NT RELIGIOUS / POLITICAL GROUPS (8)

(Message by Tanny Keng)

1. Who were the Sadducees?

a) The Sadducees were a prominent New Testament political / religious group of mostly priests who existed in Palestine from the second century B.C. until the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. They carried out the priestly functions at Jerusalem's temple and maintained the temple itself. They were not popular with the masses (like their rivals the Pharisees) as they had a tendency to side with the ruling power. While they received backing from the rich and elite, their rivals the Pharisees were very popular with the people. The Jewish historian Josephus confirms the appeal of the two groups when he states:

"And concerning these things it is that great disputes and differences have arisen among them, while the Sadducees are able to persuade none but the rich, and have not the populace obsequious (obedient or giving deference) to them, but the Pharisees have the multitude on their side. " (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 13, Chapter 10)

b) The Sadducees believed the only source of divine authority was the written Torah (law of God or first five books of the Bible) and rejected the Oral Traditions held by the Pharisees. Their priestly responsibilities included the daily offering of sacrifices at the temple and presiding over the sacrifices during the three great pilgrimage feasts (Passover, Pentecost and Feast of Tabernacles) held in Jerusalem. Their political responsibilities included administering the Jews in Judea, collecting taxes, equipping and leading the army, and regulating relations with the Roman Empire.
 
c) It was the Sadducees operation of the temple that Jesus indirectly criticized when, near the beginning of his ministry, he cast out the money changers and those selling goods from the temple's outer court (court of the Gentiles - John 2:13-17). Even after he cleansed the temple Jesus had to do it again, three years later, near the end of his ministry (Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, Matthew 21:12-13).
 
d) While the Sadducees were critical of Jesus during his ministry, their opposition and hostility toward the gospel seemed to grow and become more vocal after his death. One reason for this marked increase was likely due to their firm belief that there was no resurrection from the dead (Mark 12:18-27). This conflicted with the primary message of the early New Testament church, which centered around the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.

e) The Sadducean zeal for what they strongly believed in manifested itself soon after the church began: "Now as they (John and Peter) spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody . . ." (Acts 4:1-3)

 

f) Sadducean rejection of the gospel included:

• The first time they (and the Pharisees) are mentioned in the Bible, we find them being roundly criticized by John the Baptist. John calls them a "Brood of vipers" (Matthew 3:7). He chides them for thinking they are "special" and better than others because they are descended from Abraham. John also calls upon them not only to repent of their sins but to prove their repentance through doing good (v. 7-9).
• Attempts to tempt Jesus by demanding a sign to prove he was the Messiah (Matthew 16:1).
• They tried to trip up Jesus by asking him a question regarding which of seven husbands the wife of all of them would be considered married to her in the resurrection (which they didn't even believe in! - Matthew 22:23-33).
• The Sadducees (along with others), alarmed that the apostles Peter and John were preaching Jesus and the resurrection of the dead, had them arrested (Acts 4:1-3).
• After many signs and wonders were performed by the apostles to confirm the gospel message (Acts 5:12-16), they and the High Priest arrested the apostles and put them in a common prison (v. 18).
• They were present, along with the High Priest and Pharisees, at a meeting where the apostle Paul had to explain why he was the center of attention at a riot in Jerusalem's temple (Acts 21:17, 22). The Sadducean opposition to Paul's message grew when they found out he believed in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6-9).

g) Beliefs and Practices Compared

• The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (Mark 12:18-27) whereas the Pharisees believed one would occur in the future (Acts 23:6-8, 18) during the Messianic age. They also did not believe in the existence of angels and spirit beings in general, while the Pharisees did believe and even taught such spirits could communicate with man (Acts 23:8-9).
• According to the historian Josephus, Sadducees believed humans had complete free will, while the Pharisees adhered to the belief in free will but left room for God to have foreknowledge of mankind's destiny.
• The Sadducees rejected the Oral Tradition held by the Pharisees and the doctrines it taught. The believed the only source of divine authority was the written Torah, as Josephus states:

  "What I would now explain is this, that the Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the laws of Moses; and for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe what are derived from the tradition of our forefathers." (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 13, Chapter 10)

• While the temple priesthood of Sadducees prided itself on its aristocracy of blood, the Pharisees instead were pround of their superiority in learning.
• The Sadducees believed in an excessively stringent lifestyle and a very strict literal interpretation of God's written law while the Pharisees used both the written and oral law (or traditions) to decide how to apply God's words to life. They, in general, were conservative, aristocratic monarchists, while the Pharisees were eclectic, popular and more democratic.

h) The significant difference between the Sadducean and Pharisaic view of God's law and its application to life can best be seen by the following example. The Bible says "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand . . . " (Exodus 21:24). The Pharisaic application of this verse was that a monetary compensation of the value of the lost eye (or tooth or hand) should be paid to the injured party. The Sadducees interpretation of this verse meant that those who caused the loss of an eye (or tooth or hand) should be punished by losing one of their own eyes, teeth or hands.

The End ...