Page 31 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

The Time Had Fully Come

• The concept of life after death. Previously the Old Testament had
emphasized the fate of the nation, but at this time there was an
increasing interest in the fate of the individual through resurrection.
• The idea of personal responsibility had gained importance.
• The concept of Yahweh as God of all men and not merely the Jews
was becoming more accepted (Kealy and Shenk, 37).

Judaism paved the way for the coming of Christ. Because of its
influence, many people received Him and thus became “children of
God” (John 1:12). These followers were invited to the “Upper Room” to
receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses to Jerusalem and
in all Judea and Samaria and to all nations (Acts 1:1–8). In this manner,
the early church began.

As noted above, the Holy Spirit was prominent in the founding of the
church in Jerusalem. He came to people who were divided in religious
beliefs. Judaism was not a single entity. As we would say Christianity is
divided into religious groups or denominations or Islam into subdivisions,
so Judaism was divided into parties and sects. Ferguson notes:

Modern scholars make a distinction between “parties” (groups that
recognize the existence of others from whom they are separated
as having a place in the total people; cf. modern Christian
denominations or political parties in a country) and “sects” (groups
claiming an exclusive right to represent the total people and having
exclusive possession of the truth. (480)

The three prominent groups in Judaism were the Pharisees, the
Sadducees, and the Essenes.

Pharisees. The Pharisees received their name from the Hebrew word
parash, “to separate,” since their conservative interpretation of the Law
inclined them to separate themselves from others. According to Josephus,
“they were to be considered the most accurate interpreters of the Law”
(quoted in Tenney, 91). They sought for purity of faith and held strongly
to tradition. They were excessively conscious of their virtues and paraded
them before God when they prayed (Luke 18:11–12). Because their ideals
exceeded their performance, Jesus called them hypocrites and blind

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