Sadducee

American  

[saj-uh-see, sad-yuh-] / ˈsædʒ əˌsi, ˈsæd yə- /

noun

Judaism.

1. a member of a Palestinian sect, consisting mainly of priests and aristocrats, that flourished from the 1st century b.c. to the 1st century a.d. and differed from the Pharisees chiefly in its literal interpretation of the Bible, rejection of oral laws and traditions, and denial of an afterlife and the coming of the Messiah.

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Sadducee British  

/ ˈsædjʊˌsiː /

noun

1. Judaism a member of an ancient Jewish sect that was opposed to the Pharisees, denying the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and the validity of oral tradition

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Other Word Forms

• Sadducean adjective
• Sadduceeism noun

Etymology

Origin of Sadducee

before 1000; Middle English sadducees (plural), Old English saddūcēas < Late Latin saddūcaeī < Greek saddoukaîoi < Hebrew ṣədhūqī adherent of Zadok

Example Sentences

A Sadducee says, "The resurrection of the dead is a fable: the dry, scattered dust cannot live again."

From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by Alger, William Rounseville

It was the wealthy Sadducee party in union with the influential Pharisees which harried the Church.

From The Books of the New Testament by Pullan, Leighton

Philo, a Pharisee, one of the Jewish sanhedrim, who hated Caiaphas, the high priest, for being a Sadducee.

From Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook, Vol. 3 by Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham

Again, humbler folk would retreat into wagon-ways or hug the walls to permit the passage of a Sadducee and his retinue, or a decurion and his squad—rank and power asserting their inexorable prerogative.

From Saul of Tarsus A Tale of the Early Christians by Miller, Elizabeth

He has nothing harsh even for the infidel Sadducee.

From Modern Skepticism: A Journey Through the Land of Doubt and Back Again A Life Story by Barker, Joseph