THE POLITICAL AMBIENCE OF ISRAEL AT THE TIME OF JESUS

At the time of Jesus, Israel was under Roman rule, forming part of the so-called Province of Syria (Luke 2: 2, 2). There were two types of provinces: the senatorial ones and the imperial ones. These, unlike the senatorial provinces ones, were characterized by the presence of legions of soldiers, because they were territories that still had certain resistances to the domination. In Jerusalem, for example, Roman troops were stationed at the Antonia Fortress, a military facility located next to the Temple (Acts 21: 30-36).

This situation was a source of suffering for the people, who had to pay heavy taxes to the invaders. Many, however, were accommodated to domination and profited from it. The Sadducees, for example, though they did not approve of it, accepted it with resignation, for it was convenient for them. As the Romans granted them the right to take care of the daily life of Israel, they constituted the nation's elite and exercised relative authority over it. In doing so, coupled with the fact that the high priest was appointed by them, the Romans created among the Sadducees a political game in support of Rome.

It was this political elite that dominated the temple service and impressed, along with the Pharisees who also held a misinterpretation of Scripture, the sense of spiritual life and the whole concept of worshiping God. Jesus, however, vehemently condemned the religiosity taught and imposed by the Sadducees and Pharisees (Matthew 16: 5-12), characterized by appearance and legalism. The effort of his teaching and preaching consisted in dismantling this religious framework that kept the man from God.

The weight of the Roman presence on Israeli soil increased the yearning for the Messiah's coming. But because of the misconceptions of religious authorities, the people nurtured the idea of a political-nationalist messiah. A leader, a king who would expel Romans from Israel and bring the nation into a relevant condition. Therefore, at the time of Jesus in Israel, appeared six or seven Zealots messiahs who had gathered followers and then isolated themselves in the wilderness for armed campaigns against the forces of occupation.

In fact, there are in Acts of the Apostles the record of two of these possible messiahs (5. 33-41). Luke also recorded that Barabbas, who was released at the time of Christ's crucifixion, had been arrested for insurrection (possibly against Rome) and murder (23.25). It was in this atmosphere of political turmoil that the true Messiah came into the world, but it was not recognized by religious leaders. Blind, in their mistaken interpretations, and preoccupied with maintaining their prestige positions, they killed him. Israel, after Christ's death, continued in its rebellions against the Roman Empire until it was utterly destroyed in 70 AD and dispersed throughout the world.

Antônio Maia – M.Div.

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