What are the Sadducees, as well as the Pharisees, with whom they are often associated? In all four Gospels, the first and second are often mentioned, Jesus Christ was in conflict with them on theology. These are two religious sects in Israel, also fighting each other. In our article, we will talk in detail about who the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes are.
Characteristics of Sadducees
Considering the question of who the Pharisees and Sadducees are in the Bible, we first give characteristics to each of these religious movements. And later we will compare them with each other. Let's start with the Sadducees. Who is it? They can be briefly described as follows.
In the time of Jesus Christ, the Sadducees were an aristocratic branch of the Levite tribe. They were characterized by a desire for wealth and for influential positions in society. Their representatives often held the positions of high priests, and also sat in the Sanhedrin - the supreme council, having most of the seats there.
Until the middle of the 2nd century BC, all the higher priesthoods were replaced by representatives of the descendants of Zadok, who, as stated in the book of Kings, was the high priest under King Solomon. There is an opinion that the meaning of the word "Sadducees", which denotes the priestly aristocracy of the New Testament times, is precisely connected with the name of this dynasty, originating from Zadok.
Sadducees and people
At that time, the territory of Israel was completely controlled by the Romans, and the Sadducees tried to live in peace with them, supporting their decisions. People around them had the impression that they were more involved in politics than religious affairs.
Since they were a wealthy class and had no conflicts with Rome, their life was little connected with ordinary people, they were outside the range of interests of the Sadducees. Therefore, on the part of the people, to put it mildly, they did not feel disposition. This was one of the differences between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The latter were much more popular among the masses.
Many of the historians show the priestly aristocracy of Jerusalem as corrupt and have lost all respect among the people. But it is impossible not to say about other opinions, according to which, such a picture is only partially true. In fact, for many Jews, the figure of the high priest has not lost its significance. In the absence of a king from the family of David, it was believed that God sent the high priest to become the head of the people.
The severity of the Sadducees
Religiously, the Sadducees are a sect that did not recognize the oral tradition of the holy fathers, that is, those rules that were not set forth in written sources and, first of all, in the Torah. For the Pharisees, on the contrary, it was of great importance. We will discuss this question in more detail below.
As the Jewish historian of the 1st century Josephus wrote, the court of the Sadducees was very harsh. He said that they were particularly cruel in sentencing. Evidence is the story of how the high priest Anan, belonging to the Sadducees, condemned Jacob (brother of Jesus Christ) to martyrdom. For about 62 years, the Jews cast Jacob off the wing of the temple in Jerusalem and stoned him.
Another testimony is contained in the New Testament, which tells us that it was the Sadducees who crucified Jesus Christ. Researchers come to this conclusion on the basis of the fact that the Sanhedrin made the decision to execute him, while the Sadducees were led by him.
Pharisees - means "distant"
The Pharisees and Sadducees were distinguished, in particular, in that the former were not aristocrats, but the middle entrepreneurial class. Therefore, their communication with ordinary people was closer, and the people treated them more loyally. Despite the fact that they had a minority in the Sanhedrin, according to historians, their influence on decision-making can be defined as very significant.
The Pharisees had no connection with the Temple, that is, with the official Jerusalem hierarchy. According to the researchers, they were mostly poor landowners or traders. But some of them fully devoted their lives to the study of the Law and its interpretation.
The name of the religious sect "Pharisees" originates in the Jewish "Perushim" or Aramaic "perishaya". In both cases, the meaning of this word is "separated." This means separation from sinners and people who are not distinguished by piety.
Keep the sabbath day
In principle, the Pharisees did not completely exclude themselves from the life of all other Jews, did not break off relations with the Temple of Jerusalem. However, they believed that the people are not scrupulously observing religious regulations, doing so negligently and very roughly.
A distinctive feature of the Pharisees was the desire to clarify in detail the Old Testament precepts, which were stated rather vaguely, and to strictly observe them. At the same time, they played a huge role in the “traditions of the elders”. As a result, the norms that were established in Judaism at the beginning of our era were much more strict and detailed than those prescribed by the Pentateuch.
For example, the Mosaic Law gives a direct ban on work on the Sabbath day, demanding that it be given to the Lord God. Moreover, the word "work" is understood very broadly. It is forbidden, for example, any kindling of fire, writing more than just one letter, moving more than a certain number of steps. In the same detailed manner all aspects of human life are regulated - relations between spouses, the process and time of cooking.
Thus, in relation to religion, the Pharisees believed that the written word was inspired by God, but at the same time they gave equal rights to oral traditions, insisting on their descent from Moses. Over time, they added tradition to the Word of God and strictly followed the rules from both of these sources.
Opinion of Josephus and Apostle Paul
Josephus wrote in Judean Antiquities that the distinctive feature of the Sadducees sect and their teachings from the teachings of the Pharisees was that the Pharisees handed over to the people many statutes based on ancient traditions that were not part of the legislation of Moses. The Sadducees, on the other hand, completely reject these stratifications and demand that only written laws be observed, taking away all meaning from oral tradition. In this regard, many disagreements and disputes arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees.
In the “Acts” of the Apostle Paul, the Pharisees were described as “the strictest in our religion”. Being adherents of ritual purity, they did not want to sit at the table not only with foreigners and Gentiles, but also with other Jews, if they believed that the latter were defiled by sin or did not carefully follow everyday religious orders. The Pharisees carefully observed fasting, prayed for a long time, kept the Sabbath day, strictly followed the instructions for tithing, which was due to the Temple.
