Extreme Pharisess and religious Jews living primarily in Galilee. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. The Unvarnished New Testament (1991) renders Galatians 1:14 as "being an absolute zealot for the traditions". THE ZEALOTS AND JESUS. The Zealots sought to overthrow Rome. Christians may be passionate, committed, and all in as the Zealots were, but that doesnt mean that their heart or actions are guided by Gods love, the truth of Gods word, or an obedient heart. In the first revolt against Rome (ad 6670) the Zealots played a leading role, and at Masada in 73 they committed suicide rather than surrender the fortress, but they were still a force to be reckoned with in the first part of the following century. . The Bible mentions Simon the Zealot as one of Jesus' disciples, however, historians warn about the possibility that the . [5], Simon the Zealot was listed among the apostles selected by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke[6] and in the Acts of the Apostles. 9, 1) and gave Archelaus no peace. Many think of the tax collector Matthew as the most unpopular choice Jesus made for a disciple. (18.1.6), According to the Jewish Encyclopedia article on Zealots:[4]. Of course, not all Zealots were violent in their approach. Not everyone was happy with Hasmonean rule. Again, the Zealots were zealous defenders of the Law and the Jewish nation. After the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, Herod was called to Rome with others to report on conditions in the East. The ending was true to S.G.F.Brandon insistence on neutrality in his research. An understanding of the Zealots, however, helps to highlight the choice of Simon the Zealot as one of the first disciples of Jesus. This led the Romans to the Zealot fortress of Masada in 73 A.D. After a siege, the Romans were able to breach the walls of the fortress. The Pharisees, likewise, accepted the Roman occupation and strove to live and remain pure, at least in theory, in the world in which God had placed them. Zealots and Jesus of Nazareth. God had punished them with a plague. In both The Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War, Josephus described the various Jewish sects of schools of philosophy. As Jesus drew nearer to the cross, His message became more and more directed to the representatives of the Jewish nation. According to John MacArthur, the Zealots were hoping for a Messiah who would lead them in overthrowing the Romans and restore the kingdom to Israel with its Solomonic glory. The dominating difference was the ability to live in this now cosmopolitan Greek culture, and yet retain the unique identity markers and traditions of the Jews. , where Luke lists the 12 inner-circle disciples of Jesus. As for the notion that the presence of a "zealot" among Jesus' disciples proves the existence of the Zealot party in Jesus' time, that is not an argument, but a bad pun. As a reward for his service, Augustus (r. 27 BCE to 14 CE) and Mark Anthony (83-30 BCE) granted him the title of King of the Jews. Verse Concepts. This Messiah would lead them into battle to drive the Romans, and any other foreign nation, out of Palestine. Which contains more carcinogens luncheon meats or grilled meats? One such group was the Zealots. These "zealous" Jews were strict nationalists who preached the sole sovereignty of God. Brandon's "tour de force" provides answers to questions that arise from a close reading of the canonical Gospels: Why was Peter carrying a sword at the Last Supper? Nowhere is the negative polemic against the Zealots more dramatic than in Josephus' account of the Jewish Revolt. A census of Galilee ordered by Rome in ad 6 spurred the Zealots to . Josephus infamously later changed sides and became an ally of Rome. However, these facts alone were not distinguishing characteristics of the group. A descendant of Judah, Eleazar Ben Jair, fled to Masada and assumed command of the forces there. Denova, R. (2022, February 10). "); and for presenting early Christianity as being simply divided into a Hellenistic, Pauline form on the one hand, and a Jewish, Jamesian form on the other. My Account | Barabbas, a criminal on the brink of receiving his execution, gets set free by the Jewish people when they are given a choice between releasing either Barabbas or Jesus. When Jesus rode the jews into jeruselum the zealots where the As many Zealots as Jesus of Nazareth are contemporaries, so it is not surprising that historians speculate on the interaction of the Christian leader with this important movement of the time. To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ. Where is the magnetic force the greatest on a magnet. of The Zealots very well could have adopted this phrase as their motto. The historian Josephus write of four prominent groups: The Pharisees, who Jesus frequently clashed with and admonished for their legalism and hypocrisy, were fastidious about the Law and its application. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, three main Jewish groups existed at the time of Christthe Pharisees . Opponents of the zealots simply call them "bandits." According to Josephus, the Zealots were the leaders in the defense of the Temple in Jerusalem who met with defeat in AD 70. Home We know almost nothing about Simon the Zealot. There is one argument that asserts Judas surname, Iscariot, may indicate he, too, was a Zealot. They argued cooperation with the census was equivalent to a capitulation to Roman rule. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of the very early Christian Church, Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2013. "Riveting . The Zealots looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. In fact, no Jewish group was as politically motivated or opposed to Rome as the Zealots. A subgroup of them, known as the Sicarii, frequently attacked Romans and those considered to work for them. Considering the fact that Jesus opposed violent rebellion against Rome, many probably wondered why Jesus would choose such a fellow. A movement formed against a Roman census in 6 A.D. and led by Judas the Galilean. He said, the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). As religious fundamentalists, they were often the most rigid and overbearing, maneuvering to protect their wealth and preserve their political power at all costs, even if it meant blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:22-29) or partnering with the Romans to have Jesus crucified (John 18). The Zealots were a group of Jews who began to emerge as a religious/political movement around the beginning of the 1st century CE. 1:14 and Acts 22:3", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zealots&oldid=1143724636, This page was last edited on 9 March 2023, at 14:13. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazarethby Reza AslanRandom House, 337 pp., $27. The Modern King James Version of Jay P. Green) renders it as 'a zealous one'. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. Denova, Rebecca. > John of Gishala led another faction in Galilee. Again the words of Jesus, who wept when people did not embrace the kind of peace he offered, came true (Luke 19:41-44). Origin. The word zealot derives from the Greek zelotes, meaning "emulator or (zealous) follower.". (3) that the existence of a "zealot" among the apostles proves the existence of the Zealots as a party before 66. Despite his criticism, Martin praises Zealot for maintaining good pacing, simple explanations for complicated issues, and notes for checking sources.[6]. 10, 8), the leaders of which each desired to be a king. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The book gathered mixed reviews. [CDATA[// >