Governor: The governor, or prefect, was a political appointee of Rome over a smaller Roman province. The governor was directly accountable to Rome, yet he could rule his province without interference from Rome. The prefect was appointed from the class of Romans that would be compared to medieval knights. Their army was formed by the gentiles who lived in the area under their rule. For major uprisings, they could call up Caesar for extra military help. Pontius Pilate was one of these governors.
Client-King: Herod was a client-king. He was king of Israel, but he was not independent. He was given ruling authority and could basically do whatever he wanted, as long as he kept good relations with Rome.
High Priest: Formerly was a descendant of Aaron and the religious leader. This was the person who was basically the "president of the church." When Christ was born, the high priest was now appointed by Roman leaders. He still held the highest religious position.
Sadducees: This group of leaders most likely came from the old families of the high priests who came to power during the Maccabean period. They were the aristocracy of the Jews. Because they were both priests and wealthy, they had a lot of power.
Pharisees: This group of leaders came from the common people. They disliked the Romans and gentiles. Their emphasis was on the law, which they followed strictly. The oral law was derived from the Pharisees.
Scribes: In the Old Testament, scribes were a political position in court. After Ezra, scribes became teachers of the law. But not only were they teachers, they were also the interpreters of the law. This gave them a lot of power over the people. Most scribes were Pharisees.
Sources: Bible Dictionary; Black, 2010; Brown, 2002
No comments:
Post a Comment