Sadducee beliefs contrary to Scripture
As mentioned above, in the religious plan, the Sadducees are representatives of a more conservative branch of a single doctrinal trend of Judaism. They kept the authority of the written Word of God, denying oral sources. But at the same time, in their beliefs, there are clear contradictions to the Holy Scriptures, namely, that the Sadducees:
- They were very self-sufficient, up to the point that they denied the presence and participation of God in everyday existence.
- Denied the doctrine of resurrection after death.
- They did not believe in life beyond the grave, but believed that souls die with the body. It followed from this that there can be no punishment or reward after life on earth.
- They did not agree with the existence of the spiritual world with angels and demons.
However, what was more than what the Sadducees were interested in in religion was politics. Therefore, Jesus Christ was indifferent to them at first. But then, as stated in the Bible, the Sadducees became frightened, deciding that there was a danger of attracting the attention of the Romans. And at that moment they teamed up with the Pharisees, conspiring with them to bring Jesus to death. This question will be considered in more detail below.
Since the Sadducees are a party that existed through priestly and political ties, it disappeared after the Romans destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem.
What did the Pharisees believe in?
In contrast to the Sadducees, the Pharisees believed that:
- All things around are subject to the control of the Almighty, but at the same time, those decisions that are made by a person in a certain way affect the course of his life.
- With the death of a person, his soul does not die, and he rises from the dead.
- There is an afterlife that depends on what a particular person deserves during his life - a reward or punishment.
- Along with people in the world there are both bright angels and dark - demons.
As mentioned above, after the destruction of Jerusalem, the Sadducees ceased to exist, while the Pharisees, more concentrated on religion, continued to exist. The Pharisees were opposed to the uprising that led to the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. They were among the first to make peace with the Romans after this. The Pharisees owe merit in compiling the Mishnah, a very important document that describes the further, after the destruction of the Temple, Judaism.
Who are the scribes?
Along with the Pharisees and Sadducees in the New Testament, Jesus Christ often criticizes the scribes. As a rule, he begins his conviction with the phrase: "Woe to you, Pharisees and scribes, hypocrites." Who are these scribes?
Scribes - a specialty practiced among Jews, involving the writing of Torah scrolls and other religious sources. They were also called Sofers, or Softers. In Russian, this is the scribes.
The manuscripts were written by them with the help of a special square letter - the Assyrian script with which the Tablets of the Testament were written. This specialty required the development of special equipment, knowledge of the laws of lettering, and extraordinary concentration.
In addition, the scribe must be a God-fearing person, honest, and strictly obeying the commandments of the Torah. They constituted a learned corporation and became the first of the interpreters of scripture. Sofers lived in the city of Ivais and were mainly from the tribe of Levi.
Some authors, for example, such as Epiphanius of Cyprus and John of Damascus, singled out the scribes as a separate Jewish heretical sect. However, today this selection is considered incorrect, since the scribes could well be both Pharisees and Sadducees. Therefore, the words of Jesus Christ concerning the scribes must be considered in a figurative sense - as people formally related to faith.
Pharisees, Jesus Christ, Sadducees
As stated in the Gospels, the Son of God had many claims to both religious sects. He did not agree with the fact that the Sadducees denied the provisions of Scripture mentioned above, nor with the fact that the Pharisees gave equal rights to oral tradition, which is prohibited by the Bible.
He also opposed the excessive formalism inherent in the teachings of the Pharisees, since man’s relationship with God should not be reduced only to thoughtless performance of rituals and following a strict list of rules. As stated in the New Testament, Jesus was also not popular with both high priests and most Sadducees and Pharisees. He constantly exposed the hypocritical behavior of both.
One of the main opponents of Christ is the high priest of Caiaphas. After all, when the Savior drove out of the temple money changers, he caused great material damage, including personally to Caiaphas. In addition, the high priest was very worried that the ever-growing popularity of a Nazareth preacher among the Jews could ultimately lead to the invasion of the Romans. And this, in turn, to the loss of his high position.
Therefore, having come together, the Pharisees and Sadducees in the person of high priests and other religious figures decided to give it into the hands of Rome in order to execute a trial and execute him.
Jesus and the Jews
And how did the entire Jewish people react to this, which is often reproached for being the collective culprit of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Trying to answer this question, we turn to the primary sources. So, in the Gospel of Matthew it is said that a crowd of Jews, calling on Pontius Pilate, demanded that Jesus be crucified, while blaming the latter: "His blood is on us and our children."
Does it follow from this that it is necessary to conclude that all Jews who lived in Jerusalem in the 1st century should be considered as murderers of Christ? We will not rush to this and give the words of another author of the Gospel, John, who testifies to the extraordinary popularity of Christ among this people. This is especially true of Galilee, to which he devoted a greater period of time to his ministry.
Again, the Gospel of Matthew indicates that just 5 days before Jesus was arrested and executed, a crowd of Jews greeted him as he entered the Jerusalem Messiah. So who needed the death of Christ? Matthew observes that it was the “high priests and elders” who were the instigators of only a small handful of Jews.
As for the people, he became a silent witness, in fact, endorsing the crime of his leaders, the true culprits of the bloodshed. It was precisely for this Jewish tolerance for the bloody deeds of high-ranking representatives of the Sadducees and Pharisees that the entire people were responsible.