ABSTRACT
It is a sad fact that our knowledge of the Judaism of the first century CE is rather limited. It is true that we know quite a lot about the ideology of different Jewish groups. The pioneering works of C. G. Montefiore, G. F. Moore, R. T. Herford, J. Parkes, and W. D. Davies, for instance, culminating in that of E. P. Sanders,1 have been of tremendous importance in showing that ancient Judaism was not a legalistic religion in which salvation was earned by merit, but a living religion of grace and forgiveness.
