Sadducee, Sadducees

The Sadducees—The Urban Elite

•      May have derived from Zadok, high priest under King David.

•      Tended to represent the aristocrats, priests, merchants, and urban elite in Jerusalem and other cities in Judea.

•      Hostile to Jesus and His followers.

•      Many served on the council. Most of the high priests in the days of Jesus and the apostles were Sadducees.

•      Denied the resurrection or life after death, along with the doctrines of everlasting punishment and a literal kingdom.

•      Denied that God controls history, insisting on free will and the responsibility of humans to make wise choices according to the Law.

•      Held only to the Law of Moses (the first five books of the Old Testament) as supremely authoritative.

•      Denied the existence of angels.

The Word in Life Study Bible, New Testament Edition, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville; 1993), p. 71

Resource

•      Sketches of Jewish Social Life, A. Edersheim, Eerdmans, pp. 239ff