How many Jewish people practiced their faith?

[Jim_Baur]

At the time or before Jesus, how many people went to synagogue and Temple?

Is there much evidence, direct, indirect or circumstantial?

After the fall of Jerusalem, how many were in the diaspora?

THANKS!

 

[ComplineSanFran]

At the time or before Jesus, how many people went to synagogue and Temple?

My first thought when you asked that question was, 'Is he thinking people ‘went to synagogue and Temple’ in the same way that people in the present go to church or synagogue? Apples and oranges if that is what you meant.

Jews in Judea were Jewish. They practiced and prayed every day. They travelled, when they could, to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the three holy festivals, and to make their offerings when a life event or circumstance called for it.

The synagogue was the local gathering where men came to pray and to learn.

Being Jewish was an every day reality. It defined them as a people and as a culture, not just their religious practice.

 

[IgnatianPhilo]

I tend to think the majority would have practised some form of Judaism. In the gospels Jesus was able to interact with the people and address their religious concerns through a common religious understanding. He used the common religious framework to spread his message concerning the Gospel.

A more interesting question is which type of Judaism did the common people align themselves with. The Synagogue system was fairly well established and various types of speakers from different perspectives of Judaism were able to speak (Paul in acts went to Synagogues in order to preach Jesus and was allowed to do this).

Evidence for Judaism at the time of Jesus comes from a few sources, the New Testament, Inter testimonial literature ( books of the Maccabees, wisdom of Solomon, Baruch), Josephus, Philo and the Talmud. The Talmud is valuable but determining it’s historical value is difficult because it comes after about 200 AD, if I recall. Our sources for second temple Judaism then are scanty at best.

 

[Jim_Baur]

Thanks!

Sorry about the ambiguity of the question.

What started my questioning: Josephus claimed that there were 6,000 Pharisees, or so I recall.

The Sadducees were of the elite, or so I recall.

There were not that many elite or wealthy people, or so I thought.

So, a natural question, how many people practiced the religion of the Jews at the time of Jesus Christ?

Furthermore, in Acts there are statements such as many priest came over, and 3,000 converted in one day.

Moreover, at the fall of Jerusalem, how many “pure Jews” were left?

How many in the diaspora that were still active?

How many Jews accepted Jesus?

How many did not?

Tough questions for me.

THANKS

 

[Kaninchen]

Tough questions for me.

The thing is that they’ll remain tough because we just don’t know - some questions are just not answerable in the way they’re posed.

However, I would suggest that you consider the numbers involved in the Great Revolt (66–73 CE) and the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 CE). There were obviously quite a few Jews around.

 

[Jim_Baur]

Excellent!