First century Judaism revolved around the temple. So did the Sadducees. Read about what these Jewish leaders believed and why they eventually disappeared.
This group’s name may come from Zadok, the high priest of Israel at the time of King David. The Sadducees may have also been descendants of the Zadokites, who had controlled the temple as high priests for many years until the middle of the second century B.C., when they were forced from power by Jonathan, the first Maccabean high priest. The Sadducees stayed close to the priestly families and tried to influence the business of the temple. They were willing to work with the Romans when they came to rule Palestine. Unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees did not accept interpretations of the Law, but believed in following only the Law of Moses. They also did not believe that the dead were raised to life (Mark 12.18; Acts 23.8). As long as the Sadducees followed the main teachings of the Law and stayed friendly with the Romans, they expected to continue in positions of power and wealth among their people. After the Jewish revolt led to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, the Sadducees no longer existed as a group.