Jewish Sects of the 1st Century (2)

This Part 2 is the continuation and conclusion to “Jewish Sects of the 1^st Century (1)”.

Harvard scholar Jacob Neusner wrote that there were several ‘Judaisms’.  We’re identifying seven Jewish religious sects & groups that were extant in the Holy Land in the 1^st century…when Jesus lived as a Jew and the temple still existed.  Part 1 discussed: #1 Scribes, #2 Pharisees, #3 Sadducees.  Material in Part 1 won’t be repeated here in Part 2.  We’ll resume the discussion now with group #4.

#4 HERODIANS: Herodianói Strongs g2265, Greek noun; it occurs 3 times in the New Testament (NT).  This party of Hellenistic Jews was partisan to Herod and submitted to Rome.  Herodiáns wielded political power.  They may have been religious Sadducees (see Part 1).

In 40 BC Rome had appointed an Edomite, Herod 1 the Great, as ‘King of Judea’.  (Ending 100 years of Jewish Hasmónean rule, from 140 BC.)  Herod the Great died soon after Christ’s birth (Mt.2:19).  Herod’s kingdom was divided upon his death; his three sons became tetrarchs of provinces in the area.

Herodians are mentioned in Mt.22:16, Mk.3:6, Mk.12:13.  Mk.3:6 “The Pharisees went out and began conspiring with the Herodians against Him [Jesus], how they might destroy Him.”  It seems that tetrarch Herod Ántipas viewed Jesus as a ‘formidable rival’, so Herod’s devotees even joined with Pharisees in wanting to get rid of Jesus.  (Alfred Edersheim The Life And Times of Jesus the Messiah, p.739.)  Jesus warned His disciples in Mk.8:15, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod”.

Ro.16:11 the believer Herodíon (g2267), whom Paul noted, was a relative Jew possibly from Herod’s family.  The Iduméan Herod 1 the Great had been raised as a Jew.  Barnes Notes Ro.16:7 “These persons [Andrónicus and Junías] and Herodian Ro.16:11, it seems probable they were remote relatives of the apostle [Paul].”  Aristóbulus 5 of Chálcis was Herod 1’s grandson (Ro.16:10?).

The Herodians, though Hellenistic (like the Sadducees), wanted Jewish rule in Judea.  As did the Pharisees.  But the Herodians sought this via a Herodian dynasty on the throne, whereas the Pharisees wanted a restored Davidic dynasty to rule.

Wikipedia: Herodian Dynasty “The Herodian was a royal dynasty of Idumean (Edomite) descent, ruling the Herodian Kingdom and later the Herodian Tetrárchy, as vassals of the Roman Empire.”

Some scholars think there may have been Herodians who regarded Herod himself as a Messiah.  (cf. Ac.12:20-23 the 44 AD death of the showy tetrarch Herod Agríppa 1, grandson of Herod the Great.)

The rule of the Herods ended in the 90s AD, with the death of tetrarch Herod Agrippa 2 (before whom Paul had appeared decades earlier ca 60 AD, Ac.25:13-ff).

#5 ZEALOTS: The Zealots began as Jewish guerrilla bands, active in Galilee in the 1^st century.  They became the Nationalist political party.  Their purpose was to incite the people of Judea to rebel against the dominance of (gentile) Rome, and forcefully remove it from the Land.  The Zealots have been called the ‘extreme opposite’ of the Herodian party.

The Zealots aren’t mentioned in the Bible.  Though the Zealots weren’t a religious group, they favored the Pharisees (not the Sadducees).  Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 18:1:6 “These men [Zealots] agree in all other things with the Pharisaic notions; but they have an inviolable attachment to liberty, and say that God is to be their only Ruler and Lord.”  Josephus referred to the Zealots as the ‘fourth sect’  (after the Pharisees, Sadducees, Éssenes).

One of Jesus’ twelve original disciples was Simon the Cananaéan/zealot.  Simon is called a Cananaean (g2581) in Mt.10:4 & Mk.3:18.  Luke calls him a zealot (g2208 zelotés) in Lk.6:15 & Ac.1:13.  Jacobus de Voragine The Golden Legend “Zelotes is the equivalent of Cana, because cana means zeal.”  The New Theological Movement “St. Simon, ‘the Canaanite’ not from Canaan and ‘the Zealot’ who was no Zealot. Indeed, the name ‘Canaanite’ is closely related to the Hebrew word for ‘zealous.”  Simon the zealous disciple of Jesus likely wasn’t part of the violent Zealot political movement!

