Oppositional trends within Judaism during the Talmudic and early Gaonic periods

Abstract

The focus of this paper is oppositional trends in early Judaism. First, the author presents historical circumstances, namely the end of the Second Temple, and the diaspora and emerging Rabbinic Judaism. The traditional macro-structure of Israel in the rabbinic society was a crucial precondition for rival groups. According to tradition, the whole of Israel was divided into three groups of descent in the following order of rank: priests as “sons of Aaron”, Levites and Israel in the sense of “laics”. Those persons and groups who did not follow orthodoxy or orthopraxy were accused of apostasy and were stigmatized by the rabbis as heretics. Among those groups were Samaritans, the Zadduqim and Bethusim, the Minim.

Keywords

• Judaism -- History
• Rabbinic literature
• Rabbis
• Jewish sects
• Heresies and heretics (Judaism)
• Judaism -- Apologetics