The fight to survive left its mark on Jewish life. The descendants of those who had fought for their faith became even more conscious their unique way of life based on the Law which separated them from all other peoples. The Pharisees emerged during this period as a strong exclusive religious group, upholding the intensely devoted attitude the Law and their faith which had been seen in those who had rallied to the support of Mattathias and his sons. The local synagogues bee very important for the handing on of tradition in the community -provided the religious education of the youth, as well as being the Local centre of Sabbath worship.

Unfortunately the Jerusalem Temple and its priesthood continued to be a centre of power struggles. Simon had tried to re-establish a theocracy, in which God was acknowledged as King with the High Priest  his human servant, but Simon's descendants used their religious authority; to prop up their political ambitions. One of them, a grandson of Simon took the title of 'King' whilst still retaining the position of High Priest. The party of the Sadducees, the priestly supporters of the rulers, emerged at this time. It was not a large group but amongst its members were t most wealthy and influential men of Jerusalem, anxious to be close the rulers and ambitious for themselves. There was hostility and suspicion between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, stemming from their different interests. To the Sadducees, most Pharisees appeared too pious and exclusive, whilst to the Pharisees; most Sadducees appeared ambitious and worldly, using their connections with the Temple for their own gain.

Under some of the descendants of Simon, Judaism also developed a harsh, militant aspect. The boundaries of the state, or kingdom as i came to be, were pushed out through local military campaigns again neighbouring peoples, to include such areas as Galilee in the north and Idumaean in the south, and non-Jews living in those areas were forced to accept the Jewish religion and customs. Later, an Idumaean whose people had been forced to accept the Jewish religion was to prove the most hated ruler of the Jews.

In protest against such things as the power struggles and intrigues of Jerusalem, new reforming' groups, puritanical religious communities emerged. The people who were called the Essenes founded communities in lonely desert places, at this time. They aimed at a life of holiness removed from all the problems of the unstable Jewish kingdom. The community at Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered was founded in this period.

Despite the determined efforts of many Jews to separate themselves from non-Jews and Jews who did not live strictly according to the Jewish Law and traditions, the Hellenization which had so deeply influenced all the parts of the world in which the Jewish people were to be found, did have an effect on Judaism. By this time there may have been more Jews living in the many Jewish communities of other countries than there were living in the Jewish kingdom. In such communities, all the Jewish Scriptures had by then been translated into Greek, which continued to be the common language of the time. However faithfully the Jewish way of life was followed in these communities, the Jews in them could not isolate themselves completely from the other peoples around them. Some were attracted by aspects of Hellenism, such as the Jewish philosopher Philo, born in about 20 B.C. in Alexandria. Philo's writings, which have survived, show a wide knowledge of Greek philosophical ideas as well as the Jewish Law.

The synagogues of the communities in other countries were the centres of Jewish teaching and tradition for the thousands of Jews who could only manage to Visit the Jewish homeland occasionally in their lives, as pilgrims to Jerusalem. A development which was to be important for the early Church later was the increasing interest of Gentiles in the Jewish religion, the teaching of which had become available to them through the Greek language. Many synagogues in the Jewish communities of the Gentile world were attended by interested 'God-fearers', Gentiles who wanted to learn about the Jewish religion and who might eventually take the step of renouncing their previous religion and way of life and accepting the absolute demands of the Jewish Law.