Sadducees

The Sadducees ( gr Σαδδουκαῖοι, Saddoukaîoi ) were an active in Israel in the time of the Second Temple group of Judaism.

Tradition

There are no texts whose Sadducean origin is undisputed. The available information derived from descriptive sources. Flavius ​​Josephus, the New Testament and Rabbinic texts report for different reasons about the Sadducees.

Josephus reported at two points about the Sadducees and they designed it as a philosophical school. He contrasts it with the Pharisees and indicates the Sadducees denied the fate, divine intervention in human affairs and the continuance of the soul. In addition, they recognize only the "law" to. This is probably meant that the Torah should be the only basis of religious authority, as opposed to - oral and written - tradition away from the Torah.

The Sadducees were, according to Josephus at the higher levels of society. The New Testament shows the environment of the priestly aristocracy. But it is not clear whether about the priestly aristocracy had existed in principle or even in the majority of cases from the Sadducees.

Origin and development of the Sadducees are in the dark. According to some researchers, they are more closely related to the Zadokites. According to a popular theory in the Old Testament research presented this group that is in the Bible mentioned only in Ezekiel, where " sons of Zadok " ( בני צדוק ) is, the high priest at the temple in Jerusalem. The theory assumes that Zadok the priest of David and progenitor of the suspected Dynasty, the name " Sadducees destination '. Other researchers reject this or keep a Zadok the not " the " Zadok was, for the founder of the sect. Ultimately, the problem is not unique philological to solve. Another theory assumes the Sadducees were built around 150 BC, as Josephus calls it the first time for this time; but since it is to be a digression at the mention ( in the Antiquitates Judaicae ) can not be assumed that Josephus continues its emergence in this period. In addition, it provides its other Sadduzäerexkurs ( in Bellum Judaicum ) in the context of the early 1st century AD According to others the Sadducees came only at the end of the 1st century BC, or even only in the 1st century AD

However, Josephus, John Hyrcanus I have at the end of the 2nd century BC, renounced the Pharisees and the Sadducees connected. A further represented by parts of the research theory connects the Sadducees with the writings of Qumran. The fonts are aware of a group called " sons of Zadok " and point in the interpretation of the law parallels to on what denote the later rabbinic sources as Sadducee view. However, What to look for this finding is controversial.

The end of the Sadducees one often associated with the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, in conjunction, because it was assumed the Sadducees had to call the Temple aristocracy. However, this is not provable, and there were even after 70 still Jewish priests. Moreover, since the rabbinic texts polemics against the Sadducees, it is not unlikely that there has not been even after 70 people who called themselves the Sadducees.