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Angelology
The Pharisees also taught the existence of angels and spirits, whereas the
Sadducees denied them (Acts 23:8).
The Pharisees actually developed a complex hierarchy of angels and demons.
Although Josephus is silent on the subject, the New Testament reveals that the
Sadducees differed from the Pharisees, arguing there is neither "angel, nor
spirit." (Acts 23:8). Its hard to imagine why the Sadducees denied the existence of
angels considering the frequent mention of them in the Books of Moses, which the
Sadducees accepted as authoritative.
No doubt the Sadducees accused the Pharisees of adopting their angelology and
demonology from Babylonian and Persian sources. In the Apocrypha and
Apocalyptic Literature angelology flourished.
In later Jewish tradition, the rabbinic concept of angels apparently remained
a mystery and there are still debates on the subject.