Études 1 à 4
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INF001
Sadducees
The Sadducees were an aristocratic and priestly group of ancient Judaism (200 BC – AD 70), controlling the Temple of Jerusalem and the Sanhedrin. They accepted only the Pentateuch, and denied the resurrection of the dead and the existence of angels. Mentioned fifteen times in the New Testament, they played a key role in the condemnation of Jesus, notably through Caiaphas and Anna. Their disappearance coincides with the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.
Acts 23.6 (King James Version) :But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF002
The Pharisees
The Pharisees, who appeared after the Maccabean revolt (165 BC), were an influential religious group of ancient Judaism. Devoted to the written and oral Torah, they believed in the resurrection and remained close to the people. Often in conflict with Jesus in the Gospels, they nevertheless produced figures such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Their teachings founded rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.
Acts 23.6 (King James Version) :But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
INF003
The Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin was the highest religious, judicial, and legislative authority of Second Temple Judaism (2nd century BC – AD 70). Made up of 71 members and sitting in Jerusalem, it interpreted the Torah, settled major disputes, and oversaw the Hebrew calendar. Mentioned in the Gospels and described by rabbinic literature, it disappears after AD 70, but its model continues to inspire Jewish organization and legal thought.
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INF065
The Essenes
The Essenes were an ascetic Jewish sect of the 2nd century BC, known for their strict communal life, ritual purity and devotion to the Scriptures. Associated with the site of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947, they disappeared after the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70, leaving a major textual and spiritual legacy for understanding ancient Judaism and the origins of Christianity.