Sadducee
/ˈsædʒəsi/noun
A member of a Jewish religious and political group active in Judea during the Second Temple period.
Did you know?The name is commonly connected with Zadok, the high priest traditionally associated with Solomon’s Temple, though scholars debate whether the group’s name definitively derives from him or his descendants.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical period
Hebrew
צָדוֹק (Ṣādōq)
“Zadok, a personal name traditionally interpreted as “righteous” or “just””
First Temple period
Hebrew
Zadokite
“Of or belonging to the priestly line associated with Zadok”
2nd–1st Century BCE
Jewish Aramaic/Hebrew
צְדוּקִי (Ṣĕdūqī)
“A member of the Sadducee group, probably connected with the Zadokite priesthood”
1st Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Σαδδουκαῖος (Saddoukaîos)
“Sadducee; a member of the Jewish sect”
1st–2nd Century CE
Latin
Sadducaeus
“Sadducee”
14th Century
English
Sadducee
“A member of the Jewish sect opposing the Pharisees and traditionally rejecting belief in resurrection and angels”