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The '''Sadducees''' were a political Jewish group that sided with the ruling party, most notably Rome at the time of [[Jesus]].  They were unpopular with the masses as a result, and their adversaries the [[Pharisees]] eventually became the Jewish leaders instead.  Made up mostly of aristocrats, they had a vested interest in the status quo, and rejected all religious writings except the Torah.  They denied the resurrection of the dead, the immortality of the soul and the existence of angels (Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18; Acts 23:8). They rejected the oral traditions followed by the [[Pharisees]].  

The '''Sadducees''' were a political Jewish group that sided with the ruling party, most notably Rome at the time of [[Jesus]].  They were unpopular with the masses as a result, and their adversaries the [[Pharisees]] eventually became the Jewish leaders instead.  Made up mostly of aristocrats, they had a vested interest in the status quo, and rejected all religious writings except the first five books of the [[Bible]] (commonly called the [[Torah]]).  They denied the resurrection of the dead, the immortality of the soul and the existence of angels (Matthew 22:23; Mark 12:18; Acts 23:8). They rejected the oral traditions followed by the [[Pharisees]].  

The influence of the Sadducees disappeared after the first Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.<ref>NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1985, Pg. 1483</ref>

The influence of the Sadducees disappeared after the first Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.<ref>NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1985, Pg. 1483</ref>