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Sadducees

The Sadducees (/ˈsædʒəˌsiːz, ˈsædjə-/; Hebrew:צדּוקים 

Ṣĕdûqîm) were a sect or group of Jews that was active inJudea during the Second Temple period, starting from thesecond century BCE through the destruction of the Tem-ple in 70 CE. The sect was identified by Josephus with theupper social and economic echelon of Judean society.[1]

As a whole, the sect fulfilled various political, social, andreligious roles, including maintaining the Temple. TheSadducees are often compared to other contemporaneoussects, including the Pharisees and the Essenes. Their sect

is believed to have become extinct sometime after the de-struction of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, but ithas been speculated that the later Karaites may have hadsome roots in - or connections with - Sadducean views.

1 Etymology

According to Abraham Geiger, the Sadducee sect of Ju-daism drew their name from Zadok, the first High Priestof ancient Israel  to serve in the  First Temple, with the

leaders of the sect proposed as the Kohanim (Priests, the“sons of Zadok”, descendant of Eleazar, son of Aaron).[2]

In any event, the name Zadok, being related to the rootָצַדק ṣādaq (to be right, just)[3] could be indicative of theiraristocratic status in society in the initial period of theirexistence.[4]

Furthermore,  Flavius Josephus   mentions in  Antiquities 

of the Jews   in the time of Boethus: "...one Judas, aGaulonite, of a city whose name was Gamala, who tak-ing with him Sadduc, a Pharisee, became zealous to drawthem to a revolt,...”.[5] Paul L. Maier notes, “It seems not

improbable to me that this Sadduc, the Pharisee, was thevery same man of whom the rabbis speak, as the unhappybut undesigning occasion of the impiety or infidelity ofthe Sadduccees; nor perhaps had the men this name ofthe Sadduccees till this very time, though they were adistinct sect long before.”[6] The similarity of Sadduc tothe Zadok above, varying largely in transliteration, lendscredence to that account. The contextual inclusion ofBoethus and Sadduc implies they were most likely con-temporaries.

2 History

2.1 The Second Temple Period

See also: Second Temple Judaism

The Second Temple Period is the period in Ancient Is-rael between the construction of the Second Temple inJerusalem in 516 BCE and its destruction by the Romansin 70 CE.

Throughout the Second Temple Period, Jerusalem sawseveral shifts in rule.   Alexander’s conquest   of theMediterranean world brought an end to Persian controlof Jerusalem (539 BCE- 334/333 BCE) and ushered inthe Hellenistic period. The Hellenistic period, which ex-tended from 334/333 BCE to 63 BCE, is known today forthe spread of Hellenistic influence. This included an ex-pansion of culture, including an appreciation of theater,and admiration of the human body. After the death ofAlexander in 323 BCE, his generals divided the empireamong themselves and for the next 30 years, they foughtfor control of the empire. The Ptolemies emerged withcontrol of Judea in 301 BCE (r. 301-200 BCE), but onlyheld it until the Seleucids (r. 200-167) took control in 200BCE.  King Antiochus Epiphanes   of Syria, a Seleucid,disrupted whatever peace there had been in Judea whenhe desecrated the temple in Jerusalem and forced Jewsto violate the Torah. Most prominent of the rebel groupswere the Maccabees, led by Mattathias the Hasmoneanand his son Judah the Maccabee. Though the Maccabeesrebelled against the Seleucids in 164 BCE, Seleucid ruledid not end for another 20 years. The Maccabean (a.k.a.Hasmonean) rule lasted until 63 BCE, when the Roman

general  Pompey, having grown uncomfortable with thedynasty’s growing power, conquered Jerusalem.

Thus began the Roman period of Judea, leading to thecreation of the province of   Roman Judea  in 6 CE andextending into the 4th century CE, well beyond the endof the Second Temple Period.  Cooperation between theRomans and the Jews was strongest during the reigns ofHerod and Herod Agrippa I (his grandson). However, theRomans moved power out of the hands of vassal kingsand into the hands of  Roman administrators, beginningwith the Census of Quirinius in 6 CE. The First Jewish–Roman War broke out in 66 CE. After a few years of

conflict, the Romans retook Jerusalem and destroyed thetemple, bringing an end to the Second Temple Period (70CE).[7]

1

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2   4 BELIEFS 

2.2 Role of the Temple

During the Persian period, the Temple became more thanthe center of worship in Judea after its reconstruction in516 BCE; it served as the center of society. It makessense, then, that priests held important positions as of-

ficial leaders outside of the Temple. The democratizingforces of the Hellenistic period lessened and shifted thefocus of Judaism away from the Temple and in the 3rdcentury BCE, a scribal class began to emerge. New or-ganizations and “social elites,” according to Shaye Co-hen, appeared. It was also during this time that the highpriesthood - the members of which often identified asSadducees - was developing a reputation for corruption.Questions about the legitimacy of the Second Temple andits Sadduceean leadership freely circulated Judean soci-ety. Sects began to form during the Maccabean reign (seeJewish Sectarianism below).[8] The Temple in Jerusalem

was the formal center of political and governmental lead-ership in ancient Israel, although its power was often con-tested and disputed by fringe groups.

