What caused the Sanhedrin to not believe in the resurrection?

Question

The Pharisees were no better in their system of things either but.....didn't they all refer to the same Pentateuch which spoke of the Messiah being tortured and killed.....and then rising again on the 3rd day?

Sorry folks...

I meant the Old Testament in general....or whatever scrolls were available to the priests in the 1st century (Isaiah...the Psalms...etc...)

Thanks Rick.....
I can't believe I said "Sanhedrin" instead of "Saducees".......

Too many s's if you know what I mean.
I had Sanhedrin on the brain from reading this afternoon in my car on my lunch break.

Answer 1

From what I can discern, They believed in only in Genesis and the books of the Law.....they didn't believe in any of the books of the prophets which contained the prophecies of the Messiah. they believed things like the world today...and didn't believe in miracles or anything supernatural. I apologize for the cut and paste but this is the best description I've found of the differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees.


Pharisees and Saducees
1st century bc

The Hassidean party of the early days of the Hasmonean revolt developed into the group known as the Pharisees. The name, which in Hebrew mean separatists, presumably refers to their insistence on ritual purity. They developed the process of interpretation of the Torah, giving wide - ranging meanings to the Scriptural text. Their teachings evolved into the Mishnah and Talmud, and thus constitute the basis of rabbinic Judaism. They also stressed the religious importance of study and denied that knowledge was the prerogative of the priesthood. Their own membership was by no means homogeneous, and they all tended to popularise the Jewish religion and decrease the exclusive importance of the Temple cult.

In all these aims they were opposed by a party called the Sadducees, which name may derive from Zaddok, who was a high priest in biblical times. This group, which was largely made up of priests and aristocrats, insisted on the exclusive centrality of the Temple and objected to the broad interpretation the Pharisees were applying to the Bible. They rejected the Pharisaic supernatural beliefs, claiming that they had no basis in Mosaic Law. They denied the doctrine of the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul and rejected the belief in the existence of angels and ministering spirits. Because of their strict adherence to the letter of the written law, the Sadduccees acted severely in cases involving the death penalty. The Mosaic principle of 'an eye for an eye' was interpreted literally and not as referring to monetary compensation - the view adopted by the Pharisees. There were also numerous legal ritualistic details in which these two parties differed. The Saduccees were far less popular in their outlook. By virtue of the fact that it was they who controlled the Temple and constituted the religious establishment, the Pharisees were, in fact, revolutionaries. The latter did not limit either their opinions or their activities to the religious sphere; they objected to the Hasmonean dynasty assuming both the kingship and the high priesthood, holding that the high priesthood should be in other hands. The fact that the Hasmoneans were not of the Davidic line also affected the recognition they were given as kings. In the reign of Alexander Yannai most of the Pharisees fled the country because of royal persecution. However, the main efforts of the Pharisees were centered on the religious life of the people, and the attitudes and doctrines they developed there, became the basis for Judaism throughout the ages.

During this period, several sects sprang up, amongst whom the Essenes stand out. Isolationist in their outlook they removed themselves from the mainstream of Jewish life. None of them survived.

Answer 2

Yes, what they called The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. Today it is called the Tonakh.

It was not the Sanhedrin that believed this way but the Saducees. I believe they came up with this doctrine because they could not understand it. Much like people today cannot hold to the doctrine of the trinity because they do not understand it--even though scripture supports it in numerous places.

Prophecies regarding the Messiah being killed but risen on the third day is actually more of a mystery in the Tonakh. When Jesus used Jonah as prophetic, I thought to myself, "Would I have gotten that?" Or when Joseph is pulled out of the well without water, or after 3 days Isaac was given back to his father Abraham. All these are types, but really would not have provided enough evidence for the Saducees to be convinced. However, when it came to the resurrection of the dead, Jesus' point is quite valid. "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And who could argue THAT point?

Answer 3

Make sure you get your terms right.

The Pentateuch is the first five books of the Old Testament, not the whole Old Testament. No where in there does it prophecy the resurrection. You will have to turn to the Psalms for that, and the other prophets.

Some of the Sanhedrin did believe - and were even obedient (Nicodemus and Simon). Others rejected it just like they had rejected the miracles. It is a hardness of heart.

Answer 4

They expected a strong leader to come in as a Jew and save them from the clutches of the Roman Empire. Not someone that would hang out with sinners and who would offer God's word to the world. And eternal life to the gentiles.

Answer 5

The Torah has no such reference, and the resurrection was invented long after the Sanhedrin had lost all power.

To add, this "messianic prophecy" is NOT part of any Jewish scripture.


The Sadducees died out about 1900 years ago, resurrection was added to the jesus story about 1600 years ago... maybe this is why..

Answer 6

They had hardened hearts.
They would not humble themselves and accept what they were hearing.

Like many today who do not accept what is being preached. They don't want to change their ways or traditions, so they have hardened their hearts to the true word of God, and therefore no longer trust in the full word of God.

Answer 7

They didnt believe Jesus was the Messiah in the first place, so it would be obvious they would not believe that He resurrected.

Answer 8

There is no mention in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Messiah being tortured and killed. That is a Christian fabrication. And since Jesus did not rise from the dead there was nothing to believe.

Answer 9

Fear