There were four main ideological groups that appear in Christian Scripture, as well as a few social subgroups which bear defining:

	Pharisees.  This is the most frequently cited Jewish group in the Gospel texts.  In its most basic function, this segment of the Jewish community was responsible for the interpretation of Jewish Law (Torah).  Its purview, however, went significantly beyond that function.  It was generally viewed as the authority in matters affecting the application of the Law to daily living.  It was generally believed by these individuals that the Law was a living document and needed to be constantly reassessed for practical applicability to each succeeding generation.  In this manner, they became the keepers of an oral tradition of continuous interpretations by prior “rabbinic” authorities.   When Hellenizing influences appeared to be affecting the performance of Torah duties, the Pharisees were in the forefront of the movement to maintain the integrity of the Jewish practices which set them apart from the pagan Greeks.  They attempted to promote this separation by requiring stricter observance of the commandments of  Torah, not only by the priestly caste (whose ritual purity was governed by extensive rules), but by the general Jewish population as well.  In this manner, they came to be known as the most “orthodox” (in the modern sense, implying exacting adherence to the most comprehensive law) of Jewish practitioners.
	Sadducees.  This group differed from the Pharisees in both religious beliefs and sphere of authority.  Whereas the Pharisees believed in the equal validity of the Oral Tradition and the Written Torah, the Sadducees rejected the idea that the oral traditions constituted Law.  They held that interpretations passed down through the generations (of how the written Law is to be practiced) were not sacred, and that Jews were not bound by any regulation that was not specifically delineated in the Pentateuch (the Five Books of Moses, which form the beginning of the Hebrew Scriptures.) Additionally, certain doctrines held by the Pharisees were rejected by the Sadducees.  Among these are the belief in the resurrection of the dead and the existence of angels. The Sadducees also championed priestly authority over the authority of Torah scholars and Talmud (oral tradition) keepers.  Many of the members of this group were priests themselves.
	Priests.  Priesthood among the ancient Jews was hereditary.  Membership in this group was therefore biologically determined.  Descendants of Aaron (of the Tribe of Levi) conducted temple services and performed required sacrifices.  [Other members of the tribe of Levi (i.e. Levites not descended from Aaron) had lesser duties as temple functionaries, but were subservient to the priests.]  Priests could be pharisaical or sadducean in their doctrinal orientation, though most were sadducean, as this gave them more authority. Priests engaged in no other work besides their priestly duties.  [This distinguishes them from the other groups who were merchants, craftsman, farmers, etc.  “Priest” is a professional designation, while “Pharisee” and “Sadducee” are more religious-party designations.]  They were supported by tithes and temple taxes.  The High Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem also had a leadership role in the community at large.  In the early first century, the holder of this position would have been a member of the ruling body within the Jewish community (the Sanhedrin), and as such would have served as an intermediary of sorts between the Jewish populace and the Roman governor.
	Scribes.  Strictly speaking, this too is a professional rather than a religious designation.  However, because of the New Testament association between this group and the Pharisees, its significance in the religious context must be explained.  The scribes were originally a guild of professional writers whose function it was to keep official records, prepare dictated documents, and read public notices to the illiterate population.  Following the Babylonian Exile (586-538 BCE), the role of the scribes changed to a more religiously oriented function.  Scribes were increasingly concerned with recording the Law (Torah).  As a result, two things happened which may account for the association of scribes with the Pharisees.  First, because scribes were called upon to copy the Torah and record many of its historical interpretations, they became legal scholars to a great extent.  They were not required to believe in the interpretations put forth by the Pharisees, but they acted in a pseudo-Pharisaical role of explicating the Law to others. Additionally, because many scribes were Torah copyists, they were bound by ritual codes that regulated their fitness to produce appropriately kosher (fit) Torah scrolls.  As a consequence, they became very strict in their observance of the smallest details of ritual purity.  This meant following purity laws (commandments) previously required only of the priestly caste, which again associated them with the Pharisaical proposition that complete ritual purity should be observed by all Jews.
	Zealots.  This group of first-century Jews is characterized more by its political leanings than its religious or social standing.  The zealots were the group most inclined toward open rebellion against imperial authority.  They advocated the use of military force to overthrow Roman rule.  They believed that the promised Messiah would be a secular-military leader, not a religious one.  This group functioned mostly as an underground political party by the time of Jesus’ ministry, possibly due to the violent suppression of then-recent rebel activity attributed to Judas of Galilee (ca. 6 CE).  The push toward open rebellion was not simply a political approach for the zealots, however.  They believed that God favored those who demonstrated militant zeal for the keeping of the covenant, which observance was threatened by the acceptance of Roman imperial authority or submission to any earthly power.  Indeed, they believed that God historically led his chosen champions into battle against earthly authorities and rewarded their zeal with victory.  (The story of the Maccabean revolt only 150 years earlier was just one of legends which confirmed this view.)
	Samaritans.  While not frequently cited in New Testament texts, the Samaritans are a good example of division amongst the Jews of Jesus’ era.  The parable of the “Good” Samaritan is often seen as highlighting the prejudice of the time which held that Samaritans were inherently “bad,” or at least inferior to the supposedly purer Jews of Judea. Samaritans are the descendants of Jews (from the northern kingdom of Israel) who had been captured by the Assyrians in (722 BCE).  For many, this biological factor alone was sufficient to make Samaritans less pure in the eyes of their fellow Jews.  There were, however, religious disputes which intensified the rejection of Samaritans by Jews of the southern kingdom, Judea.  The Samaritans did not acknowledge the preeminence of the Temple of Jerusalem, believing instead that the Scriptures proclaimed Mount Gerizim as God’s chosen place (the site of His covenant with Abraham, where Abraham brought his son to be sacrificed), and building their own temple there around the fourth century BCE.  Additionally, they believed only in the Written Torah (Pentateuch), every word of which they believed to have been written by Moses himself, whom they revered even more than the Judeans did.  This rejection of the Oral Tradition likened them to the Sadducees, but unlike the Sadducees, the Samaritans also believed in an afterlife.  These religious differences put them at odds with most other groups of Jews, and combined with their mixed heritage, resulted in their portrayal as an inherently lower order of Jew.
	Essenes: This  group is also referred to as the Qumran community; they are generally believed to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls uncovered in 1948.  Like the Pharisees, the Essenes rejected the Hellenic influence of the surrounding pagan communities.  Rather than separate themselves within those communities, however, they withdrew themselves to the desert to live in enclaves which might be called communes but which bear a significant resemblance to later monasteries.  Essenes did not marry; they shared property in common; they ate all meals together; and they lived a strictly regulated life of study and prayer; and they held themselves to a higher standard of virtue than others outside their community. They dedicated themselves to the practice of righteousness, that they may be perpetually ready for the imminent advent of the Kingdom of God.  The Essenes numbered only about 4000 at the time of Jesus’ ministry.