The Zealots
In Luke chapter six, verse fifteen, one of our Lord's disciples is referred to as “Simon the Zealot”, which seems to distinguish him as a member of the “Zealot” party which was active in Israel up until about A. D. 73. The Zealots were a strongly nationalistic group that was founded by Judas the Galilean in A. D. 6 when they revolted against Rome over the payment of tribute money to a pagan Emperor. These “zealous” Israelites interpreted this payment as treason against God who was the one and only true King of Israel.
They seem to have taken their name from following the example of Phineas, who, we are told in Numbers 25 verse 11, “was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel”. As Phineas displayed zeal at that time of their national apostasy, so the Zealots would follow his example now that Israel was pressed under by the heal of Imperial Rome.
It is unlikely that Simon would have remained a true Zealot after his conversion to Christ as the Zealot policy was to overthrow the Roman rule even through bloodshed, a policy which finds no place in Christ's teaching. There are references to Zealot activities in such scriptures as Acts 21 verse 38, where Paul is questioned whether or not he is “that Egyptian which … led out four thousand men that were murderers (Assassins)?” This group of Zealots got their name from the fact that they armed themselves with concealed daggers for the “assassination” of Israel's enemies.
The Nazarites
An Old Testament party of “separatists” who consecrated themselves to the Lord by the taking of certain vows. The name means to “separate” or “consecrate”, or may mean “the crown of God”, which would probably refer to the Nazarite's uncut hair which was one of the vows. The Nazarites were also called to abstain from strong drink and were prohibited from coming into contact with a dead body. When any of these prohibitions was violated the Nazarite was called to reconsecration. At the end of the period of service to Jehovah – this could be a week, or a month, or a year, or a life – the Nazarite went into the temple and cut off his hair and burned it.
One of the most outstanding Nazarites was, of course, Samson. As he had been “separated” for life, the shaving of his hair when he had fallen to the wiles of Delilah constituted a broken vow and thus resulted in the Lord's Spirit being removed from him.
There are a few later references in the Acts of the Apostles to men taking a vow similar to the Nazarite. Paul, in Acts 21 verse 23, performs this act for four men, and in Chapter 18 verse 18, shaves his own head “for he had a vow”.
The Sons of Belial.
This phrase occurs often in the Old Testament; and we also read of the “children of Belial”, the “men of Belial”, and the “daughter of Belial.” There is no such personage in the Bible, however, as Belial, and the term is a general one that is used to brand someone as “worthless”, or “wicked”, or “base”. In 2 Corinthians 6:15 the Apostle Paul uses the phrase as a synonym for Satan; “And what concord hath Christ with Belial‘”, he asks. Thus, in the Old Testament the term is used to denote a low person in one degree or another; while in the New it has developed into a title for Satan or Antichrist.
The Money Changers.
One of the first things that our Lord did when He “went up to JerusalemͰ in John 2:13-16 was to drive the “changers of money” out of the Temple. Under Jewish law (Exodus 30:13), a “half shekel” was payable as a “temple tax” once a year. As the normal Roman coinage had heathen embellishments, the tax could only be paid in Jewish silver money. Those worshippers who had to come from a distance, therefore, to pay their tax, or to purchase an animal for sacrifice were forced to resort to these “money changers” in order to have their “foreign” currency exchanged for Jewish coins. This state of affairs had led to many malpractices, and the rate of exchange had become exorbitant. The “money changers” had set up their stalls in the “outer court” of the Temple, and it was this whole scene of vicious competition and exploitation that enraged the Saviour and caused him to drive them out, because they had made His Father's House a “den of robbers”.
Augustus' Band.
In Acts 27:1 we read of the apostle Paul being given into the hands of one “Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band”. The army of Imperial Rome was divided into “bands” or “cohorts” which consisted of one thousand men; and these cohorts were, in turn, divided into ten “centuries” of one hundred men. The commanders of these centuries were known as “Centurions”, so that Julius mentioned was the Commander of one tenth of the Augustan Cohort – “a centurion of Augustus's band”. It seems to have been customary to give epithets to these cohorts, e.g. the “Italian band” of which Cornelius was Centurion. This “Augustus' band” seems to have been a “crack” division named after the Emperor, Augustus.
The Barbarous People of Melita.
In Acts chapter 28, we read of Paul and his companions being shipwrecked on the island of “Melita”, where, Luke informs us, “the barbarous people showed us no little kindness”. Melita is our modern Malta, and the term “barbarous people” is a technical term of Luke's day. The people of Melita were “barbarous” only in so far as they did not speak the Greek language; so, we are not to imagine Paul and his companions marooned among cannibals, or any such thing. The people of Melita were, of course, pagan in that they did not worship the one True God, and verse 4 of the chapter may be a reference to one of the gods that they did worship – a god of the sea, perhaps. When the “venomous beast” fastened itself upon Paul's arm, “they said among themselves, no doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet VENGEANCE suffereth not to live”. The Greek word for “vengeance” is DIKE and may refer to their god.
Castor and Pollux.
In Acts chapter 28 when Paul set sail again in verse 11, he set sail, we are told “… in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was CASTOR AND POLLUX”. Castor and Pollux were the sons of Zeus in Greek mythology and were looked upon as the special guardians of seamen. This being a Greek ship – “of Alexandria”, the figurehead was probably a carving of these twin protectors; or, possibly an image of each was fastened on either side of the ship.
The Rechabites.
