects of the Pharisees' movement?

      • Mardoniush [she/her]
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        edit-2
        1 month ago

        Both do, Pharisees are considered to be the direct predecessor of Rabbinic Judaism, since they more successfully survived the revolts. Their key difference with other factions aside from metaphysical things like the afterlife was an acknowledgement of the "Oral Torah" instead of just the written bible, and a strong commitment to theological debate. After the destruction of the temple this was written down in Babylon, first as the Mishnah and then the Talmud.

        While Jesus paints them as his key opponent and critiques them for being overly focused on the letter rather than the spirit of the law, (the Saducees being largely beneath contempt), there's a certain mutual respect going on as both Jesus and the Pharisees are massive, massive debate bros and have a similar class base. Some of the upper members of the Pharisees movement like Gamaliel are revered in both faiths.

        Karaite Jews are different as are Beta Israel in that they retain a few more priestly aspects though their precise historical lineage is under some debate.