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Sadducees

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

Jewish group without a surviving doctrinal library of its own; known through others.

Modern comparison of an ancient outside author’s account. Josephus uses Greek philosophical language; this is neither the groups’ own manifesto nor an account of all Jews
Modern comparison of an ancient outside author’s account. Josephus uses Greek philosophical language; this is neither the groups’ own manifesto nor an account of all JewsIL Archive · original diagram · CC BYImage source

Text

Josephus describes them as rejecting the soul’s survival and certain unwritten traditions. This is not direct internal testimony or a statement about every priest. [1]

The absence of their own writings complicates reconstruction. The diagram shows an attributed position in outside sources, not an archaeological portrait. [2]

References and notes

  1. Flavius Josephus, Jewish War 2.8; William Whiston translation, Perseus Digital Library. 2.8: souls, bodies and group comparison. Josephus’s Greek framing is his authorial choice. Return to the text ↑
  2. Günter Stemberger (1999). “The Sadducees – their history and doctrines.” The Cambridge History of Judaism 3, pp. 428–443. Summary: no surviving Sadducean writings and selective outsider/opponent reports. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 11 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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Cite this record

IL Archive, «Sadducees», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/sadducees