Jesus' Early Years

     Jesus' Position in Society

     Before constructing a picture of Jesus' life, it is necessary to determine Jesus' position in society at the time his ministry commenced.

     In Jesus' time, there were three religious sects - the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes.  Each of these sects contained three groups of officials that are referred to in the New Testament as the Scribes, the Rabbis, Teachers or Masters, and the Priests. 

     Josephus also describes three groups of officials in the Essene sect.  Unfortunately, he does not name them but they obviously refer to the same groups.

     The Dead Sea Scrolls also describe three groups of officials, the Council of the Community, the Council of Holiness  and the Priests, which, according to most scholars, are the same groups described by Josephus.

     For convenience and easier understanding, I will refer to each of these groups by their more familiar names of Scribes, Rabbis, and Priests.

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