Paper Summary:

This essay explores the sectarian nature of Judaism, as developing from the Hellenization of Judea around 333 BCE and extending up until the time of Jesus. The socio-religious and political nature of the country is examined in detail, with thorough reference to Greco-Roman and Jewish primary sources. How the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes came to be separate and equally influential Jewish sects is discussed, as well as the eventual downfall of sectarianism and the historical basis of why we now talk of a singular 'Judaism'.

From the Paper:

"Judaea was a site of great social and political turmoil at the turn of the era and it's national religion, Judaism, reflected this unrest. Jewish sectarianism as a historical fact cannot be denied, but is it reasonable and accurate to describe Jewish membership as solely sectarian during this time? An examination of both the development of Judaea's social and political environment, and the plurality of Jewish philosophies that existed in this milieu, will aid in an assessment of Jewish religious life under Roman rule at the turn of the era."

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