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“Take heed and beware of…the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” New Testament Commands of Christ Jesus: Bible study # 72 by Nolan McFadden Α Bible text: Matthew 16:6-12 “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6-12) In our Bible text is found one of the commands that Jesus gave to His followers. Jesus commanded, “Take heed and beware of…the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6-12) What does this mean? Who were the Pharisees and Sadducees referred to by Christ in this Bible passage? As biblical Christians, how do we apply this New Testament command of Jesus in our lives in the twenty-first century? Let’s consider these questions as we look to the Holy Scriptures for answers. I. Who were the Pharisees and Sadducees? A. The Pharisees were a Jewish religious sect who lived in Judea during the Second Temple period. The Pharisees are traced to the Hasidaeans. The Hasidaeans were a pious society of Jewish men who were zealous for their religion. (1) B. In Matthew 16:6-12 the word “Pharisees” is translated from the Greek word Φαρισαίων. Also, the term is translated from the Aramaic word peras (Daniel 5:28) which means “to separate.” (2) Pharisees separated themselves “…to a different manner of life from that of the general public.” (3) Subsequently, Pharisees were Jewish separatists. They were, “…a scholarly class dedicated to the teaching of both the written and oral Law…of Judaism...The Pharisees developed their own body of interpretations, expansions, and applications of the Law that they came to regard as of divine origin (Mishnah, Aboth, 1:1)…” (4) The Pharisees were often the political opponents of the Sadducees. C. The Sadducees were a Jewish priestly sect who lived during the Second Temple period. The word “Sadducees” is translated from the Greek word Σαδδουκαίων in our Bible text of Matthew 16:6-12. The Sadducees were proceeded historically by a Jewish political movement of Hellenism. Likewise, the Sadducees embraced Hellenism and were the religious liberals of their time. (5) They were regarded as the political opponents of the Pharisees.