Ep 203: The Second Temple, the Sanhedrin, and 1st Century Jewish Politics

In this episode I discuss the inherently political nature of the second Jewish temple and the Sanhedrin, which was the local governing body based out of Jerusalem who were threatened by the ministry of Jesus. I explain how ‘religion’ is a modern category and that before the Enlightenment wasn’t distinguished from politics, society, or economics, and how passages in the Gospels which address the conflict between Jesus and the Jerusalem elites have often been read as purely ‘religious’ conflicts. Exploring the work done by scholar Shaye Cohen on the Temple and the Sanhedrin, I show how both served a political and social function that was consistent with the decentralized nature of Roman imperial rule. We then explore several passages in the Gospel of Mark which, when read within their historical contexts, should be understood as addressing social and political, as well as theological, conflicts between Jesus, the ruling elites, and the Second Temple.

Additional Resources

Cohen, Shaye; From the Maccabees to the Mishnah: https://a.co/d/a3371UM

James McGrath on John the Baptist: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-134-john-the-baptist-with-james-mcgrath/