The Sadducees: First-Century Power Players, Part 3

The Pharisees: First-Century Power Pl... Jesus and the Pharisees: First-Centur...

The Sadducees: First-Century Power Players, Part 3

To help you better understand the historical-cultural context of the Acts of Faith series (The Centurion's Wife, The Hidden Flame, and The Damascus Way), I'd like to introduce you to the primary Judean authorities at the early part of Acts. This is Part 3 of 10.

The Sadducees

When I began my study of the Pharisees, the word that came repeatedly to mind was conflicted. In Hebrew they were called Tziddukim, which means "the righteous ones." Given their state when we meet them in the Gospels, their title carries a bitter irony.

The title Tziddukim came into existence centuries earlier because their main opponents, the Sadducees, focused exclusively upon the Torah, the five books of Moses also known as the Pentateuch. The Sadducees excluded Talmudic interpretations of the Torah entirely. This spotlight on the words of the Torah rather than its ultimate meaning and application put them in direct and sometimes violent odds with the Pharisees.

Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees saw themselves as strict observers of God's law. But there was a crucial difference between the two groups, an issue so great that they genuinely loathed one another. The motives behind these factions so intensely opposed to one another hinged on two issues: earthly power and spiritual connectedness.

The Sadducees rejected the concept of a hereafter. Individuals lived out their days, either righteously guided or not, and then it was over. At the moment of death, people returned to dust and ashes. And herein lies the crucial element of the Sadducees' religious perspective—they lived by logic, by intellect.

The Sadducees recognized no direct connectedness between man and God. They believed that intimacy with the divine was impossible. God created the world. He gave man commandments by which to live. His chosen people were instructed in how to maintain a moral life. And then God backed away. His work on earth was over. Man was to follow the Law because of the rightness of the action. How could there be anything more, since there was neither heaven nor hell?

This is the point where things become interesting. At the time of Jesus, the Sadducees were in control; they were far more powerful politically and economically than the Pharisees. The writers of that epoch adhered to one group or the other, and the two sects were so at odds it is impossible to gain an unbiased impression.

But most scholars agree that an actual Sadducee was in truth a distinct minority within the Judean population. Most of this sect came from what is called Hellenized Jews. These people had assimilated into the Greek or Roman culture and utterly rejected the commandments and the belief that God had appointed the Jews as his chosen race. They fully embraced the culture and lifestyle of the people with whom they lived—gods, temples, and accompanying sinful ways.

The Sadducees held a sort of compromise position. They were Hellenized, and yet they also considered themselves good religious Jews. Whether they actually believed in God as the Father of the world probably came down to the individual. Some did, others did not. The structure of their belief system made room for both types, within a theology that can only be described as intensely liberal.

Generally, these were also the Jews with money. They were better educated, held the good jobs, traveled, mingled with the Romans. They were connected to the power structure. In today's parlance, the Sadducees were basically the ones who got things done.

The Sadducees dominated the ruling council, the Sanhedrin, and the Temple. In Jesus' time, the high priest, a Sadducee, had to receive his stamp of approval from the Roman governor. And this stamp came only after the would-be high priest delivered two items: a massive bribe along with his personal vow of loyalty to Roman rule. The Pharisees would rather have died than offer either, and many did.

The Pharisees did not disagree with the Sadducees merely over points of religion. They disagreed with them about everything.

Here are links to each of the books in the Acts of Faith Series. I believe it will enhance your understanding of first-century power players to read the novels as we progress through this series.

To make sure you receive every article in this 10-part series, please subscribe to my blog via e-mail or your feed reader by clicking this link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DavisBunn