The Progressive Persecution of the First Century Church by the Sanhedrin Part 1

Historical Facts: A Study of the Book of Acts

The Sanhedrin is translated into English as council. It is believed the Sanhedrin was officially formed during the centuries between the testaments or the 400 years of silence.[1] It consisted of 71 members and was presided over by the high priest or king. This would date back to old testament times referencing Numbers 11:16, The LORD therefore said to Moses, "Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. [2]
The Sanhedrin consisted of two separate parties: the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees and the Pharisees can also be viewed as a political Sanhedrin and a religious Sanhedrin. The political Sanhedrin was chosen by the high priest or the king and there is no indication in ancient documents on how they were chosen. The people chosen were most likely friends of the high priest or king and came from the Levitical priesthood. This council was not a permanent entity, but was convened only in cases that demanded their attention. The council had the power to produce a verdict on any case but had no power to impose capital punishment. Capital punishment could only be implemented by Roman authorities. The second party was the Religious Sanhedrin. The religious Sanhedrin members were the highest court, similar to the U.S. Supreme Court. They would only hold trials on cases that were violating Jewish religious and criminal law. [3] These two councils of the Sanhedrin were concerned with two different areas. The political portion was concerned with secular issues, while the religious council dealt with enforcing the law of the Pentateuch. We can see these two groups broken down to the Sadducees who would be considered the secular party and the Pharisees considered the religious party.

Sadducees

The Sadducees did not hold power because of their political influence, but their power was from controlling most of the wealth. They collaborated with Roman authorities which provided them many material advantages. Being concerned with the secular part of their nation, their theology was less important to them than their place and position which brought about much conflict between them and the Pharisees.[4] The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection and they also did not believe in a personal messiah, but they believed in an ideal of a messiah. This can be illustrated when they were testing Jesus in Luke 20:27-40. They were trying to challenge Jesus on the theology of the resurrection with a trick question. Jesus redirects their theology and their misinterpretation of the scripture proving that God is a God of the living and not the dead by using the account with Moses and the burning bush. Matthew Henry has a great interpretation of this scripture. “The Sadducees deny that there is any resurrection, any future state, so anastasis (pertaining to the resurrection of the dead) may signify; not only no return of the body to life, but no continuance of the soul in life, no world of spirits, no state of recompense and retribution for what was done in the body.” According to Matthew Henry, the Sadducees caused a weakening of people’s faith in the doctrine of the resurrection if not in their entire faith based system. [5] This sounds very familiar with the arguments that are made today by Atheists and Agnostics. It is easier to deny an afterlife for the simple fact they may have to face God on the Day of Judgment, so they will not have to make an account for what they have done or how they lived their lives.
One final observation, according to F.F. Bruce a Sadducee could not become a Christian without first abandoning many of their theological beliefs. A Pharisee could become a Christian and remain a Pharisee. However, a Sadducee could become a Pharisee then become a Christian.[6]

Pharisees

The word Pharisee is a Hebrew word meaning to divide or separate, which could be translated as the separated ones. The word Pharisee and its translation could be pertaining to being separate from the sinfulness and uncleanliness of this world or they purposely separated themselves to study and interpret the law. The Pharisees were the authors of the two fold law, both oral and written. [7] The Pharisees were also very popular with the people of Israel.
The Pharisees had adopted a strong nationalistic or patriotic posture and their only concern was the defense of the law. We can tell by scriptures that they despised the Romans and their rules. Their basic theology included the belief in the bodily resurrection of the dead. They believed in the authenticity of angels and demons. They were also missionary minded seeking the conversion of the gentiles. They believed that God was concerned with and intervened in the lives of people who worshiped Him. They also believed that each person had the right to choose, therefore each person was responsible for their own actions and the way they lived their lives. The Pharisees were monotheistic, which means that they believed in only one God.7


[1] Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.(p.1445)
[2] NASB Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999
[3] Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard F. Vos, and John Rea, Wycliffe Bible dictionary. Peabody: Hendrickson publishers, Inc., 2005. (p.1520)
[4] Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.(p.66,67)
[5] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible, Vol. 5 (Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 1991) (p.642)
[6] Bruce, F.F. The Book of Acts. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988. (p.428)
[7] Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.(p.917)