The Differences between Sadducees and Pharisees are given here. The Sadducees are those descendants of the High Priest Sadiq from the time of Solomon, they were the upper class of Jewish society. The Pharisees were a Jewish community that existed until the second century of this era and were considered of the Hasidim, they were the opposite of the Sadducees in their interpretation of the law.
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Sadducees
The Sadducees or Zadokites are the descendants of the High Priest Zadok. The term Sadoq means “righteousness” so they were considered just or righteous.
They began as a political party in the second century BC and it disappeared in the first century BC. An example of a Sadducee is Caiaphas, who, in his position as high priest, was responsible, according to the New Testament, for trying and sentencing Jesus Christ.
The Sadducees were members of the upper class of Jewish society at the time, so the conquerors always sought their support when subduing the people. They always submitted to a foreign power by adopting its fashions and cultures. This submission allowed them to access public office, they belonged to the aristocracy and were the main owners of the land.
They had their own interpretations of festivals, worship, the calendar, rituals, and legal affairs.
Pharisees
The Pharisees were a Jewish community that existed until the second century of this era, they began in the Babylonian captivity, although some consider them successors to the Hasidim. His interpretations of the law were accepted by the majority of Jews. They managed to take control of Judaism and transformed the cult.
From the ancient Pharisees comes the orthodox rabbinical line of the Doctors of the Law who wrote the Talmud.
They believed in human freedom and in the immortality of the soul. They believed that the punishment and rewards would be eternal for good and bad souls respectively. They believed in the resurrection and in the obligation to obey the tradition of the religious obligations of the law.
Differences between Sadducees and Pharisees
- The Pharisees believed that God had punished the Jews by allowing oppressors like the Romans to rule over them because the Jews did not follow the statutes of the Torah. To avoid offending God further they created laws that prevented them from adopting the lifestyles of their oppressors.
- The Sadducees believed in the authority of the Torah but supported foreign rulers in exchange for political and economic gain.
- The Pharisees were members of middle-class Jewish families who were committed to upholding the Mosaic Law.
- The Sadducees belonged to the aristocracy, they had a more secular education than the Pharisees.