In Jeremiah 35 verses 5 to 10, we are given an account of Jeremiah the prophet setting some pots of wine before “the sons of the house of the Rechabites”. These Rechabites refuse to drink the wine, however, and this is to count as a protest against the settled life that the Israelites have now entered into in the land of Caanan. Since leaving the wilderness, the Rechabites believed, the children of Israel had become a corrupt and faithless nation; and so, anything to do with this new settled life was avoided by the Rechabites. The vine growing, of which wine was a product, spoke of settlement, and so they would not touch it. They longed after the nomadic days of the wilderness wanderings and refused to build, or to live in houses, preferring the tents of the desert. Their founder was “Jonadab the son of Rechab”. (2nd Kings 10 verse 15)
Arcturus and his Sons.
When the Lord “answered Job out of the whirlwind” in chapter 38 of the Book of Job, He asked him several questions; one of those questions is contained in verse 32 of that chapter; “Canst thou guide ARCTURUS WITH HIS SONS‘” the Lord asks Job. ARCTURUS is the Old Testament name that was given to that constellation that we now call “The Great Bear” or the “Plough”. The “sons” are probably the seven main stars in the constellation, or possibly the three stars that form the “tail of the bear”, or “the handle of the plough”. The American Standard Version of the Bible translates the verse “Canst thou guide the bear with her train‘”
The Proselytes
Part of the congregation that the apostle Peter preached to on the day of Pentecost is referred to as “Proselytes”. “Parthians and Medes … dwellers in Mesopotamia … strangers of Rome, Jews and Proselytes”. Act 2:9f.
These proselytes were men and women who had turned from heathenism to the Jewish religion and were divided into two groups – Proselytes of the Gate, and Proselytes of Righteousness. The first group renounced their heathen practices and observed, what the Rabbis called, “The Seven Precepts of Moses”. They were not circumcised and did not eat the passover. These proselytes of the gate are also referred to as “those that fear God” or “God fearers”, and it would appear that Cornelius and the Ethiopian belonged to this class of men. Many of them turned to Christianity under the preaching of the apostles. The Proselytes of Righteousness were those people who had embraced much more fully the Jewish faith. They were obliged to observe the whole law of Moses and were carefully examined before being admitted into the circles of Judaism. Upon acceptance they were circumcised and then baptized by total immersion.
No boys under 12 years, or girls under 13 years were admitted as proselytes without the consent of both parents.
The Mixed Multitude.
When the children of Israel came up out of Egypt, Exodus 12:38, we are told that “a mixed multitude went up also”. The English equivalent to this would be “a motley crowd” or “some riff–raff”. It appears that when Pharaoh gave orders to let the children of Israel go, many malcontents – probably slaves and “jail-birds” – decided to join in with the crowd and seek their freedom. It is significant that this phrase is inserted in the account of the exodus because, later on, in Numbers 11:4, we read that “the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting… ” They cried out after the “leeks and the garlic” of Egypt and contaminated the children of Israel on their wilderness wanderings. A great lesson, surely, in endeavouring to keep the Church free from any admixture.
Jannes and Jambres.
2nd Timothy 3 speaks of Jannes and Jambres who “withstood Moses to the face”. This refers to the two Egyptian magicians who “imitated” Moses' miracles; and they are held up as an example of those of whom Paul is writing in 2nd Timothy, who present what is only an imitation and parody of the Gospel.
The Rulers of the Synagogue.
We read in several places in the New Testament of those men who are referred to as “the rulers of the synagogue”. These were apparently “laymen” and came next in rank to the Scribes – the exponents of the Law. We see at least two of their offices from the pages of the New Testament; (1) to keep order within the synagogue precincts. This is evidenced by “the ruler of the synagogue” who “rebuked” Jesus for healing a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath Day. (Luke chapter 13 verses 12 to 14). (2) To arrange the order of service and to appoint the speakers and readers for the day's worship. This is seen in Acts chapter 13 verse 15, where the Apostle Paul speaks at the request of “the rulers of the synagogue”.
The “Naughty” Figs.
In chapter 24 of his prophecy, the prophet Jeremiah sets a parable before us concerning “two baskets of figs”. One basket contained “very good figs”, but the second was a basket of “very naughty figs”. In our own day, the adjective “naughty” is usually associated with a misbehaving child, etc., but in the 17th century, when our Authorised Version of the Bible was translated, it had a much different usage. At that time the word was reserved for those people who were considered to be “good for naught” i.e. good for nothing. And it's in this way that we are to understand Jeremiah's parable. The Lord was going to lead many of His people into “captivity” in the land of Babylon. But, contrary to a lot of common opinion, these captives would, in fact, be the “good figs”, for God would work with this captive band and out of it bring His “remnant according to the election of grace”. It was those who were being left “safely” at home in Israel that were really the “good for naught” figs – the “naughty figs” which God had given over to their own ways.
The Nicolaitans.
The Church at Ephesus, in Revelation chapter 2 verse 6, was said to hate “the deeds of the Nicolaitans”, and for this, that Church was commended. The Nicolaitans are thought to have originated through the influence of Nicolas of Antioch (Acts chapter 6 verse 5), from whom they took their name. The Nicolaitans endeavoured to work out a form of compromise between the Church and the pagan society in which the Church was situated so that the believers wouldn't feel “over-embarrassed”. There may also be a reference to the deeds of Balaam who corrupted Israel in the O.T. (Numbers chapter 22).
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