The Sadducees were part of a sectarian Jewish movement.
A Sadducee is a member of a Jewish movement that, according to the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), was sectarian . Sadoq is the proper name that derived from a Hebrew word and this, from the Latin word sadducaeus , direct etymological antecedent of the term we use in our language .
The Sadducees emerged in the 2nd century BC . It is believed that many priests, at that time, opposed the changes that occurred in the succession of the High Priesthood . This religious position was bought by a king and usurped, also leading to the imposition of Greek rites and customs and the punishment of those Jews who remained faithful to their traditions.
Who were the Sadducees
Sadducees are called, in this way, those who were considered descendants of Zadok , a High Priest . Historians define the Sadducees as members of the upper class of the time and belligerents.
It is important to keep in mind that, according to various historians, the Sadducees became great allies for all those conquerors who wanted to subjugate the people. And they were perfectly aware that they had great purchasing power as well as enormous value within society.
Precisely for this circumstance they became very attached to foreign groups and powers, from which they even adopted certain traditions or customs . A situation that provoked the anger and rejection of the so-called zealots , which was a much more extremist group.
The Sadducees followed the precepts of the Torah literally.
Your beliefs and behaviors
Regarding their beliefs, the Sadducees did not believe in bodily resurrection or the immortality of the soul . They also rejected predestination and the existence of angels. The Sadducees, on the other hand, followed the Torah literally and did not value the Talmud .
Compared to other Jewish groups of the time, the Sadducees are noted as more liberal and materialistic. By maintaining that God rewarded good people in the earthly world, the Sadducees defended his goodness and worth from their material wealth.
Other interesting facts about the Sadducees
In addition to the above, there are other interesting facts of interest about the Sadducees:
- It is considered that they advocated the law of revenge known as “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
- It is believed that they gave the same inheritance rights to the daughter as to the daughter of the son if he had died.
- They were against the festival of water libation.
- As a rule, they did not advocate the death penalty.
- Whenever they dated their documents they did so using the expression “after the High Priest of the Most High.”
- The Karaites are a group of people who, in the Middle Ages, became known as the New Sadducees .
- By not believing in the resurrection, the New Testament of Catholicism includes words from Jesus to the Sadducees, pointing out their error on this and other issues.