The Zealots followed John of Gischála during the Roman–Jewish War of 66–73 AD, taking control of Jerusalem and the temple…until Rome destroyed both Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.  Zealot holdouts took the Masáda fortress near the Dead Sea…until they were all found dead by suicide in 73 AD.

#6 ESSENES: The Essenes were a significant sect, though fewer in number than the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  The origin of the name ‘Essenes’ is uncertain.  They began to emerge 130–100 BC, as a devout group.  Many scholars think the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), discovered in 1947 at the Qumrán caves near the NW shore, were written by Essenes.

The Essenes were an ascetic sect.  Josephus Wars of the Jews 2:8:2 “There are three philosophical sects among the Jews. The followers of the first are the Pharisees; the second the Sadducees; the third who pretends to a severer discipline are called Essenes. These seem to have a greater affection for one another than other sects have.”  Essenes lived together communally.  Wikipedia: Essenes “Accounts by Josephus and Philo show the Essenes lived a strictly communal life, often compared to later Christian monasticism.”

Essenes were overly concerned with ritual purity.  The concept “works of the law” (Paul wrote against it, e.g. Ga.2:16) is found as Essene rituals in the DSS document 4QMMT.  It related to their sectarian solar calendar, purity regulations & cooking utensils, ceremony, the intermarriage of priests, etc.

Essenes were celibate.  Josephus ibid “They neglect wedlock, but choose out other persons’ children.”  Essenes adopted children.  Continuing in Wars 2:8:3, “These men are despisers of riches.”  Wars 2:8:5 “As for their piety towards God, it is very extraordinary.”  Wars 2:8:6 “They are eminent for fidelity.”  Josephus notes other characteristics and observations of Essenes throughout Wars Book 2: Chapter 8.

Essenes rejected the sacrificial system of the Jerusalem temple and the priesthood, which had become corrupt.  Antiquities of the Jews 18:1:5 “The doctrine of Essenes is: They teach immortality of souls. They do not offer sacrifices, because they have more pure lustrations [ceremonial purification rites] of their own. There are about 4,000 men that live this way, and neither marry wives nor keep servants.”  Philo wrote in Every Good Man Is Free 12:75-84, “They do not make armaments….They honor virtue”.  The writings of Josephus and Philo show an admiration for the Essenes.

Edersheim op. cit., p. 226 “One of their [Essenes] largest colonies being by the shore of the Dead Sea. They also had ‘houses’ in most cities of Palestine. In these houses they lived in common, under officials of their own. They partook of common meals, and devoted themselves to works of charity.”  It seems the moral conduct and good works of the Essene brotherhood resembled in some respects that of 1^st century Jewish Christians.

However, there are no direct Bible references to the Essenes.  Edersheim op. cit., p.225 “We may feel certain: neither John the Baptist…nor the teaching of Christianity, had any connection with Essénism.”  Yet there are scholars who think some Essenes became Jewish Christian Ebionites.  That is conjecture.

The Essene sect disappeared after 70 AD.  Their law interpretations weren’t brought into orthodox Judaism.

#7 NAZARENES: Nazoráios g3480 Greek noun.  It occurs 15 times in the NT, all but once (Ac.24:5) as “Jesus the Nazarene”.

Nazarénes were the new sect of Jewish Christians who believed Jesus/Yeshúa is their prophesied Messiah.  Nazarenes weren’t the same as Old Testament Nazarítes h5139 (who took consecration vows, Nu.6).  Ellicott Commentary Mt.2:23 “Any reference to Nazarite vows is out of the question.”

Why was the new sect of believers called the Nazarenes?  Following are the reasons:

Nazaréth [g3478, 12 occurrences] was the town in Galilee where Jesus grew up.  Lk.2:39 “their own city Nazareth.”  Mt.2:23 “He lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene [g3480].”  Dwellers of Nazareth were called Nazarenes or Nazoréans.  Thus Jesus the Nazarene.  Gill Exposition Mt.2:23 “Christ is often called Jesus of Nazareth, or the Nazarene, and His followers Nazarenes, from the place of his habitation.”

