Biblical Jewish Sects - The Sadducees Part 1
Have you ever seen a phony Christian? They say they are a Christian but when you see the way they act, how they talk, and how they live, you think there is no way they are Christian. Just believing there is a God doesn’t make you a Christian. You can call yourself whatever you like but that doesn’t make it true. I can say I am a baseball player, but the fact is I only play tee ball with my kids. I can call myself a great chef, but I couldn’t tell you what a bouillabaisse is, much less know how to make one.
Well, the Bible had several phony Jews too. They said they were Jews. They tried to act like Jews, sort of, but they just didn’t hit the mark. This study will cover the different Jewish Sects in the Bible, explaining where they came from, why, what they believed, and what happened to them. It is crucial to recognize the diversity of the Jewish community as it was in the Bible and as they are today. Today, Jews come from various cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and hold different religious and traditional beliefs. We shouldn’t generalize them all by the bad habits of a few.
In the Old Testament, we are introduced to the children of Abraham, also known as the Hebrews or Hebrew Children, Sons of Jacob, Children of Israel, Children of Jacob, the Twelve Tribes of Israel, House of Judah, Judeans, and Judahites. The Kingdoms of Judah and Israel came about when the Israelite kingdom split into two separate entities. The northern part became the Kingdom of Israel, while the southern part was known as the Kingdom of Judah. The people in the northern kingdom were often referred to as Israelites, while those in the southern kingdom were called Judeans or Judahites.
The term “Jew” is first used in 2 Kings 16:6, meaning someone from Judah. After the Babylonian captivity, it was common for anyone professing to believe in One God, named Yehovah, and who lived following the Torah, to be called a Jew. When you read through the Bible, you get familiar with the way they change these names around, and we understand they are basically talking about the same people. Sometimes that is true but in others, it can be misleading to group everyone called “a Jew” into the same bucket. Just as it isn’t correct to group all Christians into the same bucket. Some do as they please, some follow strict rules, some make up their own rules, some do only what the Book says, and some live so “holy” they would drown in the rain.
Timestamps
0:00 Biblical Jewish Sects
0:11 Changing Names
2:36 The Book of Malachi
5:31 Not Silent Years
8:09 The Sadducees Arise
9:36 Sadduces = Phony Jews
11:28 Oral Law
13:08 A New Prophet
17:25 Seeking Signs