In the Second Temple period. Reprinted with permission from
Jerusalem: Portrait of the City in the Second Temple Period
(Jewish Publication Society). A notable development in Hasmonean
times was the emergence of identifiable religious sects. The
term "sect" requires some clarification, as it usually is used
in regard to Christian groups that periodically broke way from
the Church for social and ideological reasons. In this period,
only the Essenes of Qumran come close to fitting that
definition. Other groups, such as the Pharisees, Sadducees,
Hasidians of Maccabean days, Sicarii, and early Christians, all
operated in Jerusalem and wider Judaean society and were not a
priori opposed to the religious establishment. The term "sect"
is thus not the most appropriate for our historical context.
Nevertheless, we have retained it out of convenience, since it
is universally used with reference to these groups. When Did
Second Temple Sects Begin? All evidence points to the beginning
of the Hasmonean era [2nd century BC