Who were the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees?

Scribes

In the days before mechanical printing, copies of documents, letters, government records, and sacred writings were written by hand by skilled secretaries known as scribes (1 Kings 4:3; 2 Kings 18:18; 2 Kings 22:8 ; Jeremiah 8:8 ; Jeremiah 38:18 ; Jeremiah 38:26-27 ). The religious importance of the scribes developed during the period following the return of the Jews from captivity in 538 BCE and the subsequent reconquest of the Jewish nation. There was a renewal of interest in the Mosaic Law during the exile, and it increased after the return to Jerusalem.

Because the scribes had developed exceptional skill in making exact copies of the details of the Law, the people regarded them as experts in matters of the Law (Ezra 7:6; Ezra 7:10). During the century immediately preceding the Christian era, the power and prestige of the scribes increased significantly. They came to be recognized not only as teachers of the Law but also as legal authorities and rabbis (Matthew 22:35; Matthew 23:2–7).

However, there was a major difference between Ezra’s interpretation of the Law and that of the scribes in the time of Jesus. In the intervening centuries, the scribes had constructed their own system, surrounding the central Mosaic Law with countless additional regulations. These new laws may have developed from legal cases judged by the scribes or from traditions handed down to them. The scribes then compelled the Jewish people to observe these regulations, until the entire legal system became a heavy burden (Matthew 15:1–9; Matthew 23:2–4).

With the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, the rituals associated with the Jewish Temple came to an end; however, the influence of the scribes continued. By AD 200, the scribes—now more commonly known as rabbis—had written down the oral traditions that earlier scribes had built around the Law. This written collection was called the Mishnah.

After the completion of the Mishnah, the rabbis added their interpretations to it. This commentary was written between AD 400 and 500 and became known as the Gemara. Together, the Mishnah and the Gemara formed the Talmud, which has since remained the authoritative legal and religious text for Orthodox Judaism.

Pharisee 

The Pharisees were one of the two major Jewish groups during the time of the New Testament, the other being the Sadducees. Both groups originated in the second century BC, when Greek influence within Judaism created divisions among the Jewish people. Most Pharisees came from the working classes and sought to preserve traditional Jewish practices from the corruption of foreign ideas and political ambitions. The Sadducees, by contrast, were drawn primarily from the wealthy upper classes. Their primary concern was not the preservation of tradition but the use of religious and social structures within Jewish society to gain power and control for themselves.

Once the Sadducees gained priestly authority, they advanced their own interests by emphasizing the necessity of maintaining Temple rituals. The Pharisees, on the other hand, stressed responsibility for upholding the Law not only in Temple rituals but in every aspect of life. In doing so, the Pharisees supported the traditions developed and taught by the teachers of the Law (the scribes). The scribes had expanded the Mosaic Law into an elaborate system that included countless regulations dealing with Sabbath observance (Matthew 12:1–2; Mark 3:1–6; Luke 13:10–14), ritual purity (Matthew 23:25; Mark 7:1–9), fasting (Luke 18:11–12), tithing (Matthew 23:23), and the taking of oaths (Matthew 23:16–22).

As members of such a strict group, many Pharisees regarded themselves as the true people of God and separated themselves from those who did not follow their beliefs and practices. The name “Pharisees” means “the separated ones.”

Sadducees

The name “Sadducees” likely derives from Zadok, the priest during the time of Solomon, whose descendants were regarded as the only legitimate priestly line (1 Kings 1:38–39; Ezekiel 44:15–16; Ezekiel 48:11). The influence of Greek thought within Judaism created tension between Jews who supported it and those who opposed it. When conflict erupted between these two groups, Antiochus Epiphanes, the Greek ruler of Syria, used the situation as a pretext to invade Jerusalem and attempt to destroy Judaism.

Under the leadership of a priestly family known as the Maccabees (or Hasmoneans), the Jews revolted against Antiochus. After three years of struggle, they regained religious freedom in 165 BC. By this time, a clear division existed among the Jewish people. The pro-political faction included powerful priests and wealthy leaders who supported the Hasmonean rulers. The other group consisted largely of common people who were politically powerless but enjoyed popular support.

Later, disputes concerning the right of the Hasmonean ruler to serve as high priest led to the open formation of the Sadducee and Pharisee parties. With the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in AD 70, the Sadducees lost the priestly foundation that had sustained them. As a result, the party soon disappeared.