Etymology
According to Abraham Geiger, the Sadducee sect of Judaism drew their name from Tzadok, the first Kohen Gadol to serve in The First Temple with the leaders of the sect proposed as the Kohanim (priestly) sons of Tzadok.
However, based on Chazalic sources, some researchers have argued that the Sadducee group originated in tandem with the Boethusian group during the Second Temple period, with their founders, Tzadok and Boethus, both being individual students of Antigonus of Sokho, who preceded the Zugot era, with no direct connection between the founder of the Tzadoki sect and Tzadok the Kohen Gadol, other than the same name.
In any event, the name Tzadok, being related to the root צָדַק ṣādaq (to be right, just) could be indicative of their aristocratic status in society in the initial period of their existence.
Read more about this topic: Sadducees
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
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