The Sadducees: The powerful elite of the second Temple of Jerusalem

“The sadducees were the aristocracy of the Temple; powerful in Jerusalem, but not the hearts of the people.” — (Synthesis of Flavius Josephus)

1. Who were the sadducees?

The sadducees were a jewish sect elite, active from approximately century II. C. until the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 ce. C.. They were:

• A group religious and political.
• Formed mainly by priests, high priests and aristocratic families of Jerusalem.
• Closely linked to the Temple of Jerusalem, which controlled the cult and the administration.

After the destruction of the Temple in 70 ce. C. the group disappears from the story as an organized force.

2. Sources who speak of the sadducees

We do not keep any written own of the sadducees; all that we know comes from external sources, often hostile:

1. Flavius Josephus (s. I. d. C.)
   • Jewish antiquities and The war of the jews described as a sect aristocratic, influential, but not very popular among the people.
2. New Testament
   • Listed in discussion with Jesus and the apostles.
   • Key texts: Matthew 22; Mark 12; Luke 20; Acts 4 and 23. In Acts 23:8 summarizes his basic doctrine: “the sadducees say there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit”
3. Rabbinic literature (Mishnah and Talmud)
   • In a controversy with the pharisees, especially on Oral Law and ritual purity.
   • Examples: Mishnah Yadáyim 4; other references in Yevamot, Meguilá, etc
4. Texts from Qumran (Dead Sea)
   • Probably refer to them indirectly, under symbolic names (for example, “Manasseh”) as an aristocratic group unfaithful to the covenant.

3. Historical origin and development

3.1 Context: from hellenism to the asmoneos

• After Alexander the Great (fourth century a. C.), Judea goes in an environment strongly hellenised.
• The revolt of the Maccabees (II century a. Bc) against the seleucids gives rise to the dynasty asmonea (approx. 140-63 to. C.).
• In this context arise organized groups: pharisees, sadducees, essenes, and later the zealots.

Scholars place the rise of the sadducees at precisely the time asmonea, as the party of official priesthood and the aristocracy linked to the Temple.

3.2 Relationship with the priests house of Zadok

There are several theories on the origin of the name:

• The most common, derived from Zadok (Tzadok)the high priest in the time of Solomon, whose lineage was considered legitimate for the office.
• Others connect it with the Hebrew root צדק, “right”, reinforcing the idea of “the righteous / correct”.

There is not unanimity, but the link with the priestly aristocracy of Jerusalem it is indisputable.

3.3 roman Era and the rise of political

• With the roman conquest (63 to. C.) and then the reign of Herod the Great (37-4 to. C.), the sadducees maintained as useful partners of roman power:
  • Manage the Temple.
  • Participate in the Sanhedrin.
  • Positions of government and political mediation.

Its real strength is based on three pillars:

1. Control Temple.
2. Control of charges priestly and political.
3. Support (or tolerance) of the authorities hellenistic and roman.

“Do not believe in the resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit.” — Acts 23:8

4. Social Base: who belonged to the sadducees?

• High aristocracy of Jerusalem: rich families, landowners, large traders.
• Priests and high priests: not all of the priests were sadducees, but the core of leadership itself.
• Small group numerically:
  • Flavius Josephus insists that they had not had the support of the people; they were the elite, while the most popular sympathized with the pharisees.

In summary: few, rich, very powerful.

5. Beliefs and doctrine of the sadducees

5.1 Writing vs. Tradition: a rejection of the Oral Law

Crucial point:

• The sadducees only recognised the authority of the written Torah (the five books of Moses).
• Rejected Oral Law farisea (traditions for interpreting and regulations handed down by the rabbis).

Implications:

• Where the pharisees expanded the law with interpretations, the sadducees pay to the literal text.
• This resulted in disputes on matters of purity, sacrifices, inheritance, punishment and calendar, among others.

5.2 Resurrection, the angels and the spiritual world

The trait theological most well-known:

• They denied the resurrection of the dead.
• They denied the existence of angels and spirits as entities personal, at least in the sense that it is accepted by the pharisees and christians.

This is based on:

• Acts 23:8: “the sadducees say there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit...”.
• Controversy with Jesus in the gospels (for example, the case of the woman married to seven brothers, which they used to ridicule the idea of resurrection).

His reasoning, according to the sources:

• As there were a doctrine explicitly resurrection in the Torahthey.

5.3 Free will, fate and retribution

Josephus describes three “philosophies” beans: pharisees, sadducees, and essenes.

• The pharisees combined divine providence with human responsibility.
• The essenes tended to a vision of strong predestination.
• The sadduceesin contrast, denied the destination or a divine plan rigid: they insisted on the human free willwithout a strong scheme of retribution in an afterlife that they did not accept.

In practice, ethics, focused on the present lifethe ritual observance in the Temple, and the maintenance of social order.

5.4 ritual Purity, worship and Temple

Given that controlled the Temple:

• Were very strict in terms of the rules of worship and sacrifices according to the written Torah.
• Distrusted innovations fariseas in terms of purity, that increased regulation beyond the biblical text.

