Josephus Sadducees

Throughout his complete works, Josephus identifies three main sects of Judaism that were present within his lifetime: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. Throughout his different works he offers many descriptions of these different sects. He describes the Pharisees in the most detail, likely because he asserts that the Pharisees drew much support from the common man and that he himself was once a Pharisee (Antiquities 13.10.5). It is useful to help understand these three sects by considering the form of government most closely related to their beliefs. The Sadducees, described by Josephus as the most lenient sect, would relate most closely to an oligarchical form of government. One reason for this is the fact that they drew support largely from the rich (Antiquities 13.10.6). The idea of an oligarchy is a government ruled by a small group of elites, which connects to the idea of a sect of religion supported mainly by the elites in Judea. Additionally, Josephus asserts that the Sadducees did not believe in the immortality of souls but rather that souls are temporary and there is no impending fate or judgement upon death (War 2.8.14). A group of …show more content…
The main reason for this is their pious rejection of worldly goods such as wealth or individual possession of materials (War 2.8.3). By sharing all possessions with all other Essenes and even rejecting the traditional ideas of a family unit in favor of the community, the Essenes fit into the idea of the total equality of all people. Additionally, their rejection of purchase or sale of goods in favor of shared possession would fit into Karl Marx's criticisms of capitalism. The Essenes should be considered the strictest sect that Josephus describes because of their strict pious practices and their harsh punishment of those who sin, casting them out of the group to starve to death (War