in Jewish antiquity, a famous sect among the ancient Jews, so called from their founder Sadoc Antigonus of Socho, president of the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem, and teacher of the law in the principal divinity-school of that city. Having often, in his lectures, asserted to his scholars, that they ought not to serve God in a servile manner, with respect to reward, but only out of filial love and fear, two of his scholars, Sadoc and Baithus, inferred from thence, that there were no rewards or punishments after this life; and, therefore, separating from the school of their master, they taught, that there was no resurrection nor future state. Many embracing this opinion, gave rise to the sect of the Sadducees, who were a kind of epicureans; but differing from them in this, that tho' they denied a future state, yet they allowed the world was created by the power of God, and governed by his Providence; whereas the followers of Epicurus denied both.

The Sadducees denied all manner of predestination whatever; and not only rejected all unwritten traditions, but also all the books of the Old Testament, excepting the Pentateuch.