Boethusian

Boethusian

      member of a Jewish sect that flourished for a century or so before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Their subsequent history is obscure, as is also the identity of Boethus, their founder. Because of evident similarities, some scholars tend to view the Boethusians as merely a branch of the Sadducees. Both parties, they point out, associated with the aristocracy and denied the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body, because neither of these doctrines was contained in the written Torah, or first five books of the Bible. The Boethusians testified to their disbelief in the “world to come” by living lives of luxury and by ridiculing the piety and asceticism of the Pharisees. The Talmud—the authoritative compendium of law, lore, and commentary—speaks of the Boethusians in derisive tones. Still other scholars have argued that the Boethusians should be identified with the Essenes and Dead Sea Sect and that the word Boethusian may not derive from the name Boethus but from Beth Essaya, or Essenes.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • boethusian — bo·e·thu·si·an …   English syllables

  • boethusian — ˌbōəˈthüzh(ē)ən noun ( s) Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: Boethus, 1st century B.C. Jewish high priest, founder of the sect + English ian : a member of a Jewish sect associated in Jewish tradition with the Sadducees …   Useful english dictionary

  • Karaite Judaism — or Karaism (IPA2|ˈkærəˌaɪt, ˈkærəˌɪzəm; Hebrew Name|קָרָאִים|Qaraʾim|Qārāʾîm|meaning Readers [of Scripture] ) is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh as its scripture, and the rejection of Rabbinic Judaism and the Oral …   Wikipedia

  • Boethusians — The Boethusians were a Jewish sect closely related to, if not a development of, the Sadducees. Origin of nameThe origin of this schism is recounted as follows by the Midrash: Antigonus of Soko having taught the maxim, Be not like the servants who …   Wikipedia

  • Judaism — /jooh dee iz euhm, day , deuh /, n. 1. the monotheistic religion of the Jews, having its ethical, ceremonial, and legal foundation in the precepts of the Old Testament and in the teachings and commentaries of the rabbis as found chiefly in the… …   Universalium

  • BOETHUSIANS — BOETHUSIANS, a religious and political sect which existed during the century preceding the destruction of the Second Temple. According to rabbinic tradition the Boethusians and the Sadducees were named after two disciples of antigonus of sokho ,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

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