Israelites, Pharisees & Sadducees In The 21st Century Church

The Sadducees argued that false witnesses should be executed only if the death
penalty has already been carried out on the falsely accused.
Jewish Sectarianism
The Jewish community of the Second Temple period is often defined by its sectarian
and fragmented attributes. Josephus, in Antiquities, contextualizes the Sadducees as
opposed to the Pharisees and the Essenes. The Sadducees are also notably
distinguishable from the growing Jesus movement, which later evolved into Christianity.
These groups differed in their beliefs, social statuses, and sacred texts. Though the
Sadducees produced no primary works themselves, their attributes can be derived from
other contemporaneous texts, namely, the New Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and
later, the Mishnah and Talmud. Overall, the Sadducees represented an aristocratic,
wealthy, and traditional elite within the hierarchy.
As Opposed to the Essenes
The Dead Sea Scrolls, which are often attributed to the Essenes, suggest clashing
ideologies and social positions between the Essenes and the Sadducees. In fact, some
scholars suggest that the Essenes began as a group of renegade Zadokites, which
would indicate that the group itself had priestly, and thus Sadducaic origins. Within the
Dead Sea Scrolls, the Sadducees are often referred to as Manasseh. The scrolls
suggest that the Sadducees (Manasseh) and the Pharisees (Ephraim) became religious
communities that were distinct from the Essenes, the true Judah. Clashes between the
Essenes and the Sadducees are depicted in the Pesher on Nahum, which states "They
[Manasseh] are the wicked ones ... whose reign over Israel will be brought down ... his
wives, his children, and his infant will go into captivity. His warriors and his honored
ones [will perish] by the sword." The reference to the Sadducees as those who reign
over Israel corroborates their aristocratic status as opposed to the more fringe group of
Essenes. Furthermore, it suggests that the Essenes challenged the authenticity of the
rule of the Sadducees, blaming the downfall of ancient Israel and the siege of
Jerusalem on their impiety. The Dead Sea Scrolls brand the Sadducaic elite as those
who broke the covenant with God in their rule of the Judean state, and thus became
targets of divine revenge.
As Opposed to the Early Christian Church
The New Testament, specifically the books of Mark and Matthew, describe anecdotes
which hint at hostility between the early Christians and the Sadducaic establishment.
These disputes manifest themselves on both theological and social levels. Mark
describes how the Sadducees challenged Jesus' belief in the resurrection of the dead.
Jesus subsequently defends his belief in resurrection against Sadducaic resistance,
stating, "and as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in
the story about the bush, how God said to him "I am the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob?" He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite
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