Sadducees

The Sadducees were a Jewish movement around the first century CE and earlier. The Saducees controlled the [High Preist]?hood. They denied the existence of life after death, and rejected the [oral tradition]?s defended by the Pharisees, who were their main opponents. Unlike the Pharisees, they had strong Hellenizing? tendencies. They originated during the reign of [John Hyrancus]?.

Although most scholars believe that the community at Qumran? that produced the [Dead Sea Scrolls]? was an offshoot of the Essenes, a smaller number of scholars believe that the Dead Sea sect may be an offshoot of the Saducees.

Reference Lawrence H. Schiffman, "From Text to Tradition: A History of Second Temple & Rabbinic Judaism", Ktav Publishing House, 1991

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