Sadducees

The Sadducees were a Jewish movement around the first century CE and earlier. The Saducees controlled the High Preisthood. They denied the existence of life after death, and rejected the oral traditions 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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