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Explanation for:
Matthew
22
:
23
That day there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and asked him,
10
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"There were two distinct sects within the Jewish community: the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees emphasized righteousness through adherence to traditions and external rituals, which they referred to as δευτερώσεις (exact reproductions); thus, the people recognized them as the separated ones. In contrast, the Sadducees, a term meaning the righteous, took for themselves a title they did not embody. While the Pharisees upheld their belief in the resurrection of both body and soul and acknowledged the existence of angels and spirits, the Sadducees, as noted in the Acts of the Apostles, denied all of these realities. These two groups are what Isaiah alludes to more explicitly, indicating that they would stumble over the stone of offense."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Following the Pharisees, the Sadducees approached the Messiah. What an absurdity! He had scarcely managed to silence the Pharisees before the Sadducees came forth, when they should have held their peace. However, audacity is so brazen and reckless that it dares to tackle the unthinkable. Thus, the Evangelist, in astonishment at their folly, remarks, “on that day they came.” “On that day”—what does that refer to? It signifies the very day when the Messiah uncovered the cunning of the Pharisees and brought them to disgrace. Who were the Sadducees? They represented a distinct sect within the Jewish community, markedly different from and even more misguided than the Pharisees, asserting that there was neither resurrection nor angel nor spirit. They were more crass than the Pharisees and entirely fixated on earthly matters. The Jewish community had various sects, which is why Paul mentions, “I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest doctrine in our creed” (Acts 26:5)."},{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"They are referred to as Sadducees, meaning the just, as they assert, ‘We serve God without expectation of compensation,’ believing that they do not seek the reward of the resurrection of the dead, hence they deem themselves just. According to their view, we should worship God independently of any reward."},{"author-name":"Anonymous Commentary (Opus Imperfectum)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":4,"exegesis-text":"And on which occasion? It was when the Pharisees withdrew and the Sadducees arrived. Then the Sadducees departed, and the Pharisees returned. Just a single day, yet filled with numerous confrontations. They approached Him intent on ensnaring Him, or, at the very least, to outsmart Him through the sheer persistence of their inquiries. Similar to how a single courageous warrior stands out among many foes, these opponents encircle Him, hoping that, if not through strength, then through their multitude, they may compel His retreat.\\n\\nHe remembered the error of the Sadducees, who asserted that there was no resurrection of the dead. Of all the deceptions presented to Him, He deemed this one worthy of exposure. For in every endeavor, whether physical or spiritual, the motivating force is the aspiration for future reward. The farmer who tills the soil anticipates a fruitful harvest. The warrior who engages in battle aspires to victory. If serving righteousness in this life is so taxing, who could sustain such endeavors daily without being uplifted by the hope of resurrection? Remove the hope of resurrection, and the foundation of religious practice crumbles. Did the Sadducees maintain that marriage exists after death? It does not! For how could they hold such a belief in marriage after death while denying the resurrection? Yet, in defense of their fallacy, they believed they had crafted an irrefutable rationale, reasoning among themselves: It is unthinkable that the wife who had seven husbands could be the wife of just one of them, or all of them simultaneously—just as it is untenable to believe in a resurrection of the dead."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The Lord faces temptation from the Sadducees, a group that rejected the belief in resurrection or the existence of spirits and angels, standing in opposition to the Pharisees."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The Sadducees are referenced in chapter three. They disputed the resurrection of the dead, claiming it was not explicitly stated in the Mosaic texts, which were the only scriptures they accepted, rejecting any other writings. Such folly! Once the Pharisees, the most meticulous among the Jews, were rendered silent, the Sadducees, known for their many shortcomings, rushed to take their place. Instead of exercising restraint, their audacity emboldened them, leading them to act with utter shamelessness and to attempt the impossible. Since the prophetic texts present a much clearer teaching regarding resurrection, they erroneously assumed it meant individuals would rise again just as they were before death, retaining the same traits and emotions. Thus, in their desire to challenge this teaching, they approached with fabricated arguments."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Sadducees, as referenced in Matthew 3:7, are those \\"who say that there is no resurrection.\\" The resurrection refers to the extraordinary event where the deceased body is brought back to life through its rejoining with the soul, a phenomenon that will culminate in the general resurrection at the end of time. The Sadducees denied not only the resurrection itself but also the concept of an afterlife, the separate existence of the soul upon death, and the reality of spiritual beings and angels, as noted in Acts 23:8. They were considered more crude than the Pharisees, being entirely focused on earthly pleasures."