In Mt.2:23, Mathew referred to “prophets” in general, not one specifically by name.  Isaiah prophesied of Jesus as a figurative Branch.  Is.11:1-2 “A rod shall come forth out of the stem of Jesse [David’s father], a Branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him.”  (cf. 60:21 branch).  The Hebrew term used by Isaiah for “branch” was náy-tser h5342.  Its sound resembled “Nazarene”.  Jews occasionally used a play-upon-words in their parlance.  Pulpit Commentary Mt.2:23 “It is evident that the Jews connected this name [náy-tser] closely with Jesus the Nazarene, and…saw a connection between it and ‘the Branch’ of Isaiah 11:1.”  Nazarenes were followers of “the Branch”.

Residents of the town Nazareth in Galilee were disliked in general.  Jn.1:46 “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth [g3478]?”  Furthermore, the Pharisees said to Nicódemus in Jn.7:52, “No prophet arises out of Galilee”.

The Jewish authorities disapproved of the new sect.  Benson Commentary Mt.2:23 “Now it is certain the Nazarene was a term of contempt and infamy put upon Christ [cf. Is.53:3], both by unbelieving Jews and Gentiles.”  They also rejected His followers, calling the sect “Nazarenes”.

The Jewish high priest’s attorney said to governor Felix, Ac.24:5, “We have found this man [Paul] to be a real pest, stirring up dissension among all the Jews, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes [g3480]”.  He charged Paul with being a heretical leader.  Gill Exposition Ac.24:5 “Nazarenes…so called by way of contempt and reproach.” “Nazarenes” was a term of reproach. (cf. 1Pe.4:14, Ro.15:3.)

Ray A. Pritz Nazarene Jewish Community, p.15 “The name Nazarenes was at first applied to all Jewish followers of Jesus. Until the name Christian became attached to the Antióchian non-Jews [Ac.11:26], this meant that the name signified the entire Church, not just a sect. So in Ac.24:5 the reference is not to a sect of Christianity, but rather to the entire primitive Church as a sect of Judaism.”  (For the early church being viewed as a sect of Judaism, see “Sabbath Day Became Sunday in Rome”.)

However, apostolic era Jews who believed Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah referred to themselves as…“The Way” g3598.  Paul said to Felix in Ac.24:14, “I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect [or heresy] do I serve the God of our fathers”.  (ref Ac.24:22, 9:2.)  “The way” g3598 is seen in the Greek Septúagint/LXX.  Is.40:3 LXX “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare you the way [g3598] of the Lord, make straight the paths for our God.”  The Is.40:3 prophecy is tied to John the Baptizer in Jn.1:23, Mt.3:3, Mk.1:3-4, Lk.3:4.  Also, “the way” (g3598) back to the Tree of Life was guarded by cherubim in Ge.3:24 LXX.  Jesus is the figurative door (Jn.10:7) of the Way to eternal Life.

Church History: The Ancient Nazarenes “The early Church of God, referred to by some as the Nazarenes, left Jerusalem [for Pella, 66 AD] just before the Roman armies of Titus destroyed the city in AD 70. The Church of God then continued to settle and migrate throughout the areas of Asia Minor and later into Europe.”  Those Jewish Christians fled into Jordan, migrated to Syria…and beyond.  Their legacy is the Jewish Christians of today and Christianity.

Those who believed in Jesus became known as Christians, Christianós g5546, Greek noun.  Ac.11:26 “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”  Greek was commonly spoken in Antioch.  In Ac.26:28, Herod Agrippa 2 referred to believers as Christians, ca 59 AD.  Peter wrote to a mixed group of Jew & gentile believers in Asia Minor (1Pe.1:1), ca 64–65 AD.  1Pe.4:16 they’re called Christians.

Conclusion to this two-part topic: The Herodians, the Zealot Nationalist party, and the Essenes…became extinct.  A remnant of the Sadducees may be the Karaíte Jews, which still exist.  Phárisaism is the basis of rabbinic or Talmúdic Judaism today.  Wikipedia: Pharisees “The Pharisees preserved the Pharisáical oral law in the form of the Talmud.”  That’s become normative Judaism.  Although the Talmud is meaningful for the Jewish people, it isn’t necessary for salvation.

Jesus/Yeshua said in Jn.14:6, “I Am the way (g3598), the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me.”  Jesus is The Way…the only way!  In no other name is there salvation for mankind (spoken by Peter in Ac.4:10-12)!

