Devout Jews had been waiting for centuries. Their prophets—men like Isaiah, Zechariah, and Daniel—had promised a Messiah would come, bringing peace and the foundations of righteousness to Palestine and establishing God's kingdom all over the earth.
For some Jews this promise of a Messiah was not an urgent matter. The priestly Sadducees, for instance, were content to cooperate with their Roman conquerors. They officiated at the ceremonial rites in the Temple as they had for centuries and maintained their dominant position on the Sanhedrin, the highest religious council of the Jews.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, were more impatient ... with Roman rule. A nonpriestly movement made up entirely of lay people, they longed for the arrival of the Messiah.
