From: 	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: 	 Friday, September 19, 1997 12:04 AM
To: 	 Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: Pharisees and Sadducees

From: Paul Stringer 
Subject:  The Pharisees and Sadducees

>
>There were several groups of religious sect in the old testament.
>

>From Eddie:
**************

       This is true. Some who have studied the 1st century 
extensively think that there may have been as many as 24 different 
sects within Judaism in the 1st century. Regardless, there were many 
sects of Judaism in the 1st century and most of them didn't agree 
with each other in philosophy and religious doctrine.

>
>Pharisee and Sadducees who had different teaching and people 
> followed these ways in the years before Jesus. now there are 
> school  in the Jewish religion which are teaching the Jewish people. 
> Did the Pharisee and sadducees combine there teaching today or 
> there different schools today. and which one is call
> which.
>
> paul
>

     From Eddie:
    **************

           The Sadducees comprised mostly of the Temple religious 
establishment.  They were the primary sect that ran the order of 
business in the Temple.

           In contrast, the Pharisees were the teachers of the common 
people. In the 1st century, many were itinerate (traveled from place 
to palce) Agaddic (parables, story telling) rabbi's (teachers of the 
Torah to the common people).  Yeshua/Jesus was like a 
Pharisee in the sense that He had a traveling ministry and told 
parables wherever He went. (Agaddic Rabbi).

           The Sadducees and the Pharisees did not like each other. 
The Pharisees often criticized the Sadducees for apostasy.  Their 
doctrinal beliefs were quite different. In Acts 23:3-8 it is written:

"Then said Paul unto him ... and they that stood by said, 'Revilest 
thou God's high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he 
was the high priest: for it is written, 'Thou shalt not speak evil of 
the ruler of thy people'. But when Paul perceived that the one part 
were Sadducees and the other part Pharisees, he cried out in the 
coucil, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of 
the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And 
when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees 
and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees 
say that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit: but the 
Pharisees confess both"

          In this passage, we can see that the high priest at this 
time was a Sadducee. Paul said that he was a Pharisee. The 
Sadducees and the Pharisees were divided over religious doctrine.           
The Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead, didn't 
believe in angels or the spirit. The Pharisees believed in the 
resurrection of the dead, believed in angels and in the spirit.

         Of all the sects of Judaism in the 1st century, it was only 
the Pharisees who remained as a distinguishable sect of Judaism. It 
was the Pharisees who wrote the Talmud (Oral law of Judaism 
consisting of the Mishnah and Gemara).  The Pharisees often 
criticized the Sadducees in the Talmud for their hypocrisy. When the 
Pharisees wanted to tell somebody how NOT to be religiously, they did 
so by condemning the Sadducees and saying, 'Don't be like the 
Sadducees who do such and such ...". 

           The were two main sects of the Pharisees. One followed the 
Rabbi Hillel and the other followed the Rabbi Shammai. One group was 
known as the House of Hillel and the other group was known as the 
House of Shammai.  Shammai was more strict regarding the Torah and 
followed more closely the letter of the Torah than the house of 
Hillel. In some issues in the Gospels, Yeshua ruled with the House of 
Shammai and in other places He ruled with the house of Hillel. 
Overall, Yeshua/Jesus most often agreed with the position of the 
House of Hillel.  The House of Shammai disappeared over time. All who 
remained in their distinguishable form were the Pharisees of the 
House of Hillel. The Pharisees of the House of Hillel wrote the 
Talmud. The Talmud is the Oral Teachings of Judaism that were written 
down to preserve the Oral Teachings after the Temple was destroyed in 
70 A.D. as the Jews were eventually taken captive by the Romans and 
dispersed into the nations of the world. The Talmud began to be 
written about 200 C.E. (Common Era) or A.D. There is a Jerusalem 
Talmud and a Babylonian Talmud. The Babylonian Talmud is the most 
extensive and is the most studied within Orthodox Judaism today.

           Following the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E., in 
order to preserve Judaism, Judaism was restructured at Yavneh in the 
land of Israel by a group of Rabbi's. When this was done, Judaism went 
from being primarily Agaddic to being primarily Halachic. Thus, Rabbinic 
Judaism was formed and created.   

          The modern day Orthodox Jews are descendants of the 
Biblical Pharisees of the House of Hillel.  In the last 150 years, those 
Jews who have broken away from the Orthodox Judaism have formed 
two other main sects of  Judaism --- Conservative and Reform. Both of 
the these sects are more liberal than Rabbinal Orthodox Judaism and 
have steered away from the Oral teachings of Rabbinical Orthodox 
Judaism while trying to maintain their Jewish religious heritage and 
balance this with the realities of the modern world.  Reform Judaism 
is at the opposite extreme of Rabbinical Orthodox Judaism and is very 
liberal.  Conservative Judaism is a balance between Rabbinical 
Orthodox Judaism and the very liberal Reform Judaism.  There are even 
various sects within Orthodox Judaism itself.  Some Orthodox Jews 
try to remain Orthodox and try to balance this with the realities 
of the modern world. These are known as 'Modern Orthodox'.  Then, 
there are the Ultra-Orthodox Chassidic Jews. There are even various 
sects among the Chassidics.  Many of the Ultra-Orthodox Jews do not 
even acknowledge Conservative or Reform Jews as representing Torah 
Judaism.  

          Most non-Jewish believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah are 
not aware of the various beliefs within Judaism today.

          Paul, I hope that I have answered your question and helped 
you to understand the various facets of Judaism in the 1st century as 
well as how this has evolved to this present day.
                                
                                                  Eddie Chumney

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