For them, the heart of the religion was:

1. The Temple of Jerusalem.
2. The sacrifices.
3. The festivities of pilgrimage (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot).

5.5 Relationship with the hellenism

The jewish sources and later some modern studies point out that:

• Despite being conservative in religious (and keeping to the written Torah), as well as in social and cultural could be the relatively open to the hellenismaccepting certain life-styles aristocratic greeks.

This one remove from the actual even more of the common population, who saw it as a way of accommodation to foreign powers.

“While the pharisees taught in the synagogues, the sadducees ruled in the Temple.”

6. Political role and conflicts with other groups

6.1 In the Sanhedrin and in the government

The sadducees:

• They had a central role in the Sanhedrin (the supreme council).
• Managed the domestic policy of Judea and the relationship with Rome.

According to the sources, who were in charge of:

• Raise taxes (including taxes of the judaism of the diaspora).
• Lead the army and defenses.
• Represent Judea to the imperial power.

6.2 Conflict with the pharisees

The large domestic polarization of the judaism of the Second Temple is pharisees vs. sadducees:

• Pharisees:
  • Popular support wide.
  • Emphasis on the Oral Law, without relying on the Temple for all religions.
• Sadducees:
  • Elite priestly and economic.
  • Emphasis in the Temple, the written Torah and the established order.

Disputes involving:

• Legal issues specific (purity, backgrounds, sentences).
• Authority of interpretation: who decides how to apply the Torah?

Over time, after 70 d. C., the line farisea-rabbinic is the one that survives and gives origin to the rabbinical judaism classic; the vision saducea is extinguished.

6.3 Conflict with the essenes

The texts of Qumran show a strong criticism against the elite priests of Jerusalemaccusing her of corruption and infidelity to the covenant (those who identify with “Manasseh” or similar).

Many scholars interpret that:

• These attacks are aimed, in good measure, against the sadducees.
• The essenes would have been a splinter group of origin to the priesthood, which broke with the Temple controlled by them.

6.4 Relationship with Jesus and the christian movement primitive

In the New Testament:

• The sadducees appear to confront Jesus primarily on the resurrection (Matthew 22; Mark 12; Luke 20).
• In Fact, oppose the apostles precisely by the preaching of the resurrection of Jesus.

From the perspective of the early christians, the sadducees represented:

• The block of the power of the Temple, which did not accept the resurrection or the continuity of the Jesus movement.
• The religious structure that will be exceeded after the destruction of the Temple.

“The power of the sadducees held in stone: while the Temple stood, they were on foot.”

7. Disappearance after 70 d. C.

The point break it is the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the romans in the year 70 ce. C., during the First Jewish War.

Consequences:

1. Destruction of the Temple = demise of the axis institutional holding the sadducees (the sacrifices, the priesthood, administration).
2. Slaughter and dispersion of the elite of Jerusalem, where it is concentrated.
3. Reorganization of judaism around the the rabbis, pharisees and the synagogues, not to the Temple.

This is why:

• After 70 d. C. the references to the sadducees are rare and late.
• Do not register a continuity organized; as a group, fade out.

A few movements later, as certain karaitas in the Middle Ages, were accused of “saducéos” by rejecting the Oral Law, but this is a accusation controversy, not a historical continuity directly.

8. Importance of the sadducees in the history of judaism

Even if it disappears, your role is key to understand:

1. The internal struggle for religious authority in the Second Temple:
   • Do you just Write?
   • Or do you also an interpretative tradition (the Oral Law)?
2. The tension between elites collaborators and leadership popular:
   • They are the classic example of aristocratic elite, templar and close to the imperial power.
3. The change of axis in judaism:
   • Judaism centered on the Temple and the sacrifices (world sadducean cultured)
   • Judaism centered in the Torah, the interpretation of rabbinic and synagogue (the inheritance farisea).
4. The context of the message of Jesus and of primitive christianity:
   • Their discussions about the resurrection, eternal life, and authority of Scripture is best understood if one knows the position saducea.

9. Summary

To close, a quick scheme:

• Chronology:
  • Source: time asmonea (II century a. C.).
  • Apogee: time of Herod and the start of the roman dominion.
  • Order: destruction of the Temple (70 ce. C.).
• Social Base:
  • Priests, high priests, families, aristocratic, rich, small in number but with great power.
• Doctrine:
  • Only the Written torah as the authority.
  • Rejection of the Oral Law farisea.
  • Denial of the resurrection, angels and spirits.
  • Emphasis on the free will and in the present life.
• Religious practice:
  • Focus all on the Temple and the sacrifices.
  • Defense of ritual and the status quo.
• Policy:
  • Party elite priestly and government.
  • Collaboration and negotiation with dominant powers (hellenistic and Rome).
• Relations with other groups:
  • In conflict with pharisees (The Oral law, doctrine, religious leadership).
  • Criticized by essenes as priests are corrupt.
  • In tension with Jesus and the early church the theme of the resurrection.