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The behavior of the Pharisees should have served as a cautionary example, yet their arrogance is so bold and reckless that they dare to pursue what seems impossible. Thus, the Evangelist, astonished by their foolishness, notes, “AT THAT DAY THE SADDUKEES APPEARED TO HIM,” a distinct sect among the Jewish people, “THAT SAY THERE IS NO RETURN.” They denied the existence of resurrection, a future afterlife, angels, and even the souls of men. The Sadducees regarded Christ the Savior with disdain, viewing Him as a lowly Galilean, whom they felt was unworthy of their attention. However, the potent and compelling responses of the Lord to the Pharisees stirred jealousy within them for the glory of the Divine Teacher; they sought to mock Him. Simultaneously, they aimed to undermine the pride of the Pharisees, their persistent adversaries, and to boast about achieving what the Pharisees could not. “Or perhaps they intended to discover if Jesus Christ, who had been so harshly insulted by the Pharisees, might endorse their sect’s beliefs. While He frequently condemned the Pharisees, He spoke less often against the Sadducees” (Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson). They posed the very question that the Pharisees and Sadducees routinely debated among themselves—the matter of resurrection from the dead. “However, the Sadducees,” affirms St. Chrysostom, “after approaching the Savior, do not directly engage about the resurrection but rather concoct an improbable tale and relate an extraordinary incident.”"},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Jesus’ response to the Sadducees regarding resurrection and eternal life came after His earlier confrontation with the Herodians and the unscrupulous disciples of the Pharisees, who retreated in disgrace. As had been prearranged, a group of Sadducees approached Jesus. This sect of Jews denied the resurrection of the dead and the possibility of eternal life, demonstrating a general apathy toward spiritual matters, despite their prominent roles as priests, including some who served as high priests. \\n\\nOriginally, the Sadducees were primarily comprised of priests, and their name is thought to originate from the Hebrew word tzedakah, which means justice, or from Sadok, a rabbi who lived 260 years before Christ and was a disciple of Antigonus. Antigonus espoused that individuals ought to serve God selflessly, devoid of any expectation for reward or fear of retribution after death. However, Sadok interpreted this teaching in a restrictive manner, leading him to reject the notion of rewards for the righteous and punishment for the wicked, along with belief in an afterlife. His followers, the Sadducees, held that the human soul perishes with the body, denying any resurrection or life after death, asserting that earthly affairs hinge solely on human free will without divine intervention.\\n\\nComprising mainly of priests, including high priests, the Sadducees accepted the Scriptures primarily because strict adherence to rituals yielded them significant advantages. For instance, the family of Ananus established a facility on the Mount of Olives for breeding and selling sacrificial doves, exploiting their authority to increase the necessity of dove sacrifices, profiting greatly by selling a pair of doves for a gold denarius. These individuals, consumed by sensuality and greed, regarded religion merely as a means of financial gain while striving to mask their true intentions."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The primary group of Christ's followers had previously been the Pharisees. Another influential faction, the Sadducees, composed of the affluent and religious leaders, had largely remained disengaged from the events surrounding Christ and treated Him with the disdain typically reserved for the uneducated Galileans. However, as the teachings of this Galilean Rabbi began to resonate throughout Jerusalem, and they learned of the profound insights He shared that captivated the Pharisees, the Sadducees resolved to engage with Him directly in order to challenge His understanding of the law and Jewish doctrine. \\n\\nTo this end, they crafted a highly technical question focused on a topic in which they openly doubted: life after death and resurrection. They referenced a case from rabbinic law involving a woman who married seven brothers one after the other, all of whom died without leaving children, and they questioned which of these men she would claim as her husband in the resurrection. While this scenario was hypothetical, it was grounded in legal tradition, which required a brother to marry his deceased sibling's widow to preserve his lineage. The male offspring from this new union would be considered the firstborn of the deceased brother.\\n\\nUnbeknownst to them, and doubting the very concept of resurrection, they expected that Jesus would share their limited understanding, similar to the views held by the Pharisees, and thus anticipated embarrassing Him with their intricate question, mocking both Him and the doctrine of resurrection itself. While some rabbis entertained elevated beliefs about the afterlife, most embraced rather base ideas. They thought resurrection meant not just returning individuals to their previous bodies but also the revival of their former preferences and desires. They imagined that those resurrected would partake in eating, drinking, and marrying once more, and would even arise in the same attire they had worn in life, possessing the same physical features and flaws, \\"so that people might recognize that they were indeed the same individuals known in their former lives.\\" \\n\\nThe very inquiry posed by the Sadducees had already seen interpretations among the Rabbis suggesting that “a woman who has been married to two husbands in this world will be given to the first in the world to come.” Imbued with their crude and sensual views, while fundamentally denying the resurrection (which, in their opinion, lacked support in the Mosaic Law that they acknowledged), they approached the Savior with their perplexing question."}]}
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