Jewish Sects of the 1st Century (1)

Harvard’s late renowned scholar Jacob Neusner wrote in Judaism When Christianity Began, p.5, 50, “Judaism divides into Judaisms….Judaisms that flourished in Second Temple times, before 70 CE, when the Temple was destroyed.”  ‘Judaisms’ plural.  There were several ‘Judaisms’ in the Holy Land.

This two-part topic identifies seven main Jewish religious sects or groups extant in the Land in the 1^st century.  The time when Jesus lived as a Jew and the temple still existed.  Part 1 discusses the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees.  Part 2 discusses the Heródians, Zealots, Éssenes, Nazarenes.

#1 SCRIBES: grammateús Strongs g1122, Greek noun.  The term is seen in the Old Testament (OT) Greek Septúagint/LXX, and occurs 67 times in the Greek New Testament (NT).  The OT Hebrew term is Sópherim Strongs h5608 (h5613 Aramaic).

Scribes or Sopherim were writers/recorders, learned in the scriptures.  2Sm.20:25 Shevá was scribe when Zadók was priest in the days of King David.  1Ki.4:3 Shishá’s sons were Solomon’s scribes.  2Ki.18:18 Shebná was scribe for King Hezekiáh of Judah.  2Ki.22:8-13 Shaphán was scribe to Josiáh.

Jewish Encyclopedia: Scribes “The royal officials who were occupied in recording in the archives the proceedings of each day were called scribes….the term ‘scribe’ became synonymous with ‘wise man.”  Scribes were literate, unlike the general populace of Israel and Judah, and more knowledgeable.

The first order of Levitical scribes may have been set up by David, Solomon, or Hezekiah (cf. Pr.25:1).  2Ch.34:13 “Some of the Levites were scribes, officials, and guards.”  Barnes Notes 2Ch.34:13 “A distinct division of the Levitical body has been instituted. The class itself probably originated in the reign of Hezekiah.”  100 years after Hezekiah, Barúch the son of Neriáh was the faithful scribe of Jeremiah the priest (Je.45:1), ca 600 BC.  He’s the traditional author of the apocryphal Book of Baruch.

Previously Israel’s ten tribes disobeyed the Lord’s commandments and consequently were deported into captivity in 721 BC.  Judah was taken captive in 597 BC.  (Prophesied in De.28:15, 36.)  After their Babylonian exile, King Cyrus of Persia allowed Jews to return to the Land with Zerubbabél, ca 538 BC.  Ezra returned ca 457 BC as a royal commissioner from the Persian Empire.  He was sent to investigate conditions in Judea, with authority to administer God’s Law/Toráh to Jewish returnees.

The role of scribes then changed somewhat from that of monarchial Israel & Judah prior to captivity.  Jewish Encyclopedia op.cit. “In the time of Ezra, the designation [‘scribe’] was applied to the body of teachers who…interpreted the Law to the people.”  Scribes/official secretaries became teachers.

Ezra (the name means ‘help’) was a priest and a scribe (Ezr.7:11).  Ezr.7:6 “Ezra…was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses.”  Ezra led reforms, and instructed the people (ref Ne.8:1-18).

Jews who’d returned to the Holy Land didn’t want to suffer another captivity due to ignorance of, or disobedience to, God’s laws.  The synagogue system was set up to teach the (common) people.

Ezra is traditionally credited with establishing the ‘Men of the Great Assembly/Synagogue’.  It consisted of scribes, sages and a few prophets (120 men?).  This was a legislative body.  They codified the Hebrew scripture canon (OT).  The Great Assembly was succeeded by the judicial Great Sanhédrin (70 men), which arose during the Intertestamental Period and was the Jewish supreme court in the Land.

Scribes, though no longer royal officials, became leaders of society during the time of the Maccabees (post-167 BC).  Scribes were an institution and governing religious class, serving on Sanhedrin courts.  Scribes were ‘guardians of the Law’.  Much of the society was illiterate; scribes were the authorities.

Smith’s Bible Dictionary “Scribes gave attention to study of the Torah, its interpretation, historical interpretation, doctrinal issues, and teaching.”  They helped other Jews learn and obey God’s precepts.

