Abstract

This paper aims to present some aspects of the attitude adopted by the Jewish religious parties towards Jesus’ teachings, emphasizing both the religious and the socio-political dimension of the way that the representatives of Jewish parties understood Jesus. His teachings represented a challenge for these parties, forcing them to adopt an attitude and to try to formulate replies to the particular problems raised by the teachings. The representatives of the Jewish religious parties tried to find out more about Jesus’ religious and political views, either by infiltrating the crowds that were listening to Jesus, or by addressing Him directly. They were particularly interested in aspects like the new interpretation of the Law, the social “program”, the attitude towards the Roman occupation. The vast majority of the members of the Jewish parties rejected all the teachings of Jesus (including, of course, His divinity). However, despite this general attitude, some of them manifested a more favourable attitude (such is the case of Nicodemus), accepting that Jesus might be right.