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48 Is JUDAISM the Religion of Moses?

undoubtedly part of that group (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. i, p. 164). This
may well be the case. Josephus mentions that the Essenes were fond of keeping "secret" books that
related doctrines only the initiated could know ("Wars of the Jews," ii, 8, 7). At least we are assured
that these sects who wrote the various apocalyptic books were closer in doctrine to the Essenes than
any other religious group among the Jews. They were not Pharisees; this much is certain!

"Those who really do know the Pharisaic literature, INCLUDING ALL THE GREAT
JEWISH SCHOLARS, agree in the view that the Apocryphal and Apocalyptic writings rep-
resent a type (or types) of Judaism DIFFERENT from the Pharisaic type" (Herford, Juda-
ism in the New Testament Period, p. 123).

The Truth About the Sadducees

The Sadducees completely rejected the traditions of the elders. They maintained that the
Scripture alone was sufficient for religious truth (Lauterbach, Rabbinic Essays, p. 209). In this
connection, the Sadducees were certainly right.

The actions of the Sadducees against the erroneous opinions of the Pharisees seemingly puts
them in a good light -- as though they were zealously upholding the Law of God and His divine
truth. However, the Sadducean position was not as roseate as it may appear on the surface. There
were real reasons behind the Sadducees' apparent stand for the acceptance of only the Scripture, and
those reasons were not always out of honor for the Scripture or even God.

Can we say the Sadducees respected the Scripture when many of the plain teachings of the
Word of God they openly renounced? They clearly rejected the Scripture teaching of the resurrec-
tion; they did not believe in angels nor spirits. Yet the Scriptures taught these truths! (See Job 14:4;
Eze. 37:1-14; Dan. 12:1-3; Exo. 14:19; Dan. 6:22; I Sam. 18:10, etc.) To reject such fundamental
doctrines as the resurrection and the existence of the spirit world, shows that the Sadducees did not
hold the Scripture teaching in very high esteem.

Why Sadducees Rejected Traditions of Elders

It will come as a surprise to many people to realize that the reason the majority of Sadducees
rejected the Pharisaic traditions of the elders, so-called, was NOT because of a reverence for the
Scripture and an abhorrence for heathen customs. Their motive for rejecting these new religious
laws, in reality, was on account OF THEIR LACK OF INTEREST IN RELIGION. They did not
care for ANY MORE religious laws than were necessary.

It is clearly known that the majority of Sadducees were not zealous for religion. Their main
interest lay in securing for themselves political positions of power among the influential people in
Palestine -- they reverenced the gaining of wealth and power more than anything else. They did not
want to subject themselves to any of the religious laws of the Pharisees, nor [even] of the Scripture,
as we will soon see. The Sadducees represented the "worldly-minded" sect of the Jews -- not espe-
cially interested in religion. (Almost every society has had or presently has such religious sects, and
the Jews were no exception -- they had their "Unitarian" sect.)

The Berean Voice March-April 2003