Scribes established organized schools in towns, some adjacent to synagogues.  School teachers were considered ‘Masters’ or ‘Rabbis’.  The “Law and the Prophets”, and the Hagiógrapha/“Writings”, were taught in schools.  (But the “Writings” usually weren’t read in synagogues.)  Obtaining a doctor’s degree from schools resulted in a rabbinical ordination.

These schools still existed in Jesus/Yeshúa’s time.  (also see the topic “Synagogue Influence on the Church”.)

Alfred Edersheim The Life And Times of Jesus the Messiah, p.67 “The Great Assembly had disappeared from the scene. The Sopherim [scribes] had ceased to be a party in power….[their] task was purely ecclesiastical, to preserve their religion.”  Their religion initially was based on the Lord’s OT.

But the scribes overreached in their interpretations of scripture.  They began to add man-made religious traditions & regulations to God’s written word.  They valued their add-ons more than scripture!  Jesus said of scribes and Pharisees in Mt.15:1-ff “You invalidate the word of God for the sake of your tradition”.

Scribes of Jesus’ day were egotistical elitists & bureaucrats (Bible.org: The Scribes)…and they opposed Jesus.  He cautioned His disciples in Lk.20:46-47. “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and love respectful greetings in the marketplace, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets; who devour widow’s houses and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”  The role and attitude of scribes had changed over the centuries.

Yet 600 years earlier Jeremiah noted “the lying pens of the scribes” (Je.8:8).  Some scribes as recorders & copyists were disregarding God’s written word to advance their agenda even back then.

{Sidelight: The 1^st century scribes/Sopherim were later succeeded by the Masorétes, (rabbinic) scribal scholars.  Masoretes preserved and copied the OT books from ca 550–1050 AD.  This was done in Jerusalem, Babylon, Tiberius, and in the diáspora (dispersion).  They began adding vowel points ca 800 AD, as no Hebrew alphabet letters served solely as vowels.  Masoretes developed the “Masoretic Text” (from the Hebrew masoreth/masórah, meaning ‘tradition’).  The oldest manuscripts date from the 800s AD.  There were two rival versions of the Masoretic Text, the ben Asher and the ben Naphtali (both done at Tiberius on the W shore of the Sea of Galilee).  Wikipedia: Masoretes “The halákhic authority Maimónides [Rámbam] endorsed the ben Asher as superior, although the Egyptian Jewish scholar Saádya Gáon had preferred the ben Naphtali system.”  There’s more than 850 differences between the two versions.  Dr. Paul Wegner, Professor of Old Testament at Kings College in London, writes “Eventually the ben Asher tradition won out”.  The Hebrew Bible Aléppo Codex (900s AD) and Leningrad Codex (1008 AD) both contain the ben Asher version of the Masoretic Text.  (Note: Most OT verses quoted by the NT writers are from the BC old Greek OT, not the later Masoretic Text!)}

#2 PHARISEES: Pharisáios g5330 Greek noun; it occurs 100 times in the NT.  Their opponents called them Perúshim/Pharisees, derived from an Aramaic term meaning ‘separated ones’.  But they took to themselves the OT name Hasídim (h2623), ‘the pious’.  In Psalms, the Hasidim are rendered the saints or godly ones, e.g. Ps.4:3, 31:23.

Pharisees were called ‘the separated’ because ca 145 BC they resisted the Hellenization (Greek cultural influence) of Antíochus Epíphanes from 165 BC.  Alfred Edersheim op. cit., p.5 “Phárisaism…made no secret of its contempt for Hellenists, and openly declared the Grecian far inferior to the Babylonian ‘dispersion.”  Conversely, the Sadducees accepted Hellenization.  And while the Pharisees claimed to be ‘the pious’, the rival Sadducees claimed to be ‘the righteous’ (Edersheim, p.224).

While trying to protect God’s written law from Greek influence, the resisting Pharisees sought to ‘build a fence around the law’.  The fence was a so-called ‘oral law’ which they (wrongly) supposed God had given to Moses, and was handed down.  Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 13:10:6 “Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the law of Moses; for that reason the Sadducees reject them.”  Many traditional practices.

Paul exhorted Titus in Ti.1:14 to “not pay attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth”.  Oral law is the commandments of men…not God.  Jacob Neusner wrote of the “explicit myth of the dual torah, written and oral. A heretic is someone who rejects the duality”.  The Talmudic Qiddushin 3:16, “A heretic is someone who rejects the duality of torah.”  see the topic “Paul the Apostle (2)”, regarding oral torah.  Pharisees made mandatory both the written and oral torah.

