The Ministry of Caiphas

[SDG]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

I get it now.

You had to bump the other thread, so someone would realize that you are making a mockery of CS's sincere post with yours.

Come on, DA. I think you're better than that....aren't you?

You got me ... Annie.

[MissBrattified]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

You got me ... Annie.

[SDG]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

Now ... run along ... you might hurt yourself ....

[Jekyll]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

I get it now.

You had to bump the other thread, so someone would realize that you are making a mockery of CS's sincere post with yours.

Come on, DA. I think you're better than that....aren't you?

Nah he's not

[SDG]

Originally Posted by Jekyll

Nah he's not

I'm glad to see you're an INDEPENDENT thinker ... Jek...

[Jekyll]

We get it already...you and coop's formula for church

structure + UPC = pharisee and cultism = evil intentions and influences

[Jekyll]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

I'm glad to see you're an INDEPENDENT thinker ... Jek...

yeah..btw...cute, independent av...

[SDG]

Originally Posted by Jekyll

We get it already...you and coop's formula for church

structure + UPC = pharisee and cultism = evil intentions and influences

I'll give a 3,000 dollar reward ... if you can find a reference to an organization or a fellowship in this thread from my part ....

[SDG]

More on the man Caiphas ….

Caiaphas had a privileged position.

Caiaphas was a supreme political operator and one of the most influential men in Jerusalem. He'd already survived 18 years as High Priest of the Temple (most High Priests only lasted 4), and had built a strong alliance with the occupying Roman power.

Caiaphas knew everybody who mattered. He was the de-facto ruler of the worldwide Jewish community at that time, and he planned to keep it that way.

The case against Caiaphas is that he arrests Jesus, tries him in a kangaroo court and convicts him on a religious charge that carries the death penalty.


What were Caiaphas' motives?

Jesus threatened Caiaphas's authority. Caiaphas could not afford to allow any upstart preacher to get away with challenging his authority; especially not at Passover time. This was the biggest Jewish festival and scholars estimate that around two and half million Jews would have been in Jerusalem to take part. Caiaphas did not want to lose face.

Jesus threatened Caiaphas' relationship with Rome
Caiaphas' power base was the Sanhedrin, the supreme council of Jews which controlled civil and religious law. It had 71 members, mostly chief priests, and Caiaphas presided over its deliberations.

It was hard work but it had big rewards - modern archaeologists have discovered that Caiaphas and his associates lived lives of luxury with large and lavishly decorated houses.

But, of course, the Sanhedrin only ruled because the Romans allowed them to and the way to keep the Romans happy was to maintain order in society. Caiaphas himself was a Roman appointment, so he needed to keep cozy with the governor, Pilate, if he wanted to stay in power and preserve his luxurious way of life.

So if Jesus was making trouble, he was making trouble for both Caiaphas and Pilate - and trouble for Pilate was still trouble for Caiaphas.

Jesus was undoubtedly a threat; the public liked him, indeed they may have been paying more attention to Jesus than to the priests, and the public were listening to his condemnation of what he saw as wrong in the religious establishment.

Jesus threatened the Temple's income

Jesus was also threatening a useful source of income for the Temple priests.

The Temple apparatus brought in huge revenues for simple matters like purification and the forgiveness of sins. Archaeologists have discovered 150 mikvehs around the Temple. Mikvehs are ritual baths which Jews use in order to purify themselves before any act of worship.

Jewish people could only enter the Temple if they were ritually pure and almost everyone arriving in Jerusalem for Passover was deemed ritually unclean. They had to use a mikveh before they could fulfill their religious obligations. The priests controlled the mikvehs and charged people to use them.

There were so many regulations requiring ritual purification that control of the mikvehs was a way of making money.

Jesus thought the whole thing was rubbish. He taught that the elaborate purity rituals were unnecessary - the Kingdom of God was available to everyone and they didn't have to go through these rituals or pay the money in order to get there.

Bad news for the Temple apparatchiks. A quick way to raise a revolt was to tell people that they were being ripped off. This could cause a riot in the Temple if it got out of hand.

But there was worse. Jesus stormed into the Temple and accused the moneychangers and sacrificial dove sellers of extortion and of turning the Temple into a den of thieves.

The ultimate challenge to any religious leaders: What you are doing is against God and God will destroy you and cleanse the whole religious apparatus. And God, as every Jew knew, had the power to do it - he'd demonstrated that many times before.

Jesus was doing this in the Temple, in front of the crowds and without any fear or respect for Caiaphas and his staff.

Caiaphas had to do something to show that he was still boss, and he had to do it quickly; Jesus was on a roll, and who knew what he was going to do next.

[Jekyll]

Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea

I'll give a 3,000 dollar reward ... if you can find a reference to an organization or a fellowship in this thread from my part ....

Real independent idea you know, of the reward...puhhhleeeezzz

I mentioned the UPC, don't worry, you don't have to take flack for that one...but don't address the statement I made, just grab another rabbit...


By the way, how's the rabbit farm going???


Hmmmmm...an idea springs forth...