29
Fri, Mar

Jews everywhere were united in their conviction of being God’s chosen people, and in their observance of the Law and their traditions. Spiritually and emotionally, they were pulled to the center of their Jewish religion: the Jerusalem temple where they made pilgrimages. They also paid an annual due of a half-shekel for its maintenance. Starting from the time of the exile in Babylon, the institution of the synagogue became the center of Jewish religious and communal life. The synagogue first referred to a local gathering of Jews and then, by extension, to the building where the community would gather. Here the Jews would read and expound on Scriptures, made their prayers, and tackled matters of common interest. 

As it usually happens, there would be disenchantment with the traditional religion. The Temple itself was revered, but among the Jews, there was dissatisfaction with the priestly hierarchy in Jerusalem, particularly in view of its collaboration with the Roman authorities and its absorption of Greek culture. In reaction, some groups formed fraternities to educate and encourage their members in ways of living a holy life in the midst of the reality around them. A religious party, the Pharisees, formed themselves into haburoth or groups to maintain their standard of purity and to celebrate religious meals. Some people would even see the religious leaders in Jerusalem as apostates and so withdrew as conclaves in urban life. This was the course of action of the “Essene” communities. The Essenes established a monastery in Qumran, in the western coast of the Dead Sea, where, through rituals and strict observance of the Law, they awaited the deliverance of the community from association with false worshippers.