While your article makes several very good points, I would like to clarify some points from a historical perspective. Some of these points are technical and long winding so I will try to just list some basic bullet points.
1. Rabbinic Judaism is not a direct continuation from Pharisaic Judaism, rather it is based on traditions from both t…
While your article makes several very good points, I would like to clarify some points from a historical perspective. Some of these points are technical and long winding so I will try to just list some basic bullet points.
1. Rabbinic Judaism is not a direct continuation from Pharisaic Judaism, rather it is based on traditions from both the Pharisees and the essenes. Granted, the legal traditions were more strongly influenced by the Pharisees while the theological traditions were more strongly influenced by the essenes, however it is not correct to categorize rabbinic Judaism as coming from specifically the Pharisees.
2. Jesus himself likely had little exposure to the Essenes, as during his lifetime they remained very solitary and did not interact with general population. His disciples however, did seem to adapt a lot of Essene theology, which likely occurred after the Essenes rejoined the general Jewish population after the destruction of the Temple.
3. Essene theology can largely be categorized as mystical, with a heavy focus on apocalyptic theology and eschatology. From what we know about Jesus he did not seem to have been engaged in this much. Rather he seem to have been a ethical and moral teacher. It is likely a reaction by his disciples after his death and alleged Resurrection that they began to understand him as a Messianic figure and reinterpreted the Messianic redemption to be spiritual in face of his death, which was done through borrowing from Essene mysticism. This influence is seen very strongly in early Christianity, while later theologians tended to focus more on ethical monotheism which is more the character of Jesus himself.
4. The historical Jesus seem to have been strongly associated with the Pharisees, although it is debated if he saw himself as a Pharisee. However, he seemed to observe many Pharisaic traditions, and even spoke positively of the legal authority of the Pharisees, although he criticized that their philosophy and their personal integrity.
5. Although Christian theology borrows heavily from Essene traditions, there were two major departures they made wish I would argue do not allow us to define Christianity as a continuation of Essene traditions. The first is supersessionism, where they replaced the covenant with the house of Israel with the institution of the church. The entire Hebrew Bible is focused around a covenant between the Jewish people and the god of Israel, while the Christians transformed the message into a universalist religion of ethical monotheism. The second is antinomianism, where they abrogated the laws of the Old testament. This was a central feature of Essene Judaism, and there are even many halachic (Jewish legal) texts extant from the Qumran sect. This is also connected to the departure from covenant theology where rituals are parts, of our obligation towards God, to preaching ethics and love where faith takes precedence over acts.
While your article makes several very good points, I would like to clarify some points from a historical perspective. Some of these points are technical and long winding so I will try to just list some basic bullet points.
1. Rabbinic Judaism is not a direct continuation from Pharisaic Judaism, rather it is based on traditions from both the Pharisees and the essenes. Granted, the legal traditions were more strongly influenced by the Pharisees while the theological traditions were more strongly influenced by the essenes, however it is not correct to categorize rabbinic Judaism as coming from specifically the Pharisees.
2. Jesus himself likely had little exposure to the Essenes, as during his lifetime they remained very solitary and did not interact with general population. His disciples however, did seem to adapt a lot of Essene theology, which likely occurred after the Essenes rejoined the general Jewish population after the destruction of the Temple.
3. Essene theology can largely be categorized as mystical, with a heavy focus on apocalyptic theology and eschatology. From what we know about Jesus he did not seem to have been engaged in this much. Rather he seem to have been a ethical and moral teacher. It is likely a reaction by his disciples after his death and alleged Resurrection that they began to understand him as a Messianic figure and reinterpreted the Messianic redemption to be spiritual in face of his death, which was done through borrowing from Essene mysticism. This influence is seen very strongly in early Christianity, while later theologians tended to focus more on ethical monotheism which is more the character of Jesus himself.
4. The historical Jesus seem to have been strongly associated with the Pharisees, although it is debated if he saw himself as a Pharisee. However, he seemed to observe many Pharisaic traditions, and even spoke positively of the legal authority of the Pharisees, although he criticized that their philosophy and their personal integrity.
5. Although Christian theology borrows heavily from Essene traditions, there were two major departures they made wish I would argue do not allow us to define Christianity as a continuation of Essene traditions. The first is supersessionism, where they replaced the covenant with the house of Israel with the institution of the church. The entire Hebrew Bible is focused around a covenant between the Jewish people and the god of Israel, while the Christians transformed the message into a universalist religion of ethical monotheism. The second is antinomianism, where they abrogated the laws of the Old testament. This was a central feature of Essene Judaism, and there are even many halachic (Jewish legal) texts extant from the Qumran sect. This is also connected to the departure from covenant theology where rituals are parts, of our obligation towards God, to preaching ethics and love where faith takes precedence over acts.
However, the paganism you speak of is largely a Hellenistic influence and not a Jewish one.