And Pharisees gave these unwritten rules or “traditions of the elders” (Mk.7:5) the priority, as even more binding than the Lord’s written Law!  Mk.7:1-9 they substituted mans’ rules for God’s commands.  Jesus said of them in Mt.23:23…their tithing of garden plants was right; but their forsaking (written) Torah for traditions was wrong.  (However, their oral law instruction wasn’t mandatory for women.)

The oral Torah also tried to explain how-to-do written Torah.  It added details so that sacrifices, rituals, etc., could be performed in an orderly manner.  That part of oral law tradition seems reasonable.

Josephus Antiquities 17:2:4 says there were “above 6,000” strict Pharisees.  (Probably the Pharisees outnumbered the Sadducees.)  Pharisaism was the strictest Jewish sect, Ac.26:5.  They kept aloof from others who weren’t as conscientious about cleanliness.  The Pharisees were less political (compared to the Sadducees).  Pharisees appealed to the masses, to most of the scribes, to the synagogues.

Ac.23:6-10 it’s Pharisees vs Sadducees in the Sanhedrin.  Pharisees believed: the annual Péntecost was on Siván 6 of the Hebrew calendar (not always a Sunday), in resurrection, in the existence of angels with wings, and spirits.  Pharisees had a broad angelólogy and demonology.  (Supposedly they believed that demons at human fingertips liked water.  cf. Lk.8:33 demonized swine ran headlong into the lake.)

Although the Pharisees had their differences with the Sadducees and the Herodians (see Part 2), they joined together against Jesus, who they all viewed as their common enemy.

Mt.23:1-3 Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees seated themselves in Moses’ seat (but Jesus exhorts that they fail to practice what they teach).  Encyclopedia of the Bible: Seat of Moses “The name given to a special chair of honor in the synagogue where the authoritative teacher of the law sat.”  (And conveyed administrative judgments.)  Although most scribes favored the Pharisees, “scribes” and “Pharisees” weren’t synonymous.  Edersheim p.65 “Although generally appearing in company with ‘the Pharisees’, he [Scribe] is not necessarily one of them; for they [Pharisees] represent a religious party, while he [Scribe] has a status and holds an office.”  Scribes were Torah scholars & teachers, and copyists.

In Mt.23, Jesus went on to castigate the scribes and Pharisees with seven woes!  v.4-8 they liked being called “Rabbi”, derived from “rabi” which meant ‘My Master’ (‘Great One’).  It was a title of respect or accolade for Torah scholars.  v.27-28 but Jesus said figuratively they were like whitewashed graves.

Pharisees wrongly claimed that Jesus violated the sabbath, Mt.12:1-13.  Then v.14 “The Pharisees went out and counseled together how they might destroy Him.”  Jesus was drawing people away from them.

Before Paul’s conversion, he’d been a Pharisee, Ac.26:3-5.  Many NT readers today are perplexed when reading Paul’s epistles, in which a written law/oral law mix was sometimes meant.  see “Paul the Apostle (2)”.  The Jewish historian Josephus was a Pharisee.  Jn.3:1 also Nicódemus.  Ac.5:34-40 and Gamaliél.

After 70 AD, Pharisees gradually faded away.  But their doctrine/dogma survives.  Got Questions: “The Pharisees’ legacy lived on. In fact, the Pharisees were responsible for the compilation of the Míshnah, an important document with reference to the continuation of Judaism beyond the destruction of the temple.”  They thought that past temple worship could be substituted by continued study in local Jewish synagogues.  Jewish Virtual Library “They [Pharisees] are the spiritual fathers of modern Judaism.”

#3 SADDUCEES: Saddoukáios g4523 Greek noun, meaning ‘the righteous’.  It occurs 14 times in the NT.  The Sadducees supposedly descended from Sadóc/Zadok (g4524 Greek, h6659 Hebrew).  1Ki.1:39 he was the priest who’d anointed Solomon as king, ca 1000 BC.

The Sadducáic sect arose during the 400-year Intertestamental Period, probably after 150 BC.  They were a more Hellenistic group, having adopted the increasing Greek influence of the Grecian Empire.

No actual Sadducee documents survive.  We learn of them from the writings of their opponents.  And in the NT we see that they opposed Jesus and His disciples.

