Sadducees

Sadducees

EtymologyHistoryThe Second Temple periodAfter the Temple destructionRole of the SadduceesReligiousPoliticalBeliefsGeneralDisputes with the PhariseesJewish sectarianismOpposition to the EssenesOpposition to the early Christian churchOpposition to the PhariseesReferencesPrimarySecondaryExternal links

The Sadducees (/ˈsædjəsiːz/; Hebrew: צְדוּקִים, romanized: Ṣəḏūqīm, lit.'Zadokites') were a sect of Jews active in Judea during the Second Temple period, from the second century BCE to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The Sadducees are described in contemporary literary sources in contrast to the two other major sects at the time, the Pharisees and the Essenes.

Quick Facts Historical leaders, Founded ...

Close

Josephus, writing at the end of the 1st century CE, associates the sect with the upper echelons of Judean society. As a whole, they fulfilled various political, social, and religious roles, including maintaining the Temple in Jerusalem. The group became extinct sometime after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.