Columbia Rotary, April 14, 2014 Bryan E. Beyer, Ph.D. Associate Provost and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Columbia International University

Courtesy of

Josephus (late 1 st century AD) Rabbinic sources (Mishnah, Talmud) The New Testament

A time to remember (Exodus 12) Commemorated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt God struck down Egypt’s firstborn The blood of the passover lambs on Israelite homes protected their firstborn

A time to remember (Exodus 12) Commemorated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt God struck down Egypt’s firstborn The blood of the passover lambs on Israelite homes protected their firstborn Israel’s three primary feasts Passover The feast of weeks The feast of booths Every Jewish male was supposed to come to Jerusalem 50,000 b ecame 250,000 or more! A time to gather (Leviticus 23)

Because of the delicate balance between the Jewish ruling parties and the ultimate ruling party—Rome.

The Pharisees Middle class Whole Old Testament Afterlife

The Pharisees Middle class Whole Old Testament Afterlife The Sadducees Aristocracy Only the Torah No afterlife

The Pharisees Middle class Whole Old Testament Afterlife The Sadducees Aristocracy Only the Torah No afterlife The Essenes Withdrew from society Lived by the Dead Sea

The Pharisees Middle class Whole Old Testament Afterlife The Sadducees Aristocracy Only the Torah No afterlife The Essenes Withdrew from society Lived by the Dead Sea The Herodians A political group Wealthy Jews who supported Herod’s house

The Pharisees Middle class Whole Old Testament Afterlife The Sadducees Aristocracy Only the Torah No afterlife The Essenes Withdrew from society Lived by the Dead Sea The Herodians A political group Wealthy Jews who supported Herod’s house The Zealots Political group Ready to fight and die for their faith

Some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our place and our nation.”

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

Bryan Beyer