The Sadducees were political.  They appealed to the: Sanhedrin court, wealthy upper class, priests and temple authority.  Ac.4:1 “As they [Peter and John] were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came upon them.”  Sadducees put Jesus’ apostles in jail in Ac.5:17-18. “The high priest rose up along with all his associates from the sect of the Sadducees, and were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in public custody.”

The Sadducees looked only to the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) as their law source, although they accepted the entire OT.  Sadducees claimed to adhere to the written Law of Moses, not to oral torah, so-called.  But it seems their diligence was sorely lacking dedication.

The Sadducees bitterly opposed the Pharisee party.  In 85 BC, six years of civil war ensued between the Pharisees and the Sadducéan Alexander Jánnaeus, King & High Priest of Jerusalem.  50,000 Judeans were killed before he succumbed.  His widow Salóme turned affairs over to the Pharisees in 76 BC.

A civil war between Alexander’s two sons, Hýrcanus and Aristóbulus, resulted in them going to the Roman General Pompey in Syria in 63 BC.  They wanted him to invade Palestine and slaughter their (Pharisee) opponents.  Some think this is how Rome came into power there, and it remained in power during Jesus’ time.  During His time, Sadducees and Pharisees were able to bearably coexist in the Land.

Sadducee and Pharisee beliefs differed in some respects.  Sadducees observed the annual feast of Pentecost on a Sunday (Pharisees didn’t).  Sadducees didn’t believe: in spirits, in angels as winged heavenly beings, in resurrection or the afterlife.  Lk.20:27 “Sadducees deny there is any resurrection.”

According to Edersheim op. cit. p.220, a basic difference between the Sadducees and Pharisees was…Sadducees emphasized man’s free will, the Pharisees God’s predestination.  Sadducees rejected fate.

Sadducees also objected to the Pharisees’ detailed concerns with ceremonial defilements and purity.

The Sadducees were conservative scriptural literalists; aristocrats (educated) friendly with Rome, and they controlled the temple.  However, not all temple priests were Sadducees.  The Pharisees interpreted more by tradition; they appealed to the common people & women, and controlled the synagogues.

Jesus and John the Baptizer took issue with both sects.  Jesus said in Mt.16:11-12, “Beware of the leaven [teaching] of the Pharisees and Sadducees”.  Mt.3:7 “When He [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he exclaimed to them, ‘You generation of vipers.”

The Pharisees and Sadducees tried to prove that Jesus was evil or make him appear so (cf. Mt.16:1-12).

Jesus disapproved of the example set by both the Pharisee and Sadducee sects.  He had more run-ins with the Pharisees, perhaps because of their preference for the oral law above God’s written word.

Which party had the most control?  Eerdmans Bible Dictionary “The views of the Pharisees prevailed among the common people…the Sadducean priests were compelled to operate according to the Pharisees’ views.”  Another source said “Pharisaical Hillelítes were in control when Messiah walked the earth.”  (Hillél 1 and Shammái founded the two main Pharisaical schools.)  Also Edersheim wrote that Sadducees who held positions generally conformed to the practices of Pharisees.  From his Sketches of Jewish Social Life, p.220, “The Sadducees had to…reckon Pentecost as did their opponents [Pharisees].”

Roman support ended during the Roman–Jewish War of 67–73 AD.  With Rome’s 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem, the Sadducees conclusively lost any control.  (Sadducees were Sad-you-see!)  There was no longer a temple nor an official priesthood.  And by 135 AD, Rome had destroyed much of the Jewish nation.  The Jewish priesthood and upper class who’d favored the Sadducee party became non-existent.

Wikipedia: Sadducees “Their sect is believed to have become extinct some time after the destruction of Herod’s Temple in 70 CE; but it has been speculated that the later Karaítes may have had some roots in, or connections with, Sadducaic views.”

Few followers of Sadducaic principles remained after Jerusalem & Judea fell.  A remnant or offshoot of Sadducee beliefs may be the sect of Karaite Jews today.  Karaites consider themselves as ‘Adherers to the Text’.  Both Sadducees and Karaites reject the oral torah of (rabbinic) Judaism as binding.

This two-part topic about Jewish religious sects and groups is continued & concluded in “Jewish Sects of the 1^st Century (2)”.  In it are discussed the Herodians, Zealots, Essenes, Nazarenes.