The Differences Between The Pharisees and Sadducees
Introduction
The Pharisees and Sadducees were influential Jewish sects with conflicting philosophies in regards to the implementation of the Torah. Pharisees and Sadducees also had conflicting views about the role of government in the lives of Jewish citizens. The Pharisees believed that God had punished the Jews by allowing oppressive Pagans like the Romans to rule over them because the Jews refused to uphold the statutes of the Torah (Abels, 2005). This is why they supported the creation of distinctive laws which would keep the Jews from further offending God by adopting the lifestyles of non-Jews. While the Sadducees believed in the authority of the Torah, they were also more supportive of prevailing rulers (Abels, 2005). This is because they understood that they could benefit, in a political and economic sense, from maintaining peaceful relations with the ruling government.
Differences Between The Pharisees and Sadducees
According to Harding (2010), the Pharisees were members of middle class Jewish families that were committed to upholding the Mosaic Law. The Sadducees, on the other hand, hailed from the Jewish aristocracy (Harding, 2010). The Sadducees, therefore, were exposed to a more secular education than the Pharisees, and even acknowledged Hellenism. The main difference between the Pharisees and Sadducees concerned the understanding of the function of the Torah in Jewish society. Leaders among the Pharisees were referred to as Rabbi, while most of the Sadducees operated as priests and were members of the Sanhedrin (Harding, 2010). The Sadducees maintained that the first five books of the Bible, otherwise known as the Torah, were the greatest authority on God’s will for the Jews. For the Sadducees, all other laws or texts outside the sacred Torah could not be counted as part of the Law. In contrast, the Pharisees believed that God did not just provide the Jews with the Written Law, but also the Oral Law (Harding, 2010).
The Written Law was the Torah, while the Oral law comprised of oral traditions and revelations that were given to Jewish prophets who came after Moses. Essentially, the Pharisees believed that God permits men to interpret the Torah by exercising their reasoning abilities to apply different laws to existing problems. The Pharisees also differed from the Sadducees in the matter of the afterlife. The Pharisees believed in heaven and hell, and taught that man would be judged on the basis of his adherence to the Torah and his works while on earth (The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, 1980). The Sadducees did not believe that man would experience resurrection after physical death.
The Pharisees believed that God would send the Jews a messiah who would bring peace to the world and rule from Jerusalem. They also believed that all circumstances that affected the lives of Jews were divinely ordained. The Sadducees did not believe in a coming messiah, and held that man has freedom of will, and creates his own circumstances (The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo, 1980).
Conclusion
Sadducees were essentially liberal elitists who incorporated the concept of free will into their understanding of the Mosaic Law. They endeavored to preserve their priestly caste, and actively took part in political discourse to maintain their influence over their fellow Jews. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were more religiously committed to keeping the statutes of the Oral as well as Written Law, and regularly took part in traditional forms of worship in the temple. They rejected foreign ideologies and philosophies such as Hellenism, and created numerous laws to keep the Jews from interacting with gentiles on a daily basis.
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References :
[0]Abels, R. (2005). First Century of the Common Era: The Christian Apostolic Age.
[1]The Development of Christianity within the Roman Empire. Retrieved from http://www.usna.edu/Users/history/abels/hh205/Xchr.htm
[2]Harding, M. (2010). Early Christian Life and Thought in a Social Context: A Reader. London: T&T Clark International. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=10yvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PR11&lpg=PR11&dq=Mark+Harding+on+%27Early+Christian+life+and+thought+in+social+context%27&source=bl&ots=BWCGh3HGLJ&sig=oFDX9AVdPtQ69o2_PmEQbDYnFZw&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Mark%20Harding%20on%20'Early%20Christian%20life%20and%20thought%20in%20social%20context'&f=false
[3]The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo. (1980, Dec. 30). Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress. Retrieved from http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061066/1890-12-30/ed-1/seq-4/
[4]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woes_of_the_Pharisees
Thank you for so much powerful info…
this is really religious bigotry, hahaha i can’t stop laughing, thank God Jesus Christ came and make things clear, if not so these so called religious leaders would have hang us up with heavy man made traditions and personal laws. haha haha
Thanks so much for this information, it has been a Good sent.
What is the relationship between these two scriptures ie Mark 7:1-23 and James 1:17-27
‘love god with al your heart…’ in that law, the laws of moses rested. many people were full of moral filth, breaking this law, yet they found some sort of solace in washing the physical filth from their hands before eating ; as if this man made law had some authority over Gods given law.These verses to me are a calling to a greater spiritual perspective. Dont just talk of cleanliness, dont just be clean on the hands but also be clean from within.
Thank so much for such inspiration
Awesome reading. I’ve been a Christian for over thirty years and never knew the difference between the two~~~
Thank you for this bit of info. It makes everything clearer with regard to Bible studies.
I’m writing a book and wondering if I could cite your article in my book. Please reply to this comment or to my email. Thanks!
Thanks for explaining clearly the differences between the pharisees
and the sadducees (Sanhedrin)
Inform when people’s comments are left
Thank you. This answered my question and educated me on how the two were so different.
I love jesus! yay jesus!
amen! Jesus is the best!
Thanks for the clearest explanation I’ve ever read explaining the difference! So many things make much more sense when you understand the backdrop of the time, place and people!
I would like to acknowledge the sources of this information.Where this is one of our research topic. And I’m glad because, I am fortunate to access this information. Thanks and may almighty God increase your knowledge.
Wonderful. Thanks. God bless you
In the house of Jehova I shall dwell
thanks for the info i was curious in reading your references but i cant find the details. Any chance you can provide more details, i was specislly cirious about Harding 2010
The question was answered well. But the author could not resist injecting the political dialogue of today into the conversation with the “liberal elitists” comment. Rather than “liberal elites”, your description of the Sadducees led me to the conclusion that they are the very picture of today’s conservative evangelicals who for political favor, have aligned themselves with a godless president and government that represents everything that Christianity is not.
I had the completely different impression.Amazing how some people like you so full of vitriol and Hate use it in every one of life’s situations. This is one nation under God unless people like you decide to hate your way into making it one nation under political party strife. Pray for your nation and pray for your president.Then let go and let God.
My thoughts exactly, so sad we can’t discuss the Words of God without political noise Thanks for articulating it perfectly!
This really blessed me. Thanks so much for your benevolence
Thank you for this concise information – so helpful in my Bible studies and understanding of things overall. By chance, do you know how the two groups related to one another or how they interacted? Was there conflict? Did one group have authority (secular or religious) over the other? I am curious to learn more, thank you.
Act 23 brought me here to no more about the saducess and the pharisses, they almost choke and kill paul during there argument.
First, they are both Jewish people who believe in the law of Moses.
remember, the Pharisees accuses Jesus of wining and dining with unbelievers.
those Pharisees are the one that claims holiness by praying in public and letting people know they are fasting. Jesus said they have received their reward.
Thank you so much for such powerful insight