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Extraordinary Claims => Religion General Discussion => Judaism => Topic started by: Contemporary Protestant on November 13, 2015, 01:49:08 PM

Title: Neo-Sadduccees and additional thoughts
Post by: Contemporary Protestant on November 13, 2015, 01:49:08 PM
I. I apologize for my spelling

II. Thoughts on theists who deny the existence of the afterlife?

III. Im in university now, double majoring in chemistry education and something to do with comparative religion, those arent the actual names of majors, and i wont use them because theyre poor descriptors. Anyhow, I learned in class that in Rabbinic judaism, of Jesus' time, that it was an honor to follow a rabbi and take on his yoke, the yoke of a rabbi is his views on the law and how to satisfy the greatest commandment. The yoke of jesus is described in the sermon on the mount. What are your views on this? Curious about getting different perspectives
Title: Re: Neo-Sadduccees and additional thoughts
Post by: TomFoolery on November 13, 2015, 02:06:39 PM
Theists who deny the afterlife? I've never met one, but it's a compelling concept. I tend to assume people are drawn to religion because of fears about mortality and the afterlife.
Title: Re: Neo-Sadduccees and additional thoughts
Post by: Contemporary Protestant on November 13, 2015, 02:15:50 PM
Its a radical school of thought, I am a moderate, in the view that the afterlife is of lesser importance than actions we take today
Title: Re: Neo-Sadduccees and additional thoughts
Post by: Baruch on November 13, 2015, 10:49:10 PM
You asked for it ...

Sadducee = Tzaddukim or righteous ones, clergy of the Kohanim and Leviim

Pharisees = Parushim or puritan ones, lay people who take on the kosher rules originally applied to the Tzaddukim

Originally, the early Judeans/Israelites didn't believe in Heaven or Hell, which are pagan views, but in Sheol ... which means "the grave"  This is reflected in several of the Psalms.  Ge-hinnom was a real place BTW.  But I don't do proof-texting for you, I leave it as homework ;-)  This is a more Babylonian view than an Egyptian view.  Egyptians definitely believed in Heaven and Hell ... in the Duad or where the Sun (the god Ra) went when it wasn't shining here ... sort of like a flat Earth Australia.  The Egyptians believed in Last Judgement also.  The NT picked up a lot of popular Canaanite and Egyptian beliefs, but then ... classic Judaism was a minority position even in Judah.

Be careful about imagining what Judaism was 2000 years ago ... rabbinic Judaism only dates to the early 3rd century CE, and didn't triumph until the end of the 4th century CE.  The rabbis will tell you, that their practices go all the way back to holy Moses ;-)  Josephus Flavius tells us that there were at least 23 different kinds of Judaism in the 1st century CE ... and I don't think he even counted the Samaritans or the Paulines.

Yoke is an interesting word.  It is cross-cultural ... and in India means "yoga".  When one put on the yoke of a rabbi one is only talking of Pharisees in the 1st century CE, a small but important minority, that gave the Sadducees fits.  The congregations of Pharisees were led by a rabbi ... and this is a predecessor to Sufi tarikahs led by a sheik.  The Pharisees did believe in Heaven/Hell ... but that is because relative to the priesthood, they were lay heretics.  There were priestly heretics too back in the 2nd century BCE ... that is what Hanukkah was all about ... a corrupt Hellenized priesthood that bought the High Priest office as highest bidder.  Then King Antiochus comes along and ruins it for everyone ... the Hellenizers and the Essene puritans out by the Dead Sea.  If you want to know about the real Yokhanan the Baptizer ... you have to study his followers, who still exist ... the Mandeans.  There are a few Samaritans still in existence also ... if you want a "control" to your experimental imagination.