2.3 After the Temple destruction

After the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70CE, the Sadducees appear only in a few references in theTalmud. In the beginnings of Karaism, the followers ofAnan ben David were called “Sadducees” and set a claimof the former being a historical continuity from the latter.

A book discovery in 1910,  Sefer Zadok, mentions theKaraite sage Ya'akov al-Qirqisani, which led to a renewalof the hypothesis of Sadducean influences on the earlyKaraites.

The Sadducee concept of the mortality of the soul isreflected on by  Uriel Acosta  who mentions them in hiswritings. Acosta was referred to as a Sadducee in KarlGutzkow's play The Sadducees in Amsterdam (1834).

3 Role of the Sadducees

3.1 Religious

The religious responsibilities of the Sadducees includedthe maintenance of the Temple in Jerusalem. Their highsocial status was reinforced by their priestly responsibili-ties, as mandated in the Torah. The Priests were respon-sible for performing sacrifices at the Temple, the primarymethod of worship in Ancient Israel. This also includedpresiding over sacrifices on the three festivals of pilgrim-age to Jerusalem. Their religious beliefs and social statuswere mutually reinforcing, as the Priesthood often rep-resented the highest class in Judean society. Sadducees

and the priests were not completely synonymous. Cohenpoints out that “not all priests, high priests, and aristo-crats were Sadducees; many were Pharisees, and many

were not members of any group at all.”[9]

3.2 Political

The Sadducees oversaw many formal affairs of the

state.[10] Members of the Sadducees:

•   Administered the state domestically

•   Represented the state internationally

•   Participated in the  Sanhedrin, and often encoun-tered the Pharisees there.

•  Collected taxes. These also came in the form of in-ternational tribute from Jews in the Diaspora.

•

 Equipped and led the army

•   Regulated relations with the Romans

•   Mediated domestic grievances.

4 Beliefs

4.1 General

The Sadducees rejected the Oral Law as proposed by the

Pharisees. Rather, they saw the Torah as the sole sourceof divine authority.[11] The written law, in its depiction ofthe priesthood, corroborated the power and enforced thehegemony of the Sadducees in Judean society.

According to Josephus, the Sadducees believed that:

•  There is no fate

•  God does not commit evil

•   Man has free will; “man has the free choice of goodor evil”

•  The soul is not immortal; there is no afterlife, and

•   There are no rewards or penalties after death

The Sadducees rejected the belief in  resurrection of thedead, which was a central tenet believed by  Early Chris-tians. The Sadducees supposedly believed in the tradi-tional Jewish concept of  Sheol for those who had died.According to the New Testament, the Pharisees also be-lieved in the resurrection, but Josephus, who himself wasa Pharisee, claims that the Pharisees held that only the

soul was immortal and the souls of good people wouldbe  reincarnated and “pass into other bodies,” while “thesouls of the wicked will suffer eternal punishment.”  [12]

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4   7 REFERENCES 

Period, gives an extensive account of Jewish sectarianismin both Jewish War and Antiquities. In Antiquities, he de-scribes “the Pharisees have delivered to the people a greatmany observances by succession from their father, whichare not written in the law of Moses, and for that reasonit is that the Sadducees reject them and say that we are

to esteem those observance to be obligatory which are inthe written word, but are not to observe what are derivedfrom the tradition of our forefathers.”[11] The Sadduceesrejected the Pharisaic use of the Oral Law to enforce theirclaims to power, citing the Written Torah as the sole man-ifestation of divinity.

