“That same day, the Sadducees came to Him, who say there is no resurrection; and they asked Him a question…” (Matthew 22:23)

“That same day, the Sadducees came to Him, who say there is no resurrection; and they asked Him a question…” (Matthew 22:23)

Q: Who are the Sadducees?

A: 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 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.

The Sadducees did not believe in angels, the existence of Hell, and denied the Resurrection – all three of which are firmly rooted in Holy Scripture.

One of the most famous incidents concerning the Sadducees occurs when they approach Christ with an excessively intricate question about the resurrection (Matt. 22:23-33, Mark 12:18-27, Luke 20:27-40). Although this question was designed to distort, refute, and ridicule Christ’s teaching about life after death, it ended up revealing the absurdity of the Sadducees’ own reasoning and inability to comprehend Holy Scripture.

It is interesting to note that although the Sadducees and Pharisees were polar opposites, they were each united by one common quest: to plot the demise and death Jesus Christ.

Fr. John