Sadly, and not unlike today, during the time of Christ there were many factions amongst Judaism; the three most prevalent being: Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Herodians.
The Sadducees were an ultra-liberal, neo-political religious group of Jews who, like many Christians of today, would decidedly pick and choose what they did and didn’t want to believe with regards to their own religion. They did not believe in angels, the existence of Hell, and denied the Resurrection, thus they stood in direct contrast to the elite, ultra-conservative Pharisees who read, interpreted, and applied the Scriptures quite literally; practicing their faith upon an extreme “letter of the law” basis.
Somewhat akin to the Sadducees, the Herodians were politically minded Jews who saw the “Jewish State” as the messianic fulfillment. Their allegiance was to King Herod, who they hoped, would lead a revolt against Rome so that the Jews could rule themselves.
Although they were polar opposites the Herodians banded together with the Pharisees to trick Jesus by asking if it is proper for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar and also to plot His demise.
Fr. John
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