The Rabbis, who are traditionally seen as the descendantsof the Pharisees, describe the similarities and differencesbetween the two sects in Mishnah Yadaim. The Mish-nah explains that the Sadducees state, “So too, regardingthe Holy Scriptures, their impurity is according to (our)love for them. But the books of Homer, which are not

beloved, do not defile the hands.”[21] The Sadducees thusaccuse the Pharisees as the opponents of traditional Ju-daism because of their susceptibility and assimilation intothe Hellenistic world. When synthesized, one can dis-cern that the Pharisees represented mainstream Judaismin the Hellenistic world, while the Sadducees representeda more aristocratic elite. Despite this, a passage from thebook of Acts suggests that both Pharisees and Sadduceescollaborated in the Sanhedrin, the high Jewish court.[22]

6 See also

•   Essenes

•  Second Temple Period

7 References

[1] "...while the Sadducees are able to persuade none but the

rich, and have not the populace obsequious to them, but

the Pharisees have the multitude on their side.” Josephus:

PACE: AJ, 13.10.6 (Whiston)

[2] Abraham Geiger, Urschrift , pp. 20 &c

[3]  Hebrew word #6659 in Strong’s Concordance

[4] Newman, p. 76

[5] Josephus: PACE: AJ, 18.1.1 (Whiston)

[6] Josephus, Flavius (1999).   The New Complete Works 

of Josephus . Kregel Academic. p. 587.   ISBN

9780825429248.

[7] Cohen, 1-5, 15-16

[8] Cohen, 153-154

[9] Cohen 155

[10] Wellhausen, 45

[11] Josephus: PACE: AJ, 13.10.6 (Whiston)

[12] Josephus Jewish War  2.8.14; cf.  Antiquities  8.14-15.

[13] Mishnah Yadaim 4:7

[14] Mishnah Yadaim 4:6

[15] Mishnah Yadaim 4:7

[16] Mishnah Makot 1.6

[17]  Pesher on Nahumin Eshol, 40'

[18]   Mark 12:27

[19] Commentary, New Oxford Annotated Bible

[20]  Matthew 3:7

[21] Mishnah Yadaim 4:6-8

[22]  Acts 23:6

7.1 Primary

•  Tenney, Merrill (1998).  Josephus Complete Works .City: Nelson Reference. ISBN 978-0-7852-1427-4.

•   Vermes, Geza (2004).   The Complete Dead Sea

Scrolls in English. Harmondsworth Eng.: Penguin.ISBN 978-0-14-044952-5.

•   Coogan, Michael (2007).   The New Oxford Anno-

tated Bible with the Apocrypha. City: Oxford Uni-

versity Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-528882-7.

7.2 Secondary

•   Wellhausen, Julius (2001).   The Pharisees and the

Sadducees . Macon: Mercer University Press.  ISBN978-0-86554-729-2.

•  Vermes, Geza (2003).  Jesus in His Jewish Context .Minneapolis: Fortress Press.   ISBN 978-0-8006-3623-4.

•   Cohen, Shaye (2006).   From the Maccabees to the

Mishnah. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.ISBN 978-0-664-22743-2.

•  Eshel, Hanan (2008).  The Dead Sea Scrolls and the

Hasmonean State. City: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publish-ing Company. ISBN 978-0-8028-6285-3.

•   Newman, Hillel (2006).   Proximity to Power and 

Jewish Sectarian Groups of the Ancient Period: a Re-

view of Lifestyle, Values, and Halakha in the Phar-

isees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Qumran. Leiden:Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-14699-0.

•  Stemberger, Günter (1995).   Jewish Contemporaries of Jesus . Minneapolis: Fortress Press.  ISBN 978-0-8006-2624-2.

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5

•   Johnson, Paul (1988).  A History of the Jews . SanFrancisco: Perennial Library.   ISBN 978-0-06-091533-9.

•   Mishnah Yadayim   4:6-8, The Pharisee-SadduceeDebate

8 External links

•   "Sadducees".   New International Encyclopedia.1905.

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6   9 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES 

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1 Text

•   Sadducees Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadducees?oldid=655777420 Contributors:  Marj Tiefert, Wesley, Slrubenstein, MalcolmFarmer, RK, Danny, William Avery, Sfdan, Stevertigo, Michael Hardy, Paul Barlow, Nixdorf, Ixfd64, IZAK, Ihcoyc, Ineuw, CharlesMatthews, Pantaloon, Dino, Andrewman327, Zoicon5, Zestauferov, Lumos3, Bearcat, Fredrik, Desmay, Rursus, Ojigiri, DocWatson42,Eequor, Jastrow, Wmahan, Yoshiah ap, Utcursch, Andycjp, Gzuckier, Oknazevad, Jayjg, Twenex, Pasquale, Johncapistrano, Rich Farm-brough, Guanabot, Martpol, Kaisershatner, El C, Mjk2357, Summer Song, Mairi, Bobo192, Jguk 2, Jerryseinfeld, Pdb, Nightstallion,Sam Vimes, Zntrip, Sburke, Briangotts, WadeSimMiser, Palica, Graham87, BD2412, Collard, MarnetteD, Sango123, Yamamoto Ichiro,FlaBot, Margosbot, Wongm, KASchmidt, DVdm, YurikBot, RobotE, Warshy, Theelf29, Bullzeye, Bachrach44, Badagnani, Akma, De-thomas, PhilipC, Lockesdonkey, Tomisti, Wknight94, Zargulon, Jcrook1987, Smoggyrob, Fang Aili, JBogdan, LeonardoRob0t, Zern-helt, Sardanaphalus, SmackBot, Reedy, Edgar181, Gilliam, Portillo, Hmains, Carl.bunderson, Valley2city, BullWikiWinkle, RayAYang,MaxSem, Tsca.bot, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, Metallurgist, Clinkophonist, Midnightcomm, S Roper, CIS, Eliyak, Winston.PL,Stephlet, Ems2, LuYiSi, Maksim L., Roregan, Yodaat, Daniel E. Romero, Sifaka, Iridescent, Blehfu, Tawkerbot2, JForget, Sexyfsm,Iced Kola, Nunquam Dormio, Benwildeboer, Cydebot, Jonathan Tweet, Dadofsam, Llort, Kugland, Thijs!bot, Mojo Hand, Marek69,Tellyaddict, Jimhoward72, Danny lost, P.D., Danawatanabe, JAnDbot, Husond, MER-C, .anacondabot, Animum, Gerry D, Aflyax, Akulo,Kostisl, R'n'B, J.delanoy, Pharaoh of the Wizards, Sam Del Biaggio, Ihutchesson, Mithy73, Starnestommy, Blurider11, Hanacy, Nat682,Martial75, Skjbe, Jeff G., A4bot, Crohnie, Someguy1221, Steven Calkins, Mr. Absurd, Madhero88, Why Not A Duck, Doktorspin,Wolf2191, Austriacus, Yngvarr, DionysiusThrax, Thucydides of Thrace, StAnselm, Oxymoron83, Grrahnbahr, Rotovia, Atif.t2, ClueBot,PipepBot, Excirial, Arjayay, Daniel1212, Editor2020, Gabrielwhitestone, AgnosticPreachersKid, Avoided, SilvonenBot, Candygoggle,Finscape, Addbot, Willking1979, Imeriki al-Shimoni, Alorkezas, Captain-tucker, Bkmays, CanadianLinuxUser, MrOllie, Debresser, Tide

rolls, Lightbot, Polymath620, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Fraggle81, Legobot II, Angel ivanov angelov, AnakngAraw, AnomieBOT, Jim1138,AdjustShift, Bob Burkhardt, Xqbot, Nasnema, DSisyphBot, Loveless, Almabot, Omnipaedista, Kyng, KVLG, FrescoBot, Izecksohn,Punkinhed, Mitchell Powell, Vrenator, Reach Out to the Truth, DARTH SIDIOUS 2, Ivrim1, Salyingwong, AliGGGG, EmausBot, Johnof Reading, WikitanvirBot, Marecheth Ho'eElohuth, Pdbowman, RA0808, Wikipelli, Evanh2008, ZéroBot, PBS-AWB, Greyshark09,Ben Ammi, MonoAV, Donner60, Abivry, Mcc1789, Steveparker123, DASHBotAV, Brandorev, Rosie97, ClueBot NG, Zytigon, Kather-ineblessing, Chester Markel, HBSamuels, IfYouDoIfYouDon't, Joshuajohnson555, MerlIwBot, Jorgenev, Oddbodz, Helpful Pixie Bot,DBigXray, BG19bot, MusikAnimal, Tommyhinshaw, Francatrippa, ChrisGualtieri, Reatlas, Poonwrangler, Epicgenius, Tentinator, Gin-suloft, AddWittyNameHere, Yshaked, JaconaFrere, Epic Failure, Michael 181, Poepkop, Jacovny, John443, Flashflashi, Ilanitil, DaoXan,Billymcdick and Anonymous: 282

9.2 Images

•   File:Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg Source:  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg License:   Cc-by-sa-3.0 Contributors:  ?  Original artist:  ?

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•  File:Star_of_David.svg Source:  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Star_of_David.svg License:  Public domain Con-

tributors:  Own work Original artist:   Zscout370

9.3 Content license

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